Did not save time doing a brew in a bag .....

[dwhite60]

.... versus my usual mash tun, lauter tun setup. Took the same 5 hours either way. Might have saved some time getting mash to temp. Didn't want to melt the nylon bag when periodically heating mash. Got the average 75% efficiency. Ground the grain extra fine.

Had to try it. Probably won't do it again.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[douglasbarbin]

I'm traditionally a 3-vessel kinda guy, but I BIAB every once in a while. I've found that it only saves time if you don't sparge. So basically I only do it for smaller recipes where I'm in a hurry and don't mind taking the efficiency hit. I wouldn't do it for a 10-gallon recipe of 1.100 stout, for example. But maybe 5 gallons of pale ale or whatever.

 

[slym2none]

 

[BigJack]

For me, the main appeal of BIAB was never having to buy a 3-vessel system in the first place and keeping the brew process simple. If you've already got an old-school set-up, I can certainly understand not switching over to the bag.

 

[dwhite60]

I did a two and a half gallon batch. 4.5 pounds of grain. Maybe, doing a gallon or so I'd try it again. Might be the best way for micro batches. Won't be doing anything bigger though.

I was VERY pleased with the efficiency. Expected 60 to 65 percent.


All the Best,
D. White

 

[jwalk4]

5 hours sounds fair.

That includes cleanup, I hope.

 

[iijakii]

It saved me time versus pumping to different vessels and cleaning, but I'll admit it's marginal. I find it much easier in both practice and cleaning, but that's personal preference.

 

[SanPancho]

Not sure why you didn't get any time savings, I can do 4hours easily, and even 3 hours if I don't need long mash or boil. Definitely saved me time and hassle when I went to biab.

 

[chuckcomm]

BIAB saves me time as well. I can easily do a 4 hour brew day with cleanup for a 5 gallon batch. But....it wasnt that fast at first and as I perfected my brew day the time shortened.

I always measure everything out the day before, mash in the BK and clean as I go.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

.... versus my usual mash tun, lauter tun setup. Took the same 5 hours either way. Might have saved some time getting mash to temp. Didn't want to melt the nylon bag when periodically heating mash. Got the average 75% efficiency. Ground the grain extra fine.

Had to try it. Probably won't do it again.

All the Best,
D. White

Did you do full volume? If so 75% efficiency isn't unheard of, and is pretty good. If you want to boost your efficiency, do BIAB with a fine grind for quick and complete conversion, then do a good thorough batch sparge with equal runnings for a 6-9% lauter efficiency boost.

My usually BIAB time is ~3 hours, smaller batches are done in <3 hours.

 

[brew703]

I normally do 3.5 gallon batches and it takes me 4-5 from start to finish, including clean up.

 

[iijakii]

Just finished up a 5.5gal BIAB. 3.5hrs including measuring everything out and cleanup. Love how easy cleanup is on this system.

 

[sd_brewbie]

So how would brew day time differ between BIAB and just doing a full volume mash... I would think just the time to drain from the mash tun to the kettle vs waiting for the bag to drain out while suspended above the kettle. I have a three vessel system and normally fly sparge. i was thinking of trying a few SMaSH brews to compare fly sparge, batch sparge and no sparge (full volume mash).

 

[BigJack]

So how would brew day time differ between BIAB and just doing a full volume mash... I would think just the time to drain from the mash tun to the kettle vs waiting for the bag to drain out while suspended above the kettle. I have a three vessel system and normally fly sparge. i was thinking of trying a few SMaSH brews to compare fly sparge, batch sparge and no sparge (full volume mash).

Waiting for the bag to drain is slow... but squeezing the bag while wearing heat proof gloves is quick and gets the aggression out.

 

[applescrap]

.... versus my usual mash tun, lauter tun setup. Took the same 5 hours either way. Might have saved some time getting mash to temp. Didn't want to melt the nylon bag when periodically heating mash. Got the average 75% efficiency. Ground the grain extra fine.

Had to try it. Probably won't do it again.

All the Best,
D. White

I remember my first. ...hmm good idea for thread. Rethought process refined...

View attachment 1446953064758.jpg

 

[kh54s10]

Mash, sparge, boil in BIAB
Mash, sparge, boil in a traditional 3 vessel.. If there is a difference when you do the same steps it would be minimal...

I do both but I dislike BIAB because the bag is heavy, hot, sticky and it is NOT easier to clean.

I would like to get a BIAB type electric system with a basket though.... For now it is out of my budget range....

