My second BIAB experience

Hey guys,

I just finished my second BIAB!
I did this recipe that has a lot of good feedback.
Here is my photo album

I am looking for way to improve my process. I had a glass carboy this time. I found transferring from kettle to carboy a bit hard with the siphon, I would like to use the kettle valve but I was afraid of splashing everywhere since the glass carboy opening is so small. Any ideas?

Also, I have big mark at the bottom of the kettle every time and it's really hard to cleanup. Is there a way to avoid this? I think it happens during the boil with the sediment that are remaining in the wort getting cooked at the bottom.

This time I used a strike temp of 160F and keep mash time around 151-155F. Hopefully this brew turns out better than my first.

You are welcome to post on the pics if you have idea for improvements or just for fun! thank you!

Get a barb and some high temperature tubing and use the ball valve for transferring to the carboy.

Get a blow off tube installed on the carboy.

congrats on your brewday!

For racking to carboy, get a piece of tubing that fits on the ball valve. Place the tubing just inside the opening(mouth) of the carboy. Letting it fall into the carboy will give you some extra aeration.

Don't worry about the darkening on the kettle, it's normal with electric coil type burners.

A 4 degree swing is pretty high for your mash temp, I mean it'll still be delicious delicious beer, but it may not be very consistent. You should work on getting that nailed in, a good temp calculator like mine, or a well dialed in equipment profile in Beersmith will help you nail your mash temp everytime. Cut the heat to the kettle after dough in, and insulate by putting the lid on and throwing a bunch of towels or blankets on it. Sleeping bags work as well, some guys make custom insulation wrappings that can be applied and removed by using velcro and reflectix.

OG actually looks more like 1.062~ than 1.067 but hard to tell form the angle. You want to read it head on and by reading from the TOP of the meniscus.

Thanks!

Actually you are right, OG was close to 1.062 just a bit after it, so I will say 1.063. I used 5.5 gallons instead of 5 gallons for the recipe with the same ingredients, so that may explains why I'm a bit lower than 1.065.

Yes I'm having hard time keeping the mash temp. I don't insulate for now. I just try to keep the elements on "low" settings to that they heat only a bit to compensate the heat lost. I will need to improve this part, thanks for sharing your links


Adding this to my list
- tubing to transfer cooled wort from kettle valve --> carboy OR Big funnel and lifting
- blow off tube ? Needed for 5gal batch in 6gal glass carboy?

Park the carboy in a safe corner and buy a bucket fermenter. It's much easier and very much safer. You'll never need a run to the emergency room to stitch up the wounds caused by a breaking carboy if you use a plastic bucket. Buckets have nice wide openings to pour wort into, won't shatter from thermal shock if your wort isn't cool enough, are very easy to clean, and have a nice handle to use if you need to move them.

A big funnel will work to collect wort into the glass carboy. I'd sell the glass carboy and use the money to buy two better bottles or a big mouth bubbler personally. The funnel will allow you to collect wort and oxygenate while filling the carboy.


As for the ring on the bottom I have no clue.

You don't need high temperature hose for transfering to the carboy. The wort should be chilled before the transfer to the glass carboy!

RM-MN said:

Park the carboy in a safe corner and buy a bucket fermenter. It's much easier and very much safer. You'll never need a run to the emergency room to stitch up the wounds caused by a breaking carboy if you use a plastic bucket. Buckets have nice wide openings to pour wort into, won't shatter from thermal shock if your wort isn't cool enough, are very easy to clean, and have a nice handle to use if you need to move them.

Click to expand...

Agreed! Sold all my glass carboys because of the inherent dangers.

RM-MN said:

Park the carboy in a safe corner and buy a bucket fermenter. It's much easier and very much safer. You'll never need a run to the emergency room to stitch up the wounds caused by a breaking carboy if you use a plastic bucket. Buckets have nice wide openings to pour wort into, won't shatter from thermal shock if your wort isn't cool enough, are very easy to clean, and have a nice handle to use if you need to move them.

Click to expand...

I actually used a plastic bucket for my first brew. I had bad experience with it, as it is more suited to be a bottling bucket (it has a spigot). I found the bucket to keep odor even after cleaning (used oxiclean for 2 days in hot water). I decided to hit my local shop and bought the 23L italian glass carboy, had to bring it back with my bicycle in a traveler backpack for 35$, call me crazy but I got home in one piece and saved 15$ shipping! I now use the bucket to keep 5 gallons of starsan solution, ready when I need it.

