Am I missing any equipment for BIAB?

[DonBon]

Hi all,

I recently got hold of a 40L Buffalo electric heater and am hoping to upgrade from extract brewing to all-grain BIAB.

I've found the terminology around brewing and variety of equipment quite overwhelming and wanted to check that I'm set to go before I get started.

I have ordered this all-grain kit and previously did a 40 pint extract brew, so I already have eg. a 5G fermenting bucket, syphoning hose, airlock and such.

With the exception of an actual bag for BIAB (planning to make one out of voile, but happy to be told this is a bad idea), is there anything obvious that I'm missing to get going?

 

[doug293cz]

You don't mention a hydrometer (and measuring jar.) This is a critical item for process evaluation when all grain brewing. It's a "should have" for extract as well, but you can get by without it when doing extract.

The only things you need for BIAB, that you shouldn't already have if doing extract, are a larger kettle (so you can at least do full volume boil, and large enough for a full volume mash is best) and a suitable bag. Your water boiler is suitable for full volume mashing of 20L batches that aren't excessively high OG. Polyester voile is an ideal material for BIAB bags. If you have the skills to sew flimsy material, then you can certainly make your own bag. The bag should be slightly larger in diameter than your kettle, and about 10 -15 cm taller than the liquid chamber of your kettle is deep.

Brew on

 

[DonBon]

Thanks for such a comprehensive reply.

I do have a hydrometer and jar. Also recently got hold of a 100ml syringe so I'm not having to rely on syphoning to get a sample out the bucket - learned that the messy way!

I saw a calculator somewhere on this forum that gave advice on bag dimensions based on whatever size your pot is, so I was going to use that for sizing. I had thought the bag would be smaller than the pot (like a teabag in a mug), but it seems that's not the case. Is that to ensure the grains are fully open to the water?

My extract kit was for 5 gallons, so I figured the 40l boiling pot would be plenty big enough to go for 5 gallon all grain brews. I'm super excited to get started on my second brew!

 

[Velnerj]

Do you have a chiller?

What about some sort of hoist to take the bag out? The soaking wet (and steaming hot!) grains are sometimes difficult to hold over the kettle while it drains.... Some brewers also squeeze the bag and recommend dishwasher gloves or some equivalent.

For a hoist some make elaborate pulley systems or if you have a step ladder you can put that over the kettle and use it as a focal point for a pulley or even just a rope...

Another idea is to use a big colander or strainer that fits on the top of your kettle and place the bag of grains there until the drip dry. In a pinch you can use your (cleaned) oven rack.

 

[tracer bullet]

I'm a fan of a refractometer for brew day, and a hydrometer for fermentation. If you have the funds of course.

Refractometer gives speedy results, and you can do a gravity x volume equation quickly to see how you stand and predict your final outcome, if you need to tweak it, etc.

 

[doug293cz]

...

I saw a calculator somewhere on this forum that gave advice on bag dimensions based on whatever size your pot is, so I was going to use that for sizing. I had thought the bag would be smaller than the pot (like a teabag in a mug), but it seems that's not the case. Is that to ensure the grains are fully open to the water?

...

Yes, you want the grains to be able to freely move about the entire liquid volume. If the grain is packed in a "tea bag" then you need to be able to force all of the liquid thru the tea bag periodically, or wait for diffusion to bring the sugar out of the bag, and let more water into the grain mass. This will greatly slow down the conversion process and result in poor conversion efficiency or extremely long mash times.

Brew on

 

[jimyoung]

Sounds like you have it all covered. A chiller is nice but not necessary, you can do that later.

I made my own bag about 6 years ago and it still works like new. It was expensive though and time consuming. I enjoyed it, but if it breaks, I may just buy a cheap one (My Brew In a Bag Bag)

For straining the grain I bought a big bread mixing SS bowl at Ikea, and drilled a bunch of holes in it. Lets the grain strain nice and slowly. I find that if I over-press the bag, by twisting it, my beers get more hazy, if you care about that kind of thing.

Only other thing I found helpful is that I bought a SS ruler and calibrated my kettle (L/inch) so it helps measurements!

 

[jtratcliff]

Big spoon or Mash paddle for stirring the mash?

Thermometer for checking mash temperature?

Also a calculator for volumes and what not: Priceless Brew in a Bag Calculator

 

[tracer bullet]

^^ Good calls.

I use a whisk > a spoon or paddle, I love it. Oversized whisk from a restaurant supply store. I'll never mash with anything else again if I can help it.

 

[jtratcliff]

I use a whisk > a spoon or paddle, I love it.

this 24" whisk shows up on homebrewfinds periodically:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VZ8S1Q
Check the camel^3 for price history... but it's currently $12

 

[DonBon]

Sounds like you have it all covered. A chiller is nice but not necessary, you can do that later.

I made my own bag about 6 years ago and it still works like new. It was expensive though and time consuming. I enjoyed it, but if it breaks, I may just buy a cheap one (My Brew In a Bag Bag)

For straining the grain I bought a big bread mixing SS bowl at Ikea, and drilled a bunch of holes in it. Lets the grain strain nice and slowly. I find that if I over-press the bag, by twisting it, my beers get more hazy, if you care about that kind of thing.

Only other thing I found helpful is that I bought a SS ruler and calibrated my kettle (L/inch) so it helps measurements!

