Seeing as somehow I can't post in the classifieds, if anyone knows for or has a sanke keg they are selling please message me! The only place I can find one is in Toronto and it's $90 for the keg and $100 to ship. I need a keggle to continue my brewing. I'm stuck, lol
BIAB Brewing (with pics)
- Thread starter Seven
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk:
wilserbrewer
BIAB Expert Tailor
The 5 gallon bags are too small for a larger 10 -15 gallon pot or a keggle. I recently listed bags in the classifieds FWIW...link below.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f16/sale-biab-grain-bags-297585/
Doed
Belching Dog Brewery
I have a 62qt Bayou Classic SS pot. I use Trimaco SuperTuff elastic-top strainers item #11523. There are 2 in the pack for about $5. They will just barely stretch over the top of the basket.
I just noticed in their product catalog that item #11523 is considered the regular mesh and item #11516 is a fine mesh.
Hey guys, I have a question. I know that with this process, there is a high liquid to malt ratio but I was wondering if anyone had mashed at the appropriate temperatures and then added water as you were raising the temperature to mash out (170).
I don't think this would be much trouble, but does anyone think that this might help prevent the denaturing of the beta amylase enzymes.
Any input?
Edit: Nevermind, I just read out of John Palmer's book that the higher water to grist ratio dilutes the concentration of enzymes, which slows conversion and could lead to denaturing, but also can lead to a more fermentable mash because the enzymes are not inhibited by such a high concentration of sugars.
Assuming this...would it make sense to mash at a higher temp to make it more dextrinous and less attenuable to counteract the diluted mash? (New question lol)
I don't think this would be much trouble, but does anyone think that this might help prevent the denaturing of the beta amylase enzymes.
Any input?
Edit: Nevermind, I just read out of John Palmer's book that the higher water to grist ratio dilutes the concentration of enzymes, which slows conversion and could lead to denaturing, but also can lead to a more fermentable mash because the enzymes are not inhibited by such a high concentration of sugars.
Assuming this...would it make sense to mash at a higher temp to make it more dextrinous and less attenuable to counteract the diluted mash? (New question lol)
Austin Homebrew supply has Grain bags in all different sizes. I was going to make some but noticed them when I was placing my order. I should get them this week. http://www.austinhomebrew.com/index.php?cPath=178_33_403
Archie
Archie
plenty of people use those bags successfully. If you want to crush very fine in order to get maximum extraction you really need a voile bag as the weave is much finer.
flyfisherwes
Well-Known Member
How big should my keggle opening be for this?
I cut a hole in my keg yesterday and it's about 11inches dia. Should I leave it or try to make it as large as possible?
I'm about to start Biab.
I cut a hole in my keg yesterday and it's about 11inches dia. Should I leave it or try to make it as large as possible?
I'm about to start Biab.
When I cut mine I used the rim as a guide and rested the angle grinder against it. The important thing to remember is the opening needs to be big enough to pull a bag of hot grain out of. Also make sure you smooth the opening REAL good so it doesn't cut the bag. a flap wheel on the angle grinder does a good job and its quick too
oldskooldawgz
Active Member
Thanks for the guide. I used this method for my first brew and hit 77% efficiency. I did not do a large batch and I had a hard time keeping my mash temp. All in all I think it was a good first brew day. I did ed wort's haus pale ale. And it is bubbling away right now.
flyfisherwes
Well-Known Member
oldskooldawgz said:
Good to hear. I'm going to do a batch of that as soon as I receive my grain mill. It will be my first Biab as well.
oldskooldawgz
Active Member
I have a really good home brew shop in my town who mills grain for free and keeps really good prices. I also only did a half of a batch which makes life easier and allows for stove top
if it's an accurate 152 it could be let on... of course having something recirculating the sweet wort while mashing would help ensure that the temps remain stable and even. OR... just get to your desired temp, wrap it up and walk away for 60-90 minutes.. it'll still make beer (it's what I do and it makes damn good beer)
Riseabovebb
Well-Known Member
Does anyone have a successful BIAB English Barleywine recipe they can share? I'm limited to my 11g boil kettle, but would still like to brew one up as my friend (often my 'brewing assistant') is a huge BW fan. I'd like to stick with 5 - 5.5 gallons of finished product, as that is what my glass carboy is prepared for (6g secondary).
