Don't lightly squeeze that bag, try to crush it. You're trying to get sticky wort out of there. Any you leave in reduces your efficiency. When you are done the grain should look pretty dry.:rockin:
BIAB OG too low...ideas please
- Thread starter dhickey
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Don't lightly squeeze that bag, try to crush it. You're trying to get sticky wort out of there. Any you leave in reduces your efficiency. When you are done the grain should look pretty dry.:rockin:
DoubleAught
Well-Known Member
I use an 11 gallon turkey fryer pot, with the insert. I lift the insert out of the wort after mashout and allow it to hang until dripping has almost stopped. I then use a small pot lid to press down the grain getting the remaining water out of it.
Lightly pressing wasn't the correct words, I press the hell out of it to get the wort out
DoubleAught
Well-Known Member
I brewed a Hefe today so I say go for it!
dhickey
Well-Known Member
Kiwi Hefe it is then....Woo-Hoo!!!
dhickey
Well-Known Member
Are you worried about tannins when squeezing/pressing the grains?
DoubleAught
Well-Known Member
Everything I've read for the BIAB process say to get all the wort possible out of the grain. I've only drank one batch of my BIAB brew and I didn't notice any off tastes from tannins. Also, I tried squeezing the bag once, and 170 water is damn hot! So I do the pressing method...lol.
dhickey
Well-Known Member
What is your efficiency?
BrewKnurd
Well-Known Member
tannin extraction is really a function of pH and temperature. squeeze away.
I did a Brown Ale today, my first AG. It was a 3.5 gallon BIAB. Also reused yeast for the first time, poured right onto a Wyeast 1028 London Ale cake from an Oatmeal Stout that just went into secondary.
Using the squeeze-away advice here, it hit spot-on OG of 1.053 that the software calculated (adjusted 1.051 measured at 75 degrees). Not that I can calculate my efficiency, but I wound up with 3.75 gallons and I have to set my efficiency to 80% in BrewPal to get that OG with my recipe and actual batch size.
Somehow had a total brain fart and added my 15 min hop addition at 30 min. Oops, 36 IBU instead of 28. Pretty smooth day tho.
Using the squeeze-away advice here, it hit spot-on OG of 1.053 that the software calculated (adjusted 1.051 measured at 75 degrees). Not that I can calculate my efficiency, but I wound up with 3.75 gallons and I have to set my efficiency to 80% in BrewPal to get that OG with my recipe and actual batch size.
Somehow had a total brain fart and added my 15 min hop addition at 30 min. Oops, 36 IBU instead of 28. Pretty smooth day tho.
dhickey
Well-Known Member
Nice job hittin the numbers, I bet it will taste great! That's a really good efficiency!
Thanks. Not sure if anyone cares, but since OP was about ideas for efficiency, some notes on my process for 3.5 gal batch using 6.75 lbs of grain...
In the 4 gallon pot I mash in, I heat 2.2 gal of water to 164 degrees and put in the grain bag, pour in the grain, and stir it in thoroughly. Temp settles about 152 or so. Then into preheated oven on "Warm" setting since my oven won't allow setting below 200 deg.
I open the oven every 10 min and give it a good stir, takes about 15 sec or so each time. I leave my floating thermometer sticking out of the middle of the mash, and with the oven light on I can see the temp nicely. Oven holds it right at 152 for full 60 min.
To sparge I heat 2.2 gal of water to 174 in my 5.5 gallon brew kettle so it's ready when the mash is done. I use a strainer to drain and squeeze the bag in the mash pot, and then move the bag into the brew kettle and stir that in well. That sits 10 min and temp settles at 164ish.
During that 10 min rest, I heat a final 1/2 gal to 170. After the 10 min rest I set the grain in a strainer over the brew kettle, squeeze it down with a small plate, fluff it up a bit, and pour the last 1/2 gal over the top and squeeze more. Then just pour the mash wort in with the sparge wort and start boil. After eyeballing my initial boil volume I added 2qts of water.
In the 4 gallon pot I mash in, I heat 2.2 gal of water to 164 degrees and put in the grain bag, pour in the grain, and stir it in thoroughly. Temp settles about 152 or so. Then into preheated oven on "Warm" setting since my oven won't allow setting below 200 deg.
I open the oven every 10 min and give it a good stir, takes about 15 sec or so each time. I leave my floating thermometer sticking out of the middle of the mash, and with the oven light on I can see the temp nicely. Oven holds it right at 152 for full 60 min.
To sparge I heat 2.2 gal of water to 174 in my 5.5 gallon brew kettle so it's ready when the mash is done. I use a strainer to drain and squeeze the bag in the mash pot, and then move the bag into the brew kettle and stir that in well. That sits 10 min and temp settles at 164ish.
During that 10 min rest, I heat a final 1/2 gal to 170. After the 10 min rest I set the grain in a strainer over the brew kettle, squeeze it down with a small plate, fluff it up a bit, and pour the last 1/2 gal over the top and squeeze more. Then just pour the mash wort in with the sparge wort and start boil. After eyeballing my initial boil volume I added 2qts of water.
dhickey
Well-Known Member
I definately like hearing everyones processes! I get little tips and tricks everytime. I am going to try the oven thing...thanks a lot!
