BIAB setup

[matt5445]

I took the plunge and have gone from beer kits/extract brewing as I was never able to make something I liked to what I call a modified BIAB setup. I converted a 15 gallon keg with weldless fittings and a 5500W element with PID controller but instead of using a traditional bag I'm using a cheap stock pot with holes drilled in the bottom with 2 pizza screens and a grease splatter screen, I've also setup for using a recirculation system using a cheap 12v ebay pump and feeding the wort through a copper tube down the center with holes drilled into it to get it into the middle of the grain bed. Finally I'm going to use a pot lid with a hole drilled in it to use a wing nut to squeeze the grains collecting the extra wort in a bicket after mashing. I have a pasta mill that I converted to crush grain but I think I'm just going to try a few pulses with my food processor as I think I can go with a pretty fine crush. I haven't made a beer yet as I'm still waiting on parts to finish my electronics but I plan to make a bitter next week using 93% pale maris otter, 5% 120l crystal and 2% honey malt and citra hops, I just wanted to post this up and get everyones opinion on this build.

 

[Tommydee]

What is the ratio of the stockpot volume to your intended mash volume? My concern would be adequate mass transfer during the mash, which may impact efficiency, particularly if this is true BIAB without sparge. I would want larger surface area of holes, or more on the side. Even with recirc, seems you might have dead zones in the upper outside region of your kettle for conversion, which could rob you of SG, particularly if your pump inlet is bottom of tank....but honestly, I'm pretty new, and probably shouldn't be giving advice. Regarding grain, there are many efficiency guys on here, but I've been doing fine with no mill, and just asking my LHBS to double mill. It's not the most efficient grist (~70%), but over 3 batches now, it has been plenty consistent, and cheaper than extract. It also seems to match my LHBS 5 gallon kit perfectly, so I'm good.

I say just go for it, measure your volumes and gravities closely, and do a strong pale ale or IPA that will still be good if you have lower SG than you want.

 

[matt5445]

The pot assembly sits right inside of my brew kettle so for a 5 gallon batch using 7 gallons of water the water level will be just about halfway up the pot so the grains will be fully submerged even using a heavier grain bill for a stout or barleywine. It is not pictured well but the bottom of the pot actually tapers down towards the center by use of a washer under the filters to adjust for the hole spacing, the holes don't go all the way to the edge to allow the filter assembly to seal tight and not allow grains through the bottom. The final thing of not is the home brew scene around here isn't the strongest for all grain so the only place I found who will mill for me charges $2 per grain and what you get for a crush is what you get and also they won't crush partial batchs as they only sell grain either in bulk or 1 lb increments so if I'm making a stout with .5 lbs of chocolate then I would end up with .5 lb of crushed grain that would probably go stale by the time I brew again

 

[RM-MN]

The pot assembly sits right inside of my brew kettle so for a 5 gallon batch using 7 gallons of water the water level will be just about halfway up the pot so the grains will be fully submerged even using a heavier grain bill for a stout or barleywine. It is not pictured well but the bottom of the pot actually tapers down towards the center by use of a washer under the filters to adjust for the hole spacing, the holes don't go all the way to the edge to allow the filter assembly to seal tight and not allow grains through the bottom. The final thing of not is the home brew scene around here isn't the strongest for all grain so the only place I found who will mill for me charges $2 per grain and what you get for a crush is what you get and also they won't crush partial batchs as they only sell grain either in bulk or 1 lb increments so if I'm making a stout with .5 lbs of chocolate then I would end up with .5 lb of crushed grain that would probably go stale by the time I brew again

At that rate it wouldn't take long to pay for a Corona mill. With that you have control over the crush and can mill any quantity you want. That also gives you the freedom to buy in bulk and from any place that sells grains including online. Sometimes it is less expensive to buy online and pay shipping than to buy local. I know people want to support the local store but if the store in turn doesn't support you it doesn't deserve your support.

 

[TexasWine]

Can you get a better picture of the holes you've cut into the bottom of your malt pipe? From what I can see, I predict that you're gonna have a heck of a time recirculating with that amount of open area.

 

[matt5445]

The holes are pretty big but I was thinking that the bigger holes would be beneficial once the grains were in, I did my first brew the other night, I made an english bitter using 6 pounds of grain. I milled my grains using a converted pasta mill and finished with a food processor once the pasta mill blew apart. I ended up with a lot of flour and actually got the mash stuck but wasn't too big of a deal as I noticed right away that the liquid level in the pot was getting higher. Even though this was my first time using my new brew kettle/BIAB setup and I had a few technical issues to deal with I hit 70-75% efficiency on this batch and I think next batch will be higher when I buy a proper mill and knowing my setup a bit better. Also on a side note I used bru'n's water spreadsheet to balance my brew water and when I checked mash PH it was dead on at 5.4

 

[Tommydee]

Looks good. Interested if overmilling with a food processor has any ill effects like turbid/hazy beer. I'd report back. I'd also worry about repeatability batch to batch on your grind, which makes it harder to dial In your equipment and hit target SG. I have somewhat lower efficiencies than other guys on here because I prefer the convenience and consistency of a double grind from my LHBS, and don't mind an extra 2 dollars or so in grain/grinding fee, also one less piece of equipment, no dust..... Also, I find that most recipes here give me plenty to fill my fermenter where I want it to slightly under fill a 5 gallon keg without wasting beer, and while my LHBS will deliver fractional weight costs, seems easier for everyone to use whole numbers on grain bills. Consistency more important than getting highest effieicency in my opinion. Other than that, congratulations, on your rig! Seems it should mash just fine. Hope it's not too hard to clean.

 

[Tommydee]

Never mind, I see now you have plans to buy a mill, so you should be all set. I can see where if my LHBS was not so convenient, it makes sense for many guys to buy and store bulk grain, then mill when ready to brew.