BIAB: Is mash water volume important?

[snathanb]

Never mind... found the answer in another thread.

 

[drunkinThailand]

could you post a link to that thread? never thought about this question but now that you asked...

 

[McKnuckle]

And the answer is that it's no more or less important with BIAB than with any other way of mashing, since BIAB is equipment, not process. The grain enzymes don't know they are in a bag.

 

[madscientist451]

I do BIAB in a cooler, and sometimes when doing a Big beer with a lot of grain, I reduce my water/grain ratio so it will fit the space I have.
Does it make a difference? Maybe, but maybe not. The bottom line is I'm happy with the way the beer comes out with the equipment I have so I'm not going to worry about it.
I do think more experimentation on this subject would be worthwhile and interesting. Different styles and grain bills could make for some different results.

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

The thicker a mash is, the less ability it will have to absorb starches and sugars. It may not be worth the time taken to learn why, but knowing why is an interesting brewing topic in itself.

 

[SilverZero]

As long as water can permeate the grain to release starches and enzymes, those enzymes will actually have an easier time finding the unconverted starches in a thicker mash (in reality it's virtually the same at all reasonable mash thicknesses).

The most convincing argument against thin mashes that I've heard is that you lose mash buffering ability and have to be more conscious of your pH balance. But that is mainly an issue when sparging anyway.

 

[petrolSpice]

My results have conclusively shown that a thinner mash is better for mash efficiency. However, you can opt for a thicker mash and then sparge which may result in an ever higher efficiency.