Are some grains better suited for BIAB

[TaylorBrewed]

I have done a total of 2 batchs BIAB style so it might just be I had a off brew day.

1st Batch- Fat Tire Clone shooting for 1.051 and got 1.048, Grains- Crystal 75L Malt, Pale Malt, Munich Malt, Victory Malt.

2nd Batch- Hefeweizen shooting for 1.050 and got 1.042, Grains- Cara Pils, Red Wheat, German Pilsner Malt.

I know that there is many things that could have played a roll into my difference in effiency and really who cares about a few points. But I was hoping to get close to the same outcome as my first batch.

I guess my real question is are there certain grains that I might not get a good conversion to sugar using the BIAB style?

 

[BigRob]

Nope, they all work the same.

However, you need to be aware that doing full volume BIAB your pH can get a little bit too high, and that might account for lower efficiency on the much lighter beers.

 

[TaylorBrewed]

Well so far from the two batchs my effiency has been at or around 64 give or take a point. I know that a better crush might help to increase this and I do know that doing BIAB your effiency is always going to be lower but I guess I will have to look into PH and seeing what mine is. Never did a test I guess I will have to invest in some papers. Thanks. How might you adjust your PH

 

[BigRob]

BIAB efficiency is frequently as high as traditional mashing.

You can adjust your pH many ways; various acids, acid malt, calcium additions to mash water, etc.

First thing to do is obtain a water report for the water you use to brew. If it's tap water, contacting your local water utility and asking for a report is usually all you need to do. If you're on well water you might need to send a sample for analysis. If you use the reverse osmosis water frequently found in the dispensing machines, you've got a very easy time of it.

After that visit https://sites.google.com/site/brunwater/
It's an amazing water adjustment spreadsheet. I've found it to be amazingly useful for BIAB. There's also lots of help on these boards .

 

[Euphist]

I typically get over 80% efficiency. The big difference for me was not using the mill at my LHBS. Being able to crush finer has made all the difference in the world.

 

[borden]

BIAB efficiency is frequently as high as traditional mashing.

You can adjust your pH many ways; various acids, acid malt, calcium additions to mash water, etc.

First thing to do is obtain a water report for the water you use to brew. If it's tap water, contacting your local water utility and asking for a report is usually all you need to do. If you're on well water you might need to send a sample for analysis. If you use the reverse osmosis water frequently found in the dispensing machines, you've got a very easy time of it.

After that visit https://sites.google.com/site/brunwater/
It's an amazing water adjustment spreadsheet. I've found it to be amazingly useful for BIAB. There's also lots of help on these boards .

+1 to this. Once you know what's in your water, Bru'n Water will help you ensure you're at the right pH (among other things, of course). This may or may not be a factor in your efficiency numbers (I still get ~68% doing BIAB), but it can't hurt to know. Plus, I think it's a lot of fun -- and I hated chemistry back in high school.

 

[kable]

Don't forget to mash out by raising the temp to about 168 and holding it for about 10 mins. This really helps loosen the sugars and adds some more efficiency points.

 

[idahobrew]

Don't forget to mash out by raising the temp to about 168 and holding it for about 10 mins. This really helps loosen the sugars and adds some more efficiency points.

Yes, mash out and a fine grain crush and you will hit your numbers!

 

[RM-MN]

Well so far from the two batchs my effiency has been at or around 64 give or take a point. I know that a better crush might help to increase this and I do know that doing BIAB your effiency is always going to be lower but I guess I will have to look into PH and seeing what mine is. Never did a test I guess I will have to invest in some papers. Thanks. How might you adjust your PH

This is not true at all. BIAB efficiency is often higher than that achieved by traditional methods. I regularly can reach 80% and have hit 85% efficiency and at least one brewer has posted about over 90%.

 

[TaylorBrewed]

Then what am I doing wrong ? I can only hit 65 each time. Should I buy my own mill ?

 

[RM-MN]

I use a cheap Corona mill knock off and it gets me the crush I want. It was less than $30 and it lets me adjust the crush to what I want and I can store whole grains and decide to brew any day I have the time and inclination.

 

[chalkdust41485]

I BIAB and I have gotten around 73% efficiency into fermentor. I just got a grain mill and have done two batches with it so far. The second batch I reduced the spacing even more to get a finer crush and expected a higher efficiency, but I was shocked when it was lower. I know part of it had to do with a higher post boil volume than expected (which can bring the efficiency numbers down a lot), but now I'm taking a really good look at the pH of my mash (slightly high). I picked up some Gypsum and downloaded the EZ Water Calculater 3.0 from http://www.ezwatercalculator.com/.

We'll see how my efficiency does this weekend...

 

[stux]

Post boil volume shouldn't affect efficiency.

Efficiency is the percentage of extractable sugars in the grain that you ended up with in your kettle or fermenter. If your post boil volume is high it just means that the sugars are over diluted, not that there were any less.

Efficiency in BIAB depends on the liquor to grain ratio of the mash and whether or not you sparge. The higher the LG ratio the better the efficiency

Assuming your PH and grind are suitable.

 

[whitehause]

I do BIAB exclusively, and have found that the crush makes all the difference for me. The one time a new guy at the LHBS crushed my grains, he didn't reset the mill to a finer crush and my eff went down to about 65%. Of course there are other factors, but I've found a finer crush to be the easiest first step.

 

[cincydave]

My efficiency went up after getting a corona syle mill. Best 30 bucks I've spent. Fine crush plus sparging should help your efficiency. And yes, I squeeze the bag too.

 

[gyst]

Crush is huge, fortunately my LHBS has a good mill, but I usually ask for two rounds through the mill, just to be sure. Also, for BIAB I routinely mash for 75 minutes, bring it up to 168, and hold it there for ten minutes like kable suggested - I find this gives me a few extra gravity points over shorter mash times/no mash-out.

 

[TopherM]

Most of the online home brew shops, and certainly your LHBS will run the grain through twice for free if you just make the request. This will up your BIAB efficiency.

 

[TaylorBrewed]

Thanks for the input guys. The 2nd brew I raised to 168 for ten minutes and it does not seem to have helped much. Also I have gotten both my kits off a major online retailer and have asked for a finer crush due to my style of brewing. Both times in the 65 % eff. Area.

 

[cadarnell]

my eff is lower with wheat malt ... i think the wheat malt requires the mill to be at a finer setting ... but i usually mill all my stuff on the same setting and at the same time ... i know what i get and thats the main thing really in brewing ... grain is cheap ... just keep making notes and you will get your system dialed in .. whether it's biab (i do that) or a 3 vessel system .. good luck !!