wilserbrewer BIAB bags

Williams 728
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Woodbrews said:
Just coming out of the boil, the hop bag is pretty full and is bloody hot. I've taken to clipping it to the edge of the pot and pushing most of the liquid wort out of it with my mash paddle. Most of the hop gunk stays out of the kettle while preserving most of the wort. I tried squeezing it with silicon gloves, but it was too hot.
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That's funny because it took me a couple brews before I figured out the hop bag was slowing down my chilling. It held heat well with all the hops in it.
 
Got my bag in from wilserbrewer and made my first all grain batch friday night. The bag was outstanding! This is the only bag I've used so I have nothing to compare it to. But I will say that it fit in my kettle perfectly, they are very strong and the mesh is fine enough where hardly anything got through, but the wort still drains out easily. It rinsed easily after brew day as well. Oh, and fast shipping even though it was Christmas week. These bags rock!
 
Do you guys double crush your grain? I didnt for my first batch and got 60% efficiency so I was thinking about double crushing this time. I hear people say you risk getting pieces of grain husk in your wort. But the mesh on wilser's bags are so tight I dont see that being a problem.
 
Cajunbrewer87 said:
Do you guys double crush your grain? I didnt for my first batch and got 60% efficiency so I was thinking about double crushing this time. I hear people say you risk getting pieces of grain husk in your wort. But the mesh on wilser's bags are so tight I dont see that being a problem.
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I double crush at .032 inches, and get 75% efficiency average, and I think the BIAB'ers who go one crush loose and then one crush tight get even higher. In my last batch I had significantly less grain particles because I let the bag hand and drip instead of squeezing (like Wilserbrewer recommends). By the time my wort got up to a boil, I had gotten almost all the volume I needed, so on the next batch I plan to bump up my water just a bit to be able to hit my pre-boil volume without squeezing, to keep the particles in the bag.
 
jsmith32 said:
I ordered a couple of voile BIAB bags from wilserbrewer earlier this week and had a chance to use one for the first time this evening.

I can't believe I waited this long to get these kind of bags. Not only do they let in far less husk material than the nylon bags that I had been using, but they drain surprisingly well too.

Here's a picture of the bag in use:
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Out of curiosity, how does the size of the mesh compare with something like paint strainers?
 
Ordered me a new bag a couple days ago got a new kettle and burner & got the grain on the way--gonna get busy around here next week
 
Wow, that pic is much better than my eyesight....I'd say the poly voile is about twice as fine....as the pics show.
Thanks
Wilser

Edit maybe three times as fine.
 
So yesterday I spent the better part of a day making a bag for my neighbor's 15 gallon pot, and another for my 4-gallon pot (some of you have got me interested in the smaller indoor batches, plus I make starter wort). While the fabric is inexpensive, IT TAKES A LOT OF FRIGGIN' WORK!

So I once again endorse, whole-heartedly, the value of Wilserbrewer's bags!
 
Yeah, I use a wilserbrewer bag. About 12 batches in and no hiccups. It's starting to get a bit dingy, but that's my cleaning, not the quality. I don't wash it in cleaner or anything. I give it a good spray out and leave it to hang. There's usually a small amount of grain left in it, but oh well.

I'll be buying another one for new new kettle pretty soon. Anyone wanna save me a search and link his website?
 
ronjonacron said:
Yeah, I use a wilserbrewer bag. About 12 batches in and no hiccups. It's starting to get a bit dingy, but that's my cleaning, not the quality. I don't wash it in cleaner or anything. I give it a good spray out and leave it to hang. There's usually a small amount of grain left in it, but oh well.

I'll be buying another one for new new kettle pretty soon. Anyone wanna save me a search and link his website?
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http://biabbags.webs.com/

Brew on :mug:
 
Put me down as another happy customer! Did my first BIAB batch Monday and the bag performed as expected (excellent fit and function). Only problem I had was pilot error -- tried to use the pulley to hoist the bag and my ladder wasn't tall enough. It wasn't until I was cleaning up that I realized that if I had taken the kettle off the burner I probably would have had enough headroom. Oh well, that was an error-prone brew day anyway, I'm sure I'll remember for next time!
 
