BIAB w/ cooler

[Murika]

If I do BIAB with a 10 gallon cooler, do I even need to convert the cooler into a mash tun, changing the valve and such?

 

[jekeane]

I'm not entirely sure how well the push button valves on a cooler hold up to heat. I'm also not sure how exciting it would be to sit there depressing that drain button the whole time.

my guess is its possible but may be annoying.

 

[Frilock]

I'm not entirely sure how well the push button valves on a cooler hold up to heat. I'm also not sure how exciting it would be to sit there depressing that drain button the whole time.

my guess is its possible but may be annoying.

I've used a regular cooler I bought from walmart for quite a few batches, no problems whatsoever with the valve. I've also used similar coolers for storing hot things such as tea or coffee or hot chocolate for years without issue.

 

[kristiismean]

it's also not biab with a 10 gallon cooler, it's just normal. (you are just using a bag instead of a false bottom)

also, I would not trust the plastic on the stock cooler valves to hold up to that temperature at all. might impart plastic taste into the beer.

 

[Frilock]

it's also not biab with a 10 gallon cooler, it's just normal. (you are just using a bag instead of a false bottom)

Its brewing....in a bag....

also, I would not trust the plastic on the stock cooler valves to hold up to that temperature at all. might impart plastic taste into the beer.

6+ batches this way and no plastic flavor detected so far.

 

[schatzke]

I added a ball valve to my cooler but I MIABIAC(mash in a bag in a cooler)

 

[madscientist451]

I added a cheap valve to my cooler and a 90 degree elbow. The only other item (besides the bag) is a double piece of aluminum foil I lay over the mash before I put the lid on. Works great, mash temp stays within 1-2 degrees over the hour.
I can also do step mashes, don't make a mess when pulling the bag out of the kettle and if I batch sparge, I can do larger batches compared to BIAB in the kettle.

 

[C-Rider]

If I do BIAB with a 10 gallon cooler, do I even need to convert the cooler into a mash tun, changing the valve and such?

W/O looking at other comments I'd say NO. I use a 5 gallon cooler and a bag and that's all I need to mash the grain. BUT a lot depends on what kind of valve you have. If it's the push button kind that you must press to get the wort out you are gonna get tired pushing fast. Mine I can jam open w/a stick so it works just fine.

 

[C-Rider]

it's also not biab with a 10 gallon cooler, it's just normal. (you are just using a bag instead of a false bottom)
If he's using a bag why is it not BIAB?
also, I would not trust the plastic on the stock cooler valves to hold up to that temperature at all. might impart plastic taste into the beer.

Been using the same 5 gallon cooler for the past 3 or 4 years and there is no plastic taste in my bier.....I do place a cardboard spacer on top of the wort to keep the heat down and out of the head space. Also I cover the cooler w/a few flannel shirts and keep the temp over an hour w/in 3 degrees.

 

[C-Rider]

I added a cheap valve to my cooler and a 90 degree elbow. The only other item (besides the bag) is a double piece of aluminum foil I lay over the mash before I put the lid on. Works great, mash temp stays within 1-2 degrees over the hour.
I can also do step mashes, don't make a mess when pulling the bag out of the kettle and if I batch sparge, I can do larger batches compared to BIAB in the kettle.

How do you raise the temp in the cooler for step mashes? Add hot water?

 

[madscientist451]

Yes, use an on line rest calculator.

 

[RM-MN]

Can you lift the 10 gallon cooler with the wort in it to dump it? Pull the bag of grains up and let it hang to drain, then just dump the cooler into the boil pot, or better yet, just put the bag into the boil pot and do the mash right there. Lots of us can do it that way and so can you and then you don't have a cooler to clean up.

 

[kristiismean]

Its brewing....in a bag....


6+ batches this way and no plastic flavor detected so far.

it's MIAB/BIAP

mash in a bag, brew in a pot, unless he's boiling in the cooler.....
(most people think BIAB would be where it's all done in once pot, so your brew kettle is kept at mash temperatures with the grain in a bag, then it's removed with the grain and the heat turned up. I may be wrong, but I don't consider people that use a bag in the cooler mash tun to be BIAB)

 

[TexasWine]

it's MIAB/BIAP

mash in a bag, brew in a pot, unless he's boiling in the cooler.....
(most people think BIAB would be where it's all done in once pot, so your brew kettle is kept at mash temperatures with the grain in a bag, then it's removed with the grain and the heat turned up. I may be wrong, but I don't consider people that use a bag in the cooler mash tun to be BIAB)

Because of the widespread use of bags in brewing, we're experiencing a need to expand our lexicon a bit. I agree that historically BIAB=single vessel brewing. However, today that is not the case. Heck, the "B" doesn't even always mean bag now.

There's...
BIAB = using a bag/basket to separate the grains and wort after the mash is complete.
Single Vessel = mashing and boiling in the same vessel.

Add these two together and you get the traditional definition.

There's a growing trend of two vessel BIAB brewers out there. I'm actually going to give two vessels a whirl my next brew day because I need to knock out three batches back to back.