I am very careful with the glass carboy. If it happens to break, not sure I will necessary go to the emergency. Glass tend to break and stay on the ground. Also, I really like the idea of a container that will not interact with my beer, with no smell and that I can reuse until I die.

Thanks @pricelessbrewing for the calculator. I used it to know I needed 8.67 gallons to make 5.5 gallons and strike temp of 160F. It was spot on.

Fermentation is going crazy this time. Only 10hours in and it's bubbling like crazy. Hopefully the foam will not reach the airlock.
Added pic here

MaximumTrainer said:

I actually used a plastic bucket for my first brew. I had bad experience with it, as it is more suited to be a bottling bucket (it has a spigot). I found the bucket to keep odor even after cleaning (used oxiclean for 2 days in hot water). I decided to hit my local shop and bought the 23L italian glass carboy, had to bring it back with my bicycle in a traveler backpack for 35$, call me crazy but I got home in one piece and saved 15$ shipping! I now use the bucket to keep 5 gallons of starsan solution, ready when I need it.

I am very careful with the glass carboy. If it happens to break, not sure I will necessary go to the emergency. Glass tend to break and stay on the ground. Also, I really like the idea of a container that will not interact with my beer, with no smell and that I can reuse until I die.

Fermentation is going crazy this time. Only 10hours in and it's bubbling like crazy. Hopefully the foam will not reach the airlock.
Added pic here

Click to expand...

I'm sure all these people thought the same way but carboys are dangerous.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=376523&highlight=broken+carboy

The smell in the bucket is from a very small amount of molecules and your nose is pretty sensitive. If you plan on using the bucket to hold flowers then the smell might be a problem. Most of us use our bucket fermenter just for beer and that little bit of smell from the previous batch does not affect the next batch. Instead of trying to rid the bucket of all odor, put a lid on it when it isn't used for fermenting another beer.

MaximumTrainer said:

If it happens to break, not sure I will necessary go to the emergency. Glass tend to break and stay on the ground. Also, I really like the idea of a container that will not interact with my beer, with no smell and that I can reuse until I die.

Click to expand...

I too use glass carboys BUT you should look at this thread of horror stories related to their usage. You can take whatever meaning you want from it. I'm just throwing it here to share the info. Nobody really ever intends to go to the ER dept.

I use silicone hose and a ball-valve on my kettle to transfer cooled wort to my waiting carboy. Brewhauler to carry carboy. Never set it down without padding underneath. So far so good.

Custom insulating the mash is easy and effective. A $25 project. The skijacket approach works too but not as well or as niftily.

Padding underneath carboy during transfer and oxygenation.

Thanks for the warning on glass, but it's not going to change my mind. You could put 100 pictures of dead people because they rode a bicycle. Accidents happens, I'm taking the risk and will take precaution (carboy hauler, carpet under it, etc.). There are people that prefer buckets and other glass, to everyone his opinion. A glass carboy is not dangerous by itself, it's the mistakes people make with the glass carboy.

Gavin C said:

Custom insulating the mash is easy and effective. A $25 project. The skijacket approach works too but not as well or as niftily.

Click to expand...

Nice insulating Gavin! I just bought a thermapen MK4 (15% rebate ATM), can you still lift the top to check temp? I would be worried if not checking temp/mixing every 20min.

On another note, the foam is getting close to the airlock, is it a problem if it reach it? See pic
Update : I poped the airlock and inserted 6 drops of FermCapS, hopefully it calms down a bit now! 5.5 gallons in a 6 gallons carboy is probably too much

MaximumTrainer said:

Nice insulating Gavin! I just bought a thermapen MK4 (15% rebate ATM), can you still lift the top to check temp? I would be worried if not checking temp/mixing every 20min.

Click to expand...

Not a problem. Lid works like normal.

See the pot and insulation in more detail here. I no longer use the cooling rack shown in this thread. i use a bigger SS version.

DurtyChemist said:

A big funnel will work to collect wort into the glass carboy. I'd sell the glass carboy and use the money to buy two better bottles or a big mouth bubbler personally. The funnel will allow you to collect wort and oxygenate while filling the carboy.

Click to expand...

Ditto this. Just set up the carboy in a secure place with a sanitized funnel and pour slowly. Oxygenation is actually good at this point, you want oxygen to feed the yeast before fermentation.

Okay I guess I found the use for the blow off tube. airlock is full of foam now. Not sure what to do, 6 drops of fermCapS didn't do anything. This batch is way too active!

edit:
Okay I used another 6.5 stopper I had and squeezed my siphon tube inside it, the other side goes in a bowl of starsan, should works!