DoctorMemory said:
Put me down as another happy customer! Did my first BIAB batch Monday and the bag performed as expected (excellent fit and function). Only problem I had was pilot error -- tried to use the pulley to hoist the bag and my ladder wasn't tall enough. It wasn't until I was cleaning up that I realized that if I had taken the kettle off the burner I probably would have had enough headroom. Oh well, that was an error-prone brew day anyway, I'm sure I'll remember for next time!
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I've found an 8' stepladder works much better than a 6'. Luckily I had the 8' before I started brewing, so that was convenient. Depending on where you brew, you may be able to put an eye bolt into a joist above your burner & pot. Although that usually doesn't go over well with SWMBO if you brew in the kitchen.

Brew on :mug:
 
Got mine Saturday I'll be trying it soon--looks way nicer that the ones I've been using the last few years--Thanks
 
huntb said:
I assume with my Bayou kettle I need to give the dimensions for the basket correct?
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There are a few variations of the B/C kettles. Best to give kettle outside diameter and kettle height, as well as height from bottom of basket to top of kettle installed in the pot. When used with the basket, best to install the bag in the basket, and have it overlap the top rim of the kettle by several inches.

I usually advise sizing to the kettle, that way it is a nice fit either with, or without using the basket.
 
wilserbrewer said:
There are a few variations of the B/C kettles. Best to give kettle outside diameter and kettle height, as well as height from bottom of basket to top of kettle installed in the pot. When used with the basket, best to install the bag in the basket, and have it overlap the top rim of the kettle by several inches.

I usually advise sizing to the kettle, that way it is a nice fit either with, or without using the basket.
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Good to know, that's what I'll do then
 
After reading the glowing reviews here that I just decided to up and buy one and a spare. Looking forward to my first BIAB with red x malt
 
Fast shipping I got it today 5 days after ordering. More like 4.1 days as I ordered it at 11pm

My first BIAB is in about 4 weeks when I can bottle the english brown in my carboy
 
Just ordered one with the SuperBowl promotion. Excited to use it. I think partly my low efficiency is due to too small a back. Hopefully a larger bag which allows the whole space of the cooler to be used will help with efficiency
 
Here are some photographic quality comparisons

Wilserbrewer seams and weave: wilserbrewer.JPG


Ld Carlson seams and weave:ldcarlson.JPG


Ace hardware paint strainer bag:acehardware.JPG

From just the appearance the Wilserbrewer seam looks way more durable. The weave is tighter than the others also.
 
Thanks JINKS for the detailed pics. As the photos show, the voile material is a much finer weave than the other two examples and likely much stronger. What the pics don't tell is the detail constructing the seam. The wilserbrewer bag is sewn initially with a 4 thread machine, then turned inside out and stitched again with very close stitching over the initial seam, resulting in approx 1/2" of the voile being captured in the seam, resulting in a strong and durable finished seam. A bit time consuming, but the results are superior.

This process is sometimes repeated again for very large commercial size bags, 55 gallon and up resulting in an extremely tough seam.

Thanks!
Wilser
 
wilserbrewer said:
Thanks JINKS for the detailed pics. As the photos show, the voile material is a much finer weave than the other two examples and likely much stronger. What the pics don't tell is the detail constructing the seam. The wilserbrewer bag is sewn initially with a 4 thread machine, then turned inside out and stitched again with very close stitching over the initial seam, resulting in approx 1/2" of the voile being captured in the seam, resulting in a strong and durable finished seam. A bit time consuming, but the results are superior.

This process is sometimes repeated again for very large commercial size bags, 55 gallon and up resulting in an extremely tough seam.

Thanks!
Wilser
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I didn't know all the technical sewing stuff, but I could tell the seam was superior from the second I examined it.
 
Just got my bag... man, I am impressed! The cinch tie is awesome. Now I can pull it tight around the top of the cooler and dump in the grains!

Very excited, worth the money.
 
castillo556 said:
Just got my bag... man, I am impressed! The cinch tie is awesome. Now I can pull it tight around the top of the cooler and dump in the grains!

Very excited, worth the money.
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Yes thank you, we have recently added a cord lock to all bags. Cinching the drawstring works very well securing the bag over kettle or cooler top rim. No more binder clips required :) Sorry for the poor quality pics.


