Back to BIAB!

[blacklabbrewer]

So my girlfriend and I started home brewing about 6 months ago. We have about 8 batches under our belt. I wanted to share with you how I've made my way back to brew in a bag. We in fact started with BIAB. Our first batch was actually a kit from NB, Jakes CDA (I'm so fortunate that my first home brew batch turned out awesome!). After a couple more BIAB batches and reading on HBT I thought that I was at the point that I could "graduate" to batch sparging. I bought a 10 gallon cooler with a false bottom and was having a great time. Ok so what it's a little more to clean up? Totally worth it to be a true all grain brewer right? Well, then came my first stuck sparge. What a nightmare trying to clear that with an air compressor. Everything turned out ok but then as I was scraping out the mash tun into the compost at the bottom of the yard I remembered how easy BIAB was. So today, I came back full circle to BIAB and made a dry Irish stout. What a laid back brew day! And I have only a kettle, a spoon, and a siphon to clean! So much more enjoyable, I thought I had to share with you guys! Take care!

 

[GCPHomebrew]

I'm on the same page. I won't leave biab. It's makes for such an easy brew day.

 

[Bellybuster]

Yup, me too.... Brewed for 25+ years with 3 vessels and recently went single vessel BIAB, happy camper

 

[pricelessbrewing]

I'm with you I doubt I'll ever leave BIAB, eventualyl I'd like to switch to an electric setup but other than that I'm very happy with my low cost setup.

 

[pretzelb]

Yup, me too.... Brewed for 25+ years with 3 vessels and recently went single vessel BIAB, happy camper

Do you miss anything from the 3 vessel days? I'm looking to upgrade from 5g to 10g and I can't decide if I want to go an electric 3 vessel or one of the electric BIAB options.

 

[cannman]

IMHO, at the homebrew level, BIAB is THE BEST method.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Do you miss anything from the 3 vessel days? I'm looking to upgrade from 5g to 10g and I can't decide if I want to go an electric 3 vessel or one of the electric BIAB options.

I do 10 gallon BIAB electric.The only possible downside is a significant temp difference on the outside of the bag to the inside.I just do a lot of stirring.It doesn't bother me,I enjoy the process.All the beers I brewed turned out fine

 

[cannman]

I do 10 gallon BIAB electric.The only possible downside is a significant temp difference on the outside of the bag to the inside.I just do a lot of stirring.It doesn't bother me,I enjoy the process.All the beers I brewed turned out fine

A pump to do recirc has been the solution to this for me Fantastic beer!

 

[iijakii]

I had a 3v HERMS setup I was pretty happy with for the past year. Then in the space of a couple weeks I got bored of cleaning it and decided to post it up for sale and go back to BIAB. Oh, and I also took that extra money I had from the sale and bought 2x SS conicals and am building a glycol setup . And could afford another kegging setup. Still a few weeks out on everything but I'm excited! I'm not even going to have a pump this time around unless I run into heat issues. I really think recirculating/heated mash BIAB is a bit bleh. Just going to insulate well and go from there.

 

[Bellybuster]

I miss nothing from my 3 vessel.
I brewed yesterday and needed a bit more quantity than my system can mash. I just mashed at a higher gravity, pulled the basket up and used 10 l of sparge water to make up the difference. Too easy.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I'm looking to upgrade from 5g to 10g and I can't decide if I want to go an electric 3 vessel or one of the electric BIAB options.

10g BIAB works very well with an inexpensive ratchet pulley. Heat loss during the mash is also much more manageable as batch size increases. I've done a couple 15g BIAB batches, the mash temp is very steady due to the large mass. This was indoors FWIW, not outside in a Michigan winter

 

[jason.mundy]

I too have mothballed my 10 gallon, three vessel system in favor of BIAB. Infact, I dropped down to 5 gallon batches just to get some more variety.

The only fault that I would give BIAB over a three vessel system is that I get a bit more particulate in the kettle. But I don't believe that it affects the flavor of the finished beer.

