Mini-BIAB question

[kujosp]

I should be hunting, but my wife had to work instead and I'm watching my 23 month old daughter. I have a 3 keggle setup but it is freezing outside and not the best idea when watching a 2 year old. So I've been searching around and I believe I have everything to do a mini-BIAB. 5 gallon pot, bag, and ingredients. I just started heating up the water and have a question and maybe more as I go.

I have 8lbs of grain I'm going to attempt to stuff in this pot, what no-sparge volume do I have to begin with? I put 3.5 gallons of water in the pot but I am worried that the grain bill may be too big. Ultimately is there a volume calculation for dry grain, lbs to saturated volume?

thanks for the help
I did search and was unable to find previous related questions.

 

[chickypad]

You'll probably be really close. According to the "can I mash it" calculator here 8 lbs at 1.75 qt/lb, which you have, takes up 4.14 gal space. I often do 3 gal batches in my 5 gal pot with that size mash, and I end up needing to dunk sparge in a second pot. I find to get 3 gal post boil I need to start with just a little under 4.5 gal mash + sparge water.

 

[kujosp]

Awesome thank you very much!


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[chickypad]

No prob. I have to say I do miss my Bell's but otherwise not really missing Michigan right now, it's 67* here currently.

 

[hawktrio]

I don't know if this helps but my last full volume biab, a doppelbock, was a 20 pound grist in 11 gallons of water in a 13 gallon pot. Had a very small amount of overflow until I'd carefully stirred and saturated the grain and displaced pockets of air. That's a ratio of 1 gallon displacement per 10 pounds. Does this sound right people? I followed that mash with a vigorous boil after removing the bag and had no overflow problems at that stage either. Hope this helps. I think you should be fine.

 

[adiochiro3]

You'll probably be really close. According to the "can I mash it" calculator here 8 lbs at 1.75 qt/lb, which you have, takes up 4.14 gal space. I often do 3 gal batches in my 5 gal pot with that size mash, and I end up needing to dunk sparge in a second pot. I find to get 3 gal post boil I need to start with just a little under 4.5 gal mash + sparge water.

This is pretty much what I find too. The only difference is rather than sparge, I squeeze the grain bag and let it drain until it stops dripping while heating to a boil.

 

[kujosp]

According to chickypad's link 10lbs dry weight would equate to 0.8 gallons saturated.

I lived 3 minutes from bell's for 10 years! Miss that a bit as I'm now an hour away but I am 20 minutes or so from dark horse.

Thanks again guys, good stuff!

 

[kujosp]

To give you guys some immediate feedback, chicky had said it would be close and he was right. Hawk and chiro your guys experience seems good as I would now assume 10 dry lbs is approximately 1 gallon saturated is about spot on!

 

[chickypad]

Great! Hope you had a good day brewing and babysitting. Maybe in a few yrs you'll have a functional brewer's helper. Unfortunately my brewer's helper never really panned out (see my avatar and picture a pit bull in a china shop, glad I don't bottle anymore).

BTW, chicky is a she

 

[kujosp]

😣yea sorry about that chicky! Thanks again


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[wilserbrewer]

According to chickypad's link 10lbs dry weight would equate to 0.8 gallons saturated.!

Yes, perhaps only 0.8 gallons once saturated, but often takes 1.0 gallons while stirring in...best to mash a little short so as not to end up with .2 gallons on the floor
Cheers!



Wilserbrewer
Http://biabbags.webs.com/

 

[william_shakes_beer]

At least on the floor it can be wiped up completely. That burnt sugar is a real B&^%$ to get off the stove!!!

 

[TexasWine]

At least on the floor it can be wiped up completely. That burnt sugar is a real B&^%$ to get off the stove!!!

Off topic, but I recently learned the trick to removing this stuff from the stove top. Make a paste from baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, put it on the spots, let it sit overnight, and then wipe it up. Worked like a charm for me.