A good recipe for my first BIAB?

[Coedbach]

Hi folks.

I've been getting stuck in with homebrew the past 4 months and have found myself (with some very generous sellers on Facebook marketplace) with the gear to go for an all grain.

I began with simple kits and added DME etc, I've also tampered with a hybrid kit / BIAB where I used some milled malts in a small batch mash to add to a kit.

I'm now looking to go for my first all grain brew and finding the plethora of recipes and variations a bit overwhelming.

Do you have a recommendation for a simple BIAB recipe to get me on my way? I'm more of a dark beer drinker (stouts, ales etc.) but I am patial to a Weissbier or IPA (especially NEIPA).

As always your opinions are greatly valued!

 

[Kornssj]

I would probably just go with a simple pale ale. Here is a recipe of something I just made. I have a 14GAL kettle so it is able to easily fit the volume I need. this recipe was for a 5.5GAL batch.

You don't have to do the water addition but if you end up using distilled water, that is what I would add (likely on the light side but hey). But if you don't want to mess around with the water stuff just yet, don't worry you will still get a solid brew.

My gravity was a bit on the lower side so i would probably go with 12LBS of 2row instead of 11.

 

[JohnDBrewer]

Pick a beer style you like to drink. This is the most important thing, then buy a kit. If you don't have a grain mill, tell them you BIAB, so the crush is correct. Keep the recipe/process simple. I would stay away from a NEIPA, with all the whirlpool, temp changes and dry hopping. Then go for it before you over think it.

 

[UdonPete]

For your first one go for a SMASH

 

[jdauria]

One tip about kits. More Beer and Northern Brewer usually post their kit recipes on their sites too...if you have a local shop, just print out the recipe and buy the ingredients separately. Sometimes it can be a few dollars cheaper that way.

 

[doug293cz]

Pick a beer style you like to drink. This is the most important thing, then buy a kit. If you don't have a grain mill, tell them you BIAB, so the crush is correct. Keep the recipe/process simple. I would stay away from a NEIPA, with all the whirlpool, temp changes and dry hopping. Then go for it before you over think it.

With NEIPAs, it's not just the complicated hopping schedules that make them more difficult to brew. There is also the extreme oxygen sensitivity of the hop aroma and flavor compounds. Until a brewer has a good handle on cold side O2 exposure avoidance, their NEIPAs are going to be very disappointing.

Brew on

 

[Kickass]

I'm more of a dark beer drinker (stouts, ales etc.) but I am patial to a Weissbier or IPA

This doesn’t really narrow it down much. So if this doesn’t hit the intended mark feel free to give a little more feedback.

I like dark beers too and don’t always brew to a specific style. Most of my beers are 3 grains or less with a basic hop schedule. I brewed this recently and really liked it.
5 Gallon batch
10 # Pale 2-row
1 # C40
.5 # Carafa Sp. III
Noble, English or USDA C hops (your choice just keep it consistent with your preference) 10-20 IBU earlier, 5-10 IBU inside of 10 minutes.
Chico, English or warm fermented lager yeast.

 

[Leezer]

My first two biab brews were Yoopers Oatmeal Stout, and Da Yoopers House Pale Ale. Both recipes are on this site and either one would be a good choice IMO.

 

[Brewer dad]

What kind of system will you be using(cooler mash tun, heated all in one, three vessel, etc)?

Generally I would recommend something with a relatively moderate gravity, like 1.045-1.050. This will give you a chance to get to know your system with a recipe with a relatively smaller grain bill, and have a little more room for forgiveness with hitting your numbers.

Personally my biggest struggle when beginning all grain was getting my water volumes correct, and understanding how the grain bill size affected this. You’ve been brewing with extract so for the most part once you’re boiling you’ll be familiar with how things proceed.

You’ve got some good advice above. Just pick a beer you’d like to drink that doesn’t seem too crazy and enjoy. I believe my first AG beer was a northern English brown if I remember right.