A BIAB Brewday with lots of pictures

[tknice]

I recently moved to doing 10 gallon batches and I knew it would increase the amount of beer that we have available, but didn't realize how cool it would be to experiment. An example I've done so far is dry hopping one and not the other for a comparison (and it really is pretty amazing how different the two beers are).

I'm brewing our black ipa recipe next and half of the batch will go on tap and the other to a 6 month secondary with vanilla beans and bourbon. I've also though about brewing a lager and fermenting one at 45-50F degrees and the other at 66F. How different will they taste? Anyway.. good times.

Here is a post of my 10 gallon BIAB process filled with pictures if anyone wants to check it out.

http://www.brewgeeks.com/a-biab-brewday-tknice.html

I'll also link our brew in a bag summary so people who are considering trying out BIAB can see the basic steps. Thanks to Deathbrewer and his thread which got me started!

http://www.brewgeeks.com/brew-in-a-bag-summary.html

If you have any questions, I'd be happy to help if I can.

Cheers!

EDIT: Our blog is updated daily as well so feel free to post comments!
We'd love to hear your thoughts--yes even the crazy ones.

-TK

 

[wilserbrewer]

Very nice process, photos and narrative. I really like your mission statement..."My goal has always been to brew great beer while minimizing time and equipment and above all, find a process that works for me."

 

[opengun]

What kind of efficiency are you getting? BIAB is my next step, I've been extract brewing for a few years.

 

[scoundrel]

What kind of efficiency are you getting? BIAB is my next step, I've been extract brewing for a few years.

Typically 70-80%. One thing we've noticed is that we need to mash a bit longer. We mash for 75 minutes as opposed to 60 but its a small tradeoff for all of the benefits.

 

[tknice]

Very nice process, photos and narrative. I really like your mission statement..."My goal has always been to brew great beer while minimizing time and equipment and above all, find a process that works for me."

Thanks wilserbrewer. Nice bags btw!

 

[tknice]

What kind of efficiency are you getting? BIAB is my next step, I've been extract brewing for a few years.

I'm getting around 75%. I know people report higher efficiencies with biab but I haven't consistently seen it. I mill the grains and I think the crush looks good.

 

[BeerBeaver]

Thanks for the picture narrative. You did a really nice job!

 

[BryceL]

Wow, that's a really good idea for draining the bag. I have a pulley system set up but my perforated pot is pretty small. It gets hard to fit a large grain bill in there and I don't get to squeeze as much out as I would like. I might have to steal your idea!

 

[Psych]

Nice job, I really took a lot of information from posts like this when learning BIAB, I'm sure it's super helpful!

 

[Coohang]

Great job on the details! One question - why do you switch back and forth between fermenters when filling from the BK?

I do 10 gallons batches. I currently fill one then the other. Just wondering if I am missing something...

 

[tknice]

Great job on the details! One question - why do you switch back and forth between fermenters when filling from the BK?

I do 10 gallons batches. I currently fill one then the other. Just wondering if I am missing something...

Thanks for the nice replies everyone. Yeah, I hope people find something useful in the post or enjoy looking at some of the other things on our site. I've certainly taken my share of info and ideas from homebrewtalk!

Coohang - I'm probably being OCD here but I wondered if filling one carboy from the bottom of the kettle and then another with the rest is distributing the sugars and hop oils evenly. I guess it is.
Plus, the valve makes it easy to alternate, so why not.

The other factor is topping off the fermenters. I almost never do this because I try to get my pre-boil volume correct, but if it was off, filling one first would have you adding more water to the second instead of adding the same amount to both.

Does your beer taste exactly the same filling one and then the other?

 

[Coohang]

Tknice - I have done probably 5 ten gal batches. I have not noticed a difference. However - I usually use a hop bag. The last 2 batches with no hop bag - we will see if those are any different...

 

[stompbox]

How do you know what your PRE BOIL OG should be before boiling?

I am going to do my first BIAB this weekend and I bought some DME just in case I end up a bit low. But how do you figure that out???

 

[scoundrel]

How do you know what your PRE BOIL OG should be before boiling?

I am going to do my first BIAB this weekend and I bought some DME just in case I end up a bit low. But how do you figure that out???

There are formulas out there to calculate it but we just use Beersmith. I strongly suggest that you grab a copy. It will auto calculate an estimated and measured pre-boil gravity for you.

 

[stompbox]

I will see if BrewTarget gives me this. Thanks!

