BIAB - Cooler?

[vallonswayla]

Hello-

Have just nearly completed my first All Grain Brewing experience, beer is bottled and a couple weeks away from gettin' guzzled. Now I'm thinking of my next batch. BIAB?

One problem I had when mashing on the stove was keeping a consistent temperature. My thought is that I could boil water to a certain temp, and then transfer into an igloo-style cooler. Once in cooler I could add the BIAB and mash for 60-90 minutes and my understanding is the temperature would be much more steady. Once mashing is complete, couldn't I transfer liquid back to my pot through the cooler spigot and return wort to boil and do the hop additions?

Your suggestions on a previous posting were invaluable.

Cheers-

 

[RM-MN]

There are lots of ways to do BIAB and your cooler may work well for you. Be aware that the cooler may need to be preheated before you begin to mash.

I've bought a Corona style mill and mill my grains as fine as it will go. That gives me very fast conversion and I can mash for only 30 minutes. With a 30 minute mash, you won't lose as much heat. The small batch (2 1/2 gallons) lost about 1 degree during that mash time, close enough for me. I don't add any heat once I reach strike temp and just let the pot set on the burner.

 

[NewWestBrewer]

Hello-

Have just nearly completed my first All Grain Brewing experience, beer is bottled and a couple weeks away from gettin' guzzled. Now I'm thinking of my next batch. BIAB?

One problem I had when mashing on the stove was keeping a consistent temperature. My thought is that I could boil water to a certain temp, and then transfer into an igloo-style cooler. Once in cooler I could add the BIAB and mash for 60-90 minutes and my understanding is the temperature would be much more steady. Once mashing is complete, couldn't I transfer liquid back to my pot through the cooler spigot and return wort to boil and do the hop additions?

Your suggestions on a previous posting were invaluable.

What is the lowest temp your oven goes too. Mine is 170 and I set it for that for 10 mins then turn it off as I put my kettle in. Never lose a degree for 60 min mash.

Cheers-

What is the lowest temp your oven goes too. Mine is 170 and I set it for that for 10 mins then turn it off as I put my kettle in. Never lose a degree for 60 min mash.

 

[vallonswayla]

thanks for the suggestions. forgot to mention i had previously done a 1 gal batch, and want to try a 3 gallon batch this time. seems like the most i can manageably make in my apartment. another question: does the mash need to be stirred in the cooler or is it ok to just "steep" for the 30-60 minutes?

 

[chrisgood1]

You can let it sit without string. I agree with Newwest I use my oven and my 15 gal pot just fits but it holds temps perfectly. I also do the same for my smaller 7 gal pot when I do 2.5-3 gal BIAB batches. It is perfect for being in a small space and I don't have to fuss with temps.

 

[RM-MN]

thanks for the suggestions. forgot to mention i had previously done a 1 gal batch, and want to try a 3 gallon batch this time. seems like the most i can manageably make in my apartment. another question: does the mash need to be stirred in the cooler or is it ok to just "steep" for the 30-60 minutes?

Stir the mash in well to break up any dry spots and then close the lid. It will do its thing without further stirring.:rockin:

 

[vallonswayla]

would you recommend i still check the temperature maybe every 15 mins while in the oven just to be sure? i know that would probably cause some minor temperature loss but also have a seriously old oven.

 

[Oginme]

I tried checking the temperature every 20 minutes the first time I did the oven temperature hold trick. I ended up losing 3 to 4 degrees by the end. Now, I just let the oven preheat on the 'warm' setting (~170F, though the oven manual says it is 160F), put the covered pot in the oven, close the door, turn the oven off and walk away. The more you mess with it, the more fluctuations you will cause in the temperature.