BIAB Brewing (with pics)

[thughes]

Sooooo.....What do the experts at BIAB think is a better way to go? Plate chiller with pump or cfc with a pump for chilling the wort?

No-chill FTW.

 

[jmd1971]

Worth a try. I think if you lift the bag a bit, the grains will get compacted on the bottom of the bag and the sparge water won't run through them and wash out the sugars. But heck if I know for sure.

Just thought by having the bag as a layer in between, it would definitely prevent stuck runoffs as you *could* lift the bag to shift. I wouldn't unless necessary, but only as an option in need.

Do you think the grain in the bag would somehow clog or prevent flow through the valve? There won't be any braid or false bottom. I don't think it would with the layer of mesh in between but just curious.

Will be trying this on Friday so will post how it goes!

 

[jmprdood]

Latest BIAB success - an American Pale Ale:

BIAB American Pale Ale
Brewed 21 Apr 12 : Bottled 12 May 12
7lb 2-row
8oz Crystal 120
Ground fine and mashed @150 for 45 mins (pre-boil 2.6G @ SG 1.075 adjusted for 71.7% eff)
Boiled for 45 min
.75oz of Galena @ 45 min
.5oz Willamette @ 10 min
Cooled wort, strained into fermenter and topped to 4.5G
Pitched harvested Muntons @ 70F
OG = 1040 FG = 1010 ABV = 3.95% IBU = 45

A link to how I have to do my BIAB: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/1st-biab-if-i-can-you-can-309912/

 

[mirogster]

Latest BIAB success - an American Pale Ale:

Ground fine and mashed @150 for 45 mins (pre-boil 2.6G @ SG 1.075 adjusted for 71.7% eff)
Boiled for 45 min

Why only 45 min mash and boil ? Volume limitations?
I saw your biab thread, just awesome, cheers!!

 

[jmprdood]

Was seeing if I could get conversion faster and if there was any off flavor with the shorter boil. Just an experiment since I have no kitchen. It worked great. But I'm doing another this weekend and will mash for 60 and boil for 60.

 

[wormraper]

is using an aluminum pot ok for doing a BIAB batch??? the reason I ask is that I have a 5 gallon pot and I found a 7.5 gallon alminum turkey fryer with the burner for $40 on craigslist

 

[jmd1971]

Some people claim aluminum is not good to brew in due to things leaching from the metal into the beer. Many people use aluminum pots, though. Personally, I see no issue with it but personal taste, I guess. If they're being sold to cook food in, why would brewing be any different? Also, how many things to we cook in aluminum foil & pans? We'd all be in trouble if things leached out of the metal when heated.

Not an expert by any means, but a deal is a deal....

 

[wormraper]

Some people claim aluminum is not good to brew in due to things leaching from the metal into the beer. Many people use aluminum pots, though. Personally, I see no issue with it but personal taste, I guess. If they're being sold to cook food in, why would brewing be any different? Also, how many things to we cook in aluminum foil & pans? We'd all be in trouble if things leached out of the metal when heated.

Not an expert by any means, but a deal is a deal....

lol, so true, + I figured I could sell the propane burner portion of it for about $25-$30 on Craigslist if my stove can boil 6.5 gallons

 

[wormraper]

hmmm, one last thought. could I do biab by splitting the grain and stuff into two bags and doing 2.5 gallon full boils in two seperate pots (one on each burner since I'm not sure how my glasstop stove would do with a 6.5 gallon boil to get a 5 gallon batch of wort on one burner). then combine the two in the fermenter ????

 

[BPhad]

hmmm, one last thought. could I do biab by splitting the grain and stuff into two bags and doing 2.5 gallon full boils in two seperate pots (one on each burner since I'm not sure how my glasstop stove would do with a 6.5 gallon boil to get a 5 gallon batch of wort on one burner). then combine the two in the fermenter ????

Yes I did 5 BIAB batches this way until I got my 13 gallon pot and large burner. It works fine. Just split everything equally.

