BIAB or Partial Mash

[timcadieux]

Umm, I was just sending a resume of this conversation to a friend and something occurred to me. If I have a 4G pot which is fairly full at the end of the boil, will I still have enough room to add the DME/LME in order to dissolve it or will i need to move a small volume to another pot, just for this step, then mix both into my fermenter?

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

I would try to end the boil with enough room for the extract at the end, that'd probably be the easiest way.

 

[Balue]

Put the bag in the water,me in the water,shark's in the wat...oops,my bad.

You're gonna need a bigger pot!

Sorry couldn't resist Jaws is my all time favorite movie!

Now back to topic. Unionrdr and I brew similar, I mash 5-7 lbs if grains in a 5 gallon BK BIAB style. Then at flame out add a few lbs of DME or so to get where I need with top off depending on what I'm brewing.

 

[timcadieux]

Question from my buddy.. if we have boiled say 15L, then we ought to be able to just top up with an additional 4L and the OG should be correct due to the LME or DME substitution?

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Question from my buddy.. if we have boiled say 15L, then we ought to be able to just top up with an additional 4L and the OG should be correct due to the LME or DME substitution?

Yes and no. The extract will lend a specific number of gravity points, but the gravity of the grain wort will be dependent on the "mash efficiency". You'll learn what type of efficiency you'll get from your setup as you do more AG/PM batches. Most recipes are designed for ~60-70% mash eff., unless stated otherwise. I found that I got ~75-80% mash eff. doing BIAB with a fine crush of the grains (~.40 on the mill) and a setup very similar to yours (5gal kettle, paint strainer bag). In turn, extract yields ~100% eff. Your software will help you a TON with calculating the combination if doing PM and the mash eff. if doing AG, so you have an idea of what to expect in future batches. YMMV, and that's why it's a yes and no answer.

 

[timcadieux]

Ok, it looks like I really need to get my hands on BeerSmith then, thx

 

[Demus]

There's really no limit on what it can do, it's awesome stuff. All the ingredient and recipe add ons when you license it are awesome, and if you know the numbers for a grain/extract/hop/adjunct/yeast or whatever, you can add it yourself. I recently added Hop Shot CO2 extract to mine, along with a few yeasts I've been using that aren't in the database. Oh, and the Cloud feature is really handy for sharing recipes and equipment profiles. Cool $hit for sure.

Off topic a bit but I'm intrigued by your description of BeerSmith2. I recently got BeerAlchemy and am a bit disappointed. Is BS2 for Mac? Does it estimate mash pH based on water profile/salt additions and grain bill? BA does not, and there's NO manual, on line or otherwise. BS2 have at least a PDF instruction sheet? Does it sync between a phone and Mac?
Is it a portable shower or a monkey cage???
(Jaws again...)

 

[GenIke]

Don't know about pdf, but there are youtube vids for beersmith.

 

[unionrdr]

BS has an app for a phone for extra cash. The BS website has many tutorials as well.

 

[dadshomebrewing]

I'm perfectly fine purchasing an app if it works well. I'll look at Beersmith, thx.

if'n yer an ipad guy, look at ibrewmaster.

 

[the_trout]

You're gonna need a bigger pot!

Sorry couldn't resist Jaws is my all time favorite movie.

Grain goes in the water. Hops go in the water. Bags in the water. Our bag.

 

[Demus]

How about the water thing, does it predict mash pH?

 

[unionrdr]

Some think it does. I haven't anything to check it with yet myself. but I maintain good mash water to grain volumes just in case. the water around here has been really good. So not too much of a problem.

 

[RM-MN]

How about the water thing, does it predict mash pH?

You need to read a bit in the "brew science" forum here. You can learn a lot about water, minerals, and how to make them work for you.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Off topic a bit but I'm intrigued by your description of BeerSmith2. I recently got BeerAlchemy and am a bit disappointed. Is BS2 for Mac? Does it estimate mash pH based on water profile/salt additions and grain bill? BA does not, and there's NO manual, on line or otherwise. BS2 have at least a PDF instruction sheet? Does it sync between a phone and Mac?
Is it a portable shower or a monkey cage???
(Jaws again...)

I believe if you add the water and/or salts you're using, it will make the adjustments. As to the accuracy, I can't say, I haven't played a ton with that part of the program. It will let you export recipe files, print a brew day sheet, share files, etc. As of now, there is not an app for BS2, but I hear they're making one. And it's definitely a monkey cage.

 

[unionrdr]

They say they have Beersmith lite at their site,here; http://beersmith.com/
It's for iphone,ipad,android,& kindlefire.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

They say they have Beersmith lite at their site,here; http://beersmith.com/
It's for iphone,ipad,android,& kindlefire.

Sweet $hit!! I'm gonna check it out and see if it's compatible with the comp. version. Thanks man.

 

[unionrdr]

You're welcome. They call it BS lite,so I imagine it isn't as fully functioned as the comp version. but it's being compatible with the comp version would be a bonus.

 

[timcadieux]

By the way,the spent grains can be dried in a 170F (warm oven setting) in about 7 hours,turning once at 4 hours. Then cool & store in dry place.

Why are you drying and storing the spent grains?

 

[unionrdr]

Because spent grains sour very quickly,so you have to use them immediatly for recipes. Unless you dry & store them. Here's the link to this recipe & more; http://brooklynbrewshop.com/themash/category/spentgrainchef/

 

[timcadieux]

if'n yer an ipad guy, look at ibrewmaster.

'Droid

 

[timcadieux]

but they are spent? already used...did I miss something?

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

but they are spent? already used...did I miss something?

He's probably saving them to cook or garden with. You can make breads and snacks with spent grains and they're great for garden composting.

 

[timcadieux]

ah, ok, sry...i thought i had completly missed a vital step somewhere.