Been extract brewing for a year now and want to step into BIAB - Would this kit be a good starter to begin learning how the BIAB process works?

[sixstring]

Here's the kit: https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Brew-Ingredient-My-Supply/dp/B0852BNQWC
My brew kettle I use on the stove is only 5 gallons. So I usually only brew with 2.5 gallons of water at most and then add more water once I've transferred to the fermenter to bring it back up to 5 gallons.

Questions before I buy it:

1. Can I do the same process with BIAB and start out with only 2.5 gallons and top off in the fermenter? If not then I will need to wait until my Foundry arrives.
2. Can I do BIAB with this kit? (maybe that should've been the first question?)

 

[IslandLizard]

Questions before I buy it:

1. Can I do the same process with BIAB and start out with only 2.5 gallons and top off in the fermenter? If not then I will need to wait until my Foundry arrives.
2. Can I do BIAB with this kit? (maybe that should've been the first question?)

Not without taking a huge hit on gravity.
With all-grain brewing, you'd really need to use all the water between the mash and sparge.

You could probably brew twice, half the batch size for each turn.
That way you can actually boil off the required amount too, and arrive at your intended OG.

Brewing a 5 gallon all-grain batch requires an 8 gallon kettle, at minimum. But most kitchen stoves struggle boiling that large of a volume.

Also, an 8 gallon kettle is not even large enough to perform a "full volume BIAB mash" either. You'd need a spare vessel (such as a large bucket) to perform a dunk sparge after the mash in the kettle has completed. You then add the captured wort from the dunk sparge to the kettle, and start your 60' (or 90') boil.

 

[IslandLizard]

Here's the kit: https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Brew-Ingredient-My-Supply/dp/B0852BNQWC

Does anyone have any experience using this line of all-grain kits?
Age and storage conditions being major detriments to milled grain, hops, and (dry) yeast.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

@IslandLizard : do a web search for the trade mark holder & follow the "leads" from there.

@sixstring : With a 5 gal kettle, you could do a 2.5 gal BIAB batch. Or do a 2.5 gal BIAB batch, then top off with DME (end of boil) & water (in the fermenter) to get to five gallons.

 

[MaxStout]

You can calc the volumes going backward to determine what size boil kettle you need. If you want 5 gallons finished beer, add 0 25-0.5 gal for fermenter trub, plus a boiloff volume of a gallon or more. That means you'll need a bare minimum of 6.25 gallons preboil. That's going to be the pinch point. You'll need an 8 gal kettle.

For the mash you can withhold some of the water, but know that you will need a mash thickness of at least 1.5 quarts strike water per pound of grain, in order to get good efficiency. That means a typical 10 lb grain bill will require >3.75 gallons strike water. That 10lbs grain will displace a gallon or so, requiring close to 5 gallons total mash volume. But the boil volume is the tight spot.

If you use your 5 gal kettle, consider splitting the batch in two and shooting for 2.5 gallons each.

Later, if you want to brew full batches on the stove top, consider an 8 gal kettle. To help it along you can use a 1000W electric bucket heater in tandem with the stove burner. In winter I am able to brew full 5 gal batches of beer up to about 1.060 OG that way.

 

[IslandLizard]

@IslandLizard : do a web search for the trade mark holder & follow the "leads" from there.

[ADDED]
The company (https://mybrewsupply.com) and their brew kits look alright.
1 package of a (somewhat) style-appropriate (dry) yeast is included in the kits.

The hops used in the kits seem OK but could use some exchanges or even additions. For example, an American IPA with 3 oz of Columbus isn't a stellar hop selection, IMO. And I do like Columbus.

Shipping of brew kits from their own website seems to be "free" (read: included in the recipe kit's pricing).

I guess advertising and selling through Amazon is a valuable/useful option/alternative.
If (and how) they're stored on Amazon is not clear.
Maybe they're drop-shipped by Amazon from the company's location?

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

@IslandLizard : did any of the staff or moderators at HomeBrewTalk get a copy of Palmer's new (Feb 2025) book on BIAB stove top brewing?