 

[Gavin C]

I seem to have a habit of adding time to my brew day with BIAB. I've never done a 3 vessel brew so have nothing with which to compare. I know I would enjoy using one and trying my hand at flysparging or HERMSING

Today brewing involved a step mash (~90mins) and a 90 min boil for a Pilsner. Gives me time to do other things as I brew.

My manifold gets chucked in the laundry along with my hop blocker material.

 

[BigJack]

I do both but I dislike BIAB because the bag is heavy, hot, sticky and it is NOT easier to clean.

Really?

I take my bag outside, dump the grain on the compost pile, and hose the bag down with a spray nozzle. That gets 98% of the mess gone in about 60 seconds. Then, I toss it in the washer with when we do towels.

 

[dstockwell]

Just finished up a 5.5gal BIAB. 3.5hrs including measuring everything out and cleanup. Love how easy cleanup is on this system.

About the same time for me... During mash, I am doing something else (sanitize fermenting pail, etc.) stirring every now and again. While bag is draining along with squeezing I am heating towards boil. During boil I do not need to watch every second and can clean a few items without fear of boil over.

 

[lumpher]

i've been considering trying biab, but i take about 4.5 hours total on my 3-vessel direct-fire rims system to do 11 gallons. sounds like i wouldn't really gain anything time-wise even doing 5 gallons (for half the beer)

 

[applescrap]

Really?

I take my bag outside, dump the grain on the compost pile, and hose the bag down with a spray nozzle. That gets 98% of the mess gone in about 60 seconds. Then, I toss it in the washer with when we do towels.

I just let it dry outside after rinsed and shake out when dry....

 

[lumpher]

I just let it dry outside after rinsed and shake out when dry....

so do i... wait, are we talking about the brewing bag?

 

[bob1852]

Really?

I take my bag outside, dump the grain on the compost pile, and hose the bag down with a spray nozzle.

Replace "bag" with "cooler MLT" and that's what I do, too.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I have a 3 pot system but still use a bag, simply its just for easy clean up just like above pull the bag out dump it, clean the bag inside and out with a spray hose, spray the pot out and your done, you can do all of that while you boil and still have time to drink a couple before the boil is over

and 4 hours is pretty much as fast as I can brew, it really depends on how lazy I am

 

[Natdavis777]

What I envy most about BIAB is MLT cleanup. I hate cleaning 20+ lbs of grain. But it isnt the worst thing in the world. Im still able to knock out a 10 gal AG batch in ~5 hours though

 

[Bellybuster]

I think the biggest saving in BIAB is equipment and floor space. Time is saved once you perfect your process but for me the floor space is golden

 

[kh54s10]

Really?

I take my bag outside, dump the grain on the compost pile, and hose the bag down with a spray nozzle. That gets 98% of the mess gone in about 60 seconds. Then, I toss it in the washer with when we do towels.

Yes really!
Mash tun - dump and rinse out - 60 seconds.
Bag - How in the world do you get the grain out of the mesh?? It takes me at least 10 minutes..... Otherwise there would be a lot of husks in the laundry.... I certainly don't want to clog the plumbing in the washer with grain husks.

 

[douglasbarbin]

I do BIAB and 3-vessel, and I can agree that the cleanup for BIAB isn't any easier or faster.

 

[RM-MN]

Yes really!
Mash tun - dump and rinse out - 60 seconds.
Bag - How in the world do you get the grain out of the mesh?? It takes me at least 10 minutes..... Otherwise there would be a lot of husks in the laundry.... I certainly don't want to clog the plumbing in the washer with grain husks.

What do you intend to do with that bag that requires it to be laundered? My bag is going to be used for the next mash so all I need to do is get it clean enough that it won't mold. I dump the grain and shake it out, rinse the bag in some water, drain and repeat, then squeeze out the excess water and hang it to dry. So what if it has some grain husks stuck in it. They won't affect the next brew enough to notice.

 

[BigJack]

Yes really!
Mash tun - dump and rinse out - 60 seconds.
Bag - How in the world do you get the grain out of the mesh?? It takes me at least 10 minutes..... Otherwise there would be a lot of husks in the laundry.... I certainly don't want to clog the plumbing in the washer with grain husks.

Make sure the seems are on the outside when you put the grains in. Then, they don't get stuck in the stitching.

 

[dwhite60]

When I mash in a cooler I use a bag for the reasons above. Pull it out, dump it, hose it, done.

Anyone here doing a mash in a cooler with full volume of water so there is no sparge?

