BIAB Best Way To Start All Grain (Newbie)

[r270ba]

Ok so I posted earlier in the Electric Brewing section about going all out and creating an electric brewery with HERMS etc before ever brewing my first batch of beer. While an all electric system like the 'Electric Brewery.com' system I was referenced to is what I would like to get to...it has quite a steep entry point. SWMBO not gonna like that. So I continue to research the various methods and I am wondering if Electric BIAB (I think it is call SVEBS?) would not be a good entry point into All Grain electric brewing. This appears to have a much lower cost of entry but I would think the equipment I would buy would also have a place in the 'Electric Brewery' setup I ultimately want to get to.

Am I correct in my thinking I would be able to add to the SVEBS system to make a true 3 kettle electric brewing system?

Can BIAB make excellent quality beer like an electric system using HERMS method?

Can I get clear beer in the BIAB method?

Any other thoughts you may have?

Thanks guys!

 

[kirbcheck]

I set up a gas HERMS, not electric. If you want to get into all grain, I would buy a turkey fryer and a 10 gallon pot to do BIAB. Get a few under your belt then upgrade slowly. The nice thing about BIAB is you don't need a MT.

The BIAB guys love it so I'd say it makes great beer.

I don't know much about BIAB, but I don't think there's really a BIAB HERMS system out there. I could be wrong, I just don't see how it'd work.

I've read that BIAB brewers use a super fine crush on their grain, so that would make for a cloudier beer I assume.

 

[stylus1274]

I do BIAB. I double crush my grains to help with conversion rates. It is a bit cloudy. I do also using fining agents to help with that and do cold crashes of at least 72 hours.

I think they stack up pretty well when compared to others who don't use BIAB in terms of clearness and taste.

 

[dsaavedra]

My wort is always cloudy when I do BIAB but the beer clears up with enough time in the bottles

 

[dfhar]

If you have lots of cash to burn and the space for it, there's truly nothing wrong with buying an electric system from the get go. It certainly makes things like step mashes easier.

That said, neither electric nor BIAB nor 3-vessel brewing produces the "best" beer. You can make world class beer with any of those systems, and you can make undrinkable crap with any of them too. Remember, brewers make wort, but yeast make beer. If you're on a budget, the very first thing you should invest in is temperature control, closely followed by a stir plate and flask to make starters.

Attached is a pic of my Dortmunder Export, brewed using a decoction BIAB mash. It's only been lagering a couple weeks, but it's quite clear already. It's next to impossible to get beer as transparently clear as the mass produced beers on the market unless you filter.

 

[doug293cz]

You can easily start with electric BIAB. Start with a big pot (min 10 gal, 15 is better, 20 needed for 10 gal batches of big beers.) This will be your BIAB vessel, and can be used later for either the BK or HLT in an electric 3-vessel system. You won't end up with any equipment that needs to be replaced for the transition, unless you get too small a pot.

You can accomplish a RIMS/HERMS function with BIAB by adding a pump and recirculating the wort during mashing. This does not have to be part of the original system, but can be added at any time. Again, no existing equipment becomes obsolete.

I'd recommend starting simple, and then add on as you want and can afford. You may find you are happy with BIAB, and never go to 3-vessel. Where you end up with equipment is strictly personal preference. A more complicated system won't necessarily make better beer.

Brew on

 

[C-Rider]

It's next to impossible to get beer as transparently clear as the mass produced beers on the market unless you filter.

I don't know about that. This was BIAB produces and cold crashed.

[url=https://www.homebrewtalk.com/photo/ohikilolo-fest-61150.html] [/URL]

 

[RM-MN]

I'd suggest starting cheap. If you have a stock pot that is 4 gallons or more, use that and a paint strainer bag to make a 2 1/2 gallon batch. You'll soon fine out if you want to continue all grain. I use a 5 gallon stainless steel pot that was bought many years ago to do garden produce and it works great for the small batches. You won't have much invested if you decide you don't want to continue (look for tamale steamer pots like this one. http://www.target.com/p/imusa-tamal...8YLqMQ38Iz3Lw12SDB0nDNoFFjS9WADZtmBoCclrw_wcB) and you may find other uses for the pot. A little bigger pot will not set you back much more but some stoves can't reach a boil with the 5 gallon batch in that bigger pot so you would need to add a burner and do the batch outside.

 

[DaNewf]

I'd suggest starting cheap. If you have a stock pot that is 4 gallons or more, use that and a paint strainer bag to make a 2 1/2 gallon batch.

I've been brewing all grain like this in a five gallon pot on my electric stovetop for over a year now. By borrowing my wife's 3 gallon stock pot I've added a sparge step to my process that lets me collect a lttle better than 4.5 gallons of pre-boil wort. You really have to baby sit the pot for the first 10-15 minutes of the boil but after that everything is fine and I usually get a little better than 3.5 gallons into the fermenter.

I'm cheap so I moved into all grain brewing by pretty much the cheapest method I could. However I did spend a little money on temperature control. My system is a 5 cubic foot chest freezer, a heat belt (for plastic fermenters) or ferm wrap (for glass carboys) and a DIY dual stage controller based on the STC-1000. Total cost was around $300 since I bought everything new. Pocket change for some people but did I mention I was cheap (not poor just cheap).

 

[r270ba]

Thanks guys. Several have mentioned temperature control. I assume this is temperature control for the cooking stage and not the fermentation stage?

I also assume the recirculation will make for more clear beer? Also would it require a coil like a HERMS system or would you just recirculate to the top of the vessel?

 

[RM-MN]

Thanks guys. Several have mentioned temperature control. I assume this is temperature control for the cooking stage and not the fermentation stage?

I also assume the recirculation will make for more clear beer? Also would it require a coil like a HERMS system or would you just recirculate to the top of the vessel?

You need temperature control at two points. If you are brewing all grain, the temperature at which you mash determines how fermentable the wort will become as two enzymes need to wort together. The second temperature control is during the first part of the fermentation and it determines the quality of your beer. Many home brewers don't realize the importance of this and ferment too warm which leads to off flavors in the beer and perhaps a "hot alcohol" taste.

 

[DaNewf]

I was referring specifically to controlling fermentation temperatures. Sorry should may mentioned that.

 

[doug293cz]

I also assume the recirculation will make for more clear beer? Also would it require a coil like a HERMS system or would you just recirculate to the top of the vessel?

If you BIAB in a pot with a heating element (ie e-BIAB), you can just recirculate from the drain valve thru a pump back up to the upper part of the mash. More like a RIMS, but with the heater in the pot rather than in an external tube, unlike HERMS, which requires a heat exchanger in an HLT.

Beer is cleared by letting the particulates settle out at cooler temps. Fining agents can help coagulate (flocculate) the particulates so they will settle out faster. You can also filter beer to clear, but most people don't find this necessary.

Brew on