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First off, apologies for the length of this post if it bothers you. I originally intended to submit it as an HBT article but later decided the idea was pretty simple and maybe not deserving of that distinction.
I've been brewing since 1991 starting with pots on a stove top through a variety of other setups, mostly gas powered outdoor ones. In 2013 when homebrewing was finally legalized here in Alabama I decided to build a permanent brew structure and ended up with a natural gas powered 3 vessel system with a control panel to control pumps and a PID to regulate a Honeywell natural gas valve. The system allows pretty good control of my mash, allows for good repeatably, and is relatively easy to clean. Building it also wasn't terribly expensive as everything in the picture below was put together for about $700, of which about $200 was for the strut structure the vessels are on top of.
This is the best brew setup I've used in nearly 3 decades of brewing but its big deficiency is it is not portable and I'd also like to squeeze a few more percents of efficiency out of it. The HTL on the left contains a HERMS coil which I pump into from the cooler mash tun using a Chugger pump. The mash tun has a bazooka screen wrapped with some stainless steel mesh.
In 2017 I decided to try BIAB brewing both because I was curious and I also wanted something portable as my brewclub has had several brew days where I wanted to be able to brew away from home. I bought a wilser bag and have done five BIAB brews in the last six months or so. Below is a picture of that system at a brew day for the 5th anniversary of Fairhope Brewing. I'm in the green shirt and that my friend and fellow brewclub member Jeff contemplating my wort.
So at some point earlier this year I got the idea to try and combine my 3 vessel system with BIAB concepts. My main goal was to try and increase the efficiency of my 3 vessel system which is typically in the 72 to 75% range up the the 80+% efficiencies I've achieved on my 5 BIAB brews. A secondary goal is to make my mash tun easier to clean. I believe the hybrid system I've come up with accomplishes both goals. If you are using a 3 vessel system and are happy with your efficiency or you BIAB and you are fine with that method then this isn't for you.
This hybrid system is pretty simple. You just add your BIAB bag to your mash tun and grind your grain as if it was going to be used in a BIAB brew. I have had a Schmedling Maltmill for almost 20 years now and though its durability is beyond question, it is the unadjustable model and so the crush can't be controlled. However, I've found that double crushing the grain when doing a BIAB gives me the extra 5-7% efficiency I'm hoping to achieve and that carries over to this hybrid setup. I've tried to put that double crushed grain in my mash tun without using the BIAB bag and ended up with a PITA stuck sparge.
Instead I put the grain in the BIAB bag and put that in the mash tun cooler before adding water through a top inlet.
I do the same mash and sparge procedures as when I'm normally using my 3 vessel setup without the BIAB bag but after the sparge I pull the bag of of the cooler using a hoist and squeeze it to get as much liquid as possible out of it.
You can just let it drain as much as possible but I use some silicon gloves and squeeze it to get as much as liquid as I can.
My efficiencies using this approach are up over 80% and cleanup of the mash tun is a lot easier as now I just rinse it with a hose. Dump the grain in the BIAB bag into a garbage bag then rinse it out and I'm done.
I've been brewing since 1991 starting with pots on a stove top through a variety of other setups, mostly gas powered outdoor ones. In 2013 when homebrewing was finally legalized here in Alabama I decided to build a permanent brew structure and ended up with a natural gas powered 3 vessel system with a control panel to control pumps and a PID to regulate a Honeywell natural gas valve. The system allows pretty good control of my mash, allows for good repeatably, and is relatively easy to clean. Building it also wasn't terribly expensive as everything in the picture below was put together for about $700, of which about $200 was for the strut structure the vessels are on top of.
This is the best brew setup I've used in nearly 3 decades of brewing but its big deficiency is it is not portable and I'd also like to squeeze a few more percents of efficiency out of it. The HTL on the left contains a HERMS coil which I pump into from the cooler mash tun using a Chugger pump. The mash tun has a bazooka screen wrapped with some stainless steel mesh.
In 2017 I decided to try BIAB brewing both because I was curious and I also wanted something portable as my brewclub has had several brew days where I wanted to be able to brew away from home. I bought a wilser bag and have done five BIAB brews in the last six months or so. Below is a picture of that system at a brew day for the 5th anniversary of Fairhope Brewing. I'm in the green shirt and that my friend and fellow brewclub member Jeff contemplating my wort.
So at some point earlier this year I got the idea to try and combine my 3 vessel system with BIAB concepts. My main goal was to try and increase the efficiency of my 3 vessel system which is typically in the 72 to 75% range up the the 80+% efficiencies I've achieved on my 5 BIAB brews. A secondary goal is to make my mash tun easier to clean. I believe the hybrid system I've come up with accomplishes both goals. If you are using a 3 vessel system and are happy with your efficiency or you BIAB and you are fine with that method then this isn't for you.
This hybrid system is pretty simple. You just add your BIAB bag to your mash tun and grind your grain as if it was going to be used in a BIAB brew. I have had a Schmedling Maltmill for almost 20 years now and though its durability is beyond question, it is the unadjustable model and so the crush can't be controlled. However, I've found that double crushing the grain when doing a BIAB gives me the extra 5-7% efficiency I'm hoping to achieve and that carries over to this hybrid setup. I've tried to put that double crushed grain in my mash tun without using the BIAB bag and ended up with a PITA stuck sparge.
Instead I put the grain in the BIAB bag and put that in the mash tun cooler before adding water through a top inlet.
I do the same mash and sparge procedures as when I'm normally using my 3 vessel setup without the BIAB bag but after the sparge I pull the bag of of the cooler using a hoist and squeeze it to get as much liquid as possible out of it.
You can just let it drain as much as possible but I use some silicon gloves and squeeze it to get as much as liquid as I can.
My efficiencies using this approach are up over 80% and cleanup of the mash tun is a lot easier as now I just rinse it with a hose. Dump the grain in the BIAB bag into a garbage bag then rinse it out and I'm done.
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