BIAB Brewing (with pics)

[Mysticmead]

I would think that doing a 10 gallon batch would take at least a 20 gallon pot unless you are doing some very low gravity beers

This is my battle right now. I want to do BIAB no sparge and i am in the market for a larger pot. I fear that a keggle is too small for 10 gallon batches and a 20 gallon pot is just too big for a 5 gallon batch. grrrrrr.

naaa... you can use a keggle for 10 gallon batches..

24lbs of grain with an average absorption of .08/lb +batch size of 10 gallons +boil off of 2 gallon puts it right under 14 gallons. it'll be tight..(15.5 total capacity) but it can be done. that'll get ya in the 1.06 range of beer or higher. of course a 20 gallon pot would be better. no one says you can't have a 20 gallon pot for bigger beers or larger batches.. and keep a 10 gallon pot around for 5 gallon batches.

 

[gingervitis]

I don't use a basket... no real need. lift the bag.. set it in a colander

Agreed, and for anyone looking to get into BIAB, I use this:

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_59_85&products_id=12003

Works PERFECT for my 10 gallon pot - I can just rest it on the top of the pot and let it drip. It holds about 13lbs of wet grain well (possibly more, but I haven't tried).

 

[sha0056]

I don't use a basket... no real need. lift the bag.. set it in a colander

Did my first AG this way last week (NB American Wheat) - worked great

 

[C-Rider]

I read about 12 of the 16 pages and I'm interested. But I only want to do 1 gallon batches. Seems this is the way to go for 1 gallon AG brewing.

Main question is how to figure the amt of water I need to start with. I'm sure if varies w/the grain weight.

 

[thughes]

I read about 12 of the 16 pages and I'm interested. But I only want to do 1 gallon batches. Seems this is the way to go for 1 gallon AG brewing.

Main question is how to figure the amt of water I need to start with. I'm sure if varies w/the grain weight.

For your first batch, try this:

1 gallon (final volume) + .08qt/lb of grain (for absorption) + amount boiled off during the duration of the boil (usually @ 1 gallon/hr).

Take notes and measurements along the way and adjust as necessary with future batches.

 

[C-Rider]

For your first batch, try this:

1 gallon (final volume) + .08qt/lb of grain (for absorption) + amount boiled off during the duration of the boil (usually @ 1 gallon/hr).

Take notes and measurements along the way and adjust as necessary with future batches.

Thanks, I'll file this link.

 

[blender747]

I spent most of yesterday reading up on BIAB techniques, equipment, etc., and this thread has been by far the best primer I've seen. Thanks for the great picks! I'm convinced that as I go AG in the next couple of months, I want to use a BIAB system.

Here's my dilemma, though, and it's about the opposite of C-Rider's: I'd like to be able to brew more than 5 gallons at a time. It seems like for BIAB you need a kettle roughly twice the volume of your final brew volume (after trub loss, evaporation, grain absorption, etc.). For a 10 gallon brew then, it seems like it would make sense to get something like this (82qt SS kettle with steamer insert):
http://www.bayouclassicfryers.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=203

But what if I only wanted to brew a 5 gallon batch? Would all that extra headspace make it even tougher to keep the mash temp? I've heard of people putting in foam inserts to take up space, but that might be a ton of foam spacers to use. Am I better off going with a 62qt kettle and at least having 7.5 gallon functionality with much less headspace if I were to brew a 5 gallon patch?

Any thoughts?

 

[thughes]

Sign up here:

http://www.biabrewer.info/index.php

It's a bit of a convoluted sign-up process but well worth it. Search the sight for "maxi-biab", these guys seem to be the authoritative source for all things BIAB/NC. Good group of people and they reference HBT quite a bit.

 

[thughes]

I spent most of yesterday reading up on BIAB techniques, equipment, etc., and this thread has been by far the best primer I've seen. Thanks for the great picks! I'm convinced that as I go AG in the next couple of months, I want to use a BIAB system.

Here's my dilemma, though, and it's about the opposite of C-Rider's: I'd like to be able to brew more than 5 gallons at a time. It seems like for BIAB you need a kettle roughly twice the volume of your final brew volume (after trub loss, evaporation, grain absorption, etc.). For a 10 gallon brew then, it seems like it would make sense to get something like this (82qt SS kettle with steamer insert):
http://www.bayouclassicfryers.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=203

But what if I only wanted to brew a 5 gallon batch? Would all that extra headspace make it even tougher to keep the mash temp? I've heard of people putting in foam inserts to take up space, but that might be a ton of foam spacers to use. Am I better off going with a 62qt kettle and at least having 7.5 gallon functionality with much less headspace if I were to brew a 5 gallon patch?

Any thoughts?

I do 5 gallon batches BIAB no-sparge in my keggle (usually @8-9 gallons of water plus @ 12-14 lbs grain) and still have several gallons of head space.

