Help with first BIAB

Need a little assistance with my first BIAB no-sparge. I believe I have all the info, but to be on the safe side im going to post my process just to make sure. Any and all input would be greatly appreciated.
American Pale Ale 2
Grain:
• 10lbs 2-row
• 1.5lbs Crystal 15L
• 8oz Honey Malt
Hops:
• 1oz Magnum 60min
• 2oz Cascade 5min
• 2oz Willamette 1min

Stike Temp: 162
Mash Temp: 152 for 60min or should I keep it in there for 90min to help raise the efficiency?
Mash out: 170 for 10Min

The ingredients will make 5Gallons, but not sure how much water I should start with.

Boil:
Once all the mash is done I would boil for 60min and add hops at the specified times.

 

Looks good, I mash for 75 minutes or so and get about 75% efficiency. Plan on losing at least 1/2 gallon of water to the grains even if you drain and squeeze well. I'd go with 7 gallons or so to get 5 gallons to the fermenter.

 

Overshoot your strike temp a bit and then stir the mash until it comes down. Better than undershooting.

That mashout, make sure you're adding a hot enough infusion of water to actually hit 170 GRAIN temp, not adding 170 water.

You'll lose 0.1g/lb. if you squeeze...at least I always did with BIAB.

You'll boil off around 1g/hr although mine was a bit less with a tall, skinny pot.

That means you'll need roughly 7g. of water total. If you undershoot the water volume you'll have higher OG than overshooting...but less beer. Your choice if you're not sure. You can always top-off with distilled water (just buy a gallon ahead of time) if you're low.

 

I typically have .3 qts/lb in absorption and a boiloff rate of approximately 1.25 gallons/hr. So for this grainbill, for 5 gallons, with a no-sparge method, I would start with around 7.15 gallons. However, your system and process will differ from mine. You'll have to find a mash infusion calculator to see how much water, at what temp, you'll have to add to hit 170° for the mashout, unless you're going to add heat directly. I find it easier to mash off the burner, as I take my pot inside and wrap it in blankets to try to hold temps a little better.

You'll pretty much just have to jump in and see what happens. Make sure your volumes are measured and marked accurately, and make sure you record all your numbers. For ease of use on your first time around, I would suggest starting with 7 gallons and see where you end up.

If you want to be a little better prepared and are willing to use the propane, you can always boil a pot of water for 60 minutes and see what your rate is. I would start with an approximate volume to what you'll be brewing with (7 gallons), as I would think the thermal mass of the volume of water would have an impact on the boiloff rate.

 

Here is the calculator that I use....I use a 15 gallon kettle and its usually pretty close. Maybe a little light if anything.

 

If you are doing full volume and have your grains at room temperature you will only drop a few degrees at dough in.I would suggest that you dough in a little lower and add heat if you need it.It is alot easier than trying too cool.

 

On the few full volume no sparge BIAB brews I did,I started with 7 gallons and would drop 6 degrees when I added the grains. So if I was going for 155 degrees, I heated my water up to 161 and them mashed in. I've basically had an efficiency of 70-73% on all of them but the first which was 66%.

 

I'm planning my first one as well, and found the BIABinfo forum good. On there, there is a nice calculator that will tell you the volumes and all details.

 

I usually try to mash for 75 minutes and it always works out well. I have a 9 gallon kettle and find that my mash in works best at 162 (even thought the calc says 158) and I have to adjust for a 152 mash 2-3 times during the 75 minutes. Then the 10 minute, 170 mashout. For that I use direct heat adn can bring the temp to mashout rather quickly at that point.
I've never gotten less than 76% efficiency. (did I say that out loud? Just jinxed me!)

 

Hey guys,
So I just did my 4th BIAB, 1st taking measurements (finally got a new hydormeter). Anyways I did my strike at 168, and mashed at 162 for 90 minutes. My efficiency was 88%. Wort tasted nice and sweet, no off flavors to me. Think I am going to keep doing the higher temps.

 

mashed at 162? I'm guessing your FG is going to be pretty high.

 

X2. I use the BIAB calculator and it has worked well for me. I just added an extra column to convert the metric units to pounds and ounces.
http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=15

 

Maybe I'm old school but I've never mashed above 158. Of course, the grains I use now are much fresher and refined than what I did in the 80's. I would think at 162 for 90 minutes things would be a little on the sweet side and there might be a balance problem but if it works, I guess I'd stick with it.
Might be one of the 'out of the beer box' things I'll try in a small, test batch.

 

It was at 1.06 for 12 lbs of grain. Was right around where I was expecting/hoping it to be.

 

It was a little sweet for the wortI'd have to say, but doesnt all sweet wort? Haven't tasted the finished product, I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

I think he means dextrinous, unfermentable sugars. We're wondering what your final gravity after attenuation is. Chances are the beer will have a good bit of body.

 

FG after attenuation.... meaning fermentation? I've seen attenuation used a lot but still haven't got a clear grasp of the definition. Any help explaining would be awesome.

 

OG = Original gravity

The gravity (weight) of the wort prior to fermentation.

FG = Final Gravity

The gravity of the fermented beer.

The diff is used to calc the % of alcohol in the beer.

 

Stackolee, sorry but you didn't answer my question. I asked for the definition of attenuation. I very well understand OG, FG, and the determination of ABV.

 

Ok Guys thank for the help, I used the calculators to get my total water volume, but once i got everything started i ran to a little problem of capacity. My kettle only supports 8gallons which was something I did not even think about. if I reduce the water so that it all fits in the kettle how will this effect my end product?

 

the percentage of sugars converted into alcohol...so it's sometimes used in place of "fermentation" to represent being finished.

 

I've never sparged before, but maybe you can pull out 2 gallons and sparge with that to get to your correct pre boil volume? Let's hope someone with some experience can chime in.

 

I've stopped mashing out when I BIAB. I just yank the grains out and give it heat while I squeeze the bag above the kettle (I have a pulley system). The mash out is useful when sparging, but your not doing that. It will save you some time.

I agree with the others who suggest a lower strike temp. For 6 gallon batches I usually strike in the high 150s for a low 150s mash. Use one of the online calculators to find your strike temp.

I crush my grain fine so for a 2-row recipe like yours my mash can be fully converted in as little as 30-40 minutes. Do an iodine test if you are unsure. I find my efficiency is mostly dependent on how much I squeeze my bag.

 

Just a tip that may help you in squeezing your bag, but I take another large pot, place a large colander in it, drop the whole bag in the colander and then use a lid from another pot and press down on the bag pretty darn hard, move the bag and repeat for a while. I usually get a good 2 cups out that way.

 

I second D Nyholm. Works great and can get a good amount of extra wort out.

 

+1 Been doing this for ages and get lots of goodness out of the grains this way.

 

+1

I use a large mixing bowl that fits inside the colander instead of a pot lid. I agree that this method works well.

 

Great idea! I'm brewing tonight and will try this! seems ill get a better squeeze that way! Thanks for the tip!