 

[njviking]

Yup, me too.... Brewed for 25+ years with 3 vessels and recently went single vessel BIAB, happy camper

Same boat.

I look back and say to myself, why did I ever stick with it that long. I'm basically at a 4.5 hr brew day from set up to cleaning these days. I can also mow the lawn, smoke some ribs and play with the kids when I'm brewing now, didn't have that luxury before.

 

[jekeane]

I recently purchased a full 3v kettle setup custom welded for electric and herms. I've done about 6 batches on it and it is much better than my keggles. In the same time period I've done about 10 3.5g batches. I am starting to wonder if I made a poor choice buying my 3 kettles...

 

[Bellybuster]

You didn't make a poor choice, just a different one. I learned so much on that system, so many lessons. Made some fantastic beers too as well as the occasional fantastic crap beer.
After years and years there comes a time, usually around 48-50 years old where you have the need to simplify your life. This was my solution. I wouldn't give up those years of evolving and modifying my 3 vessel.

 

[TexasWine]

After years and years there comes a time, usually around 48-50 years old where you have the need to simplify your life.

I must be an early bloomer. I hit that threshold at 32 years of age

 

[GHBWNY]

I just made the transition from extract to BIAB, figuring that eventually I "had" to go the next step to AG in order to be considered a "real" homebrewer. After attending my first AG class, I decided that if great beer was attainable from BIAB, why bother with AG? This thread has helped confirm that. Thanks, blacklab for starting this up!

 

[TexasWine]

I just made the transition from extract to BIAB, figuring that eventually I "had" to go the next step to AG in order to be considered a "real" homebrewer. After attending my first AG class, I decided that if great beer was attainable from BIAB, why bother with AG? This thread has helped confirm that. Thanks, blacklab for starting this up!

That's a common misconception. By definition, anything that uses all grains to create the wort is, you guessed it, all grain. Therefore BIAB is all grain.

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

BIAB is the way to go for me. Easy, great beer, less cleaning!

 

[Gavin C]

I guess being pretty new to brewing (a relative term, under 2 years of brewing)I have a tendency to try to explore different methods. I'm all for complexity if there's a reason

Fortunately using a bag as a manifold in a single vessel setup allows a lot of scope for experimentation. Having a mash-tun that can be directly fired is a luxury not all 3 vessel brewers have. A benefit IMHO, with many all-too-under-utilized advantages.

For me I could only see myself building a 3 vessel setup if it

1. Was all electric with 240V (or 220V I guess in the USA)
2. Clean in place
3. HERMS (Maybe RIMS, still reading)
4. Looked really cool as a fixture in a brew-room. Little to no setup and breakdown needed. looks cool, really bad-assff

The only method I can't see being feasible with BIAB is fly-sparging. I'm not for a moment suggesting this is a desirable thing, just that it's not doable without taking a nonsense approach.

Step mashing, infusions, decoctions all doable and fun. First wort hopping no problem, mash hopping I guess (not convinced on the benefit), whirlpooling, hop stands etc... Just thinking of things that do not require a 3 vessel setup. Not trying to start discussion. All covered elsewhere.

BIAB= great lauter efficiency, direct fired mash-tun, unblockable manifold, less cleanup. All advantages.

I'm sold:cross:

 

[shetc]

Look at the beautiful simplicity that is BIAB.

View attachment 1443489243566.jpg

 

[iijakii]

Is that an insulation jacket/lid on the left? Post more details if so please.

 

[iBrewR]

You guys are funny with your, BIAB is easier. Brew a 10 gallon batch and you don't just walk across the room with a dripping bag. You lower it into a bucket or something to take somewhere to dump and clean. Now you have a bucket and a bag to clean. How is this easier that just hosing out an MLT? I do 3V and BIAB and will continue to do both. It a hobby and I enjoy the variety. But I would never say that BIAB is easier. Getting all the grain bits out of the bag is more of a PITA than hosing out a MLT, but either way, I really don’t mind. Like I said, it’s a hobby that I enjoy. Not something I’m trying to make easy.