 

[IslandLizard]

@IslandLizard : did any of the staff or moderators at HomeBrewTalk get a copy of Palmer's new (Feb 2025) book on BIAB stove top brewing?

I sent you a convo.

 

[tracer bullet]

You can brew anything, anywhere, but I'd consider using the Anvil for the 5 gallon all-grain move. I think you'd want to be a more experienced brewer to try and switch your current method to all grain and simultaneously keep 5 gallons (agreed it'd work for 2.5 to 3 easily, maybe more, but why fight it?).

For the grains, instead of wondering what's in the kit and if it's OK, just got to a vendor here on the site and be certain of what you get. Just an example of a forgiving beer that's a 5 gallon kit (and apparently even cheaper, even with the dry yeast added (don't forget it)). Pair it up with any other supplies you need): https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/agkit_americanamber.htm

 

[MaxStout]

I second the idea of ordering from someone like Brew Hardware. You'll know that those grains are fresh and milled not long before the package goes out the door.

 

[Happy Tails Brewing]

Brew hardware is a good place to get anything. I have ordered a handful of kits from the site, and have been very happy with all of them. The price even including shipping, has been better then the bigger players that ship for free. At least for me. Depending on where you are located that may not be true. An extra plus is Bobby is always friendly and helpful if you have to call on anything, and you will see him on this site a lot helping folks out. As for the kit you linked, sorry I cannot be of help, I have not brewed anything from them.

 

[sixstring]

ok, so the TL;DR version is: Get the Anvil Foundry 10.5 to do BIAB 5 gallon batches and instead of getting a kit, just get the recipe and order the ingredients.

the not TL;DR is:
Don't BIAB until I get my Anvil Foundry 10.5.
My main issue with the ingredients only is no instructions on what to do. However, I'm pretty sure there's enough information about that I could easily locate what to do .

I had a feeling I'd need to brew in a bigger kettle. Which just won't fit on my stove top. The one I have barely fits under the extrator, it's a pain already. With an 8 gallon, i'd never be able to stir anything or drain the bag out. As I'm sure it's probably taller than what I have.

Thanks for the quick responses all, I appreciate them and I'll just keep on brewing with Extract until I get my foundry in.

And yep, if I knew what I was doing, I'd be ordering stuff from brewhardware for this sort of thing too. I've ordered several things from there already and as I've said in another thread, whoever runs it is really solid and doing a great job...

Brew hardware is a good place to get anything. I have ordered a handful of kits from the site, and have been very happy with all of them. The price even including shipping, has been better then the bigger players that ship for free. At least for me. Depending on where you are located that may not be true. An extra plus is Bobby is always friendly and helpful if you have to call on anything, and you will see him on this site a lot helping folks out. As for the kit you linked, sorry I cannot be of help, I have not brewed anything from them.

Is this the Bobby_M guy? If yes, then I never knew that until now. He's helped me out on a lot of questions I've posted here. So not only is he really helpful here, his shop is really reliable. Always get my gear I order in a really timely manner and never had a single issue with anything.

 

[IslandLizard]

Don't BIAB until I get my Anvil Foundry 10.5.

Good idea! When will it arrive?
What are your plans for a chiller, to bring 5.5 gallons of (near) boiling wort reasonably quickly to fermentation temps (~55-65°F)?

 

[fluketamer]

partial mash BIAB :

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/easy-partial-mash-brewing-with-pics.75231/

its hard to tell the difference between this and AG in terms of the final product

 

[MaxStout]

I had a feeling I'd need to brew in a bigger kettle. Which just won't fit on my stove top. The one I have barely fits under the extrator, it's a pain already. With an 8 gallon, i'd never be able to stir anything or drain the bag out. As I'm sure it's probably taller than what I have.

There are wider kettles available that might fit under your above-stove hood. While not optimal from a boiloff perspective, you might just find one that fits. Measure the clearance and see what's available. Something like this, perhaps.

For removing the bag, you could take the kettle off the stove top and set it on a counter to give you more space. I do this because I really don't want to drip wort onto my stove.

 

[MaxStout]

This is my stove top set up, with an 8 gal Megapot and smaller kettle for the water I withheld from the mash. I use an elec bucket heater to assist. I can get from room temp water to mash temp in about 20 minutes, then another 20 or so to a boil.