 

[jwalk4]

No, you don't need a ball valve, OP. You can use a stainless steel siphon to transfer wort, or a plastic one if you can find one that can stand up to the temp.

 

[jwalk4]

Or, if you want to be super ghetto, remove the push down dispenser thingy, and push a pre-driĺled rubber bung for a carboy in the hole and feed silicone tubing through the bung. Clamp on the other side with your favorite clamping device: vice grips, kant twists, c clamps etc.

 

[ch19]

Because of the widespread use of bags in brewing, we're experiencing a need to expand our lexicon a bit. I agree that historically BIAB=single vessel brewing. However, today that is not the case. Heck, the "B" doesn't even always mean bag now.

There's...
BIAB = using a bag/basket to separate the grains and wort after the mash is complete.
Single Vessel = mashing and boiling in the same vessel.

Add these two together and you get the traditional definition.

There's a growing trend of two vessel BIAB brewers out there. I'm actually going to give two vessels a whirl my next brew day because I need to knock out three batches back to back.

I've just added a cooler mash tun to my setup. I want in on this MIABIAC action!View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1488883482.202713.jpg

 

[JohnSand]

I think "DWWC&E" covers it.
"Do Whatever Works Cheaply and Easily"
Or we can use a letter to describe each step of the process: GWACMMIACWABBIAKCWICFIABSIAKDFAG
Grind with a Corona Mill, mash in a cooler with a bag, boil in a kettle, chill with immersion chiller, ferment in a bucket, store in a keg, drink from a glass.
Add more letters if you dry hop. I'll call the Pentagon.

 

[Inkleg]

I think "DWWC&E" covers it.
"Do Whatever Works Cheaply and Easily"
Or we can use a letter to describe each step of the process: GWACMMIACWABBIAKCWICFIABSIAKDFAG
Grind with a Corona Mill, mash in a cooler with a bag, boil in a kettle, chill with immersion chiller, ferment in a bucket, store in a keg, drink from a glass.
Add more letters if you dry hop. I'll call the Pentagon.

ITYHTMTOYH

I think you have too much time on your hands.

 

[JohnSand]

LMAO
(LMAO)

Not really, all that stuff takes longer to type than to do! jk

 

[ShareBrewing]

Another option is to mash in the bag in the brew kettle and then transfer the bag into a cooler for sparging. About a year ago I upgraded to 16 gal stainless brew kettle with a ball valve spigot and a 50 quart cooler that installed the same type of valve on, but this with a bazooka filter. I batch sparge over the used grain bag, after about 8-10 gal of wort is left in the kettle. I simply don't understand brewers that use the BIAB method but don't sparge. Your efficiency goes up, takes an extra 30 min and you get several extra gal of beer. Sometimes it is simply impossible to do this in one vessel. What am I do? Lift the near 100 lb bag out of the kettle and sparge over top of the kettle like a moron and burn myself?

Maybe it's a contrarian opinion, but people need to not get so butt-hurt about silly acronyms. It's simply the method of controlling and isolating your grains in the mash via the use of a bag. It doesn't have to be in one vessel. Brew is also a verb, which could applied to any point of the brewing process. Using a second vessel doesn't suddenly mean that you're not doing BIAB. If you're brewing in a bag, you're brewing in a bag. Introducing the extra sparge step (potentially in a separate vessel) only makes the beer better as a result. Don't complain about it.

 

[SailorJerry]

So, I'm just jumping in here as an extract brewer who is interested in the BIAB process, or the process mentioned here, heating water and grains in a cooler, keeping temp, removing grains and wort and then boiling the wort and doing hop additions.

Is it really that simple? Water to "x" degrees with your grains in it for "x" amount of time. Pull grains, let them drain a bit, dump water into boil kettle, boil, do hop additions and continue like any other brew day? Obviously, as an extract guy now, we steep some grains, but those are usually for 20 minutes, very small amounts as we are getting our DME/LME as our main ingredients. I'm just interested to learn more about it.

 

[wilserbrewer]

So, I'm just jumping in here as an extract brewer who is interested in the BIAB process, or the process mentioned here, heating water and grains in a cooler, keeping temp, removing grains and wort and then boiling the wort and doing hop additions.

Is it really that simple? Water to "x" degrees with your grains in it for "x" amount of time. Pull grains, let them drain a bit, dump water into boil kettle, boil, do hop additions and continue like any other brew day? Obviously, as an extract guy now, we steep some grains, but those are usually for 20 minutes, very small amounts as we are getting our DME/LME as our main ingredients. I'm just interested to learn more about it.

Yes it is that simple.

Only little hurdle is it takes a little practice to get the right temp water in your cooler because the cooler and grain will both absorb heat.

I'll give an example....

Heat water to 175 and add to cooler, let cooler sit 5 minutes to preheat.

Take temp and it's 164, stir water with cooler lid off and when water is 161 add grain and stir.

Resultant mash temp is 153 just like you wanted.

