Batch Sparing with BIAB

[Tiroux]

Hey guys!

I recieved my Tap a Draft system with 6L (1.5gal) bottles, and i'm thinking about buying a BIAB to brew 2gal batches, so I can keep session beers on tap to drink when we meet once a month, my collegues and I, to brew big batches of big beers.

I was wondering if I can batch sparge with a BIAB. I explain what I'm thinking.

-Mash with a normal water/grain ratio, as used in All-Grain.
-Heat up to mash out
-Lift and drain the bag
-In another kettle, soak the bag in the sparge water, at sparge temp.
-Blend and boil

Should I expect a better effiency that way? These will be mostly session beer, around 4-5% abv, and I usually use a fine grind, so I was expecting near 70% efficiency. Is it possible?

Thanks a lot!

 

[chri5]

I don't see why that wouldn't work.

 

[lebucheron]

Yep. Lots of BIAB people do that.
The no sparge method (which I currently do) means you don't need the extra pot, but you need more water in the kettle to begin with.

edit - just grind your grain a bit finer than the non-biab way if you want good effic.

 

[Epimetheus]

I have done it that way because the kettle is not large enough for full volume BIAB.

 

[mb82]

It is commonly called the dunk sparge. A lot of us BIAB people do it.

 

[MEPNew2Brew]

I BIAB and do something like that. Mash at about 1.3-1.5 and then sparge by hand with the grain sack in a big strainer over a 5 gallon bucket and I just pour the sparge water over somewhat slowly. A bastardized fly sparge, I suppose. I think I will try dunking the grain bag in the sparge water next time and see how it works. I think you will need to actively dunk the bag in and out to rinse the grains for best results.

 

[chri5]

I just started biab for small batches and I'm going to start doing that dunk sparge.

The efficiency without a sparge is just terrible. I got around 50% on my BIPA today.

 

[Tiroux]

Thanks for replies! That's the way I'll go. I'll give it a try this weekend if I find a bag at my supplier's store, and we'll see for the efficiency.

 

[Uziyahu]

I just did my first BIAB batch sparge. It took my efficiency from about 65% to about 85%. It made my last brew have a lot higher OG than I anticipated. I use my kettle for the mash and then my bottling bucket for the sparge.

 

[Tiroux]

I just did my first BIAB batch sparge. It took my efficiency from about 65% to about 85%. It made my last brew have a lot higher OG than I anticipated. I use my kettle for the mash and then my bottling bucket for the sparge.

85% That's pretty good!!!

I was expecting 70% and maybe a bit more for low ABV beers..but 85%!

 

[acidrain]

When I was doing BIAB, I did full volume mashes, and I always got 80%.

 

[robcj]

85% That's pretty good!!!

I was expecting 70% and maybe a bit more for low ABV beers..but 85%!

If you are only planning on brewing 2 gallon batches of session beer and you have a kettle that's 4 gallons or larger, you probably won't need to sparge.

My brewing partner and I only BIAB and we do not sparge or squeeze the bag. We average a very consistent 80% on beers between 1.060 and 1.070. The key is in the size of your bag and how fine you mill your grain. The bag should line the kettle comfortably. A good rule of thumb is that your bag should actually be big enough to hold your kettle. This ensures the grain can move freely without clumping. You can mill your grain very fine. Someone once wrote on these forums that you should grind it until you're scared it's too fine. Then grind it finer still. I think that bag size and milling are the key variables to reasonably efficient BIAB.

That said, sparging won't hurt. We use to batch or dunk sparge before we acquired larger kettles. Interestingly, we tested both hot and cold water sparging and the results were very close. I've read similar reports on these forums.

Good luck with your BIAB session and your session beer.

 

[Tiroux]

If you are only planning on brewing 2 gallon batches of session beer and you have a kettle that's 4 gallons or larger, you probably won't need to sparge.

My brewing partner and I only BIAB and we do not sparge or squeeze the bag. We average a very consistent 80% on beers between 1.060 and 1.070. The key is in the size of your bag and how fine you mill your grain. The bag should line the kettle comfortably. A good rule of thumb is that your bag should actually be big enough to hold your kettle. This ensures the grain can move freely without clumping. You can mill your grain very fine. Someone once wrote on these forums that you should grind it until you're scared it's too fine. Then grind it finer still. I think that bag size and milling are the key variables to reasonably efficient BIAB.