With the microwave above I have about 2" clearance over that big pot, but there's room toward the front to get in there and stir.

I can brew 5.5 gallon batches of low-mid gravity beers this way. In warmer months I brew in a 15 gallon kettle over propane in the garage, but in Minnesota winters it's nice to brew indoors.

 

[Happy Tails Brewing]

Is this the Bobby_M guy? If yes, then I never knew that until now. He's helped me out on a lot of questions I've posted here. So not only is he really helpful here, his shop is really reliable. Always get my gear I order in a really timely manner and never had a single issue with anything.

Yes they are one in the same. He has kit's similar to the one you started with in this thread, or you can buy ingredients. The kits come with everything but the yeast, just chose the yeast that is right for you and add to cart. You do get a simplistic instruction sheet with the kit. It assumes you know how to brew with your system and the instructions are what you need to know for this recipe. I have ordered kit's from other sites and all the instructions are then same that I have seen. I think kits are a good way to start you know the recipe should yield good beer, and you don't have to store any leftover ingredients. After you have your brewing process down, and are consistently making the beer you want, then I would move you your own customizations if you wanted. I would certainly look on Brew Hardware's website, under ingredients you will find Beer Ingredient Kits. He has All Grain, and Extract kits.

 

[sixstring]

Good idea! When will it arrive?
What are your plans for a chiller, to bring 5.5 gallons of (near) boiling wort reasonably quickly to fermentation temps (~55-65°F)?

Waiting for them to be back in stock before I buy one. Unless I find one for sale used first.
Chilling will be a jaded chiller. I think it’s called the Scylla.

 

[Bobby_M]

Oh hey, hi!

Yes, I own Brewhardware.com and started it 15 years ago.

All grain kits usually include a recipe sheet rather than a full step by step instruction manual because every system is a little different. A recipe sheet includes:

How much grain is in the bag.
Temperature to hold the mash at and for how long (it is usually tricky to guess how hot the water needs to be initially to make this happen, but it's a few degrees hotter).
What hops to add to the boil at what times (as well as any hops added after the boil or into the fermenter for dry hopping)
Recommended fermentation temperatures
Estimated original gravity and final ABV

Brewing all grain recipes becomes routine once you adapt to how your system behaves.

If you want to try it out on a 5 gallon pot, you'd want to cut any 5 gallon kit in half and brew it as a 2.5 gallon kit. You'd just need a bag to hold about 8 lbs of grain max.

If you have to buy anything, you might as well go for an All In One system if budget allows.

 

[tracer bullet]

If you want to try it out on a 5 gallon pot, you'd want to cut any 5 gallon kit in half and brew it as a 2.5 gallon kit.

Plus 2 yeast packs!

(For a new brewer, using dry, I'd just do 2, but you could split one in half I guess - either way don't forget the yeast)

 

[IslandLizard]

(For a new brewer, using dry, I'd just do 2, but you could split one in half I guess - either way don't forget the yeast)

1 pack of yeast should be enough for a 5 gallon of 1.050-ish OG batch of beer, using 1/2 a pack for half the batch.
That is, as long the OP can measure that out without contaminating it.

If not sure about that, yeah, get a 2nd pack with it.

 

[Tony B]

I brew 5 gallon BIAB batches on the stovetop with an 8 gallon kettle. I mash with about 5 gallons of water in the kettle with the burner on low and the lid on to hold temp. When mash is in the last 20-30 minutes I’ll start boiling about 1.5 gallons water separately in a 2 gallon stock pot. When my 60 mash is done I’ll start adding boiling water to the kettle to get the temp up to around 168f and then try to hold it there for 5-10 minutes. Then mash out. After I’ve removed the bag and it’s draining I’ll crank the burner and also top of the stock pot with water and bring both to a boil. Once I’ve got the bag as drained as possible, I’ll top the kettle off with the boiling stock pot water to get to my pre boil volume.
This is obviously a summarized version of my not ideal process, but it works for me for the time being.
Probably not exactly what you’re trying to do, but maybe a few bits that will help to get you started.
You might check OfferUp for a used 8+ gallon kettle. That’s how I found mine on the cheap. I would like a 10 gallon but most won’t fit between my stovetop and microwave.