 

[tknice]

How do you know what your PRE BOIL OG should be before boiling?

I am going to do my first BIAB this weekend and I bought some DME just in case I end up a bit low. But how do you figure that out???

Yes, as soundrel said, a program like Beersmith makes it easy because it calculates the OG for you. Basically, it looks at your grain bill and determines the maximum amount of sugar that could be extracted (which we will never achieve) and then calcs an OG based upon your typical "efficiency". When you hear people talking about their efficiency as a percentage, they are talking about how much sugar they actually extracted compared to the max. Each grain has a certain number of gravity points assigned to it which is used to figure out this max. DME and LME have values as well and these are all posted various places online.

You will get to know your system and what percentage is normal for you. Mine is around 75% so I know what the target gravity is relative to the max and that is what I am shooting for.

I know it's kind of confusing but does that make sense?

 

[HopHeadGrady]

Awesome. I am leaving my mash-extract's behind and will be going to BIAB and I can use all the help I can get. I am just shooting for 5 gal (23L) batches.

 

[thughes]

Awesome. I am leaving my mash-extract's behind and will be going to BIAB and I can use all the help I can get. I am just shooting for 5 gal (23L) batches.

Get yourself signed up here:

http://www.biabrewer.info/

 

[passedpawn]

Very nice clean write-up, and good pictures.

 

[Palefire]

Love the dental floss idea. I use a steamer tray to keep the bag off of my elements (I eBIAB), and getting the tray out is always a pain. Dental floss FTW!! Wonder if it'd give my beer a slight minty flavor?

 

[stompbox]

Yes, as soundrel said, a program like Beersmith makes it easy because it calculates the OG for you. Basically, it looks at your grain bill and determines the maximum amount of sugar that could be extracted (which we will never achieve) and then calcs an OG based upon your typical "efficiency". When you hear people talking about their efficiency as a percentage, they are talking about how much sugar they actually extracted compared to the max. Each grain has a certain number of gravity points assigned to it which is used to figure out this max. DME and LME have values as well and these are all posted various places online.

You will get to know your system and what percentage is normal for you. Mine is around 75% so I know what the target gravity is relative to the max and that is what I am shooting for.

I know it's kind of confusing but does that make sense?

Yeah, I hear you... I was just confused how to know if my gravity is where I need it to be with pre-boil. But if Brew Target can get me that, I will look into it.

 

[mathin]

This is easily the best description I've seen to date. Thanks for the great info! I think I'll be making the move to BIAB soon.

 

[stompbox]

Love the dental floss idea. I use a steamer tray to keep the bag off of my elements (I eBIAB), and getting the tray out is always a pain. Dental floss FTW!! Wonder if it'd give my beer a slight minty flavor?

I figured it would melt.... A lot of floss is a plastic material now, no?

 

[Lunchtime]

That was great. Gave me a lot of great ideas and really made me want to start BIAB soon. Awesome job.

 

[tknice]

I figured it would melt.... A lot of floss is a plastic material now, no?

I haven't boiled with it (only mashed) but it it's nylon, just like the paint strainer bags that many people use as hop bags during the boil. I'm sure it will be fine, just get the unwaxed, flavorless kind.

This is easily the best description I've seen to date. Thanks for the great info! I think I'll be making the move to BIAB soon.

Thanks mathin... make the jump!!

That was great. Gave me a lot of great ideas and really made me want to start BIAB soon. Awesome job.

Glad I could help and thanks for checking it out. Let us know when you try your first one!

 

[mathin]

Where did you get the bag? The handles look very ... handy.

 

[stux]

Love the dental floss idea. I use a steamer tray to keep the bag off of my elements (I eBIAB), and getting the tray out is always a pain. Dental floss FTW!! Wonder if it'd give my beer a slight minty flavor?

I personally just use SWMBOs cooking/kitchen twine... same stuff you would use to tie up a roast.

 

[tknice]

Where did you get the bag? The handles look very ... handy.

I bought the bag online from Jeff over at http://www.brewinabag.weebly.com.

Definitely recommend them!

 

[wilserbrewer]

Dental floss or kitchen twine works well to retrieve the steamer tray in the bottom of the pot. I prefer a piece of thin 14g copper wire fixed to the tray, simple to twist around the kettle handle and you just leave it attached to the cake rack when not in use.

 

[RM-MN]

I personally just use SWMBOs cooking/kitchen twine... same stuff you would use to tie up a roast.

I usually wait until the animal is dead so I don't have to tie it up to roast it. :rockin: