BIAB Brewing (with pics)

[h22lude]

I have done several AHS BIAB and they all come out great. I dont up the amount of grain at all. You will be fine.

And you have done them as the OP did or did you add anything to the process?

 

[Wingfan13]

And you have done them as the OP did or did you add anything to the process?

Yep, I just don't have a pulley system so I use a colander and my arms which can be a pain in the ass but it works.

 

[EdWort]

I brewed up some 1.040 starter wort to can yesterday and whipped out the ol' turkey fryer for my first attempt at BIAB. It worked rather nicely since my system is setup for 15 gallon batches and I only wanted 4 gallons for canning.

I used my pizza screen to set my fryer basket on for draining and it worked like a champ. I normally use it on my 20 gallon Blingman to keep leaves and bees from falling into the wort during the 90 minute boil.

I think I will do this again for starter wort or a 5 gallon experiment batch. It beats hauling out all the equipment just for 5 gallons.

 

[Antler]

Wait, you brew wort from all-grain, and can it for future use?

 

[EdWort]

Wait, you brew wort from all-grain, and can it for future use?

Yep, canned up some quarts of All Grain starter wort. It's a little bit of work up front, but the benefits will come later when I can grab a bottle pitch a vial of yeast without cooking anything.

Then there's the savings of not buying DME. I have about $1.50 worth of grain used to make 14 quart jars of sterile, ready to mix 1.040 wort. The BIAB method made it much easier and quicker to get my wort ready.

 

[Antler]

That's awesome!

 

[heeler]

Yep, canned up some quarts of All Grain starter wort. It's a little bit of work up front, but the benefits will come later when I can grab a bottle pitch a vial of yeast without cooking anything.

Then there's the savings of not buying DME. I have about $1.50 worth of grain used to make 14 quart jars of sterile, ready to mix 1.040 wort. The BIAB method made it much easier and quicker to get my wort ready.

Can you please pass on the nohow to make starter wort @1040 for canning. You said you have 1.50$ in grain - is that 2 row base malt?? If I wanted 4 quarts of starter wort thats a 2 gallon boil and how much grain??? dummy it down for me please-please-please.

 

[h22lude]

Yep, canned up some quarts of All Grain starter wort. It's a little bit of work up front, but the benefits will come later when I can grab a bottle pitch a vial of yeast without cooking anything.

Then there's the savings of not buying DME. I have about $1.50 worth of grain used to make 14 quart jars of sterile, ready to mix 1.040 wort. The BIAB method made it much easier and quicker to get my wort ready.

Weird...I was just going to start a thread about this. I really want to know how to do this. It seems so much easier to brew a big batch of 1.040 wort and can for future starters.

To make 14 quarts, did you start of with 4 gallons of water and 5 lbs of 2-row?

What is your process for jarring? I think I read somewhere that it was best to use a pressure cooker to get the jarred wort to over 250* to sterilize everything. Can this be done without a pressure cooker?

 

[EdWort]

Weird...I was just going to start a thread about this. I really want to know how to do this. It seems so much easier to brew a big batch of 1.040 wort and can for future starters.

To make 14 quarts, did you start of with 4 gallons of water and 5 lbs of 2-row?

What is your process for jarring? I think I read somewhere that it was best to use a pressure cooker to get the jarred wort to over 250* to sterilize everything. Can this be done without a pressure cooker?

The BIAB method worked great for this. I was kind of winging it. Just over 5 lbs of grain and 5 gallons of water.

Having a refractometer came in handy. I kept boiling till it hit 1.040. I will probably bump my grain bill next time.

 

[heeler]

EdWort or h22lude............please start this thread and call it something like
making canned starter wort, or canned starter wort for the future or something like that. This seems like a pretty cool addition to the knowledge that a brewer can use. I'm getting grain this wkend to try this, no room for another beer brew so as fufill my need to brew -- this will do nicely. I hope its as easy as you made it sound, thanks in advance.

 

[Mysticmead]

basic brewing did a segment on canning wort. http://traffic.libsyn.com/basicbrewing/bbv09-14-11canning.mp4 you really need to be around 250F to make it shelf stable. I have done canning of jelly without a pressure cooker and simply boil the jars for 30 minutes. A pressure cooker is a good investment as it can be used for more than just canning wort.

 

[Jester]

Awesome idea! Especially since I was up making a starter last night. I would have much rather just taken a jar out and pitched some yeast.

 

[diablodawg]

Okay, just finished my third BIAB all grain brew and I have some questions. I am using a 7.5 gallon kettle with voile paint strainer, as well as another 7.5 gallon kettle to sparge in. I will bring up about 4-5 gallons of water to mash temp, put in grains and mash for the requisite time. During this time, I bring kettle #2 to 170 degrees, then dunk the grain bag/squeeze it into the 2nd kettle after its done in the first. Combine and boil.