 

[chisena]

You guys are funny with your, BIAB is easier. Brew a 10 gallon batch and you don't just walk across the room with a dripping bag. You lower it into a bucket or something to take somewhere to dump and clean. Now you have a bucket and a bag to clean. How is this easier that just hosing out an MLT? I do 3V and BIAB and will continue to do both. It a hobby and I enjoy the variety. But I would never say that BIAB is easier. Getting all the grain bits out of the bag is more of a PITA than hosing out a MLT, but either way, I really don’t mind. Like I said, it’s a hobby that I enjoy. Not something I’m trying to make easy.

I find my eBIAB much easier than my old 3-vessel. Guess it just comes down to techniques. Cleaning my grain bag is cake. Perhaps not leaps and bounds easier than washing an MLT. However, the overall time saved and ease of only dealing with a single vessel adds up for me. When I added the 30A element, it made for a silent brew day with no propane and things got even better. Best choice I ever made in brewing after 4 years with my old 3-vessel.

 

[iijakii]

Spray hose the bag. Turn inside out. Spray hose the bag.

I spend way more time just scooping out grain from my MT, let alone cleaning. Tell you hwut.

 

[Gavin C]

I think the cleaning thing is no biggie. Hardly a compelling argument for one over the other.

Dumping the grains out of a mash-tun into the flowerbeds and hosing it down can't take all that long. 5 mins I guess while the wort is coming to a boil.

Bag cleaning involves setting it outside to cool on a plate. Dump grains in flower beds shake bag, toss in laundry. 1-2 mins.

A HLT never needs cleaning I guess. Can't see why it would. It could also be used to heat water and have it ready to go to pump through the mash-tun hoses during the boil. Clean in place is part of any 3v setup I want.

Boil kettle is the same for both.

More hose to clean with a 3v setup. Again no major chore.

 

[shetc]

Is that an insulation jacket/lid on the left? Post more details if so please.

I bought a roll of Reflectix from Home Depot. The bottom part is 4 layers, glued together. The top is 3 layers. Currently, temp drop is 2-3 degrees over a 90 min mash (I do live in a hot climate.)

View attachment 1443525398084.jpg

 

[naturebrew]

I BIAB in a rectangular coleman cooler rather than a kettle, my GF made the bag from an old voile curatin. I switched to this method as I can position the cooler at a height that allows me to easily manage the bag and drain the cooler into a pot or kettle (knee height). I found with the bag in the kettle, it was too high for me to lift by hand and I had spillage over the sides of the kettle running into my burner. With the cooler setup, I batch sparge, if the flow slows at any time I just lift the bag. At the end of the final sparge I press the bag with a pot lid to get the last of the wort. Overall very easy to do and very fast, never a stuck sparge no matter the grist, stable mash temps, easy to mange a 10 gal grist bill in the bag. I have thought of going to an electic setup as well but the simplicity of this system and the great beer it produces will likely keep me with this method.

 

[Homercidal]

I guess I'm different. I started extract, built a cooler mash tun, and eventually tried BIAB for smaller batches. After a few batches I find BIAB a nice method for small batches in the kitchen, but I do prefer the cooler mash tun for 5 gallons.

My cleaning process for it is to dump on the compost pile, then spray with hose or kitchen sprayer. Super easy. At least as easy as spraying the bag off.

I just don't see one or the other as being noticeably better or faster.

 

[pretzelb]

You guys are funny with your, BIAB is easier. Brew a 10 gallon batch and you don't just walk across the room with a dripping bag. You lower it into a bucket or something to take somewhere to dump and clean. Now you have a bucket and a bag to clean. How is this easier that just hosing out an MLT? I do 3V and BIAB and will continue to do both. It a hobby and I enjoy the variety. But I would never say that BIAB is easier. Getting all the grain bits out of the bag is more of a PITA than hosing out a MLT, but either way, I really don’t mind. Like I said, it’s a hobby that I enjoy. Not something I’m trying to make easy.

