Biab

Doing my first BIAB this weekend. I have been brewing for about two years and have only done all grain using three vessels (never have done extract brew). I mash in a 5 gal Gatorade cooler (false bottom), batch and sometimes hand fly for sparge. I use my brew pot as the hot liquor to gravity feed into the mash tun, wort going into a third pot that I transfer back to my brew pot after sparge. I have done step mashing and all kinds of stuff like that, but cant wait to try brew in a bag.

Going to make Burnt Curtain Ale this weekend!!!

My sister in law sewed me up this tonight...




Doing standard recipe:
11 lb Two Row
0.5 Crystal
0.5 Dark Munich

Nugget for bitter
Fuggles for flavor/aroma

Wyeast 1056 American Ale

I am going to mash at 154 for 70 min and mash out at 168 for 20, no sparge for the first try.

Hung a pulley over the pot to lift/hold the wet grain bag for draining. Will let you know the results in about 8 weeks

-JLAG

Good luck and feel free to send me one of those bags if she would like to get other brewers' feed back

Great stuff, it's good to see others trying out the BIAB, I do large 12 Gallon brews using a large bag and a 75l boiler. Easy as pie and makes nice beer.
Let us know how it turns out.

I did a BIAB and had an overall good experience. When I did a minimash it was very easy to let the grain sit in a colander and get a tiny bit more wort out of them. With a full grain bill I carelessly thought I could put the grain on top of the colander still and just make a nice mound that would sit there......I ended up missing my SG (big surprise) but was pleased overall.

Good luck!

DustBow said:

Good luck and feel free to send me one of those bags if she would like to get other brewers' feed back

Click to expand...

Ha, I have enough material to make 4 or 5 of the bags. I was thinking of making them and putting them up on ebay or something because you cant find them anywhere. This one is a "working prototype". The next one will have some grommets and stuff on it perhaps.

daugenet said:

I did a BIAB and had an overall good experience. When I did a minimash it was very easy to let the grain sit in a colander and get a tiny bit more wort out of them. With a full grain bill I carelessly thought I could put the grain on top of the colander still and just make a nice mound that would sit there......I ended up missing my SG (big surprise) but was pleased overall.

Good luck!

Click to expand...

If you have any tips/pointers they will be gladly accepted!

What did you use for material?

Did my first BIAB today...first brew in 17mo I lost a lot of my equip/stuff in the move/over time so BIAB it was. Was pretty dang easy and I'm lookin' forward to putting it on tap!

clintopher said:

What did you use for material?

Click to expand...

Material for the bag I am assuming

I went to JoAnne Fabrics and bought Voile (French for Vail) material. It is a fine nylon mesh material, like a really fine fishnet, really a curtain, ha. Also bought some Bulky Nylon thread for sewing it together.

Here is an online source for the fabric:

http://www.onlinefabricstore.net/sheer-curtain-fabric/voile-fabric/118-inch-white-voile-fabric-.htm

I washed then boiled the bag to get rid of some weird odors it had. It smells like nothing now.

Alamo_Beer said:

Did my first BIAB today...first brew in 17mo I lost a lot of my equip/stuff in the move/over time so BIAB it was. Was pretty dang easy and I'm lookin' forward to putting it on tap!

Click to expand...

Can't wait to hear the results, What type of brew?

EoinMag said:

Great stuff, it's good to see others trying out the BIAB, I do large 12 Gallon brews using a large bag and a 75l boiler. Easy as pie and makes nice beer.
Let us know how it turns out.

Click to expand...

Holy crap, you arms must be the size of my head :fro:!
Do you have a pully/hook above the pot to actually lift the bag?

8 weeks? Why so long?

I didn't have anyone to sew mine so I just put 2 yards of fabric in the pot and used a wire to keep it from falling in. It worked out fine. I only set it on fire once.

beerisgood said:

I didn't have anyone to sew mine so I just put 2 yards of fabric in the pot and used a wire to keep it from falling in. It worked out fine. I only set it on fire once.

Click to expand...

I stiched mine up myself, with nylon fishing line! It is a hideous thing to look at but works well

beerisgood said:

8 weeks? Why so long?

Click to expand...

Partially a typo and partially because I may not get to it this weekend because an old friend passed away this week.

I have had some 8 weekers though, 2 in primary, 4 in secondary and 2 in bottle.

