BIAB Virgin...Have a few Qs

[BeerAddikt]

I finally bought a kettle large enough to do 5 gallon BIAB and I'm stoked, but I have a few questions as I'm about to embark on my first all grain experience (brewing an Azacca Single Hop Pale Ale).

- Is it OK to place the bag in the kettle prior to adding and heating my strike water? Do I need to worry about the bag getting burnt or damaged at the bottom by the flame's direct contact with kettle? And would it be a good idea to use an upside-down stainless steel colander on the bottom to protect the mesh bag from the direct heating (I've read about people doing this)?

- Do you recommend direct heat or adding near boiling H20 to raise temp to different rest levels, and will a colander help with direct heating?

- Sparge or no sparge? I figure I can't go wrong either way but I'm curious what's more common.

As always, thanks for any tips or advice.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I would heat your strike water, then add the bag and grain once temp is reached. Then wrap the kettle with insulation, a blanket or old coat for the mash rest.

You can add a colander or false bottom if you wish, but I don't feel it is mandatory. You can add boiling water to adjust temps, or apply low heat with constant stirring to make small adjustments. I wouldn't bother with step mashes or mashing out, JMO.

If done properly, you shouldn't need to add heat during the mash.

Try a sparge if you like, try full volume. Up to you if the potential slight increase in efficiency is worth the effort.

 

[BeerAddikt]

Thank you much wilserbrewer...buying one of your bags is on my to-do list. My kettle will be arriving next week and you should be receiving my order shortly thereafter.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Lots of opinions out there, many successful ways to go about it.

I would like to add since it is winter time, if your mashing outside in cold temps, don't try and mash at 149, but rather anticipate a temp drop and start a few degrees higher. I like to think of mashing as a temperature range, and not a single digit....that's not reality in my experience

If 152 is your goal, try and mash in at 154 and you'll finish at 150....rdwhahb

Don't get all tense and rigid with your mash temp, anticipate what your equipment and weather will do and work with it as best you can.

 

[hottpeper13]

Make sure you check the pH,it is much higher when doing full volume. I do 1.5:1 qts to lb ratio so my pH stays the same as my mash tun and then add 190* mash out liquor stir and pull the bag. This is just what I do , mainly because I have a HLT and switched to BIAB for 5 gal batches. Small beers are hard to do in a 62qt mash tun. If you want to heat the kettle or recirc you should get the screen false bottom I saw somewhere on this site,otherwise you risk melting your sac and that would leave a mark.

 

[eadavis80]

I finally bought a kettle large enough to do 5 gallon BIAB and I'm stoked, but I have a few questions as I'm about to embark on my first all grain experience (brewing an Azacca Single Hop Pale Ale).

- Is it OK to place the bag in the kettle prior to adding and heating my strike water?

That's what I do - I clip three clothes pins to attach the BIAB to the kettle.

Do I need to worry about the bag getting burnt or damaged at the bottom by the flame's direct contact with kettle? And would it be a good idea to use an upside-down stainless steel colander on the bottom to protect the mesh bag from the direct heating (I've read about people doing this)?

I am one of those guys who does this and have never had a scorching problem. It is easy to forget to pull the colander out of the kettle after the mash though. It's pretty much impossible to see and you kind of have to go poking around for it with a big pair of BBQ tongs. I don't know if leaving the colander in during the boil would be a problem, but I always take it out after mashing.

- Do you recommend direct heat or adding near boiling H20 to raise temp to different rest levels, and will a colander help with direct heating?

I go direct heat. I usually use 9-12 pounds of grain and usually do my mash in when my water is around 160 when it's cold outside - 157ish when it's warmer out. I check my temp (and stir) 30 minutes into the mash and usually when the hour is up my mash is around 150, which is good enough enough for me as you're bound to lose a few degrees even with a pile of blankets/towels on the boil kettle during the mash.

- Sparge or no sparge? I figure I can't go wrong either way but I'm curious what's more common.

AFter the mash, I remove the bag, squeeze it and then place it in a steel milk crate which I put on top of the boil kettle. I then gently pour 170 degree water from a plastic pitcher over the grain bag. AFter each gallon or so I push down hard with the plastic pitcher on the grain bag. I heat up my 2-3 gallons of sparge water on my stove in my old 5-gallon kettle at the 30 minute mark of my mash. That way, it's 170 degrees when the mash is over.

As always, thanks for any tips or advice.

Lots of ways to do this, but his works for me, I get pretty good efficiency and it's cheap. Oh, I also add PH stabilizer when I mash in. Many say it does no good, but the first time I used it, my efficiency went up, so at $1.25/batch, I'll stick with it.

 

[PADave]

I finally bought a kettle large enough to do 5 gallon BIAB and I'm stoked, but I have a few questions as I'm about to embark on my first all grain experience (brewing an Azacca Single Hop Pale Ale).