Thanks for this. Is there any need for a chiller beyond speeding up the process? Does it impact on the final result at all? I've seen people on Youtube putting their kettle into an ice bath to cool it down faster, but I don't know that I can do that with an electric heater.

Re: straining, I'm happy to let the grains sit for a while to drain out. What kind of volume are we talking about, in terms of the grains themselves? Would it be better to use some sort of colander rather than suspending the bag above the kettle and just letting it drip dry?

Can you elaborate on your kettle calibration?

 

[DonBon]

Big spoon or Mash paddle for stirring the mash?

Thermometer for checking mash temperature?

Also a calculator for volumes and what not: Priceless Brew in a Bag Calculator

I have a plastic paddle that came with my original extract kit, so I'll stick with that for now. Longer-term, I'd be looking at something more substantial. The idea of a huge whisk is pretty appealing, too.

I also have a few options for thermometers, so that should be a problem. I think we've got one of those fancy laser ones which tells you how hot a surface is (assuming you follow correct procedure and make"pew-pew" blaster noises as you use it), an instant-read stabby thing and a candy thermometer. I'm also hoping that the electric heater is calibrated to provide a constant temperature - will have a play around with that before I start the brew.

The calculator you linked looks interesting, but it kind of makes my head spin. Looks like there's an awful lot of learning that can be done here, but for this brew (first all-grain and second overall), I don't know if I need to be too concerned with all those figures?

 

[DonBon]

^^ Good calls.

I use a whisk > a spoon or paddle, I love it. Oversized whisk from a restaurant supply store. I'll never mash with anything else again if I can help it.

this 24" whisk shows up on homebrewfinds periodically:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VZ8S1Q
Check the camel^3 for price history... but it's currently $12

I hadn't considered a whisk until I saw your messages. Makes a lot of sense, though. I'll have a look for one in the UK. Thanks!

 

[tracer bullet]

You just bounce it up and down in the mash, don't even have to stir. Less laborious and at least as effective.

 

[jtratcliff]

The calculator you linked looks interesting, but it kind of makes my head spin. Looks like there's an awful lot of learning that can be done here, but for this brew (first all-grain and second overall), I don't know if I need to be too concerned with all those figures?

No for your first AG brew, don't worry about too much... Get your volumes correct and your mash temps and you should be good... take notes... Measure pre-boil gravity and post boil... Check pre-boil volume and post-boil...

"Hitting your numbers" is something to strive for as you refine your process.

here's the simpler interface: Priceless Brew in a Bag Calculator

 

[Velnerj]

My tip for beginners is to aim for either a gravity target or a volume target. But not both. Find out which one is more important to you, the level of alcohol or the amount of beer. By aiming at one you'll find out a ballpark/benchmark figure for the other one.

Your system will take some getting used to and even experienced brewers won't be able to "hit their numbers" on a completely new system without a little dumb luck.

 

[NSMikeD]

I made a dip stick with length markings that was invaluable to determine water volumes so that I could determine my evaporation rates and to make last minutes additions until I had some consistency.

I made a simple volume calculation in Excel so I could plug in the mm.

As mentioned, the wet grain bag can make a mess, so give some thought how you will drain and remove the bag from the brew pot.

If you are using specialty grains along with the extract, all grain is not much different. Just a bigger bag and a bit more attention to mash temperature.

 

[MikeCo]

Is your water suitable to all-grain brewing? If it's super hard, you may want to use RO water and add minerals/salts.

 

[jimyoung]

Thanks for this. Is there any need for a chiller beyond speeding up the process? Does it impact on the final result at all? I've seen people on Youtube putting their kettle into an ice bath to cool it down faster, but I don't know that I can do that with an electric heater.

Don't underestimate the usefulness of saving time!! I have a buddy who didn't care for a chiller, so I made him one for christmas, and he's thanked me ever since. In addition to saving time (totally worth it), I've found that rapidly chilling the wort seems to drop out more stuff from suspension, which ultimately helps with clearer beer. I used the ice bath for a while, but what a PITA.

Re: straining, I'm happy to let the grains sit for a while to drain out. What kind of volume are we talking about, in terms of the grains themselves? Would it be better to use some sort of colander rather than suspending the bag above the kettle and just letting it drip dry?

The volume of grains is hard to judge. It depends on the grain bill. If you start making heavy beers, it'll be a lot of grain, more than you expect. If you have a means to let it hang for a while, that sounds good (it won't go fully dry). I don't have such a means, so I use the home-made strainer..

Can you elaborate on your kettle calibration?

I'm not sure what people to do measure their volumes. When I /first/ started I used a 2L measuring glass and dumped it in. That wasn't fun.
So what I did was fill my pot using a trusted measurement technique. First I used that 2L glass, and later, I used a calibrated brew bucket with fine markings. Then, I know how many L are in the bot. I put a large SS ruler in, and measure how many cm. So, I now know liters per cm. (*actually, due to a purchase error I know L per inch ). now to measure how much liquid is in there I just use the ruler.
- need 22L strike water? great. Calculate inches, and measure.
- how many L pre-boil? post-boil? use the ruler.

The only caveat is I add 4% when it's hot vs cold. Liquid changes volume with heat of course.

This isn't the most robust method but it's done me well over the years.