View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1423734584.910357.jpg

We have also added a 1/4" ratchet pulley (150 lb capacity) as an available upgrade to our standard 1/8" pulley (75 lb capacity). This heavier pulley is intended for large batch brewers, or the "bigger is better" crowd that prefers large tools :) (separate purchase also available)

I highly recommend adding a ratchet pulley to your BIAB routine. It simplifies the process, and makes for a neater brew day w/ less hassle, less mess and zero spillage. Letting the bag merely hang and drain over the kettle is effortless compared to squeezing or moving the bag to another container to drain.



Thanks for your support!
wilser
 
Order my WilserBrewer kit earlier this week, had it in my PO Box 2 days later. Can't wait to try it out. Appears to be excellent quality.

RP
 
My bags and pully just arrived today. Looking forward to getting this going. I still have some LME that I have plans for but I've got my grain and hop bill ready.

@geoffm33 what do you have around your kettle? I'm in a cold climate and would like to get going but holding mash temps below 20F concern me.
 
brewprint said:
but holding mash temps below 20F concern me.
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At those chilly temps, I would plan on losing temperature, and mash in 3 degrees high and just let it fall 5-6 degrees, think of it as a temp range and not really a specific mash temp.

Not trying to discourage, but if you target 150, you could easily find yourself low and out of a healthy conversion temp :)
 
Got to use my new bag yesterday and it is awesome, high quality, very exciting. Planning my next recipe to be ready for when I have a primary open up. I'm kind of backed up but once all this beer matures at least I'll have a good supply to drink while I wait.
 
I've got about 20 batches on my bag, no worse for the wear. I mashed in too early last brew and had to crank the heat for a while. I still don't understand how this stuff doesn't melt on the bottom of my kettle with the flame cranked...but it doesn't :)
 
dietz31684 said:
I've got about 20 batches on my bag, no worse for the wear. I mashed in too early last brew and had to crank the heat for a while. I still don't understand how this stuff doesn't melt on the bottom of my kettle with the flame cranked...but it doesn't :)
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Polyester fibers have a melting point from 258° - 263°C (http://www.engr.utk.edu/mse/Textiles/Polyester%20fiber.htm.) So, it would be difficult to get your bag to those temps in a BK filled with wort.

Brew on :mug:
 
doug293cz said:
Polyester fibers have a melting point from 258° - 263°C (http://www.engr.utk.edu/mse/Textiles/Polyester%20fiber.htm.) So, it would be difficult to get your bag to those temps in a BK filled with wort.

Brew on :mug:
Click to expand...

Polyester voile can and WILL scorch and burn if one does not stir the mash constantly while heating.

FWIW, any mash, BIAB or not can and will scorch if heating with direct heat unless recirculated or stirred. Not much different than heating a pot of tomato sauce, it will scorch and burn if heated to high and not stirred while heating.
 
wilserbrewer said:
Polyester voile can and WILL scorch and burn if one does not stir the mash constantly while heating.

FWIW, any mash, BIAB or not can and will scorch if heating with direct heat unless recirculated or stirred. Not much different than heating a pot of tomato sauce, it will scorch and burn if heated to high and not stirred while heating.
Click to expand...

Have you seen cases where the polyester material itself melted or showed evidence of thermal damage, and not just the components of the mash/wort? If so, under what conditions did it occur, and how closely was the fabric examined to determine whether the damage was just deposits on or degradation of the material itself?

Thermal breakdown (caramelization, pyrolysis) of sugars begins at temperatures ~100°C less than the melting point of polyester (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caramelization.) So, the mash/wort will scorch long before anything happens to the bag material. It would seem that very high local watt densities would be required to damage the bag, and that these would be unlikely to occur under typical mash heating conditions, except maybe for cases where higher watt density electric elements are in contact with the bag.

I have a Bayou Classic SQ14 that I have run wide open when heating to boil. The worst I have seen is light scorching on the bottom of my SS pot at the points where the pot contacts the burner frame. These scorch marks can be removed with only water and light rubbing with a nylon dish washing pad, so no serious burning.

Brew on :mug:
 

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