- Is it OK to place the bag in the kettle prior to adding and heating my strike water? Do I need to worry about the bag getting burnt or damaged at the bottom by the flame's direct contact with kettle? And would it be a good idea to use an upside-down stainless steel colander on the bottom to protect the mesh bag from the direct heating (I've read about people doing this)?

I wouldn't do this. Not sure why you would even want to? Heat the water, cut the flame, put in the bag. Simple. The colander would just be another piece of equipment that isn't really necessary.

- Do you recommend direct heat or adding near boiling H20 to raise temp to different rest levels, and will a colander help with direct heating?

Never did different rests, always a single infusion mash. I've had to add heat a few time in the beginning, before I got my system down. I did this by turning on the burner at it's very lowest setting and stirring the mash. Now that things are dialed in, it's heat the strike water, add grains, and I know that my mash temp will be within a degree of the desired temp.

- Sparge or no sparge? I figure I can't go wrong either way but I'm curious what's more common.

I've been thinking of trying a sparge. So far all my brews have been full volume, no sparge. If you are just starting, keep it simple.

As always, thanks for any tips or advice.

 

[RM-MN]

Sparge or no sparge. Adding a sparge step will increase your efficiency but it also adds another step to your process. You aren't a large brewhouse competing with all the other large brewhouses where costs must be contained. Do a no sparge this batch. You can add a sparge step later for the increased efficiency....or just not worry about it.

Probably the best way to do a step mash with BIAB is with decoction as there is zero chance of melting the bag. Adding heat will work but it requires constant stirring to keep the temperature of the mash from becoming stratified and overheating part of the mash. Before you worry about step mashes, do several single infusion mashes and then consider what you will gain by a step mash. You may decide that the step mash isn't very important for your brewing.

 

[NSMikeD]

^^^ this. Full volume single step mash should produce very acceptable results . Until you dial in your own efficiencies, evaporation rates, etc, then step mashing, sparging etc will only complicate matters and make it difficult to determine where you may need to adjust in case you are not getting close enough to the final numbers. Let your grains swim freely in the warm pool. They will like you for it and reward you with tasty beer.

 

[soccerdad]

We sacrifice virgins here so be careful with TMI.

I add the bag when the water is hot. I mash full volume. Try a hundred single immersion mashes before you step. Gavin wrote a good article recently on decoction mash. I hope you can check it out (at AHA's Zymurgy magazine).

 

[BeerAddikt]

Make sure you check the pH,it is much higher when doing full volume. I do 1.5:1 qts to lb ratio so my pH stays the same as my mash tun and then add 190* mash out liquor stir and pull the bag. This is just what I do , mainly because I have a HLT and switched to BIAB for 5 gal batches. Small beers are hard to do in a 62qt mash tun. If you want to heat the kettle or recirc you should get the screen false bottom I saw somewhere on this site,otherwise you risk melting your sac and that would leave a mark.

If I plan to mash at full volume do you recommend I use some 5.2 mash stabilizer? I'm not too keen on getting all fancy with my water treatment, I just want repeatable results.

 

[soccerdad]

5.2 will not help your mash get into the range but it may help stabilize it within the range. Most folks say that it is not worth using. I bought some once but stopped using it after reading on it here. I have a half of a small can that I will send anyone who wants it. Free. Soccerdad's January giveaway.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

I believe it's ajdelange that said something like...

"5.2 works really well for those who don't own a ph meter, doesn't work at all for those that do."

5.2 is all but worthless, and is one of the things I wish were not sold or carried by any homebrewshop.

My recommendation is to either

1. Don't do any chemistry, but DO use a campden table to treat your strike and sparge water for chlorine. 1 tablet is more than sufficient. Give it 10 minute before mashing. I crush a tablet, then split it and add half to strike water as it heats up
2. OR learn enough about it to use Bru'n water, with an accurate water report. Ask your local club, they probably have the necessary info
3. OR build your profile from RO.

 

[PADave]

If I plan to mash at full volume do you recommend I use some 5.2 mash stabilizer? I'm not too keen on getting all fancy with my water treatment, I just want repeatable results.

I use bottled spring water for my brews, because our well water is bad. Always have done full volume mashes, never checked ph, never done anything with water chemistry. Beers have always turned out fine. Water chemistry is something I might get into down the road, but it's down near the bottom of the upgrade list.

 

[BeerAddikt]

Don't do any chemistry, but DO use a campden table to treat your strike and sparge water for chlorine. 1 tablet is more than sufficient. Give it 10 minute before mashing. I crush a tablet, then split it and add half to strike water as it heats up

So you only use half a campden tablet at a time? That would be enough to treat 7-8 gallons of strike water? Do you use the other half in your sparge water?

And does it matter if it's sodium metabisulfite or potassium metabisulfite tablets?

 

[pricelessbrewing]

1 campden tablet will treat 20 gallons for the purpose of chlorine and chloramine. IDK if that's specific to sodium or potassium mbs.

 

[doug293cz]

It's the sulfite that kills the chlorine/chloramine, the sodium or potassium is just there to make the molecule electrically neutral. So, either form of metabisulfite will work equally well.

Brew on