 

[wormraper]

Yes I did 5 BIAB batches this way until I got my 13 gallon pot and large burner. It works fine. Just split everything equally.

sweet, I'm on my way to pick up a 7.5 gallon turkey fryer from a guy on craigslist so I can check and see if my stove will do a 6.5 gallon boil. If not I can just split it into two batches.

being that the turkey fryer comes with the propane burner as well I may do it that way. just don't know how much propane getting a 6.5 gallon pot to boil for over 60 minutes uses (propane aint' cheap)

 

[thughes]

Aluminum is fine for making beer.

 

[msa8967]

is using an aluminum pot ok for doing a BIAB batch??? the reason I ask is that I have a 5 gallon pot and I found a 7.5 gallon alminum turkey fryer with the burner for $40 on craigslist

have used both aluminum and stainless steel stocks for the last 3 years of home brewing and have had great success with both metals. I have even brewed two BIAB sessions of the same recipe at the same time in a ss pot and then an alum pot. I have had many of my friends do a taste test for each batch and found zero difference between brewing with alum vs ss.

I think if the pot is in good condition you have found a good deal on CL. If the pot is brand new then you will to condition it by doing a full volume boil for 10-20 minutes to build up an oxide layer on the alum and it will be just fine.

Do check to see of the turkey fryer has an auto shut off feature that could turn this off every 15 min.

 

[Sippin37]

Yep, just that initial boil has to be done on the aluminum pot then she is good to go!

 

[Mysticmead]

Aluminum is fine for making beer.

have been brewing in aluminum since 1999... only this year did I get a keggle to use. no issues at all.

 

[wormraper]

sweet, picked up the turkey fryer today . $40 for it wasn't a bad deal IMO. took an hour and 15 minutes to reach boil with the lid ON with my glass top stove and it's doing a mild boiling with the lid off with 6.5 gallons. looks like I'll have to do the 1/2 and half thing with to pots unless I can keep the lid 1/2 way covering the pot so as to keep some heat in and increase the boiling

EDIT: I found a couple of guys selling a couple empty propane tanks for $6-$10 each so I might grab a couple to use with the fryer's burner.....

out of curiosity how many brew periods do you get out of a 20 lb propane tank?

 

[jmd1971]

You can just buy one of the exchangeable Blue Rhino tanks (depending if they sell them in your area) full for around $15. They last me 2-3 batches. That includes heating all mash/spare water & the full boil which I sometimes do 90 mins.

When the Blue Rhino tanks are empty, you just bring them back & exchange for a full one. Much simpler IMO & always are getting new tanks so don't have to worry about their integrity.

 

[thughes]

sweet, picked up the turkey fryer today . $40 for it wasn't a bad deal IMO. took an hour and 15 minutes to reach boil with the lid ON with my glass top stove and it's doing a mild boiling with the lid off with 6.5 gallons. looks like I'll have to do the 1/2 and half thing with to pots unless I can keep the lid 1/2 way covering the pot so as to keep some heat in and increase the boiling

EDIT: I found a couple of guys selling a couple empty propane tanks for $6-$10 each so I might grab a couple to use with the fryer's burner.....

out of curiosity how many brew periods do you get out of a 20 lb propane tank?

Try floating a stainless steel bowl on top. It reduces heat loss and allows an better boil with marginal heat sources while still allowing steam to escape (no DMS worries). Just remember to account for reduced boil-off volume when doing you water calculations.

 

[msa8967]

sweet, picked up the turkey fryer today . $40 for it wasn't a bad deal IMO. took an hour and 15 minutes to reach boil with the lid ON with my glass top stove and it's doing a mild boiling with the lid off with 6.5 gallons. looks like I'll have to do the 1/2 and half thing with to pots unless I can keep the lid 1/2 way covering the pot so as to keep some heat in and increase the boiling

EDIT: I found a couple of guys selling a couple empty propane tanks for $6-$10 each so I might grab a couple to use with the fryer's burner.....

out of curiosity how many brew periods do you get out of a 20 lb propane tank?