First question: I am seeing some very low SG's- is there something wrong with the technique that is causing me to miss the mark?

I think it may be the mill I got at my LHBS; just ordered my own mill- should I just run the grain through twice or just set the gap real low?

With my current kettle setup, is there any way to do higher gravity brews? My last recipe was an IPA with 16+ of grain, and it turned out very low. I have a similiar-sized dubbel waiting; should I just split it up and do two smaller mashes and then combine?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Seven]

Okay, just finished my third BIAB all grain brew and I have some questions. I am using a 7.5 gallon kettle with voile paint strainer, as well as another 7.5 gallon kettle to sparge in. I will bring up about 4-5 gallons of water to mash temp, put in grains and mash for the requisite time. During this time, I bring kettle #2 to 170 degrees, then dunk the grain bag/squeeze it into the 2nd kettle after its done in the first. Combine and boil.

First question: I am seeing some very low SG's- is there something wrong with the technique that is causing me to miss the mark?

I think it may be the mill I got at my LHBS; just ordered my own mill- should I just run the grain through twice or just set the gap real low?

With my current kettle setup, is there any way to do higher gravity brews? My last recipe was an IPA with 16+ of grain, and it turned out very low. I have a similiar-sized dubbel waiting; should I just split it up and do two smaller mashes and then combine?

Thanks for your help.

What is your final volume after boiling and cooling the wort?

Using your own grain mill and crushing at a finer setting (or double crushing) should help a lot.

Keep some DME on hand so you can add it to your wort if you come in significantly under your target SG.

 

[wolfman_48442]

@diablodawg,
Your technique has been proven to work by many other BIABers, just a couple of things to check in your process.
1) Make sure your grain/water ratio doesn't get too thick. If it's at the standard 1.25 quarts/pound (low end) up to 2.5 or so for typical BIAB, you'll be fine. Lower and it's going to be too thick to get proper conversion.
2) Stir or recirculate. Especially in the first 10 minutes, stir like mad to make sure all your grain gets equally wet, and gets to your proper mashing temp.
3) Try and bring both pots to 168 to do a full mash-out. This can really help, especially if you're a little low on your water/grain ratio.
4) Crush. You can go way finer when you use a bag. Get it double crushed for sure.

 

[Zymolomancer]

Just wanted to say thanks for this awesome thread. Helped a ton on my first biab. My very scientific process was to pull bag out of boil pot and dunk in water. lol

 

[diablodawg]

What is your final volume after boiling and cooling the wort?

Using your own grain mill and crushing at a finer setting (or double crushing) should help a lot.

Keep some DME on hand so you can add it to your wort if you come in significantly under your target SG.

This batch was a bit off- in the 4.5 gal range. I did have some boilovers, though. That's a great idea with the DME- are you suggesting to add after the boil?

For the water/grain ratio- if I go on the high side at 2.5 qt/lb for my 16lb dubbel, that is 8 gallons. Should I just boil for longer to reduce this?

 

[bowa41]

Well, I finally got around to doing my first BIAB (and all grain) this past weekend, with the addition of my new 10.5 gallon BK, new Bayou burner and new chiller. Surprisingly, it went without a hitch. My thermometer was acting goofy, so I'm not sure that I hit my temperatures perfectly (may have been a bit low). I was surprised, however, at the amazing heat retention of my BK, which held a constant mash temperature for 70 minutes (I stirred and took the temperature about every 5 minutes).

To top things off, my pre-boil gravity and OG were spot on with the recipe, and my efficiency ended up around 93%! I was amazed! She is now sitting in my office, vigorously fermenting, and life is good.

Adios, extract.

 

[Seven]

This batch was a bit off- in the 4.5 gal range. I did have some boilovers, though. That's a great idea with the DME- are you suggesting to add after the boil?

Tools like Beersmith will tell you the estimated pre-boil gravity of your recipe. You can take a pre-boil gravity reading using your hydrometer or refractometer and then you can use the "boil off tool" in Beersmith to see what your post-boil gravity will be. If you find the estimated post-boil gravity will be below your target gravity, you can add some DME or LME during the boil to make up the difference.

I searched around and found a good description of adding DME or LME to all-grain brews, article here.

Here's the relevant snippet from the above article...

To calculate how much extract to add to raise the specific gravity from your actual gravity to your target gravity, use this equation:

Wex = [V * (SGtarget – SGactual)]/EPex

where Wex is the weight of malt extract addition (in pounds), V is the volume of wort (in gallons), SGtarget is the target specific gravity (in points), SGactual is the actual specific gravity (in points) and EPex is the extract potential points of malt extract (in “ppg” or points per pound per gallon). Since the values for extract potential used by most homebrewers are in “ppg,”

For our first example, let’s say a recipe has a target pre-boil specific gravity of 1.050. After mashing and collecting the runoff, you find that the actual gravity is 1.040. The volume is 7.0 gallons (26 L). Using the formula for how much extract to add, you would calculate:

Wex = [7 * (50 – 40)] / 45 = 1.56

Wex = [7 * (50 – 40)] / 36 = 1.94

So, you would add either 1.56 lbs. (0.71 kg) of dried malt extract or 1.94 lbs. (0.88 kg) of liquid malt extract to boost your 7 gallons (26 L) of wort from a specific gravity of 1.040 to 1.050.

