my Irish Red Ale recently took 1st and my Oatmeal Stout took a 2nd place.. both in the 2011 Peach State Brew Off.. its sloooooowly catching on over here.. give it a few years...
Why BIAB?
- Thread starter ksbrain
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
my Irish Red Ale recently took 1st and my Oatmeal Stout took a 2nd place.. both in the 2011 Peach State Brew Off.. its sloooooowly catching on over here.. give it a few years...
gunner65
Well-Known Member
Thanks! I appreciate that. I have made many a good beer on the system.
That's a perfect use for brew in a bag but once you bought the bag for that, it's an easy step to go all grain. Nothing more to buy, no real loss of efficiency, just all gain. Enjoy it.
kable
Well-Known Member
tknice said:
Didn't mean to imply baby step in quality output. I meant a very small step/time/effort/$$$ to move from extract to all grain.
I didn't take the baby step comment to mean lower quality..but it does kinda come off as saying that BIAB isn't real AG brewing... maybe instead of saying its a baby step to AG... how about its a simpler less expensive way to get into AG brewing
nyer
Well-Known Member
Can you do 10 gallon batches with a converted keg?
yes... it hold 15.5 gallons of liquid
starrfish
Well-Known Member
multiple bags or a very large one could be used to do a 10gallon batch in a converted 15.5 gallon keg.
my first 10g batch will be done in my keggle and it'll be BIAB
Seven
Well-Known Member
I haven't done 10-gallon batches yet but I'm planning to do it some day.
I have a keg and I cut the top off, now I need to find a turkey basket that will fit inside the keg. It's a bit trickier with a keg because the top opening is only about 12-inches in diameter. Most turkey baskets with a 12-inch diameter (at least the ones I have seen) have been too small. I may need to explore having something custom made for this 10-gallon project when I'm ready to do it.
the basket isn't really needed.. neither is the pulley system.. it does make it easier but its not needed. if the bag is sewn together properly and made from voile... it'll hold the weigh with no breaking.
Seven
Well-Known Member
I do BIAB primarily as all grain or as partial mash (like Death brewers method) depending on how big the beer I'm making is. I did a British bitter about a month ago that I could do all grain with my 5 gallon ss pot as the mash tun and my 8 gallon pot as the boiling vessel/sparge water. I've got a Amber ale planned for next week that is also all grain.
I just did (yesterday) an Imperial Stout that was partial mash. I can only really hit 1.065-70 with grains using this system as it really can't handle more than 12 lbs of grain. I tend to hit mid low 80% efficiency with this system. I do have a desire to eventually upgrade to a cooler mash tun, but I live in a one bedroom apartment. It's a minor miracle my wife lets me have more than one carboy (she likes the beer so she doesn't mind the space for that) but adding a cooler ontop of that just won't fly, so it's a way for me to do all grain and get practice manipulating the various elements of the process before investing in the mashtun cooler. And maybe it's just me, but I've found that I don't have to heat the pot, I do need to make sure the strike water is well above my desired mash temp, after stirring the grains well into the water, I've never had the temp drop below my desired range. Then again I leave it on the stove and the stove itself (gas stove) does generate quite a bit of heat even if none of the burners are on.
I just did (yesterday) an Imperial Stout that was partial mash. I can only really hit 1.065-70 with grains using this system as it really can't handle more than 12 lbs of grain. I tend to hit mid low 80% efficiency with this system. I do have a desire to eventually upgrade to a cooler mash tun, but I live in a one bedroom apartment. It's a minor miracle my wife lets me have more than one carboy (she likes the beer so she doesn't mind the space for that) but adding a cooler ontop of that just won't fly, so it's a way for me to do all grain and get practice manipulating the various elements of the process before investing in the mashtun cooler. And maybe it's just me, but I've found that I don't have to heat the pot, I do need to make sure the strike water is well above my desired mash temp, after stirring the grains well into the water, I've never had the temp drop below my desired range. Then again I leave it on the stove and the stove itself (gas stove) does generate quite a bit of heat even if none of the burners are on.
kable
Well-Known Member
Mysticmead said:
Totally agree.
gingerdawg
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2009
- Messages
- 432
- Reaction score
- 157
Why BIAB?