One of your main points is needing a drip bucket? How can you brew without a drip bucket for all the little things that drip during the brew day? And how much work is it too clean a drip bucket? Plus, last I checked a bag didn't need a sponge to get clean. Grain bits seem easy to get loose after the bag is air dried.

The obvious things you missed by "easy" are time and equipment. Not sure how 3v is easier than 1. But to mention you don't have a 1 hour sparge with biab, though you could avoid that with a 3v system but then you'd have no compelling reason to have a 3v system.

Glad you enjoy the hobby but I'm not seeing your point. A 3v gravity fed system gets the job done but most find a horizontal system with pumps make life "easier". Using your logic pump systems are foolish because the make the hobby easier.

I bet if space, time, and money were unlimited people wouldn't look to make the process easier. But biab is just one way to save on all 3. Plus I bet most try to make it easier to get on to something else they enjoy - brewing is fun but just one of many hobbies.

 

[dstockwell]

I have only two brews under belt and decided from the get go to go BIAB. Now I just need to work on my efficiency to get the number up.

 

[Homercidal]

I have only two brews under belt and decided from the get go to go BIAB. Now I just need to work on my efficiency to get the number up.

Do you sparge? If you don't, you are leaving a lot of residual sugars stuck to the grain bed. That's the cost of doing no-sparge.

Even a quick dunk in a second vessel will get a lot of the sugars into the wort and not still stuck to the grain.

Many BIAB brewers don't care about brewhouse efficiency, finding the ease and time savings of a no-sparge method to be worth the loss in efficiency.

 

[kh54s10]

Well, I'll be a dissenting vote here. I much prefer my 3 vessel 3 tier rig. It is not that much harder to clean up and the brew day is much easier, not having to mess with the hot, heavy sticky bag that is much more difficult to clean than my mash tun!!!

And yes I do some BIAB, and I will in the future. If I set up a hoist system my opinion might be different. If I go electric it might be a Brew-Boss or similar BIAB system.

 

[iBrewR]

How can you brew without a drip bucket for all the little things that drip during the brew day?

Sounds like a personal problem. I’ve been brewing 3V indoors for many years and have never used a “drip bucket”. If I was making a mess my wife would have put a stop to it a long time ago.

And how much work is it too clean a drip bucket?

I’d say about the same as an MLT. Rinse. A quick wipe with a rag. Rinse again. Done.

Plus, last I checked a bag didn't need a sponge to get clean. Grain bits seem easy to get loose after the bag is air dried.

So you clean your bag once while wet and then again after it dries?

The obvious things you missed by "easy" are time and equipment. Not sure how 3v is easier than 1.

You’re confused. Ease is not determined by time. It’s determined by effort. And for either system, more equipment can, and should, make the process take less effort.

But to mention you don't have a 1 hour sparge with biab, though you could avoid that with a 3v system but then you'd have no compelling reason to have a 3v system.

So, you’re saying that 3V brewers who no sparge or batch sparge are doing it wrong? Not to mention that a lot of BIABers do a dunk or pour over sparge.

Glad you enjoy the hobby but I'm not seeing your point. A 3v gravity fed system gets the job done but most find a horizontal system with pumps make life "easier". Using your logic pump systems are foolish because the make the hobby easier.

If you think that was my point, your reading comprehension needs a little work.

I bet if space, time, and money were unlimited people wouldn't look to make the process easier. But biab is just one way to save on all 3. Plus I bet most try to make it easier to get on to something else they enjoy - brewing is fun but just one of many hobbies.

Either system can take up as much space, time and money as you want to put into it. When you look at what brewers here on HBT are doing, there is no clear winner. They’re just different. That’s the point I was making. I was simply looking at the opposite side of the mindless back patting that has taken up too much of this thread.