The number of brewing sessions you have from a 15 lb tank will also depend on the size (BTU output) of your burner and whether or not you use BIAB versus sparging. When I used a turkey fryer I would get 4-5 brews with sparging and around 5-6 with BIAB. This will also depend on where you get your propane. So exhange places (like walmart) may only put 16-18 lbs in a tank while a place where I watch them fill puts in a full 20 lbs (and it is cheaper too.) I recommend having 2 tanks if you have the space so you always have a spare if needed.

Good job with this purchase of CL for your burner and pot.

 

[wormraper]

ok, kewl, not sure about the btu output on the fryer (I just know it's the Bayou 3066A 40 qt turkey fryer and burner). 5-6 isn't bad if I could manage that


I won't go with the Blue Rhine way since if I exchange for one of their tanks I can't get it refilled anywhere else, they use a proprietary valve that limits me to only exchange for blue rhino tanks) I'll check out the guys I found on craigslist to see if their tank valves are ok and fill em up at the local gas station that refills propane.

last thing. I noticed Northern brewers didn't include a floating thermometer with their kits like most other places do, but do I really need a floating thermometer since the turkey fryer came with one of these???
http://www.beer-wine-brewing.com/store/product.php?productid=18256&cat=0&page=1

 

[captainjay]

I have used a thermometer like that without issue - just make sure it's in your boil for > 15 mins so that it won't contaminate anything. Thermometers vary.... some are very accurate, some are less so - but that will be enough to get you started.

If you are getting used propane tanks, make sure someone checks them out who knows what they're doing. You don't want something that's been tampered with or is past it's prime.

I always use two tanks so that I have one standing by. Nothing is worse than losing your boil half way through!

Best of luck, and enjoy!
Jay

 

[wormraper]

I have used a thermometer like that without issue - just make sure it's in your boil for > 15 mins so that it won't contaminate anything. Thermometers vary.... some are very accurate, some are less so - but that will be enough to get you started.

If you are getting used propane tanks, make sure someone checks them out who knows what they're doing. You don't want something that's been tampered with or is past it's prime.

I always use two tanks so that I have one standing by. Nothing is worse than losing your boil half way through!

Best of luck, and enjoy!
Jay

yeah, I usually check the valves before I install a new tank anyways, and always make sure the stamp is up to date on the bottom before refilling. guy said he's had them for only about a year though so I doubt anything's wrong with them. for $7.50 I can just turn them in to be exchanged at Home Depot for like $17.50 so win win either way (since new tanks cost between $29.99-$49.99 here

 

[smyrnaquince]

I have used a thermometer like that without issue - just make sure it's in your boil for > 15 mins so that it won't contaminate anything. Thermometers vary.... some are very accurate, some are less so - but that will be enough to get you started.

This is the same kind of thermometer that I use. There is a nut behind the dial (at the top of the stem) that you can use to calibrate the thermometer. Put it in boiling water and adjust it to read 212F (or whatever your altitude-adjusted boiling temperature is).

 

[befus]

Took a hit in the chops today. First BIAB went well with 68% efficiency and when I went to make my first saison today I was pretty confident. I was very disappointed after a hour at 154F and 10 min @168F I ended up at a extremely low 60% efficiency with the grain bill below. I'll ramp up the sugar I was going to add from a pound to a pound and a half to partially cover my ass, but I'm really sad and concerned with this result. Won't be doing any more BIAB's unless I can figure this out.

#'s 0z.
4 0 Belgian Pilsner Malt
2 0 Belgian Pale
1 8 Briess Munich Malt
1 0 Wheat, Red
0 8 Honey Malt
0 6 Flaked Oats

 

[flushdrew42]

with previous experience, i am finding that stirring is the key.
stir at dough in. for two minutes.
stir at mash out. for two minutes.

efficiency = way up.
without it? 60 is what you are looking at, or less...

