Keggle BIAB First time

[Joseph524]

Hello All
Ok I am going from extract to BIAB. I have a keggle now and plan on doing 5 gallon batches. I have a ball valve in the bottom. I also purchased a false bottom that covers the whole bottom of the keg, with the valve under the screen. I plan to leave the bottom in during the mash. I may pour off some wort like a sparge from the valve and pour back into the grains. Heat to 170 then pull the bag.Thoughts?
After the mash I plan to leave the false bottom in during the boil. I think this will help when I transfer to the carboy through the valve with less trub and hops being passed through. I use pellet hops. I have always used a funnel and mesh bag when I transferred before but would get slow with hoppy beers but worked well.
This is my false bottom
http://www.homebrewing.org/Stainless-Steel-PICO-style-keg-kettle-false-bottom-wsupports_p_1010.html

Thanks for helping

 

[eluterio]

Hello All
Ok I am going from extract to BIAB. I have a keggle now and plan on doing 5 gallon batches. I have a ball valve in the bottom. I also purchased a false bottom that covers the whole bottom of the keg, with the valve under the screen. I plan to leave the bottom in during the mash. I may pour off some wort like a sparge from the valve and pour back into the grains. Heat to 170 then pull the bag.Thoughts?
After the mash I plan to leave the false bottom in during the boil. I think this will help when I transfer to the carboy through the valve with less trub and hops being passed through. I use pellet hops. I have always used a funnel and mesh bag when I transferred before but would get slow with hoppy beers but worked well.
This is my false bottom
http://www.homebrewing.org/Stainless-Steel-PICO-style-keg-kettle-false-bottom-wsupports_p_1010.html

Thanks for helping

First off congratulations one step closer with a BIAB!

Need some clarification on what your doing. You said you have a valve on the bottom of your keggle. Is this literally on the bottom or has it been drilled on the side near the bottom?

With BIAB you really dont need to sparge but if you do I would recommend using another pot with hot sparge water 170 and use this to make sure you hit your boiling volume and drizzle it over the grain bag. Also to note, sparging at 170 what this does is stop the conversation. when you rinse the grain bag with the wort your not stopping the conversation.

I would allow for the grains to drain out of the bag or better yet put them in a separate pot or bucket and allow them to drain or pour sparge water on them. Just make sure you get your volume your shooting for.

The rest of your process will work just fine although using pellet hops will be too small for the false bottom to catch and will pass right through. If you get hop particles in your carboy its not the end of the world it might just hinder the clarity of the beer. Good luck and enjoy I did BIAB several times before I moved over to full on brewing with a mash tun. I have a few threads on what I did just click on my name.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Sounds like a reasonable plan. Just be forewarned, that when you try to heat to mash out at 170, the wort under the FB may get very hot or boil before the mash is raised much if any. Be patient, stir, or maybe drain a gallon or two and add it back in the top.

All that said, I think a mash out for BIAB is very optional, jmo
Cheers!
Wilser

 

[brokebucket]

Hey Joseph,

As a fellow new BIAB'er, I can tell you that it will be fine....the most important thing is to keep it simple. That's the beauty of BIAB anyways. As far as trub goes, dont sweat it too much, it will all fall out in the fermenter anyways....but if you are concerned, just make a slightly larger batch and leave the trub settled out behind. I dump from my keggle to the fermenter (bucket) thru a strainer....but this is more for aeration than anything.

Best of luck, you will get a hundred nuances on how people do it. Just pick one and stick with it and I am sure you will have minimal problems after a batch or two!

 

[Joseph524]

Hello
Yes the valve is on the side of the keggle. I am not sure if I will be adding a dip tube to it. I may just tip it as I transfer to the carboy.If I do I plan to add a tube I will keep it off the bottom so I leave the hop material that is passed. I dont mind if any passes as I know it will settle out. I have done it that way ever since I started brewing extract.

I have made a hoist that turns for lifting the bag and the bag has 4 lift points. I have 2 burners (maybe double batch) and my mill mounted to my brew stand. All of this is on a flat surface single tier. If and when I move to all grain, I plan to use the hoist to pick up the keggle and transfer to the boil pot. I wanted to do this so I didnt need a pump and all the more cleaning. Also I wouldn't need 110 volt. This way all my brew pots are near eye level and I dont have to carry the water way up high.