Even with the head space, the thermal mass of all that grain and water in a 15 gal stainless keggle never loses more than 2 degrees over the course of a 90 minute mash (I just throw a blanket over the top because I have no lid). My converted cooler MLT loses more than that during a 60 minute mash.

 

[Mysticmead]

I spent most of yesterday reading up on BIAB techniques, equipment, etc., and this thread has been by far the best primer I've seen. Thanks for the great picks! I'm convinced that as I go AG in the next couple of months, I want to use a BIAB system.

Here's my dilemma, though, and it's about the opposite of C-Rider's: I'd like to be able to brew more than 5 gallons at a time. It seems like for BIAB you need a kettle roughly twice the volume of your final brew volume (after trub loss, evaporation, grain absorption, etc.). For a 10 gallon brew then, it seems like it would make sense to get something like this (82qt SS kettle with steamer insert):
http://www.bayouclassicfryers.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=203

But what if I only wanted to brew a 5 gallon batch? Would all that extra headspace make it even tougher to keep the mash temp? I've heard of people putting in foam inserts to take up space, but that might be a ton of foam spacers to use. Am I better off going with a 62qt kettle and at least having 7.5 gallon functionality with much less headspace if I were to brew a 5 gallon patch?

Any thoughts?

going with a 15 gallon pot will allow 5 gallon batches and if you heat a little additional water to "sparge" with, you can do 10 gallon batches with ease.

 

[blender747]

I do 5 gallon batches BIAB no-sparge in my keggle (usually @8-9 gallons of water plus @ 12-14 lbs grain) and still have several gallons of head space.

Even with the head space, the thermal mass of all that grain and water in a 15 gal stainless keggle never loses more than 2 degrees over the course of a 90 minute mash (I just throw a blanket over the top because I have no lid). My converted cooler MLT loses more than that during a 60 minute mash.

Wow--that's impressive that your keggle retains the heat so well. With your keggle you would have enough headspace to make a bigger brew by a couple of gallons?

Also, I signed up for BIABrewer--thanks for the tip!

 

[blender747]

going with a 15 gallon pot will allow 5 gallon batches and if you heat a little additional water to "sparge" with, you can do 10 gallon batches with ease.

That might be a good option for those bigger brew days. To do this kind of sparging, I'd just have separate pot going with sparge water and transfer the grain bag into it after the mash, agitate, and let sit for a bit? Then drain it out and add the results back into the kettle?

 

[Mysticmead]

That might be a good option for those bigger brew days. To do this kind of sparging, I'd just have separate pot going with sparge water and transfer the grain bag into it after the mash, agitate, and let sit for a bit? Then drain it out and add the results back into the kettle?

yep, that would be one way of doing it.. dunk sparging is a popular method with some BIAB brewers.. another option is to put the bag in a colander or on a cake rack over the keggle opening and slowly pour the water over the grains.

 

[derpsperk]

Forgive me if this was already covered (a quick search of the thread didn't give me an answer)... If I have an aluminum basket, do I need to worry about conditioning the basket ahead of time by boiling it in some water for a half hour or so? I've heard that "unconditioned" aluminum can leech off-flavors into beer, but I wasn't sure whether this occurred at mash temperatures as well as boil temperature.

 

[Mysticmead]

Forgive me if this was already covered (a quick search of the thread didn't give me an answer)... If I have an aluminum basket, do I need to worry about conditioning the basket ahead of time by boiling it in some water for a half hour or so? I've heard that "unconditioned" aluminum can leech off-flavors into beer, but I wasn't sure whether this occurred at mash temperatures as well as boil temperature.

myth... don't worry about it

 

[derpsperk]

myth... don't worry about it

Sweet, that's what I wanted to hear, thanks. But let's say I was hypothetically going to do a sour mash (kentucky common, berliner weisse, etc) in my aluminum BIAB vessel w/ unconditioned basket for 24 hrs or so. Would the extended contact time and increased acidity of the wort still be no problem?

 

[EoinMag]

My wife has updated her blog and now has an order form for custom bags, makes the whole ordering thing a lot easier.

Check it out in my sig, we're selling a few bags a month depending on how we push it, but it's a small sideline nothing more serious, keeps her out of trouble while she's watching the kid

We'll update soon with more pics of some of the recent work.

 

[seabass07]

Sweet, that's what I wanted to hear, thanks. But let's say I was hypothetically going to do a sour mash (kentucky common, berliner weisse, etc) in my aluminum BIAB vessel w/ unconditioned basket for 24 hrs or so. Would the extended contact time and increased acidity of the wort still be no problem?

What would the ph be in that case? From what I've read in white papers, the oxidized layer of aluminum can withstand from 4.5 - 8.5ph. Any extremes will remove that layer and react with the aluminum.

The conditioning is a bit misleading. Having the aluminum exposed to O2 will "condition" it. Boiling in water or having it in the oven will grow the oxidized layer more, but there will always be an oxidized layer on the aluminum since it is always in contact with the air.