That said, sparging won't hurt. We use to batch or dunk sparge before we acquired larger kettles. Interestingly, we tested both hot and cold water sparging and the results were very close. I've read similar reports on these forums.

Good luck with your BIAB session and your session beer.

I have large enough kettles, I was thinking to sparge to help on efficiency, but it seems like full volume mashes work well... I'll give it a try!

 

[iamperplexed]

I'm a stovetop, extract brewer hoping to move to small batch all grain or BIAB soon. I've recently moved towards half batches and I like the pipeline it provides. I have a 4 gallon kettle and also a 2 or 2.5 gallon pot with a built in strainer basket (haven't measured yet). I can't seem to get my head around what would be the best use of existing equipment.

I contemplated mashing in a bag in the big pot, dunking grains in smaller pot for sparge, then recirculating with "sparge" water over grains via strainer basket back into large pot. Fortunately, the strainer basket will ride in the big pot thanks to handles. Is this productive or could it possibly backfire and reduce efficiency? More importantly, would there be a substantial benefit or waste of time and effort?

Any info is appreciated.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I'm a stovetop, extract brewer hoping to move to small batch all grain or BIAB soon. I've recently moved towards half batches and I like the pipeline it provides. I have a 4 gallon kettle and also a 2 or 2.5 gallon pot with a built in strainer basket (haven't measured yet). I can't seem to get my head around what would be the best use of existing equipment.

I contemplated mashing in a bag in the big pot, dunking grains in smaller pot for sparge, then recirculating with "sparge" water over grains via strainer basket back into large pot. Fortunately, the strainer basket will ride in the big pot thanks to handles. Is this productive or could it possibly backfire and reduce efficiency? More importantly, would there be a substantial benefit or waste of time and effort?

Any info is appreciated.

You are proposing a double batch sparge, one dunk sparge and then a final trickling water through the bag ina final sparge...while this may gain a few points it is not worht the effort and could also risk a lean final sparge for what??? saving 30 cents of grain??? I would simply mash in the large pot at near max capacity, pull the bag and rest it over the pot in a collander or a coulpe of large kitchen utensils and pour sparge water, hot or cold, through the bag to get to required volume if needed. Simple, quick and easy yet still rather efficient.

 

[iamperplexed]

You are proposing a double batch sparge, one dunk sparge and then a final trickling water through the bag ina final sparge...while this may gain a few points it is not worht the effort and could also risk a lean final sparge for what??? saving 30 cents of grain??? I would simply mash in the large pot at near max capacity, pull the bag and rest it over the pot in a collander or a coulpe of large kitchen utensils and pour sparge water, hot or cold, through the bag to get to required volume if needed. Simple, quick and easy yet still rather efficient.

Good to hear, thanks.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

I BIAB and mash with the entire volume of water (final volume to fermenter plus boiloff plus absorption) I always calc my mash at 75% and generally get just a touch more. No double milling, although my LHBS is good about keeping the mill adjusted. The only time I sparge is when I do a 10 gallon batch in my 15 gallon boilermaker. I mash, pull the bag and leave it to drip over a spare fermenter while I heat up my sparge water. Drop the bag back into the fresh water, then return all runings to the pot for the boil. The bag gets squeezed twice.

 

[MikeInMKE]

No expert here, but I BIAB'd 5.5 lbs of grain last week, using a 2.5 gallon stock pot for the mash, and a 5 gallon pot for the mash-out/dunk-sparge followed by the boil. The grain was only single-crushed at the LHBS.

I squeezed the bag over the mash pot before putting it into the 5 gallon pot that was already heated to 170. The temp dropped once I put the bag in and started stirring, so I turned the burner on to heat it up to 168. After 10 minutes, I pulled the bag and squeezed, added the first runnings from the 2.5G pot, and went max burner for the boil.

I don't know if combining mash-out with sparging is a good idea, but that's how I did it.

Efficiency came in at 70%. It's still a week or two away from bottling.

 

[EyePeeA]

-Mash for 60-90 minutes with a 1.5 liter to 1 lb. ratio
-Lift and drain the bag
-In another kettle, dunk sparge in remaining volume of 170F water
-Lift and drain the bag, gently squeeze, but not too hard or too much
-Proceed as normal

80%++ efficiency