BIAB Brewing (with pics)

[johns]

In this "method" Spiedel makes a 200 liter machine. It includes a lift arm to winch up the grain.

I have never seen this machine before. Is there a link? Is it the absolute largest batch a person can produce with BIAB?

 

[Mysticmead]

I have never seen this machine before. Is there a link? Is it the absolute largest batch a person can produce with BIAB?

just google search it. Honestly, if you need to make more than 52 gallons (200 liters) at once, then you really need to step up to pro equipment.

 

[johns]

So BIAB is never used in a commercial setting like a micro-brew establishment. How do the Aussies set up their micro-brews, by the american mash-tun, lauter-tun systems?

 

[Mysticmead]

So BIAB is never used in a commercial setting like a micro-brew establishment. How do the Aussies set up their micro-brews, by the american mash-tun, lauter-tun systems?

lol.. the Germans were making beer with a mash/lauter setup LONG before the Americans. Remember, brewing has been around for thousands of years. BIAB is simply a method of all grain brewing created by aussies for homebrewing beer. Its a low cost alternative to a traditional 3 vessel setup. i would imagine their micro breweries are just like any micro brewery world wide

 

[johns]

So the it only for the homebrewers like myself. I have only read through about half of this thread and I understand any thing more then a 20 gallon (10 gallon batch size) is no really viable, possibly because of the weight of the grains. So what is the most grain that would be able to be placed in a kettle with out breaking the pulley system or having some sort of malfunction with the hardware or the wort?

 

[jmd1971]

Question: I have been doing BIAB for the last 6 months (10 batches or so) & now that its cold as hell outside in New England, I was wondering how to pull this off indoors. My thought was to do the mash in a 7 gallon pot I have with as much water as possible, then split the wort into 3-gal batches in two separate pots to boil on a stove top. What do I need to consider here? Would roughly splitting the hop additions work? I guess I'd need to consider the boil off from two separate vessels instead of one so may need to add water at some juncture of the process. Then just blend after the boil.

Half of me just says suck it up & brew outside to save the hassle, or just brew extract during the winter, but I'd hate to do that if there were alternatives. I don't mind the cold temps for the brewing part - its the cleaning in freezing water that's a bear!

Ideas?

 

[thughes]

"electric BIAB"

 

[jmd1971]

Edit: Most of the issue revolves around boiling & cleaning. How to boil & clean using two standard sized pots in a typical kitchen sink....

 

[wilserbrewer]

"electric BIAB"

Or possibly stovetop assist w/ a heatstick will easily do a five gallon batch in a ten gallon pot. Or mash inside and boil outside to save some time out of the elements.

 

[thughes]

Edit: Most of the issue revolves around boiling & cleaning. How to boil & clean using two standard sized pots in a typical kitchen sink....

Fair enough. Split the boil on the stove top, cool and clean in the bathtub?

 

[wilserbrewer]

So the it only for the homebrewers like myself. I have only read through about half of this thread and I understand any thing more then a 20 gallon (10 gallon batch size) is no really viable, possibly because of the weight of the grains. So what is the most grain that would be able to be placed in a kettle with out breaking the pulley system or having some sort of malfunction with the hardware or the wort?

I have done 15.5 gallon BIAB, about 35 lbs of grain w/ a simple inexpensive strap
http://www.harborfreight.com/set-of-2-1-inch-x-12-ft-lashing-straps-67386.html

With a little better equipment, I don't think 200 lb grain bills would be unreasonable with the right equipment, so thats a 3B batch, say 90 gallons. This cheap rope hoist is 500 lb capacity, and much bigger stronger stuff is available FWIW
http://www.harborfreight.com/general-purpose-rope-hoist-45076.html

How big are you looking to go? I think the bag could take the weight FWIW in that the bag becomes larger with all the more material to handle the additional load.

 

[johns]

I have done 15.5 gallon BIAB, about 35 lbs of grain w/ a simple inexpensive strap
http://www.harborfreight.com/set-of-2-1-inch-x-12-ft-lashing-straps-67386.html

With a little better equipment, I don't think 200 lb grain bills would be unreasonable with the right equipment, so thats a 3B batch, say 90 gallons. This cheap rope hoist is 500 lb capacity, and much bigger stronger stuff is available FWIW
http://www.harborfreight.com/general-purpose-rope-hoist-45076.html

How big are you looking to go? I think the bag could take the weight FWIW in that the bag becomes larger with all the more material to handle the additional load.

well I was thinking what are the limitations for BIAB. If there are no limitations then why do the microbrews not use this form of brewing? If there are limitations what are they? I keep hearing more then 10 gallons needs to use a 3v or more brewing equipment or use DME in the brew, due to efficiency problems.

Personally I would like to try to make 10 gallon batches, but I am having a problem deciding to use a keggle or a 82 liter pot. I am leaning to the 82 liter pot at the moment, but I have not finished going through this thread. I will decide this when I finish reading this thread

 

[SpacemanSpiff]

Conceptually I don't know that there is a limit. We have 1/2 ton to 2 ton hoists all over my plant. They certainly make bigger than that. And I suppose you could make a "bag" that's more like a basket using steel mesh. Mechanically, it could be done for just about any size brew house if you really wanted to. Just as a quick calculation, a 7 BBL batch probably uses 600-700 lbs of grain. A 2 ton hoist should be more than enough to handle that plus the trapped water and the weight of the basket.
I suspect at a certain volume, the cost of getting a big hoist, having these custom baskets fabbed up, figuring out how to empty them, etc. becomes more than just having the standard 3 vessel system. Could be an interesting thought for a nano-brewery though.