Yesterday I did a 90 minute mash and then another 15 minutes to get the mash up to 168 for a 5 minute mash out. Could have cranked up the heat but did not want to chance melting the bag. I did a super fine crush so I probably could have gotten by with a 60 or even 45 minute mash.

Good learning experience though. Perhaps with another three or four I'd get a bit faster but, I think I'll stick with the old system. Besides, SWMBO goes out when I brew. The old system gives me an extra hour of ME time.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[doug293cz]

Yes really!
Mash tun - dump and rinse out - 60 seconds.
Bag - How in the world do you get the grain out of the mesh?? It takes me at least 10 minutes..... Otherwise there would be a lot of husks in the laundry.... I certainly don't want to clog the plumbing in the washer with grain husks.

If husks are getting stuck in the mesh, you are using too coarse a weave bag. If getting stuck in the seams, then as previously noted, seams should be on the outside of the bag when mashing.

Brew on

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

another plus for me anyway is the grain is pretty hot and have melted a trash bag or 2 so the bag helps by pulling it and setting it in a bucket to cool then dump in a trash bag when cool

 

[j1n]

i always thought the entire point of BIAB was to save on equipment not time...

 

[iijakii]

Yes really!
Mash tun - dump and rinse out - 60 seconds.
Bag - How in the world do you get the grain out of the mesh?? It takes me at least 10 minutes..... Otherwise there would be a lot of husks in the laundry.... I certainly don't want to clog the plumbing in the washer with grain husks.

I hang the bag over my kettle and let it drip-dry. Then I put it in a trashbag, turn it inside out and empty the grains. Rinse with my hose. Turn it inside-in and then hose again. Total process for rinsing is probably 30 secs. Hang to dry. Next time I go to brew there's a piece or two of grain that I shake off.

 

[douglasbarbin]

Anyone here doing a mash in a cooler with full volume of water so there is no sparge?

Not a cooler but a 20.5 gallon kettle. I only do it for lower-gravity recipes where I am not worried about efficiency, though.

 

[applescrap]

Anyone here doing a mash in a cooler with full volume of water so there is no sparge?

All the Best,
D. White

It's crossed my mind lately. With a false bottom squeeze the grains down you could kill it. Use a lid of a pot to squeeze the grains down real rocket science I know but I burnt my hand for a long time before being like duh. But I would guess 14 15 pounds of grain would be max for 10 gallon someone could probably give an exact number.

 

[RM-MN]

i always thought the entire point of BIAB was to save on equipment not time...

It can do both but you have to take advantage of the differences from a conventional mash tun which the OP did not.

With the conventional mash tun you are limited as to how fine you can mill your grains or risk a stuck sparge so most often the grain particles are left a little larger so that the husks don't get destroyed because those husks are important in creating a filter when it is time to drain the tun. With those larger particles you need a longer mash to get conversion because it takes more time to wet them through and activate the enzymes.

With BIAB you aren't limited by the milling so you can mill the grains really fine. That will tear up the grain husks but you don't care because the bag forms the filter, not the grain husks. With those fine particles of griain, they wet through very quickly and conversion is over quite soon. Because you have conversion done you can cut the mash short. I suggest you don't go shorter than 30 minutes but I have made beer with a 20 minute mash and had full conversion. That just saved half an hour on the brew day.

Most of the modern malts don't have a significant amount of SMM so it doesn't convert great amounts to DMS that has to be boiled off so you can cut the boil time from 60 minutes to 30 minutes if you adjust the amount of hops for bittering. That cut another 30 minutes off the brew day.

People have claimed that cleaning the bag out when the mash is done is taking significant time but I dump that while the wort is coming to a boil, rinse it out, an hang it to dry. Half my cleanup is done while waiting for the wort to boil which also cuts the time.

I'm usually only doing a half size batch due to limitations of fitting the larger kettle on my stove and doing it all in my kitchen. Waiting for the water to heat up or the wort to boil is a large part of the brew day but if I had a big propane burner and brewed outside that time could be cut a bit or a larger batch made in the same amount of time. By being well organized I can bring equipment from the basement, weigh and mill the grains, do the mash, do the boil, cleanup and put equipment away while the wort cools and have everything done with the yeast pitched in about 3 1/2 hours. YMMV

 

[kh54s10]

I use paint strainer bags. Just dumping out the grains and turning it inside out alone takes longer than it take me to rinse out my mash tun. The grains wash down from where I am holding it and get stuck in the folds further down. I think all of you who say it only takes you 30 seconds are REALLY exaggerating how little time it takes you......

 

[iijakii]

Maybe 30 seconds is exaggerating... 60 seconds