Anyone BIAB?

[ultravista]

After reading DeathBrewers threads on partial and all grain stove top brewing, I've been kicking around the idea of brewing in a bag.

Who here does BIAB and you do prefer this vs. traditional all grain brewing?

What size bag are you using? From what I've read, the 5 gallon paint strainer bags are too small. Did you make one, buy a cider press bag, or?

 

[artyusmc]

i just tried BIAB, I tused a lagre grain bag but what i have seen i think that was too small.

 

[HossTheGreat]

Since converting a half barrel sanke keg into a boil kettle, I have only done BIAB brews. I used to do the cooler/batch sparge method, but never again. BIAB gives me beers just as good as batch sparging, plus it's easier, less cleanup, and faster. I now prefer it and don't see myself going back. Many of the online HB shops carry 2x2 or 2x3 bags that should be sufficient. I use a 2x3 bag and it lines my keggle perfectly.

 

[woodstone]

Just started...have a keggle and had my mom purchase some material and sew me up four bags that fit with a draw string.

I heat 7 gallons to 160, toss in the grains and steep at 154 for 60-90 minutes, pull, drain, then brew away as normal...no sparge.

Done two batches...green beer (ordinary bitter) tasted good, tapping the keg tonight and will post.

Second batch (house ale) still in primary/secondary and will post once I've sampled...might transfer later today.

 

[Mysticmead]

I BIAB.. my wife sewed a bag for me out of voile.. cost $7 for enough material to make 2 grain bags and 2 hops bags. the grain bags are big enough to fit the kettle in

 

[ultravista]

HossTheGreat, the bag you're using, is it a 5 gallon paint straining bag?

 

[ultravista]

Mysticmead, hand or machine sewn? We don't have a machine; unless I find the right sized bag, it will be hand sewn.

Also, what did you stitch it with; nylon thread, cotton thread?

There are cider / apple press bags, they are pretty large, used for pressing.

 

[evilhomer]

Hell yeah I brew in a bag, my efficiency has only been 68% so far though. I do it because of equipment limitations. For my next experiment I'm going to mash without the bag to see if a better stir will help the efficiency. Then I'll have the bag positioned over another pot and poor into that to catch the grains.

I'm using the biggest bag my LHBS had.

 

[Nurmey]

5 gallon paint strainer bag is what I use when doing BIAB.

 

[Mysticmead]

Mysticmead, hand or machine sewn? We don't have a machine; unless I find the right sized bag, it will be hand sewn.

Also, what did you stitch it with; nylon thread, cotton thread?

There are cider / apple press bags, they are pretty large, used for pressing.

machine sewn. hand stitching can work.. my wife used heavy weight thread (poly blend). for a drawstring I used 550 cord (parachute cord). others have simply used a very large piece of voile that was pushed down into the pot and clipped to the edge. as long as it contains the grains and allows for the most movement (needed to stir) it'll work and involves no sewing at all

 

[RukusDM]

Doing a 5 Gallon batch of a Harp Clone right now.

 

[Mysticmead]

tomorrow will be a repeat of my honey red ale.. teaching a friend to brew and that's what he wanted to make...I'll get a case of beer and he'll get hands on experience with BIAB

 

[speter]

I line my MLT with a bag when I use wheat or anything else that might stick the sparge. I guess you could say I MIAB.

 

[jbrookeiv]

BIAB rules. I use it every time, don't have room for an extra cooler/mash tun and don't need it. I get good efficiency and make good beer.

 

[ultravista]

I am anxious to give it a shot. Picked up a polyester sheer panel @ BigLots today fro $5. It is huge, enough for many bags. I may end-up cutting in in quarters, and forego the bag route but just using it to hold the grains.

 

[Malticulous]

You don't need to make a bag. You can use a whole sheet pushed into the kettle.

 

[ultravista]

This is a large sheet, maybe enough to cover a small car.

 

[HossTheGreat]

HossTheGreat, the bag you're using, is it a 5 gallon paint straining bag?

Nope, using this one http://www.midwestsupplies.com/nylon-extra-large-straining-bag-2-x-3-coarse-mesh.html

 

[mpjardim]

BIAB rules!
I use it for beers requiring around 10 lbs or less. Place a 2x3ft bag (bigger than I need) and clip it to the sides of my 22qt stock pot. In goes all the grains x 60min. Then place a standard metal colander over stock pot,bag with grains on top, and sparge as normal.
Did a pilsner with about 9lbs and hit my og just fine.
In fact, just did 11.5 lb Belgian on this way although there was a lot of grains on the colander. Again hit my og as planned.
Happy brewing!

