BIAB question

[OldGreg]

I have done 2 BIAB beers and had a thought. Could I do the BIAB method without using the mesh bag initially? If I had 2 large pots, could I just pour wort into the second pot lined with the mesh bag and then pull the grain out? This could eliminate any scorching of the bag and make string easier. I know these aren't huge benefits but still could make things a little easier. Is there any reason not to do this?

 

[enkamania]

False bottom should eliminate any scorching.

 

[MaxStout]

I have done 2 BIAB beers and had a thought. Could I do the BIAB method without using the mesh bag initially? If I had 2 large pots, could I just pour wort into the second pot lined with the mesh bag and then pull the grain out? This could eliminate any scorching of the bag and make string easier. I know these aren't huge benefits but still could make things a little easier. Is there any reason not to do this?

Funny you mention that. There's a new member I recently talked to, who does exactly that. He also does a sparge in the second kettle to hit his preboil volume.

 

[OldGreg]

False bottom should eliminate any scorching.

It looks like some people use vegitable steamers as false bottoms. I might try that today!

Funny you mention that. There's a new member I recently talked to, who does exactly that. He also does a sparge in the second kettle to hit his preboil volume.

Awesome! Definitely gonna try it in the future. Thanks for the link

 

[MaxStout]

I had never heard of doing it that way until yesterday's poster. But it's still the same process, spread over two vessels. And it eliminates the risk of scorching the bag if you need to add heat to hit mash temp. So why the heck not?

 

[wilserbrewer]

Sounds like a hassle to me. Why are you adding heat?

Best imo to hit an accurate strike temp, mash in and either insulate the kettle, or if it fits in the oven, preheat oven and place mash in and turn off oven.

If you must add heat, heat gently and stir constantly, be patient.

Jmo but I feel you are making it much harder than need be....

 

[Greytop]

If you must add heat, heat gently and stir constantly, be patient.

I wrap my kettle during the mash and check the temp half way through. Most of the time it holds temp, but on the few occasions I have had to add heat, this is exactly the way i do it. Haven't scorched a bag yet.

 

[OldGreg]

Sounds like a hassle to me. Why are you adding heat?

Best imo to hit an accurate strike temp, mash in and either insulate the kettle, or if it fits in the oven, preheat oven and place mash in and turn off oven.

If you must add heat, heat gently and stir constantly, be patient.

Jmo but I feel you are making it much harder than need be....

I add heat during a mash out and prefer to bring the temperature up quickly using a propane burner. Also I'm doing a Belgian Witbier today and mash at 122 for 15 min before raising it to 154 for the 60 min. Using a thick sleeping bag hold the temp within 2.5 degrees over an hour so I haven't been adding heat during the 60 min rest. Doing 5 gallon batches so no oven (my pot is very tall).

 

[wilserbrewer]

Ok I appreciate that, not a fan of mash out but if that works for you great. Just a tip, any mash can scorch if not stirred or heated gently enough....the bag is just a bystander in the scorch sometimes imo.

Propane burns at around 2500 degrees, proceed w caution....cheers and thanks

 

[OldGreg]

I tried in on my stove to see how it worked. I put the heat on high and it worked really well. It heated a little slow but the bag was perfectly fine. I stirred regularly like you guys mentioned. I’m probably gonna stick to the stove for mashing because it was so easy!

 

[RM-MN]

I add heat during a mash out and prefer to bring the temperature up quickly using a propane burner. Also I'm doing a Belgian Witbier today and mash at 122 for 15 min before raising it to 154 for the 60 min. Using a thick sleeping bag hold the temp within 2.5 degrees over an hour so I haven't been adding heat during the 60 min rest. Doing 5 gallon batches so no oven (my pot is very tall).

Do you have a good basis for doing a mash out during BIAB? It really isn't necessary as you aren't fly sparging (or are you?). Mash out stops conversion. When the mash period is over I remove the bag of grain first, then heat the wort which stops any conversion in the wort (there shouldn't be any starch there to convert anyway). I then quickly do a sparge and add that to the pot. That doesn't give the grain much time to continue converting before the remaining wort is drained and added to the pot. With that in mind, mash out would accomplish nothing but waste time and maybe scorch the bag and/or the grain.