 

[AQUILAS]

I just had my 2nd BIAB brewday yesterday and while waiting for the boil to start, I cleaned my bag and hung it up. Then I literally thought the same thing you did. It's just too easy and it's hard to mess it up, really. You get to do full volume and don't have worry about running the gas to heat up sparge water and, especially, dont have to worry about that clean up. My first BIAB, I hit 70% efficiency with a recipe set for 65%. Yesterday, I set my recipe for 70%, but I hit 73-74%. I love it and I don't think I'll every go 3-tier. Easy and effective.

The only thing I wish I had was a pulley system. I made a big beer yesterday that involved 17+ lbs of grains...dry. After the mash, it was much, much heavier. I was able to lift it out easily, but it was a pain to get into my side bucket to collect the runnings.

 

[iijakii]

Either system can take up as much space, time and money as you want to put into it. When you look at what brewers here on HBT are doing, there is no clear winner. They’re just different. That’s the point I was making. I was simply looking at the opposite side of the mindless back patting that has taken up too much of this thread.

Cheers to that. Lots of different ways to get toasted. We have different opinions on ease of cleaning, but who am I to tell you what you find easy?

 

[Gavin C]

How much thread-space in a thread about reasons folks have found BIAB to their liking should the reasons folks like BIAB take up?

That's a puzzler for sure.

FWIW, I use a bag as a manifold. I find it to a have advantageous properties. I don't beleive the clean-up to be significantly different for either approach.

Hose out mash-tun versus chuck bag in laundry. Not something I factor in to be honest.

I only do 5.5 gallon batches on my stove so single vessel brewing is optimally suited to my needs. It can be simple or complex depending on your needs. I do like me some complexity.

This is not the first of these threads where the tone deteriorates. It's a shame. I don't know why or how.

We are taking about what method we use to lauter. That's it. A bag as a manifold usually as a single vessel setup. (But not always) Sometimes I use a HLT (4 gallon pot on stove for infusions/decoctions)

 

[Homercidal]

I just had my 2nd BIAB brewday yesterday and while waiting for the boil to start, I cleaned my bag and hung it up. Then I literally thought the same thing you did. It's just too easy and it's hard to mess it up, really. You get to do full volume and don't have worry about running the gas to heat up sparge water and, especially, dont have to worry about that clean up. My first BIAB, I hit 70% efficiency with a recipe set for 65%. Yesterday, I set my recipe for 70%, but I hit 73-74%. I love it and I don't think I'll every go 3-tier. Easy and effective.

The only thing I wish I had was a pulley system. I made a big beer yesterday that involved 17+ lbs of grains...dry. After the mash, it was much, much heavier. I was able to lift it out easily, but it was a pain to get into my side bucket to collect the runnings.

FWIW any No-Sparge brewer gets this advantage, even if they mash in a cooler or kettle, or whatever. And you are using pretty much the same amount of water and have to use about the same amount of gas to heat it up. The only difference is when you use the portions of water. I don't see there is much difference in that regard.

The real efficiency between BIAB and other AG methods is whether or not you sparge, and that mostly has to do with handling a second vessel and cleaning it. Personally I don't find cleaning my mash tun is much work at all, compared to cleaning the bag. A quick rinse and a quick wipe is about the same as trying to rinse the grain bits off the bag on both sides.

 

[iBrewR]

How much thread-space in a thread about reasons folks have found BIAB to their liking should the reasons folks like BIAB take up?

All of it. I stand corrected and apologize for my OT posts.

 

[Gavin C]

All of it. I stand corrected and apologize for my OT posts.

Don't be silly. No apology needed. You are one of the folks here who have done both single vessel brewing with a bag and used a 3 vessel setup. Your opinion is totally sound. I hear your points. Well made. FWIW I have no idea what a drip-bucket is.

While very happy with my current setup I can't help but look at an all electric 3V setup with all the shinyness and doo-dads and say to myself, one day. Will it mean my beer is better? Who knows, but I think I just might have a lot of fun putting one together and using one.

Just ribbing you a bit about the mindless back-patting remark that's all. Sorry mate.