 

[Mysticmead]

well I was thinking what are the limitations for BIAB. If there are no limitations then why do the microbrews not use this form of brewing? If there are limitations what are they? I keep hearing more then 10 gallons needs to use a 3v or more brewing equipment or use DME in the brew, due to efficiency problems.

Personally I would like to try to make 10 gallon batches, but I am having a problem deciding to use a keggle or a 82 liter pot. I am leaning to the 82 liter pot at the moment, but I have not finished going through this thread. I will decide this when I finish reading this thread

imagine trying to hoist a bag of wet grain when making several hundred barrels at once (1 barrel = 31 US gallons). Also consider that most micro breweries are getting close to 90% efficiency (or better). A guy in our homebrew club works for one of the micro breweries in Atlanta. They use grain measured in the several hundred to thousand pounds... that's dry weight. doing BIAB on that scale would BE A huge pain in the ass

 

[OldDirty]

Why even put it in 1 bag? Wouldn't several bags work more efficiently?
Add a zipper to the bag, fill with grain, mash-in, mash out, retrieve grain bags from wort, and continue as normal.
Why have one giant tea bag when you can several smaller ones doing the same thing?
You can put one set of grains in one bag and one in another or you can make proportional grain mixes for each bag you use.

 

[OldDirty]

Remember, I get 10% of any money you make off of this! LoL

 

[johns]

:rockin:

 

[Fordzilla]

I will be doing an outdoor BIAB session on saturday. 25 degrees and 30% chance of snow flurries won't stop me!

 

[robm184]

STEP 5: Lift, Drain, Squeeze Grains

After draining, use a flat lid from a small saucepan (or something similar) to press down on the grains to squeeze as much wort as possible from them. You don't have to go crazy here, just press the grains down firmly, but carefully, with the lid.

View attachment 22045

Question , why do you put what looks like a some type of metal between the kettle and the burner? Does this create an even better balanced heating surface?

 

[OldDirty]

The metal plate is part of the burner assembly.

 

[Mysticmead]

Question , why do you put what looks like a some type of metal between the kettle and the burner? Does this create an even better balanced heating surface?

heat shield to prevent burning the valve handle and sight glass

 

[johns]

imagine trying to hoist a bag of wet grain when making several hundred barrels at once (1 barrel = 31 US gallons). Also consider that most micro breweries are getting close to 90% efficiency (or better). A guy in our homebrew club works for one of the micro breweries in Atlanta. They use grain measured in the several hundred to thousand pounds... that's dry weight. doing BIAB on that scale would BE A huge pain in the ass

Point well taken, but how the microbreweries getting 90% efficiency then?

By the way I have finality finished reading the whole thread and I have other questions what I will post later. Lots of good information here. I like the first page and the page that refers to timed efficiencies in like 15 minute increments.

 

[BPhad]

Question: I have been doing BIAB for the last 6 months (10 batches or so) & now that its cold as hell outside in New England, I was wondering how to pull this off indoors. My thought was to do the mash in a 7 gallon pot I have with as much water as possible, then split the wort into 3-gal batches in two separate pots to boil on a stove top. What do I need to consider here? Would roughly splitting the hop additions work? I guess I'd need to consider the boil off from two separate vessels instead of one so may need to add water at some juncture of the process. Then just blend after the boil.

Half of me just says suck it up & brew outside to save the hassle, or just brew extract during the winter, but I'd hate to do that if there were alternatives. I don't mind the cold temps for the brewing part - its the cleaning in freezing water that's a bear!

Ideas?

I did a half dozen split batches in two 5 gallon pots on the stove without an issue before going to a 13 gallon pot outdoors (or in the garage).

 

[bwirthlin]

This question has probably been asked before but I'm lazy and don't want to look. How do I know how much water I'm going to need? I'm doing a 6 gallon batch, and have about 14 pounds of grain. This is my first time doing BIAB. I'm thinking of mashing with 8 gallons of water, I typically loose about a gallon in a 60 minute boil. Will I loose a gallon to the grain absorbing it also, or will it be more? Thanks in advance,

 

[wilserbrewer]

8.5

 

[TheJasonT]

Did a big IPA/IIPA today with BIAB... I think my pot was way too small. I only got a 70% efficiency instead of my normal 80-85%. Lesson learned...

Time to get a bigger pot! Woohoo!

 

[Antler]

Did a big IPA/IIPA today with BIAB... I think my pot was way too small. I only got a 70% efficiency instead of my normal 80-85%. Lesson learned...

Time to get a bigger pot! Woohoo!

If your using the same pot as always then you low efficiency wouldn't be caused by the pot.

 

[SiriusStarr]

If your using the same pot as always then you low efficiency wouldn't be caused by the pot.

Unless he meant that he had to mash thicker than normal to get it to fit? That could cause decreased efficiency with BIAB.

 

[Antler]

Unless he meant that he had to mash thicker than normal to get it to fit? That could cause decreased efficiency with BIAB.

True. I just assumed he'd done recipe before, I stand corrected!

 

[TheJasonT]

Yeah, that's exactly what happened. I did a 4.5 gallon mash with about 20 pounds of grain... In a pot just a bit too small. Normally my batches are about 10-14 pounds. Too thick this time.