I've seen some recipes for 5 - 5.5g english barleywines but they all seem to require 20+ lbs of grain. My limited experience with BIAB (3 successful batches so far) seem to point out that I can handle a grain bill up to 18-19lbs with the necessary strike volume.
If my options, given my kettle size restriction, are limited to a partial grain recipe or dunk sparging, I'd like to stick with AG for now (I'm stubborn!). Could I mash a little thicker and then rinse the grains by pouring 180 degree water through the grainbag once it's been drained into the kettle? I do have a 5.5 gallon kettle that has been dormant since I switched to BIAB. I'd love to put her to work!
Any help is appreciated. Recipes, technique for larger grain bills and 11g kettles, etc. Thanks in advance everyone! Hopefully others benefit from my lengthy plea for help!
I've seen some recipes for 5 - 5.5g english barleywines but they all seem to require 20+ lbs of grain. My limited experience with BIAB (3 successful batches so far) seem to point out that I can handle a grain bill up to 18-19lbs with the necessary strike volume.
If my options, given my kettle size restriction, are limited to a partial grain recipe or dunk sparging, I'd like to stick with AG for now (I'm stubborn!). Could I mash a little thicker and then rinse the grains by pouring 180 degree water through the grainbag once it's been drained into the kettle? I do have a 5.5 gallon kettle that has been dormant since I switched to BIAB. I'd love to put her to work!
Any help is appreciated. Recipes, technique for larger grain bills and 11g kettles, etc. Thanks in advance everyone! Hopefully others benefit from my lengthy plea for help!
Hophead2011
Member
As far as the bag goes, anyone else here just use the voille curtain straight out of the packaging? I've done 2 biabs now and it works for me. Just clip up the loose edges, make sure the bottom of the curtain doesn't hit the bottom of the pot during heating, and you're good to go. Easy.
Kindof would like to give a barleywine a try someday too.
I'd say max out your grain bill at 18 lbs and then add malt extract to reach your target OG. I read a chapter in "Designing Great Beers" and a majority of the Barleywine finalists included some malt extract in their brew to reach their target OG. Let us know what you decide to do, the recipe and how it turns out. Cheers!
Marlowefire
Well-Known Member
Hophead2011 said:
I do the same and it works well for me.
Riseabovebb
Well-Known Member
I just ordered that book on Amazon. Also picked up 'How to Brew' and "Yeast: The Practical Guide to Fermentation'.
My brew book section just quadrupled!
I think I will go with the suggestion to max out the kettle at 18lbs and then supplement with DME to hit OG.
Thanks for everyone's suggestions! (need to do more reading on maxi-BIAB though)
Boek
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2012
- Messages
- 107
- Reaction score
- 0
Just did a stout with a 10.5# grain bill. Ended at 1.040 with 67% effeciency with biab. Kind of bummed about that low number. Maybe next time i'll double mill he grains, mash out, and squeeze harder/longer. Think that would help?
double crush those grains. that was the single biggest thing that improved my efficiency. After draining the bag I let it sit over another pot for about 20 minutes. then I squeeze it for every drop I can get. I normally get 75-80%. Also have a way of determining the exact amount of liquid you end up with. a difference in half a gallon makes a difference in efficiency too.
Burgs
Well-Known Member
I apologize if this has already been covered, but you say you start with:
7.5 gallons strike water
12.75 lb. total grain in the grain bill
You collect 6.75 gallons of wort pre-boil - which would mean you lost 0.75 gallons to grain absorption.
0.75 gal absorbed / 12.75 lbs of grain = 0.058 gal absorption rate.
Now, my question is - is 0.058 (or 0.06 for the sake of being easy) a magic number to you as a grain absorption constant, or do you really care?
Do you:
1. Target 6.75 gal as a desired preboil volume. Based on that, you need 6.75 gal of water + (12.75 x 0.06) = roughly 7.5 gallons strike water
or
2. Just use 7.5 gallons of strike water no matter what to make it easy, and then either add water if the grains absorbed more than that, or stop squeezing if you've already collected 6.75 gallons of wort
I've done a number of smaller BIAB batches and I always used a grain absorption constant. I always used 0.07, but I've seen 0.06-0.08 on these boards. It would obviously just be easier to always dump 7.5 gallons of strike water in and then make adjustments as necessary - but I kind of want to dive in feet first and do a double IPA for my first stab at a 5 gal BIAB batch, so the less shuffling around I have to do, the better.