I sure won't push you to abandon the oven mashing idea but before you do it you should read this thread. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/20-minute-mash-302811/ :rockin:
dhickey
Well-Known Member
RM-MN -- That is pretty interesting...I don't think I will test it out when I brew this weekend, but I definately want to test this out.
BrewKnurd
Well-Known Member
When mashing in a kettle I just wrap it in a towel to provide a little insulation (once the burner is off, obviously).
Very cool!!!!
dhickey
Well-Known Member
I wonder if I am thinking too much into it?? I mean, it's a brew in a bag! I should keep it simple. Like discnjh said, wrap it with a blanket and call it good!
I'm sure it works well, lots of people do that. For me, every towel or blanket I image employing in that method will probably end with me explaining to SWMBO why I thought that would be a good idea. I have a double oven right next to the stove so the glass is at eye height and it's super convenient. Just pick something easy and chill with a beer while you make sweet malty goodness.
BrewKnurd
Well-Known Member
Really? what the heck do you envision happening to your towel or blanket that would make her question?
discnjh said:Really? what the heck do you envision happening to your towel or blanket that would make her question?
Kinda joking, but she runs a tight ship, so not much in the line of shop towels or rags. Even our dog towels are spotless. I'd be stuck with a bathroom towel, guest bedroom blankets, or maybe one of the Afghan Throw things we have on the couches. I don't see those ending well for me. I'm not exactly a tidy brewer, so they'd get stained for sure. On the plus side, I can go nuts with paper towels.
Go to a thrift store and buy a used towel or blanket and call it your brewing blanket. Don't let the SWMBO touch it. A sleeping bag would work too.
bayoujeeper
Well-Known Member
I am new to BIAB, and Brewing in general, but here is a pic I took this weekend while mashing. I BIAB in my kitchen and once I reach my strike temp, pour in my grain, stir like mad, and move off the burner on to a towel. Then wrap with a blanket. I put a heavy blanket over the top. I open the lid every 10 minutes or so to stir. I can maintain mash temp for the full 60 minutes.
Prymal
Well-Known Member
Really? what the heck do you envision happening to your towel or blanket that would make her question?
I used a big blanket to cover my keggle one brew to insolate. I didn't however realize how hot the burner stand was and ended up scorching the blanket. Needless to say the wife wasn't happy. Now I use an old sleeping bag from Good Will.
Side note for OP:
Your beer may come out very sweet with all of that Crystal malt (which does not convert into fermentable sugar). 2lbs out of 9 is a huge amount of unfermentable sugar. I learned my lesson about Crystal malts a few brews ago, the general rule I have gotten is never use more then 10% total Crystal in any brew unless you plan on making a sweet beer.
dhickey
Well-Known Member
Prymal -- I didn't know that about crystal malts???!! What kind of sugars do I get from them?
BrewKnurd
Well-Known Member
Crystal malts have fermentable sugar. A user named nilo did a set of experiments where he fermented worts obtained by simply steeping crystal 10, 40, and 120, and got 38-50% attenuation, so there was a significant amount of fermentable sugar there. Mashing them with 2-row got them to 50-70% attenuation (for the crystal sugars in particular).
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/testing-fermentability-crystal-malt-208361/index11.html
So crystal malts do yield fermentable sugars, just less so than base malt, which was in the 80% attenuation range by itself.
BrewKnurd
Well-Known Member
Ha, i guess that could be an issue! Never had that problem, but can see why it might not go over well.
dhickey
Well-Known Member
I think the blanket thing is out for me. I just realized that outside of my bed and one throw I don't have any other blankets!! HAha, guest be damned in my apartment!!!
dhickey
Well-Known Member
Hefe grain is in the Bag!!!!
dhickey
Well-Known Member
post boil is 1.042, needs to be 1.052....I can just mash longer??? Try to get a couple points before the boil, right?
Prymal
Well-Known Member
Mashing longer doesn't mean you will extract more sugar. Lots of users have reported having full conversion within 15 or 30 minutes. I would expect the quality of the crush might be the culprit for your low efficiency. I got around 65% every time I got the grain crushed from my LHBS even if I double crushed the grain. I got a barley crusher for Christmas and my first batch on the default roller width yielded 76% efficiency.
completenewbie
Well-Known Member
I generally get low 70s efficiency when I crush the grain myself at my local homebrew store - got a kit from AHS last week and brewed yesterday, followed my usual steps exactly, came out at 64%. I remember thinking that the grain didn't look as crushed as it normally did, which would explain the low efficiency. With BIAB you should crush the living hell out of your grain, go to your local store and run it all through twice.
dhickey
Well-Known Member
I ended up mashing for another 20 mins last night, and I went from a 1.042 to a 1.050. So, I guess this one just needed a little longer in the pot.
dhickey
Well-Known Member
Yep that is exactly what I do. I run my grain throught the mill 2 times at my LBS. My efficiency is usually around 65-68%.
bayoujeeper
Well-Known Member
Here is how I hold heat in during the mash. I only lost about 2 degrees during a 90 minute mash. Two blankets wrapped around and a thick one on top!
dhickey
Well-Known Member
It is probably the loudest airlock I've had to date!!!
mrgstiffler
Well-Known Member
My efficiency went from 60-65% to 75-80% by giving a good hard stir after the mash. After the mash is done, I leave the bag in and stir for 1-2 minutes.
