DIY BIAB

[brandonlovesbeer]

I’ve been wanting to do BIAB more and more but I could never find the size bag for my cooler.

My Brewpot has no insulation so I am not even considering that.

I inquired with Brülosophy about where they purchase their BIAB bags.

If anyone is interested.
https://www.brewinabag.com/?aff=3

But I could not justify paying $60 for my 25gal Rectangular cooler. I thought, “I’m handy and a Jack of all Trades. I’ll just sew one myself.”

So I began doing research and discovered that the shear fabric these bags are made out of is called Polyester Voile.

It’s the exact same material that many shear curtains are made out of.

I went to all the fabric stores and Hobby Lobby to find this material by the yard.

After finding that the price per yard was avg about $5, I took the advice of some other people and began looking in the curtain section.

With my 2gal BIAB in hand to compare fabrics, I went to the curtain section.
Immediately I found what I was looking for.

A 96”x48” shear curtain for $7.
Then I found the fabric to make the support handles as well as polyester thread. And home I went and pulled out the sewing machine and got to work.
The stitches are not pretty and lined up like the pros. But it is completely functional.

Plus I have enough fabric left over to do a could other projects.

I’ve posted some pictures to show the results of my labor.

Total cost:
$7.00 - Curtain
$8.00 - handle fabric (6yds)
$2.00 - Thread
Total = $17

 

[ong]

Nice! I had a friend of mine sew me a bag from the same material, and it’s made it through 115 brew days so far (with a few repairs along the way).

 

[RM-MN]

Very nice! Looks like you did a good job and it should last for years.

Now for the other side. I do my mash in the boil kettle so I only have one vessel to clean. Because I have a fine mesh bag and don't have to worry about a stuck mash or sparge, I mill my grain really fine. With those tiny grain particles I get full conversion very quickly so I no longer worry about keeping the mash temp constant for an hour. You might want to check how long it takes to get full conversion with your grains.

 

[lablover]

Very cool

 

[FunkedOut]

Thanks for the inspiration.
I’ve been thinking of making a sleeve for my false bottom...

 

[aprichman]

Very nice! Looks like you did a good job and it should last for years.

Now for the other side. I do my mash in the boil kettle so I only have one vessel to clean. Because I have a fine mesh bag and don't have to worry about a stuck mash or sparge, I mill my grain really fine. With those tiny grain particles I get full conversion very quickly so I no longer worry about keeping the mash temp constant for an hour. You might want to check how long it takes to get full conversion with your grains.

Some larger craft breweries use press filters which is where they use a hammer mill and grind the grain very aggressively, down to almost a coarse flour. The breweries that use this technology can get full conversion in under 10 minutes. The mash is pumped through a series of mesh screens on its way to the boil kettle.

Kind of reminds me of your setup, just on a larger scale. If I ever invest in a mill I might have to give it a try. I single vessel BIAB but insulate the kettle to maintain temperatures.