Biab noob

[ragertom]

Hey guys I'm a noob here. Solely using mobile app so searching leads me to 100s of threads but I'm wanting to get into all grain brewing via biab technique. I currently have a 30qt kettle and 2 7.8 gallon buckets. What do you suggest I get for doing biab batches 5 gallon sized. Can this be done with the equipment I have? Any tips for making the transition?

Thanks for all replies

Tom.

 

[ineedit]

I think one of your biggest challenges will be mashing full volume in your 30 qt pot. You might could use the maxi-BIAB process to compensate but that would require another pot. Being able to mash using your full volume really simplifies things tremendously.

Other than that you will need a bag of course. I've been using a voile curtain panel and it works great. If you plan on running your burner during the mash just make sure you can keep the bag off the bottom. You will also need a way to attach the bag to your kettle. Binder clips work really well.

I'm sure I'm not telling you anything you've not read but it really is that easy.

 

[thadass]

I've been doing BIAB in my 32qt aluminum pot for a little while now, and I think it works great. I can't really do a "full-volume" BIAB mash so I do a sparge/rinse to get to volume. I heat the sparge/rinse water either in a 2G kitchen pot on the stove or using my heatstick in a bucket.

Get or make a good bag!

 

[RM-MN]

I've been doing BIAB in my 32qt aluminum pot for a little while now, and I think it works great. I can't really do a "full-volume" BIAB mash so I do a sparge/rinse to get to volume. I heat the sparge/rinse water either in a 2G kitchen pot on the stove or using my heatstick in a bucket.

Get or make a good bag!

You don't even need to heat the water for the sparge. Cold water works nearly as well and doesn't require another heat source. Pull the bag up when the mash time is over, squeeze the wort out of it and look at the volume you have compared to what you need for preboil volume. Use that much water poured over/into the bag of grains and squeeze it out again.

 

[RM-MN]

I think one of your biggest challenges will be mashing full volume in your 30 qt pot. You might could use the maxi-BIAB process to compensate but that would require another pot. Being able to mash using your full volume really simplifies things tremendously.

Other than that you will need a bag of course. I've been using a voile curtain panel and it works great. If you plan on running your burner during the mash just make sure you can keep the bag off the bottom. You will also need a way to attach the bag to your kettle. Binder clips work really well.

I'm sure I'm not telling you anything you've not read but it really is that easy.

You can mash full volume if you don't have a large grain bill but the liquid will be right to the rim when you get the grains stirred in. It will be better to use a little less water at mash in and do a small sparge to make up the rest of the wort needed. Watch closely too when you near boil as the hot break will want to go over the top. A spray bottle of cold water, stirring with a spoon, or just turning down the heat will work to keep it down but from the time you see that it may be needed until it boils over is only about 10 seconds.

 

[ragertom]

I keep seeing sparge but what does it actually mean?

 

[ragertom]

Ok. I know this is yahoo answers but is this accurate?




And I'm sparging with an amount of water larger than the batch size am I boiling down to the desired volume or do I use less and then use top off water like I have with extract batches?

 

[ineedit]

From John Palmers How To a Brew.

"Sparging is the rinsing of the grain bed to extract as much of the sugars from the grain as possible without extracting mouth-puckering tannins from the grain husks. Typically, 1.5 times as much water is used for sparging as for mashing (e.g., 8 lbs. malt at 2 qt./lb. = 4 gallon mash, so 6 gallons of sparge water). The temperature of the sparge water is important. The water should be no more than 170°F, as husk tannins become more soluble above this temperature, depending on wort pH. This could lead to astringency in the beer."

Since you may not be able to mash using your full volume of water you can use the remaining to rinse your grain. This volume is then added to your kettle much like a typical all grain process.

 

[ineedit]

If you do a sparge you would want to add it to your boil and work your way down.

I have seen where some use water to top off like extract but I don't have any experience doing it that way. Not saying it is wrong just never used that method.

 

[ragertom]

Ok. So after dough in and sparge I would do the 60 min boils(or whatever recipe) calls for and do the hop additions during that time?

 

[RM-MN]

Ok. So after dough in and sparge I would do the 60 min boils(or whatever recipe) calls for and do the hop additions during that time?

As soon as you pull the bag of grains out of the pot and have squeezed out the wort you can start heating the wort. As it heats you can (should) sparge the rest of the sugars out of the grain bag and squeeze again, adding that to the pot too. From then on you bring the wort to a boil (watch it close, it will boil over in a heart beat), add the hops for bittering, and boil for an hour. Your recipe may have other hop additions later in the boil. The times for these are usually listed as the time until the end of the hour long boil. A 15 minute addition would go in 45 minutes after you start boiling or 15 minutes before the end.

 

[PRE66_6TART]

I like to do a dunk sparge. I keep that extra bit of water that doesn't fit in the mash in a separate pot (or you can use a bucket), and after I pull my grain bag out of the mash I dunk it up and down in the sparge water for a few minutes. It also works fine with cold water, so you can then squeeze the bag without burning your hands.