Because not all of us are Equipment whores....
Because not all of us are Equipment whores....
Why BIAB?
Because not all of us are Equipment whores....
I BIAB and I'm one...
oh...wait... you said equipment...not equipped... never mind
nyer
Well-Known Member
How much grain could you use in a keggle doing 10 gallon batches? Could I do 10 gallons of IPA?
EoinMag
Well-Known Member
I've used almost 30lb of grain in a similar vessel, you'd easily fit 40lb in a keggle
iijakii
Well-Known Member
http://up.jamesnweber.com/_brew/biabcalcs.html
You can use that as a quick and dirty calculator. I think someone from these forums made it.
You can use that as a quick and dirty calculator. I think someone from these forums made it.
metlcutr55
New Member
i am getting ready to brew again after 20 years, just got a 5 gal rubbermaid cooler havent made it into a tun yet. after reading a bunch about biab, i think i may just use my brewpots for heating water and boiling, and use the cooler for biab mashing, should hold temp and i wont have to monitor it, at least once i learn its temp holding characteristics and how hot to heat my strike water. if i like the way this works, my end goal is 15 gal batches (im fortunate to have 8 cornys and a 30 gal stainless boil vessel) and i may try a 20 gal cooler and use 3 separate bags for ease of spent grain handling. i plan to focus on average gravity beers and also want to find and tweak some recipes for lower gravity session beers. i welcome all of your thoughts on this. thanks.
I just started BIAB after years of extract brewing just so I could experience all grain. Living in an apartment does not lend itself well to having a lot of extra equipment, and I'm using pretty much the same stuff, just an extra giant bag. (I did buy myself a new brew kettle for my birthday, but I would have done that anyway so that I could do a full boil) There's so much about this hobby that can make it new and exciting. moving to BIAB feels like a whole new realm with exciting new experiences, as well as some easy experimentation with grains so that when I have the space/cash I'm more confident when I do the next upgrade. From what I've read here there's not a big difference in quality when going from extract w/ specialty grains to all grain, but it's more about the joy of the experience.
gunner65
Well-Known Member
No there is a huge difference in taste between extract (even with grains) and all grain. You will see flavor, color, and after taste all change for the better. Nothing wrong with extract just saying there is a reason it is different. I made some good extracts but they would not hold a flame to any of my AG batches.
the biggest change in AG over extract is... YOU have the control over what grains are used to make the wort. YOU control the color...and YOU control the flavor profile of the wort. With extract you have to let the company making the extract have that control. yes extract can make some great beer... its just that AG lets you make it the way you want... from grain to glass
Why not post the question right here on this forum? There will be lots of people to give input and the answer might help someone else too.:rockin:
Thanks, I am sure I can and will get lots of good info from you guys it is just that I noticed paraordnance lives close to me here in the frozen north and was looking for someone to guide me through their brew day on site.
Thanks again and look forward to talking in future.
Lyle
Thanks again and look forward to talking in future.
Lyle
ive been brewwing i the bag for over a year now. when i first statarted i hsd just purchased mu 5 gallon gott cooler Figguring it easier to mantain mash temps in tthe cooler i heat uop half ablout 3 gallons of my totall water and pur it ovr the mash in the bag in the gott cooler and usuallumash for 90 minutes loosing about 2 degrees. i have large collanders to fit over my cooler and boil potaat the end of mash lift the grains out onto the collander over the coller and let dreain till dry and have had my other 3 gallons of sparge watere ready on the tove angand put my brew bag ito thata at correct tenp to rinse for 15 minutes or so and once again drean when done using the collander again and really let it drain for 15 to 20 minutes oveer the cooler once i have added that wort to the pot and started boiling and add the little bit from drainging whe it is done. I LOVES ME BREW in the bag but Bag in the COOLER for mash and then sparge in the bagI just have one mor peice of eqipment to rinse out but like the better controll over my mash temperatures woth the cooler. iI have a brew themomete with a 12 inch reach i use with a hole in the top of my cooler to monitor temperatures. dont remember where i got it. Kansas city maybe at one of their bre haouses
kgb_operative
Member
This is the first I've heard about BIAB, but when my MLT broke last week I set the steamer tray that came with my kettle in conjunction with a piece of cheese cloth to keep grain out of the extraction tube. Sounds like I could be saving myself a lot of trouble by just getting a bag for my grains and just using the one kettle. What do you guys think the grain bill limitations would be with a 36 qt kettle if I'm aiming for 5gal in the carboy?
