BIAB no pulley options / suggestions

[JONNYROTTEN]

This is what I made,Works awesome..cheap and easy to make https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=508766

 

[applescrap]

98 4Runner SR5... it's a 3.4L V6. Looks like they stopped producing the 22re in 97, but I wouldn't buy an SUV with a 4 cylinder.

Ive got the same car

 

[applescrap]

On my cooler biab thread people are discussing using the auto siphon between the bag and cooler to drain

 

[pretzelb]

Finally got around to brewing and here is a poor picture of what I did. The ladder worked pretty well. The problem with doing a sparge is my MT requires tipping to drain and it is hard to manage with the bag hanging. But it worked well enough. My numbers were great until I hit my pre boil amount and had tons left over. Then I realized the calculations for the 90 minute boil were off. I think I need to stop using BeerSmith with biab. Ended up with just 64% efficiency.

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[Gavin C]

Edit: Sorry. I didn't see that you posted last and have a very nice elegant solution. Disregard. Picture removed

 

[bondra76]

sounds like you've had some of the same issues I've had with Beersmith

You are using BIAB profiles for equipment, right? I'd assume ya are.

I had to change my grain absorption rate and I had to move my boil off rate up to like 20%. These two settings had drastic impacts on my brewing process. The grain absorption rate is a tricky one for me - for lighter beers I'm accurate but for huge grain bills I have trouble with efficiencies.

 

[doug293cz]

sounds like you've had some of the same issues I've had with Beersmith

You are using BIAB profiles for equipment, right? I'd assume ya are.

I had to change my grain absorption rate and I had to move my boil off rate up to like 20%. These two settings had drastic impacts on my brewing process. The grain absorption rate is a tricky one for me - for lighter beers I'm accurate but for huge grain bills I have trouble with efficiencies.

If your grain absorption is constant with changing grain bill weights, then you can use the Pricelessbrewing calculator to figure out what kind of efficiency you will get for different size grain bills. Just put a bunch of different grain bill weights in, keeping the rest of the inputs constant. The mash analysis will give you your predicted efficiency for each grain wt. If your grain absorption varies with amount of grain used, then you need to vary that along with the grain wt. If your efficiencies don't match the predictions, and your volumes are all correct, then your conversion efficiency is off, and needs to be adjusted.

Brew on

 

[pretzelb]

I was using a customized biab profile that allowed for zero MT dead space and let me do a batch sparge. But I think my boil off rate is wrong. I've tried to correct it but still no luck. I never looked to adjust grain absorption rate and if it changes with my malt bill then I can't see myself ever being able to nail it down. I will have to go back and look at the numbers in BS to try and see why it was so far off. The one thing that jumps out besides grain bill size is a 90 boil.

 

[pretzelb]

So I looked in BS and I really messed up the profile. Somehow I had tried to combine a BIAB with single batch sparge but it had turned that into a fly sparge. It might not have been so bad had the volumes been under control. I should either just go full volume BIAB or just re-use my old profile setup where I had regular batch sparge which seemed to work. I could also use the Priceless calculator but then I'd have to re-enter each time and/or keep track of the values I entered for all the variables. Bottom line is I need to plan this out before I begin the brew day since I rarely have time when I finally start. Oh well, it's fermenting like mad and in the end it will be beer, although it won't be as high gravity as I hoped.

 

[applescrap]

I'm going to the store soon 2 buy swiss voile so I'm going to make a couple bags. My plan is to put one bag in and mix the grains then put the other bag right on top of the other and mix the other grains in. Essentially both bags will be wrapped around the kettle and if they're big enough I should be able to stir both at the same time because of all the water then I can pull them one at a time it squeeze the s*** out of them. Insert sac squeeze joke here

By the way I like the ladder and also I'm thinking about switching to a cooler because I have to use a bucket anyways to squeeze the wort. And I figure with a cooler the bag just stay there I'll squeeze it in the cooler. Haven't done it yet because I have no problem insulating kettle

Re reading this I don't understand why you didn't add all that wort even though you've reached pre boil volume. This is another place where I just don't go with the mainstream I would add as much of that sweet liquor as I could and then just boil it off or maybe a little extra goes in the fermenter or maybe I have a little left at the end. If I'm under volume I don't boil as aggressively if I'm over volume I boil aggressively. This is the part I don't understand if he added all the sweet liquor he could and boiled it down it would be stronger right

 

[wilserbrewer]

I'm going to the store soon 2 buy swiss voile so I'm going to make a couple bags. My plan is to put one bag in and mix the grains then put the other bag right on top of the other and mix the other grains in. Essentially both bags will be wrapped around the kettle and if they're big enough I should be able to stir both at the same time because of all the water then I can pull them one at a time it squeeze the s*** out of them. Insert sac squeeze joke here

Sounds like a hassle to me, but give it a try, maybe you'll love doin it this way.

Fwiw I think I would try 2 smaller bags side by side clipped to the kettle rim, then again I'm sold using a single bag.

Denny's mantra goes something like this.

"Best beer possible with the least work possible while having the most fun possible. "

 

[pretzelb]

By the way I like the ladder and also I'm thinking about switching to a cooler because I have to use a bucket anyways to squeeze the wort. And I figure with a cooler the bag just stay there I'll squeeze it in the cooler. Haven't done it yet because I have no problem insulating kettle

Re reading this I don't understand why you didn't add all that wort even though you've reached pre boil volume. This is another place where I just don't go with the mainstream I would add as much of that sweet liquor as I could and then just boil it off or maybe a little extra goes in the fermenter or maybe I have a little left at the end. If I'm under volume I don't boil as aggressively if I'm over volume I boil aggressively. This is the part I don't understand if he added all the sweet liquor he could and boiled it down it would be stronger right

The drawback to the cooler is the bag is sized for the cooler and not the BK so holding it over the BK can be tricky due to size differences. Plus, as I noted, tilting the cooler after squeezing while keeping the bag suspended is not much fun.

The problem was that extra wort didn't do me any good and in fact blew my gravity goals. I can't speak for others but when I batch sparge I try to target reaching my final pre boil amount as exact as I can. If this were a fly sparge (which is what my BS profile was assuming) then it wouldn't matter much. But with the batch sparge I just dumped a ton of extra water in there and diluted what I was trying to extract. I did add time to my boil to try and compensate but in my mind that has other implications as you are also altering the hop profile (unless you boil before you add hops).

BS has me using a total of 10.74g of water to reach a pre boil volume of 8.3g on a 90 min boil. Priceless BIAB has me using a total of 9.8g for a pre boil of 8.5g. From my batch sparge history prior to trying to use BS for biab the numbers from Priceless sound more accurate. Looking back I should have just done regular full volume mash profile in BS and then in my head held back 4g for sparge. Using that profile is closer to the numbers in Priceless.

 

[doug293cz]

...

BS has me using a total of 10.74g of water to reach a pre boil volume of 8.3g on a 90 min boil. Priceless BIAB has me using a total of 9.8g for a pre boil of 8.5g. From my batch sparge history prior to trying to use BS for biab the numbers from Priceless sound more accurate. Looking back I should have just done regular full volume mash profile in BS and then in my head held back 4g for sparge. Using that profile is closer to the numbers in Priceless.

Sounds like you are getting a better understanding of how the volume numbers all work together. This will make life easier going forward.

Brew on

 

[pretzelb]

Sounds like you are getting a better understanding of how the volume numbers all work together. This will make life easier going forward.

Brew on

The problem is my knowledge of BS. I haven't changed settings for years. Now I'm trying to be more accurate and altering the settings and the software is throwing me. I just need to get my big boy pants on and learn the stupid software.

 

[applescrap]

Sounds like a hassle to me, but give it a try, maybe you'll love doin it this way.

Fwiw I think I would try 2 smaller bags side by side clipped to the kettle rim, then again I'm sold using a single bag.

Denny's mantra goes something like this.

"Best beer possible with the least work possible while having the most fun possible. "

When small bags are used clipped to the side does efficiency change? I just had this happen with my new setup. i want one of your nice bags! If the little bags had to be clipped does all the water still get in there are the grains still free swimming. Im ok with that if they are. I just dont see a way w/ out a pulley to pull 30 #s of wet grain and squeeze them. I need those hot gloves im thinking now to squeeze

 

[SDJay]

When small bags are used clipped to the side does efficiency change? I just had this happen with my new setup. i want one of your nice bags! If the little bags had to be clipped does all the water still get in there are the grains still free swimming. Im ok with that if they are. I just dont see a way w/ out a pulley to pull 30 #s of wet grain and squeeze them. I need those hot gloves im thinking now to squeeze

You can dunk the bags up and down periodically, or leave one side of a bag clipped and stick a paddle/spoon in to stir the grain around.

 

[sillbeer]

This is what I ended up with and it works well, a ratcheting pulley.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006JXSOSW/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20