7.5 gallons strike water
12.75 lb. total grain in the grain bill
You collect 6.75 gallons of wort pre-boil - which would mean you lost 0.75 gallons to grain absorption.
0.75 gal absorbed / 12.75 lbs of grain = 0.058 gal absorption rate.
Now, my question is - is 0.058 (or 0.06 for the sake of being easy) a magic number to you as a grain absorption constant, or do you really care?
Do you:
1. Target 6.75 gal as a desired preboil volume. Based on that, you need 6.75 gal of water + (12.75 x 0.06) = roughly 7.5 gallons strike water
or
2. Just use 7.5 gallons of strike water no matter what to make it easy, and then either add water if the grains absorbed more than that, or stop squeezing if you've already collected 6.75 gallons of wort
I've done a number of smaller BIAB batches and I always used a grain absorption constant. I always used 0.07, but I've seen 0.06-0.08 on these boards. It would obviously just be easier to always dump 7.5 gallons of strike water in and then make adjustments as necessary - but I kind of want to dive in feet first and do a double IPA for my first stab at a 5 gal BIAB batch, so the less shuffling around I have to do, the better.
its real easy to determine the amount of water needed. first determine teh amount lost to absorption. That of course will depend on hos much you squeeze each time and you need to be consistent. .07 is a good average number but if you squeeze fairly well use .06. grain weight in lbs * .06 (or what number works for you). this will give the amount lost to absorption. next you need to know the boil off rate of your equipment. in my case I boil off 1.25 gallons an hour. you also need to know the batch size desired and how much you lose to trub.
absorption + boil off + trub loss + desired batch size = water needed.
so using the example of 12.75lbs of grain...
12.75 * .06 = .76 gallons I would round this to .75 gallons.
.75 + 1.25 + .25 + 5.5 = 7.75 gallons.
using that formula will get you pretty dang close to the water needed. you might find that you have more than planned pre-boil.. simply boil a little longer. If you end up a little short try squeezing the bag more or add a little water pre-boil. once you understand your equipment you'll know which numbers work best for you.
absorption + boil off + trub loss + desired batch size = water needed.
so using the example of 12.75lbs of grain...
12.75 * .06 = .76 gallons I would round this to .75 gallons.
.75 + 1.25 + .25 + 5.5 = 7.75 gallons.
using that formula will get you pretty dang close to the water needed. you might find that you have more than planned pre-boil.. simply boil a little longer. If you end up a little short try squeezing the bag more or add a little water pre-boil. once you understand your equipment you'll know which numbers work best for you.
Burgs
Well-Known Member
Thanks but, I know... I just said all that above.
I'm basically asking OP whether or not they calculate how much strike water to use each batch (accounting for grain absorption), or if they just use the same amount every time and adjust after they've squeezed the bag.
flyfisherwes
Well-Known Member
Try going here. http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=189&start=0 The excel doc has an awesome calculator to help everyone doing this.
flushdrew42
Well-Known Member
question...
i've done a couple partial mash "brew in a bag" in the last couple weeks, and i'm about to do my first all grain, no extract BIAB...
i'm wondering if, in order to keep my nylon bag off of the bottom of my pot during the mash, can i use a foil pie pan, that i've bent to hold up the bottom of the bag? or will this cause problems?
i've seen people use a vegetable steamer with the legs broken off, but i was just going through items i have in my house already.
thanks in advance!
i've done a couple partial mash "brew in a bag" in the last couple weeks, and i'm about to do my first all grain, no extract BIAB...
i'm wondering if, in order to keep my nylon bag off of the bottom of my pot during the mash, can i use a foil pie pan, that i've bent to hold up the bottom of the bag? or will this cause problems?
i've seen people use a vegetable steamer with the legs broken off, but i was just going through items i have in my house already.
thanks in advance!
flyfisherwes
Well-Known Member
Remind me why you need to keep the bag off the bottom during the mash?
Similar threads
