Color me impressed. I wasn't expecting that much increase over my usual 73% efficiency. I was using less then full volume to help lower the pH of the mash. I was mashing with 3.25 gal and sparging with 2.5 gal, so what I did was heat all the water, but remove the 2.5 gal before dough-in. I just kept in a bucket, so I'm sure it dropped a few degrees, but it was still warm after the mash was over. So I pulled the bag and drained most the wort into the pot, but then dunked it in the remaining warm water. I moved the grains around in the bag under the water and pulled the bag and drained most in the bucket and then the rest over the pot. I then used the sparge water and dumped it slowly over the bag and then squeezed out the bag. So with the help in lowering pH and the efficiency gains, I think I found my new default process!
First "dunk sparge" = 85.6% efficiency
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Brewcycle69
Well-Known Member
Nice job Matt! Did you change your crush at all?
I did a double crush like I've done for all my BIAB batches. So no change.
Nothing extra from BIAB except an extra container such as a pot or bucket. I just used a spare bucket I had.
After the mash was over, I lifted the bag and I put a grill grate so that it drains without me holding it. I squeeze it by pressing on it with the lid. I then took the bag with grains and moved it to the other bucket which as I mentioned, was heated with the mash water, so it was warm, but not quite mash temp. I dunked the bag in the water and I used my plastic mash paddle to sort of mix around the grains (still in the bag). I then pulled the bag and put it back on the grill grate so it was draining over the kettle. I then poured the wort in the separate bucket back over the grain (probably not necessary, but why not). I let it drain and then squeezed it with the pot lid.
Hope that helps.
After the mash was over, I lifted the bag and I put a grill grate so that it drains without me holding it. I squeeze it by pressing on it with the lid. I then took the bag with grains and moved it to the other bucket which as I mentioned, was heated with the mash water, so it was warm, but not quite mash temp. I dunked the bag in the water and I used my plastic mash paddle to sort of mix around the grains (still in the bag). I then pulled the bag and put it back on the grill grate so it was draining over the kettle. I then poured the wort in the separate bucket back over the grain (probably not necessary, but why not). I let it drain and then squeezed it with the pot lid.
Hope that helps.
I just started doing all grain and only batch sparging but was checking out biab and think it makes more sense... Seems like your going to get more out of it by pressing it out too instead of hoping it goes down the false bottom/screen. My grain is always wet when dumping and I thought after the last couple how much I might be losing. I get decent 70ish efficiencies on but might have to try this out sometime to see if it ups my game. Thanks.
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I don't "dunk" I let the bag sit for 5 minutes, and stir.
Doing BIAB I lift the bag, let it drain on a grate, squeeze it a lot, then set it in a pot and pour in 2-3 gallons of water. I stir it in, let it sit 5 minutes, stir some more, then raise the bag, let it drain on a grate, and squeeze a lot.
Using my Refractometer I get around 35% -50% of points in the dunked pot compared to the main pot. So if the main pot has 4.5 gallons of wort at 18 Brix, and I get 7 Brix from 3 gallons, I'm increasing the extraction by around 20%.
(3 gal *6 brix)/(4.5 gal * 18 Brix ).
Doing BIAB I lift the bag, let it drain on a grate, squeeze it a lot, then set it in a pot and pour in 2-3 gallons of water. I stir it in, let it sit 5 minutes, stir some more, then raise the bag, let it drain on a grate, and squeeze a lot.
Using my Refractometer I get around 35% -50% of points in the dunked pot compared to the main pot. So if the main pot has 4.5 gallons of wort at 18 Brix, and I get 7 Brix from 3 gallons, I'm increasing the extraction by around 20%.
(3 gal *6 brix)/(4.5 gal * 18 Brix ).
I leave a gallon off at the beginning, and after the mash throw my grain bag in my bottling bucket that I install a dip tube in that's almost flat to the bottom, dump a gallon or so of cold water over top of it, stir, sit for a few, then open the spigot. It's usually 1 or 2 brix below the rest of the volume, I get mid-80s efficiency regularly this way. The sugar is already in liquid (not crystals), heating the water wouldn't do much at that point, and I boil right away so no need to stop the enzymes.
Good point about the water. I was also heating it in case Brun Water was wrong and my pH was too low so I could have put some of the water in to raise the pH.
I haven't adjusted any of the recipes I've seen, so I just do what the recipe says. I've used the starch conversion test with iodine and they've all been converted after the time.
I've been doing a 30 minute mash. Using an iodine test for starch, I get no change in the color after only 2 minutes but I still wait. I may shorten the mash time some more to see how that affects the OG.
2 minutes? Interesting. Makes the pH adjustments I'm making after dough-in (probably 2-4 minutes later) seem pointless then unless the lower pH does something after conversion. Hmmm...
QuercusMax
Well-Known Member
I was under the same impression as well, until I built myself a cheapy cooler / toilet braid system. I was getting about 78% efficiency with BIAB (dunk sparging and squeezing), and with my toilet braid I'm now getting between 80 and 88%. And my back thanks me... no more straining with a heavy dripping bag.
Nothing against BIAB, I did 40+ brews last year with 5-gallon paint strainers and won a bronze medal on one. I just find a cooler system is less labor-intensive. You sure can't beat the (lack of) investment required in BIAB, and I would recommend it without reservations for anyone interested in AG brewing.
I'd sure like it if some other brewers would test for conversion and either confirm or debunk my readings. I've only done this experiment twice, once to see just when conversion was done by sampling every 5 minutes and was surprised when the iodine changed color like it should at mash in but not after only 5 minutes. With that result, I decided to try again but do the sampling more often, starting at 2 minutes and checking each minute after that until the color quit changing. Whoa! no color change at 2 minutes? Can that be right? My other drops of iodine didn't even get used although I had them set up before mashing in.
curtw
Well-Known Member
Sorry if this is obvious, but the 85.6% efficiency -- what type of efficiency? Pre-boil? Total brewhouse?
I've always just calculated my total BH eff, and it's typically in the 60-65% range. I just ran the pre-boil eff calculation, and my last brew was at 82%...
I've always just calculated my total BH eff, and it's typically in the 60-65% range. I just ran the pre-boil eff calculation, and my last brew was at 82%...
That was brewhouse efficiency. Mash efficiency was 81.2%. BeerSmith estimated mash eff to be 79.4%, so maybe it's not as good as I thought...
Although my last brew was 76.7% measured mas eff and BS est mash eff was 79.2%, so there was some improvement.
Although my last brew was 76.7% measured mas eff and BS est mash eff was 79.2%, so there was some improvement.
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