 

[eulipion2]

I use a 17.5 gallon stock pot, and line the included steamer basket with the same 2'x3' nylon bag Hoss the Great linked to in post 18. I use the steamer basket because it's easier to lift out than a big, wet bag. I also don't have to worry about the bag breaking.

I actually posted a thread a while back about my setup with pics.

 

[Daddymem]

Exclusive BIAB for two years in April. Made my bag from voile on a 1920s Singer sewing machine. I've done a partigyle with 23# of grain. I've done decoction. I've done sour mashes. I've dunk sparged, no sparged, and trickle sparged. Mash out, no mash out. I haven't found anything 3V that doesn't have at least a similar counterpart in BIAB. Not saying it is superior, but it definitely isn't inferior.

 

[ultravista]

Daddymemm - out of all the BIAB methods you have tried, which is the easiest and most efficient (hitting goals, etc.)?

 

[Daddymem]

Well, all of my brews have been full water volume mashes. I haven't done the Deathbrewer method (aka Maxi-BIAB), or the stovetop small volume method (aka Mini-BIAB). A simple mash no sparge is the easiest. I usually do a squeeze over a colander to get ~85% efficiency. There is another forum exclusively on BIAB, you'd get good information there. Search "BIAB info".

Here is a step by step of my very first BIAB:
BIAB #1
Lots of fiddling, nervousness, etc. After a few times, it gets easier. This is just a totally honest first time doing it.

 

[Golddiggie]

Did BIAB for my partial mash, and saw how great it was. Did my first AG brew using the BIAB, but tried a cooler too (won't make that mistake again)... Last brew I made was also BIAB (AG) and hit just over 81% efficiency (mashed and sparged)... Next brew (next weekend) will be another BIAB, where I'm planning on doing the full volume mash, no sparge. Need to get a larger pot to do that, but that part's easy. Looking to get one where I can have the large steamer basket in it too. So probably a 60 quart [aluminum] pot (15 gallons). I'll just need to condition it before using it the first time.

I see BIAB as a way to go all grain without having to get the expensive hardware, or more complicated hardware, setup. I don't have that much spare room in my current apartment, where finding a place to store the extra cooler, and such, could become an issue. I'm actually thinking about selling my 70 quart Coleman Xtreme cooler (green body) since I really don't have space for it.

 

[ultravista]

Golddiggie, why won't you use a cooler again?

 

[Golddiggie]

Golddiggie, why won't you use a cooler again?

70 quart Coleman Xtreme is the wrong shape/size for me to use with a grain bag. It might be ok if you add the SS mesh tubing and connect that to a ball valve bulkhead. I also had trouble finding fittings that would let me install the ball valve. Even when I was able to get that in, it leaked. If you have the right sized pot, you can BIAB and not need to spend money on a cooler, that will have just one use.

First (and only) try with the cooler gave me about 50% efficiency... Next brew was BIAB with my 32 quart aluminum pot... Hit just over 81% efficiency.

Brewing today, with the BIAB method. Wrapped my pot with some reflective insulation last night and did a test... Heated up about 6 gallons of water and then let it sit overnight (covered)... About 15-20F temp loss in about 8-10 hours. Will see how it does for the mash/sparge temperature maintain shortly... Also hope it lets me get up to a boil a bit faster than the last time... Or we'll just use the propane burner for that.

 

[Gtrman13]

I do BIAB with a large grain bag. If it's going to be a high gravity beer, I need to cut the recipe in half. It works very well and I don't get any efficiency problems. I'd like to upgrade to modified coolers, but I don't want to spend the money on something that I don't have room to store in my apartment!

 

[Golddiggie]

I'm going to be getting either a 60 or 80 quart aluminum pot in the next couple of weeks, with the steaming basket insert... I'll put the grain bag into the insert for large brews. Main goal on the large pot is for 10 gallon batches. I'll also have a propane burner to use for that pot, to make it easier.

Also planning on moving in the next 6-8 months... I'm going to make sure the place is better suited to home brewing...

 

[BrewDocND]

I've done 2 mini-BIAB on my stove top since I only have a 4 gallon pot. It's mad easy and only adds maybe an hour to what my day would be with extract. I use a 5 gal paint strainer bag (2/$5 iirc).

I love it.

 

[thebionicman]

I took my aluminum pot and drilled a bunch of holes into it to make a strainer. I have a keggle for the brewing. I have the 2x3' bag from Midwest. It works great!!!