This one is going in a keg after just a primary though.

beerisgood said:

I didn't have anyone to sew mine so I just put 2 yards of fabric in the pot and used a wire to keep it from falling in. It worked out fine. I only set it on fire once.

Click to expand...

Too funny, I didn't even think of that. Not bad.

mattd2 said:

Holy crap, you arms must be the size of my head :fro:!
Do you have a pully/hook above the pot to actually lift the bag?

Click to expand...

Nope, I stand up beside the boiler on the kitchen table and just heave it out. It's not ideal but it works.

jlag said:

Material for the bag I am assuming

I went to JoAnne Fabrics and bought Voile (French for Vail) material. It is a fine nylon mesh material, like a really fine fishnet, really a curtain, ha. Also bought some Bulky Nylon thread for sewing it together.

Here is an online source for the fabric:

http://www.onlinefabricstore.net/sheer-curtain-fabric/voile-fabric/118-inch-white-voile-fabric-.htm

I washed then boiled the bag to get rid of some weird odors it had. It smells like nothing now.

Click to expand...

Awesome, thanks. So how much did you buy? At 118" wide that's what, a shade under 11" per yard?

clintopher said:

Awesome, thanks. So how much did you buy? At 118" wide that's what, a shade under 11" per yard?

Click to expand...

I didn't buy it at that web site. The store told me that a yard is 36" off the roll no mater how "wide" the bolt is. But you may want to see if there is an FAQ or something at that site, maybe email them and ask.

Make sure the bag is big enough to fit your pot in as a rule of thumb.

I bought a voile panel from Lowes for $10. It was enough fabric to make 2 bags and a new hop sock for my new 20 gallon brew pot. I used poly coated poly thread to sew it and added a drawstring on the top. I probably have $15 in total costs for 2 bags and one hop sock.

I use paint strainer bags from Rona - like a buck and they are good for about 10-20 brews or more if you are gentle enough.

All I do is BIAB, and I do anything from 1-6 gallon batches. I have done anywhere from 1.040 - 1.100 OG using that method with 2 three gallon SS pots for mashing (2 mashes at once) in my oven, with a sparge/mashout for 10 mins at 165-168. I always get 80-85% efficiency. Without the sparge/mashout, it sucks IMO.

I boil outside on the turkey fryer though unless I brew a PM or extract with a partial boil.

I use about 1.35 qts per pound of grain or so.

I got over 80% on both batches, not bad, time will tell the truth. 1.059 OG.

Bed Bath and Beyond has a 6-yard curtain "scarf" http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=13506922&RN=129&KSKU=105950

It's more than enough material for several bags and a lot cheaper than buying it by the yard at Joann's

What's the bike in the picture ?

jfr1111 said:

What's the bike in the picture ?

Click to expand...

Its an '84 GPz 1100 that was purchased for $250, then cleaned up and put a bored out to 1175 big bore kit, with welded balanced crank. Original case with all new internals and top end. Cams degreed and gears are slotted. Basically a street bike with a drag engine. 4 into 1 and Stage 3 Dyno Jet kit. Note no tail lights or turn signals.



You can PM me if you want to know more, lets not trash the thread.

We can talk about beer on the Kawasaki forum

jjones17 said:

I use paint strainer bags from Rona - like a buck and they are good for about 10-20 brews or more if you are gentle enough.

All I do is BIAB, and I do anything from 1-6 gallon batches. I have done anywhere from 1.040 - 1.100 OG using that method with 2 three gallon SS pots for mashing (2 mashes at once) in my oven, with a sparge/mashout for 10 mins at 165-168. I always get 80-85% efficiency. Without the sparge/mashout, it sucks IMO.

I boil outside on the turkey fryer though unless I brew a PM or extract with a partial boil.

I use about 1.35 qts per pound of grain or so.

Click to expand...

Hmm,

I started out with 7.5 gallons, 12 lbs grain (11 2-row, 0.5 Crystal 40, 0.5 Munich Dark).

My preboil was about 6.8 gals and the gravity was 1.059.

That seems insanely high.

jjones17, are you using a 5 gallon paint strainer bag? Any issues with it?

ultravista said:

jjones17, are you using a 5 gallon paint strainer bag? Any issues with it?

Click to expand...