 

[EoinMag]

What would the ph be in that case? From what I've read in white papers, the oxidized layer of aluminum can withstand from 4.5 - 8.5ph. Any extremes will remove that layer and react with the aluminum.

The conditioning is a bit misleading. Having the aluminum exposed to O2 will "condition" it. Boiling in water or having it in the oven will grow the oxidized layer more, but there will always be an oxidized layer on the aluminum since it is always in contact with the air.

It'll hardly drop too low, star san effectively kills stuff at 3.5, I'd say it's barely going below 5.

 

[seabass07]

From a little research, it looks like a sour mash is used to bring the mash ph down to 5.2. In that case, there's definitely no issue with aluminum.

But remember that aluminum does not like star san.

 

[EoinMag]

From a little research, it looks like a sour mash is used to bring the mash ph down to 5.2. In that case, there's definitely no issue with aluminum.

But remember that aluminum does not like star san.

My point was that if star san is killing all germs (effectively) at 3-3.5 then there was no chance that a sour mash was that low as it contains germs.

 

[seabass07]

My point was that if star san is killing all germs (effectively) at 3-3.5 then there was no chance that a sour mash was that low as it contains germs.

 

[derpsperk]

Thanks for the replies. I've been considering trying a sour mash for a while, but was a bit nervous doing it in my BIAB set-up... Sounds like it shouldn't be an issue, huzzah!

 

[pauswa]

For my BIAB I only do 2½-gallon batches and I do it on my stovetop. I mash in a 4-gallon pot. With Maris Otter malt I get about 75% efficiency. I do the mashout as described. Also, if you end up short on the liquid because the grains absorbed too much or you didn't measure right, just add some water before the boil. The grains are very forgiving. The lowest efficiency I ever got was 70%, so you can't go wrong. The thing I noticed doing this method is that the wort is all first runnings, so it's very dark and thick and smells delicious and sweet! In the room where the fermenter is kept, the entire room has a delicious malt smell. I do not ever get this strong and wonderful a smell from extract. This is because the wort is so wonderfully FRESH. :fro:

 

[oldtrucker]

How many pounds of grain will a gallon hold?
Old Trucker

 

[Rivenin]

huh?

 

[Mysticmead]

How many pounds of grain will a gallon hold?
Old Trucker

http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml

 

[Wingfan13]

Quick question and I am sure it is a stupid one. I am new to BIAB and I am trying to do half batches. 2.5 gallons. I have only been following recipes in the 10 or so 5 gallon batches I have brewed so I am unclear on how to caculate how much water I need to start the mash and moving into the boil.

I have read 1.25 quarts per pound of grain. Then I need to add boil off and grain absorption. Is this correct ? What is the easiest way to calculate grain absorption ?

Boil off seems to be something I need to test on my own by boiling for an hour and seeing how much is left. To test this, can I just thrown 3 gallons of water into my pot, boil for 60min and measure ? using that as an estimate ?

Thanks for the help. I am still learning.

 

[Wingfan13]

Here is how I am looking at it and please let me know if I am off.

I have a recipe that uses 13.4 pounds of grain. If I cut that in half it is 6.7 pounds of grain.

6.7 pounds of grain
x 1.25 = 8.375 quarts which is 2.09 gallons

2.09 gallons
+ 1 gallon for boil off (looked this up as an good starting point)
+ .1 gallon per pound of grain (also looked this up as a starting point) = .67 gallons

I would need 3.76 gallons to start ? Does this look right ?

Thanks for the help !

 

[bovinejony]

Here is how I am looking at it and please let me know if I am off.

I have a recipe that uses 13.4 pounds of grain. If I cut that in half it is 6.7 pounds of grain.

6.7 pounds of grain
x 1.25 = 8.375 quarts which is 2.09 gallons

2.09 gallons
+ 1 gallon for boil off (looked this up as an good starting point)
+ .1 gallon per pound of grain (also looked this up as a starting point) = .67 gallons

I would need 3.76 gallons to start ? Does this look right ?

Thanks for the help !

The .1 gallon/lb grain is going to be lost from your strike volume, so if you strike with 2.09 gallons you will lose 0.67 gallons of volume (=1.42 gallons).

Now if you want to do a sparge here, you can use whatever volume you want that will raise the 1.42 gallons to the total volume you want pre-boil.

So say you boil off 1 gallon/hour in your kettle, then you can sparge with 2.08 gallons to get 3.50 gallons pre-boil total volume, and then start your 60min boil to get it down to 2.5 gallons post-boil.

Or you can be lazy like me and just make a calibrated stick with notches for gallon measurements specific to your kettle. Then just estimate the amount of water and boil it all down till you get to your desired pre-boil volume. Some say extended boils cause carmelization, yada yada, but it's worth it to me.