Don't sweat a couple degrees

 

[JohnSand]

Now that I'm using a cooler with a bag, I can adjust the temperature easily by heating the full volume of water to the target temp or a little higher, then adding enough to reach the mash temp.
My mash temp is always in the middle of the range, regardless of the recipe. (I know, heresy!)

 

[Rhaop]

Funny i found this thread i have been considering switching from kettle biab to using a 10gallon cooler, false bottom and line it with my bag for ease of cleaning, i have been enjoying full volume kettle mashing but i miss vorlaufing to help avoid having a gallon or more of trub in my fermenter, and no it's not the trub thats my concern it's the volume and i feel like i an definitely losing more beer then i should in the finished product

 

[Kee]

No, you don't need a ball valve, OP. You can use a stainless steel siphon to transfer wort, or a plastic one if you can find one that can stand up to the temp.

I just bought a cooler to try this method and will probably dip out most of the wort. That's the way I usually transfer from boil kettle to fermenter. Simple and easy, just not very elegant.

 

[jwalk4]

I just bought a cooler to try this method and will probably dip out most of the wort. That's the way I usually transfer from boil kettle to fermenter. Simple and easy, just not very elegant.

You probably already know this, but it bears mentioning for others who find this thread.

BK to fermenter, you can slosh all you want. So long as you're at pitching temp, it's called aeration.

MT to BK, though, you risk oxidizing your wort through Hot Side Aeration HSA. Most people will argue that HSA isn't a homebrew risk and is more of a Boogeyman, but it's worth a mention.

 

[Kee]

You probably already know this, but it bears mentioning for others who find this thread.

BK to fermenter, you can slosh all you want. So long as you're at pitching temp, it's called aeration.

MT to BK, though, you risk oxidizing your wort through Hot Side Aeration HSA. Most people will argue that HSA isn't a homebrew risk and is more of a Boogeyman, but it's worth a mention.

I've read the back and forth on hot side aeration. If memory serves John Palmer said it's not a big deal unless you are really doing some crazy things aerating the wort. But like you say, it's worth mentioning.

 

[TexasWine]

I've read the back and forth on hot side aeration. If memory serves John Palmer said it's not a big deal unless you are really doing some crazy things aerating the wort. But like you say, it's worth mentioning.

I've come to the conclusion that oxidation exists at all phases of the brewing process. Some things that convinced me can be found under the resources section at this link.

http://www.********************/

 

[Kee]

I've come to the conclusion that oxidation exists at all phases of the brewing process. Some things that convinced me can be found under the resources section at this link.

http://www.********************/

Thanks for the link. There is some good information in the couple of articles I've read. I still don't know if I will change my processes any but it's something to consider.

 

[ch19]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1489601199.280710.jpg My first 2 vessel batch was a success! My efficiency dropped from the usual 83% to 73% probably due to oversparging and not squeezing the bag as much. However, I'm happy with the overall result and I know what I need to adjust next batch. The cooler held temperature nicely (dropped only a couple of degrees over 60 minutes.) Cleaning the cooler is just as easy as cleaning the steamer basket that I used to use to drain the bag in my single vessel process.

 

[Cqr]

If I do BIAB with a 10 gallon cooler, do I even need to convert the cooler into a mash tun, changing the valve and such?

Not quite sure what you're asking
I do biab 72litre pot
I have one drain valve
Gas out doors
T90 hops onlŷ, no filter
No chill
Drop through a biab bag/ wine filter bag in to the FV shop
Works well for me

 

[Starrider]

Just to throw my 2 cents into the acronym argument;
I agree we shouldn't get too hung up an acronyms but I disagree with some of the comments about all the variation in BAIB. Everyone has their own variation on how they set up their process. BAIB though refers to a pretty specific type of process.

Newbies or people making the transition from extract to all grain come here to ask questions and all the twists and variations only confuse them. IMHO.

Me, I run a 3 vessel HERMS system but I to have a bag in my cooler mash tun. Just because I have a bag in the process doesn't mean I am doing BAIB.

By the way, CH19, that's a nice looking setup.

 

[RM-MN]

View attachment 392811 My first 2 vessel batch was a success! My efficiency dropped from the usual 83% to 73% probably due to oversparging and not squeezing the bag as much. However, I'm happy with the overall result and I know what I need to adjust next batch. The cooler held temperature nicely (dropped only a couple of degrees over 60 minutes.) Cleaning the cooler is just as easy as cleaning the steamer basket that I used to use to drain the bag in my single vessel process.

That's pretty good. How long did conversion take?

 

[ch19]

By the way, CH19, that's a nice looking setup.

Cheers! It's a bit of a Frankenstein since I added the second level, but it seems to work.

 

[ch19]

That's pretty good. How long did conversion take?

I didn't measure gravity until the end of the 60 minutes, so I don't know exactly how long it took to hit my target gravity. I have found in the past that it usually takes between 45 and 60 minutes to get to my target gravity.

 

[Jravpro1]

I've used a regular cooler I bought from walmart for quite a few batches, no problems whatsoever with the valve. I've also used similar coolers for storing hot things such as tea or coffee or hot chocolate for years without issue.

Why would you store hot drinks for years?😉