Biab

[hamrd]

I'm gonna try Biab this weekend, sparge or no sparge any thoughts

 

[Mysticmead]

if you have a large enough pot go with a full volume no sparge... UNLESS you plan on making a big beer, then do a dunk sparge to get all the sugars

 

[LVBen]

Depends on your recipe. If you need higher efficiency, then sparge.

 

[thughes]

My only addition to Mystic's advice would be to do a 10 minute mash-out and stir like hell as you are raising to mash-out temp, brought my eff way up once i started doing that. Let us know how it goes.

 

[FastAndy]

BIAB is great, it makes good beer. I have had some success lately by putting my grain bag in my bottling bucket and sparging in there. It makes kind of a ghetto MLT using the grain bag and spigot in place of a manifold or false bottom.

Cheers.

 

[hamrd]

thanks!! I have a 10 gal pot so I think I will no sparge, but might try some variations next time

 

[wolfman_48442]

My only addition to Mystic's advice would be to do a 10 minute mash-out and stir like hell as you are raising to mash-out temp, brought my eff way up once i started doing that. Let us know how it goes.

+1

Also, if you can, have whoever is milling your grain do a double crush. Efficiency will also go way up. I seem to be getting 82-86 percent on my last few.

 

[Mysticmead]

+1

Also, if you can, have whoever is milling your grain do a double crush. Efficiency will also go way up. I seem to be getting 82-86 percent on my last few.

+1 to this... double milling from your LHBS or milling it just past where you got scared when doing it yourself.

 

[Germelli1]

I brewed in a bag for a few batches while I was at school in my apartment (old as dirt stove and can't store propane there). I crushed my grains in my blender which gave a very inconsistant crush but got the job done. It was a partial mash and I had a lot of extract on hand so I wasn't too worried about efficiency haha. Ended up coming a little short in the no sparge method but about 80% of a 1 pound bag of DME (aka whatever was left after a few yeast starters) brought it to exactly where I wanted it!

 

[MazdaMatt]

I like to pull the bag out and drop it into a bucket with water prepared so that the mashed grains and water will come up to 170... sort of a dunk sparge/mashout.

I'm no expert, but it seems to work nicely. OCD would NOT allow me to throw out grains that I KNOW contain more delicious sugar-water.

My next batch will be 15L for mashing, 15L for sparge/mashout. I have two pots that are large enough, but I've done it before by just putting the sparge water in my bottling bucket after heating it on the stove in multiple small pots.

 

[Psych]

I second the stirring lots going to the mashout temp. Stir stir stir! I'd personally suggest doing a dunk sparge in your bottling bucket as well, it's easy, doesn't need to be any certain temp or anything, just rinse the sugars off the grain without overshooting your water. Kinda goes against BIAB but I think it gives a few points at least.

Stirring is huge though, I hit 80% without a problem last time with lots of stirring and no sparging at all, not even a teabag sparge in the wort. I did squeeze the bag though.