Someone else here may have a simpler solution than this... hopefully they will chime in if so!

For the water/grain ratio- if I go on the high side at 2.5 qt/lb for my 16lb dubbel, that is 8 gallons. Should I just boil for longer to reduce this?

Yes, here's an example:

Post boil target volume is 5-gallons
Recipe calls for a 60-minute boil
Boil off rate is approx. 1-gallon per hour

After mashing you have collected 8-gallons in your brew kettle

Boil down to 6.25 gallons. Once you have reached 6.25 gallons start the timer at 60-mins and add your first 60-min hop addition

Boil for 60-mins and continue to add hops as the recipe indicates

After 60-mins of boiling you will be down to approx. 5.25 gallons

After cooling you will be down to approx. 5-gallons of wort

The above is only one example and your real world boil-off rate may vary slightly based on your equipment, climate, etc. This should at least get you off to a good start.

Hope this helps!

 

[Mysticmead]

Well, I finally got around to doing my first BIAB (and all grain) this past weekend, with the addition of my new 10.5 gallon BK, new Bayou burner and new chiller. Surprisingly, it went without a hitch. My thermometer was acting goofy, so I'm not sure that I hit my temperatures perfectly (may have been a bit low). I was surprised, however, at the amazing heat retention of my BK, which held a constant mash temperature for 70 minutes (I stirred and took the temperature about every 5 minutes).

To top things off, my pre-boil gravity and OG were spot on with the recipe, and my efficiency ended up around 93%! I was amazed! She is now sitting in my office, vigorously fermenting, and life is good.

Adios, extract.

congrats on your first BIAB. Now you're probably sitting there wondering why it took you so long to make the switch.. if you had only know it was this easy.... now I'm not saying it's going to be perfect like this for each beer you brew but.... it will always be as easy.

Now, get a few more beers under your belt and go out there and teach a friend to brew.

 

[Jester]

Now you're probably sitting there wondering why it took you so long to make the switch..

I was thinking the same thing after my first BIAB. Then I was glad that I packed my Mash Tun in storage or I would have never tried BIAB. =)

 

[diablodawg]

Holy crap! Thanks Seven. Wish it hadn't been like 12 years since I did math.

 

[Tizzomes]

Yo Seven I can't believe you paid only 30 dollars for the turkey basket !! I found the exact one on Amazon for 72 freakin bucks that includes shipping !! Phew a bit pricey, everything else with your setup works great.I just need to find a cheaper basket.

 

[Seven]

Yo Seven I can't believe you paid only 30 dollars for the turkey basket !! I found the exact one on Amazon for 72 freakin bucks that includes shipping !! Phew a bit pricey, everything else with your setup works great.I just need to find a cheaper basket.

I got it on sale from sears.com last year just after the holidays. Keep your eyes open for good deals over the holidays!

 

[Tizzomes]

I got it on sale from sears.com last year just after the holidays. Keep your eyes open for good deals over the holidays!

Yea man thanks..

 

[Tizzomes]

I got it on sale from sears.com last year just after the holidays. Keep your eyes open for good deals over the holidays!

Hey quick question I found a 40qt basket made by Winware on Amazon. In you opinion do you think it'll work? It's 29 dollars .

 

[Seven]

Hey quick question I found a 40qt basket made by Winware on Amazon. In you opinion do you think it'll work? It's 29 dollars .

Sure as long as it utilizes most of the space in your kettle then you should be fine.

 

[jr14]

Here's what I use for helping to drain my grain bag:

It's a strainer intended for vegetables and such, with extendable arms for a sink. It supported my 10 lbs of wet grain very easily. I was able to squeeze the bag very easily (except that it was hot...).

I got 85% efficiency today.

Ha! Those are the EXACT same kettles I have. Big turkey fryer, little stainless. Looks like I'll be following your example.

 

[drawdy10]

very nice pictures and descriptions! Cheers

 

[jr14]

Ok, so this weekend I'm doing my first AG and BIAB. I'm doing a dunkelweizen, so that's 10.5 pounds of grain in my 7.5 gallon turkey fryer. I'm going to do a sparge, but how can I find out how much water to start with in the kettle? This may be elementary, but can I put 10.5 pounds worth of weights in the bottom and fill it up and expect the grain to displace that exact amount, or are there other factors I'm not taking into account?

Then once I figure this amount out, then my sparge will need to be the remaining amount of what the total volume SHOULD have been if I had started with the total volume, correct?