 

[IslandLizard]

After I’ve removed the bag and it’s draining I’ll crank the burner and also top of the stock pot with water and bring both to a boil. Once I’ve got the bag as drained as possible, I’ll top the kettle off with the boiling stock pot water to get to my pre boil volume.

That's doing a top-up (with plain water).
Have you measured your mash efficiency?

Instead of adding the heated water to merely top up the kettle with wort, I would implement a dunk/batch sparge right there. Add that dripped out bag to the heated (but not boiling) water. Maybe use a large stock or canning pot, or even a plastic bucket (at somewhat reduced heat).
I reckon you'd easily recover 10-15 points of gravity (of the whole 5 gallon batch) that way. Possibly more...

 

[sixstring]

Oh hey, hi!

Yes, I own Brewhardware.com and started it 15 years ago.

All grain kits usually include a recipe sheet rather than a full step by step instruction manual because every system is a little different. A recipe sheet includes:

How much grain is in the bag.
Temperature to hold the mash at and for how long (it is usually tricky to guess how hot the water needs to be initially to make this happen, but it's a few degrees hotter).
What hops to add to the boil at what times (as well as any hops added after the boil or into the fermenter for dry hopping)
Recommended fermentation temperatures
Estimated original gravity and final ABV

Brewing all grain recipes becomes routine once you adapt to how your system behaves.

If you want to try it out on a 5 gallon pot, you'd want to cut any 5 gallon kit in half and brew it as a 2.5 gallon kit. You'd just need a bag to hold about 8 lbs of grain max.

If you have to buy anything, you might as well go for an All In One system if budget allows.

That all makes sense, thank you.
I'm going to just stick with Extract brewing until I get the All in one system (once they're available again. The Anvil 10.5's are on back order so I'm just biding my time until they're available again).
This leads me to another question, but I'll post that in the Extract forum instead. Since it's to do with that.

1 pack of yeast should be enough for a 5 gallon of 1.050-ish OG batch of beer, using 1/2 a pack for half the batch.
That is, as long the OP can measure that out without contaminating it.

If not sure about that, yeah, get a 2nd pack with it.

I've not contaminated anything so far, but never tried to half a packet of dry yeast either Seems like a pretty straight forward thing though.

I brew 5 gallon BIAB batches on the stovetop with an 8 gallon kettle.
Probably not exactly what you’re trying to do, but maybe a few bits that will help to get you started.
You might check OfferUp for a used 8+ gallon kettle. That’s how I found mine on the cheap. I would like a 10 gallon but most won’t fit between my stovetop and microwave.

Thanks for that info Tony. I have thought about it, but I think I'm just going to stick to getting the Anvil Foundry. Plus my wife will be happier once I get that, as she won't have to smell the brewing smell in the kitchen anymore I love it, but she definitely isn't a fan haha.

Thanks for all the info and wisdom here. Much appreciated.

 

[Tony B]

That's doing a top-up (with plain water).
Have you measured your mash efficiency?

Instead of adding the heated water to merely top up the kettle with wort, I would implement a dunk/batch sparge right there. Add that dripped out bag to the heated (but not boiling) water. Maybe use a large stock or canning pot, or even a plastic bucket (at somewhat reduced heat).
I reckon you'd easily recover 10-15 points of gravity (of the whole 5 gallon batch) that way. Possibly more...

Yeah. Historically I have not had great efficiency. In the past, using Brewfather I had to do my calculations based on 68% BH efficiency to hit my numbers. I tried a dunk sparge a couple times. Not great return on investment of the PITA it was working in my kitchen.
Most recently I added the mash out step. This seems to be a juice that is worth the squeeze. If nothing else, getting better bag drainage and it’s upped my efficiency into the mid to low 70’’s over a couple recent batches.

 

[Tony B]

Good call, @sixstring. I see an AIO system in my future as well, though I live in a condo with no private garage, so it will still be happening in my kitchen.

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

No need for that big of a kettle: check out this maniac