BIAB Advantages

[Yesfan]

I don't think one is better or worse than the other when it comes to making beer, but there are trade offs. I'm a 3 tier guy, since I was already invested.

Since I have two burners, I can heat up my strike/sparge water separately which is much faster than a single vessel full volume BIAB. I have done BIAB a couple of times and just didn't like the fact of lifting a heavy sticky bag of grains out of my boil kettle, squeeze and drain, while I could just pump the wort from the tun to my boil kettle and never touch anything except a switch. Cleaning is no different as I have everything done between the hot break and flame out. The only thing left to clean is the boil kettle and spoon...just like BIAB.

That being said, my top tier does take up a ton of space. It costs a lot more too, especially if you add in the cost of my kettles. I think BIAB's biggest attribute is cost saving and storage space.

 

[LittleRiver]

... I have done BIAB a couple of times and just didn't like the fact of lifting a heavy sticky bag of grains out of my boil kettle, squeeze and drain, while I could just pump the wort from the tun to my boil kettle and never touch anything except a switch...

I can see your point if you do it the way you did, but you don't have to do it that way.

You can rig a hoist point above a single kettle, hoist the bag and let gravity drain it into the kettle during the entire boil. There will be no need to squeeze the bag. When it comes time to dispose of the grains the bag will be cool and lightweight.

... Cleaning is no different as I have everything done between the hot break and flame out. The only thing left to clean is the boil kettle and spoon...just like BIAB....

You are cleaning more things than you would with a simple BIAB rig. While you are cleaning those extra things during the boil I'm relaxing & sipping coffee.

...I think BIAB's biggest attribute is cost saving and storage space.

I see those as side benefits, not as the main benefit of BIAB. To me BIAB's greatest attribute is the simple elegance of the method. Unnecessary complications have been removed. It's not focused on gear and more gear.

 

[Dmerner23]

Radical Brewing, starting on p 126, has a section "Big Wort" which talks about a "parti-gyle" brew where the 1st and 2nd runnings are not combined.

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Thanks, I’m dusting my copy off the bookshelf and re reading some chapters. Great book haven’t thought about referencing it in a while. Cheers Mate

 

[BYOB]

"just didn't like the fact of lifting a heavy sticky bag of grains out of my boil kettle, squeeze and drain,"

I dont think your suppose to squeeze the bag.
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BIAB has kept me doing 10 gallon batches only, vs single 5 gallon. Twice as much same amount of time!

 

[Yesfan]

...............I dont think your suppose to squeeze the bag............

I've squeezed and not squeezed and never noticed anything as far as off flavors go. Even when I was still brewing extract, I'd squeeze the bag the specialty grains were in with no ill effect.

 

[jason.mundy]

I've been brewing for 15 years now. I've chosen BIAB as the best method for me. I remember how controversial it was when we started doing it.

Pro's

• No stuck mash
• No manifold that has leaked grains and clogged the line
• No pumps that aren't primed
• No leaking hoses
• No hoses in the wrong place when I start pumping
• No worries about sparge water and flow rates
• No worries about mash pH while sparging
• No calculating deadspace below the false bottom

Con's

• You need a bigger kettle to do full volume mashing.
• You get more debris in the bottom of your kettle post boil
• The bag can be heavy if you don't have mechanical support

Equipment

• Bayou classic 10 gallon graduated pot with lid, steamer basket, and ½” ball valve.
• Nylon BIAB bag to fit inside steamer basket
• Reflectix wrap for mashing ( I'll through a trash bag over the whole thing as well )
• 5L erlenmeyer flask.
• 6.5G SS Brewtech Brew Bucket for bottling
• Fermentation fridge with Johnson Controller
• Bench Capper
• Ratcheting pulley to lift/hold steamer basket
• Mash paddle, oak, 3” x 4’ board
• Plastic buckets for cleaning, holding grains
• Scale, electronic. (gm, oz, pound)
• Barley Crusher Mill, with drill.
• Lavatools thermometer
• Camp Chef Explorer two burner stove
• Fast Rack for bottle cleaning

Consumables:

• Tap water (Near RO water in my area)
• Gypsum (again, my water has barely anything in it)
• Campden tablets to remove chlorine.
• Malt
• Yeast
• Starsan
• PBW
• Trash bags for clean up
• Aluminum foil (for flask)
• Propane
• Bottles
• Caps

 

[jdudek]

The advantage of BIAB for me is the simplicity.

I initially tried to get as technical as possible with recirc pumps, raspberry pi temp control and other stuff to be as exact as possible. I thoroughly enjoyed lots of learning and stuff but ultimately decided to follow the KISS principle for an easier life and (for me) a more enjoyable, quicker, stress free, brew day.

Another great advantage of BIAB in my mind is the ability to build a sophisticated system for a fraction of the cost of a sophisticated multi vessel system. You can easily put together something with temp control, recirc, whirlpool, you name it for well under $1000... in fact more like $500-600. It's a great learning vehicle if you're into the science of the process, it doest break the bank, can make high quality repeatable beer, and if you eventually chose that all the extra bells and whistles are not all that necessary, it's a breeze to go back to something basic and you did not break the bank while playing scientist.

 

[d40dave]

I agree, I think I spent about $600 for a semi DIY 240V system with temp control, recirc and whirlpool. For me it's easy and most importantly it takes up very little space, about 3 sq ft., I have the ideal place in a semi fixed up utility room which has a window so ventilation is not a problem. Setting up a hoist was trivial too. For me BIAB is good but combined with an electric setup is what's makes it really nice. In the middle of Winter I can brew in my PJ's.

 

[Fewk]

After eight extract batches, I wanted to move into all-grain brewing. I went with BIAB as it was cheaper than a traditional Hot Liquor Tank / Mash Tun / Boil Kettle system, and I wanted to invest in other equipment to give me improvements in final product consistency and quality. Going BIAB allowed me to invest in a SS fermenter with racking arm (autosyphoning was my arch nemesis and a constant struggle with my extract batches) and temperature-controlled fermentation with a Craigslist chest freezer and an Inkbird temp controller.