 

[Mysticmead]

Took a hit in the chops today. First BIAB went well with 68% efficiency and when I went to make my first saison today I was pretty confident. I was very disappointed after a hour at 154F and 10 min @168F I ended up at a extremely low 60% efficiency with the grain bill below. I'll ramp up the sugar I was going to add from a pound to a pound and a half to partially cover my ass, but I'm really sad and concerned with this result. Won't be doing any more BIAB's unless I can figure this out.

#'s 0z.
4 0 Belgian Pilsner Malt
2 0 Belgian Pale
1 8 Briess Munich Malt
1 0 Wheat, Red
0 8 Honey Malt
0 6 Flaked Oats

crush crush crush... you want those grains damn near pulverized. If you get your grains pre-crushed, have them double crushed. if you crush them yourself, adjust and crush finer.
if it doesn't look this fine OR finer then you'll suffer in extraction. I get 75-83%. Stirring helps and so does squeezing but the crush is the most important. (You also need to accurately measure the amount of post boil liquid. being off by .5 gallons will throw the numbers off )

 

[befus]

crush crush crush... you want those grains damn near pulverized. If you get your grains pre-crushed, have them double crushed. if you crush them yourself, adjust and crush finer.

Thanks fellows. I added 1.5#'s table sugar (up from a pound) and 6oz. turbinado and hit 1.058 OG. It may be a little thin, but the oats and wheat ought to help, and the fact it has lemon peel, rosemary, and a saison yeast going for it might cover my butt on this one.

Will do on the stirring, but I really think I did near to that?

I had the grains crushed and bagged as a batch by Austin H. S. and it looked OK, but probably not as fine as the pic. I can run them through the trusty Corona as big a pain as that is .

 

[McBrewskie]

I have two kettles and am considering a igloo cooler with a false bottom. Is there any reason I couldn't mash in the cooler, drain the wort into one of my kettles and then put my sparge water in on top of the grains still in the cooler for the ten minutes and then combine that wort with the initial mash wort by draining and pressing the sparge and grains? Process would look like this.

1. Bring water to strike temp in kettle 1.
2. Mash in cooler.
3. Bring sparge water to temp in kettle 2.
4. Drain wort from mash back into kettle 1.
5. Add sparge water to grains in cooler.
6. Let stand for the 10 minutes.
7. Drain new wort into kettle 1 with original wort and press grains.
8. Start boil.

Seems like it would work well to me and no lifting of grains and the like.

 

[Forrest-hunters]

Okay, I have read 15 of the 27 pages here and will be reading the rest in the next day or so. Am i to assume this is really as easy as i am reading. I have a 35 quart turkey frier (8.75 GALLONS) and a 13# grain bill. I want a 5 gallon bottle volume and a 5.5 gallon to fermentor volume and will be doing a secondary onto 2#'s of frozen blueberries. Here is my plan.

5.5 gallons to fermentor
.075 gallons for 13# grain(.975) or round up to 1 gallon
1.5 gallon boil off
5 gallon trub loss. May be high estimate here.

8 gallons total for recipe. Being I can't fit all the grain and 8 gallons in the frier at once I will put 6 gallons in and bring up to strike temp of say 165 stir grains in for a mash temp of 151. Let that sit for 60 minutes and if patience allows 90 minutes. After that with grain in bring up to 170 and remove grains and put on rack over pot. Poor the last 2 gallons slowly over the grains at 170 degrees and let drip for a bit and then squeeze the Hell out the bag and boil as normal?

Just trying to dumb it down so I can understand.

 

[mrgstiffler]

with previous experience, i am finding that stirring is the key.
stir at dough in. for two minutes.
stir at mash out. for two minutes.

efficiency = way up.
without it? 60 is what you are looking at, or less...

Yup, I have exactly the same experience.