Hi there,

Yes, I use the 5 gallon paint strainer bags and I have not had any issues whatsoever. I keep three on hand just in case though I will brew a barleywine next weekend, 5 gallons, 1.115 OG! Should be a good one, will need to use 2 bags and 2 mash tuns.

I would like to try the BIAB method, but limited to a 22qt. pot, I also have another pot of 18 qts., I think maybe between the two pots, I might be able to do "something" even if it's wrong.

Jjones, when you sparge/mashout are you just raising the temperature of your mash or are you pouring hot water over you grain bag

jjones17 said:

Hi there,

Yes, I use the 5 gallon paint strainer bags and I have not had any issues whatsoever. I keep three on hand just in case though I will brew a barleywine next weekend, 5 gallons, 1.115 OG! Should be a good one, will need to use 2 bags and 2 mash tuns.

Click to expand...

Any problem with the bag being in contact with the bottom of the kettle and getting to hot while maintaining the mash temps?

msa8967 said:

Any problem with the bag being in contact with the bottom of the kettle and getting to hot while maintaining the mash temps?

Click to expand...

It can melt to the bottom of your kettle if you direct fire to maintain mash temp. Try not to let it touch the bottom, or make a false bottom.

msa8967 said:

Any problem with the bag being in contact with the bottom of the kettle and getting to hot while maintaining the mash temps?

Click to expand...

I use a 44 qt fryer basket in a 62 qt pot. Prior to that, I used a small steamer basket, both work well.

Ive been doing kits for 6 months now and I'm ready to start working on my own recipes or at least variations of recipes I find online, BIAB is my best choice as I lack the space and funds for cooler mash tuns, etc.

Would I be able to pull off BIAB in my 8 gal kettle? I ask because I saw a post on a different site's forum that someone did BIAB in an 8 gal kettle.

kylefree said:

Ive been doing kits for 6 months now and I'm ready to start working on my own recipes or at least variations of recipes I find online, BIAB is my best choice as I lack the space and funds for cooler mash tuns, etc.

Would I be able to pull off BIAB in my 8 gal kettle? I ask because I saw a post on a different site's forum that someone did BIAB in an 8 gal kettle.

Click to expand...

I don't know if you can but I brew 5 gallon batched in a 7 1/2 gallon turkey fryer. It works better if I don't try to fit in all the water plus my grains for a no sparge. I'm a bit scared when the last of the grain goes in and there is only half an inch above the wort but now I use a little less water and then do a pour through sparge and it works out fine. You will have to be careful to control your heat as you can boil off too much in the hour long boil but if you do see it happening you can add water back to bring it to the right amount.

This morning I did a half size batch in a 5 gallon stock pot. I started with about 3 1/2 gallons of water for the mash, then used about another quart to sparge with and came out with my 2 1/2 gallons in the fermenter.

To do my sparge I put a colander in another bowl and put the bag of grains in there. When I have squeezed out all the wort I can I open the bag and use a big spoon to move the grains around to loosen them a bit. Then I pour cold water in, stirring the grains while I add it, then close the bag and squeeze out the remaining wort. I dump the bowl into the boiling pot from time to time so the bag of grain isn't setting in the wort I squeezed out. the only bad thing this morning is I missed my OG. It was supposed to come out 1.045 and I only got 1.054. :cross:

8 gals should be fine for a smaller grain bill. However, you will likely find a 10 gallon pot allows you to do a lot more.

I have a 10 gal pot and 12 pounds of grain and 7.75 gal of water leaves me with maybe a gal of free space during the mash. 8 gal would obviously not work for that.

You can always mash with less water and then dunk sparge in another vessel (pot or bucket) if your grain bill is too tight for your pot.

Foosier said:

8 gals should be fine for a smaller grain bill. However, you will likely find a 10 gallon pot allows you to do a lot more.

I have a 10 gal pot and 12 pounds of grain and 7.75 gal of water leaves me with maybe a gal of free space during the mash. 8 gal would obviously not work for that.

You can always mash with less water and then dunk sparge in another vessel (pot or bucket) if your grain bill is too tight for your pot.

Click to expand...

Isn't it fun to have all these options when you are brewing. I always start with way less water than that but I boil it on my kitchen range (yes I have a burner that will boil 6+ gallons) and have such good temperature control that I can keep a slow rolling boil without boiling off so much.