take grains x .10 + boil off + batch size + trub loss = amount of water needed.
for my setup using 11.5 lb of grain and 7.5 gallons of water for a 5.5 post boil volume puts me real close to 9.5 gallons total in my 10 gallon pot. now if your boil off is lower.. and if you don't need 5.5 in the fermentor.. then I'd say 11.5 lbs would fit in your 9 gallon pot.
for my setup using 11.5 lb of grain and 7.5 gallons of water for a 5.5 post boil volume puts me real close to 9.5 gallons total in my 10 gallon pot. now if your boil off is lower.. and if you don't need 5.5 in the fermentor.. then I'd say 11.5 lbs would fit in your 9 gallon pot.
you can get a 40qt aluminum pot (works great) from sam club online for 56 bucks... http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=102996&variance=40+qt.
There are new (I think they are new) pots sold by Bayou Classic that have a spigot on the bottom and can be ordered with baskets that fit inside - 36 qt and 44qt and in stainless. Seems like a perfect match for BIAB. http://www.bayouclassicdepot.com/stainless-stock-pot-spigot.htm It might be nice to vorlauf a few quarts before removing the bag.
I tried BIAB once and I was hoping to have a much easier brew day with similar results to my cooler mlt all grain setup. It was a bit of a disappointment. I ended up with something like 40% efficiency and super cloudy beer. I am thinking of trying it again maybe on a 2.5 gallon batch so there will be no question of water to grain ratio being high enough. the last time I tried it was with a 8 gallon pot and a separate 4 gallon pot for sparge.
I tried BIAB once and I was hoping to have a much easier brew day with similar results to my cooler mlt all grain setup. It was a bit of a disappointment. I ended up with something like 40% efficiency and super cloudy beer. I am thinking of trying it again maybe on a 2.5 gallon batch so there will be no question of water to grain ratio being high enough. the last time I tried it was with a 8 gallon pot and a separate 4 gallon pot for sparge.
kgb_operative
Member
Sounds like this will for me on most of my brews, and if I want to build something heavier I can just sparge in my secondary 24 qt kettle. Has anyone had a problem with excessively cloudy beers tho? It seems that my first running from the sparge are always really cloudy and I've been thinking that might be a problem since you're not using the grain bed to clarify the wort.
Thanks for the info!
Thanks for the info!
iijakii
Well-Known Member
Yeah, my wort is a bit cloudier with BIAB. It always settles out.
cloudy wort does not mean cloudy beer. control the ferm temps and you'll have clear beer. .
gunner65
Well-Known Member
That and let the beer sit in the fermenter for 3-4 weeks. That will clear the beer.
starrfish
Well-Known Member
+1. My first BIAB was really cloudy going in to fermenter. after 4 weeks in the tank, it went clear into the keg. slow force carbing so it should drop out nice after 2 more weeks should be carbed and fully cleared after a pitcher or two.
jmhart
Well-Known Member
I think the OP has pretty much been covered, but to throw my experience in:
I was given a 10g cooler when I use as a BIAB mash tun...might seem silly, but lets me use my kettle as an HLT. I mash in the cooler, then pull the grains out and sparge in the kettle for 15 minutes. I routinely get 83%+ extraction efficiency. My only limitation is the same I'd have if I fully converted my cooler.
I was given a 10g cooler when I use as a BIAB mash tun...might seem silly, but lets me use my kettle as an HLT. I mash in the cooler, then pull the grains out and sparge in the kettle for 15 minutes. I routinely get 83%+ extraction efficiency. My only limitation is the same I'd have if I fully converted my cooler.
Similar threads