 

[eluterio]

Hello
Yes the valve is on the side of the keggle. I am not sure if I will be adding a dip tube to it. I may just tip it as I transfer to the carboy.If I do I plan to add a tube I will keep it off the bottom so I leave the hop material that is passed. I dont mind if any passes as I know it will settle out. I have done it that way ever since I started brewing extract.

I have made a hoist that turns for lifting the bag and the bag has 4 lift points. I have 2 burners (maybe double batch) and my mill mounted to my brew stand. All of this is on a flat surface single tier. If and when I move to all grain, I plan to use the hoist to pick up the keggle and transfer to the boil pot. I wanted to do this so I didnt need a pump and all the more cleaning. Also I wouldn't need 110 volt. This way all my brew pots are near eye level and I dont have to carry the water way up high.

Sounds like you have a plan. I would recommend you doing this, when you hoist up the bags just lift them above the water and allow them to drain. I would take another pot and get some sparge water up to 170 and use something to pour on top of the gains to rinse them. I would just do enough to get the amount you want for your boil volume.

Without a dip tube if you have an auto siphon I would just use that to get the remaining wort out. If not tipping it will work remember it might be hot on the bottom.

I wouldnt worry too much about the material it will settle in the carboy and if your wanting it out then after it settles transfer into a new carboy making sure you siphon above the break material.

 

[Joseph524]

Picture of my new brew rig.

 

[brokebucket]

It looks and sounds as though simplicity isnt your thing....I dont imagine BIAB is going to satisfy you for long.

Picture of my new brew rig.

 

[eluterio]

Holy cow I'm jealous already!!!! Been brewing for 2 years now still using a double camp stove and here you have a very nice set up. Agree with the comment you won't be satisfied for long doing BIAB. Oh btw next purchase you should do is a pump! Best investment I made so far.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[Joseph524]

I like simple. I have done about 50 extract brews in 2 yrs. All grain will come some day. I just don't want to have a whole day planned to brew. I will go all again if I find a few house beers I cant live without and make 10 gallon batches. But I like variety so I only do 5 gallon. Hope to do one more extract brew this week (last bottle) then BIAB. I make all of my recipes and no kits. Makes it more fun for me.
Latest beer I have is made with melted snow. Collected 6 gallons of water from a fresh snow fall on 12/22/13. Is is pretty tasty but darker then I would have liked. Mostly from getting to hot with my new stand and getting a feel for the burners.

 

[RM-MN]

I like simple. I have done about 50 extract brews in 2 yrs. All grain will come some day. I just don't want to have a whole day planned to brew. I will go all again if I find a few house beers I cant live without and make 10 gallon batches. But I like variety so I only do 5 gallon. Hope to do one more extract brew this week (last bottle) then BIAB. I make all of my recipes and no kits. Makes it more fun for me.
Latest beer I have is made with melted snow. Collected 6 gallons of water from a fresh snow fall on 12/22/13. Is is pretty tasty but darker then I would have liked. Mostly from getting to hot with my new stand and getting a feel for the burners.

Who says you have to have a whole day to brew all grain? I did a 2 1/2 gallon batch today. Wasn't up to my usual speed but it worked out fine. Beer was in the fermenter in 2 1/2 hours and everything cleaned and put away.

Ten minute mash since my grains were milled very fine, 40 minute boil and right into the fermenter, no chill. I left it set on my deck until it was cool, about 4 hours later and pitched the dry yeast.

 

[Joseph524]

well whole day was a bit of a stretch . But it does take longer then extract. So I am starting with BIAB so I can make what I want.

 

[beernut70]

Are you moving to partial mash? partial mash=grains with extract BIAB is all-grain.

 

[RM-MN]

well whole day was a bit of a stretch . But it does take longer then extract. So I am starting with BIAB so I can make what I want.

It often does take longer to make beer all grain but it doesn't have to. Much of the time used for making all grain is waiting for something to happen such as conversion from starch to sugars, ie mashing. How long does the conversion take as opposed to how long do you mash? With the grains milled very fine that conversion is much quicker than most of you would believe. I've done iodine tests for conversion and found that it was complete in less than 3 minutes. Now explain why mashing takes a full hour.

I do realize that the enzymes work at different rates and that it will take longer for conversion by beta amylase than with alpha amylase but it certainly doesn't take a full hour for either.