Can I use pillow casing as my brewing bag?

[Ali01]

I can't get a brewing bag, cheese cloth or paint strainer in my town, can I use pillow casing? On a pillow casing the holes are way thinner than a brewing bag, how will that affect the wort?

 

[odie]

yes it will work. Any bag that will hold grain and drain water will work.

 

[shoengine]

I'd suggest Wilser. They ship, and are not expensive. And you never have to be concerned about it being washed and dried with fabric softener.

 

[Ali01]

yes it will work. Any bag that will hold grain and drain water will work.

Thanksi just thought that it would reduce the body to a great extent

 

[balrog]

as long as the weave is fine enough to capture most of the ground/milled grain, bits and flour, it will work fine.

 

[odie]

I'd suggest Wilser. They ship, and are not expensive. And you never have to be concerned about it being washed and dried with fabric softener.

I think he might have customs issues.

 

[shoengine]

I think he might have customs issues.

Maybe, but I wasn't assuming.

 

[shoengine]

I get your point. However I'm not going to treat any individual on this board any different than anyone else.

Unless they are a LODO brewer.

 

[mac_1103]

I'm not going to treat any individual on this board any different than anyone else.

While I appreciate the egalitarian spirit, in this case the OP is seeking advice about how to make due given the lack of availability in his country of things that most of us have the luxury of taking for granted.

 

[shoengine]

While I appreciate the egalitarian spirit, in this case the OP is seeking advice about how to make due given the lack of availability in his country of things that most of us have the luxury of taking for granted.

That was never stated, it was inferred.

I never said a pillowcase couldn't work, I just offered an alternative. Why is this such a big deal?

 

[mac_1103]

I never said a pillowcase couldn't work, I just offered an alternative. Why is this such a big deal?

It's not a big deal, but the OP clearly knows what a brewing bag is. He says he can't get one. So how is it helpful to tell him to get a brewing bag?

 

[odie]

let's not be ugly Americans...

 

[mac_1103]

Well, I am an American and I really can't do much about the way I look.

 

[hotbeer]

Most anything can be used. Of course you want it to be able to let water pass. I bought some nylon fabric to make a bag with. It was so tight a weave that it wouldn't let water into the bag much less out of the bag. So I had to dump the bag and resort to a more typical mash that I poured through a large strainer at it's end.

I've long thought a leg from a pair of panty hose would work real well. However my wife hasn't worn panty hose or nylon stockings in quite a while. For a five gallon batch you might need both legs!

Your only other considerations are probably how much water the fabric itself will hold if you use a thick material. And also what dyes may have been used in it.

 

[seatazzz]

More than likely the weave in fabric used for sheets or pillowcases is too fine to allow the wort to drain. If there is a fabric store in your area see if they carry a fabric called voile, it is used mainly in women's clothing. Cheesecloth can also be used, although the weave is usually very loose, and two to three layers might be better. Cotton muslin (which may be more available in your country), preferably unbleached, will also work better than a pillowcase.

 

[Beermeister32]

Brewers have been dodging the law for many years. I think I’d try a 5 gallon paint strainer bag. Available at most lumber yards.

 

[Beermeister32]

You might need 2 of them depending on mash size. I use 2 regular brewing bags all the time to keep the weight manageable.

 

[MikeCo]

I think a pillow case would work fine, but it would need more than just hosing off for cleaning and wouldn't last as long as a purpose-made brew bag.

 

[odie]

any fabric will work...just some will drain very very slowy and some will let too much grain and silt thru.

the trick is to find a fabric that balances the two.

the OP could just go to a place that sells fabric, or curtains or a local tailor or dress shop and see what he might find. bed sheets come in various qualities and thread counts.

but going to a paint store and see if they have strainer bags might be the easiest option.

 

[Malticulous]

There are many ways to make a mash tun.

 

[InspectorJon]

If there is a fabric store in your area see if they carry a fabric called voile, it is used mainly in women's clothing.

This cloth is also used to make shear (see through) curtains/drapes.

Check this out if you’re inclined to try and make your own bag: Make the Best BIAB Bag | lukasholenweg.com

 

[IslandLizard]

There are many ways to make a mash tun.

And it doesn't need to contain a (polyester or nylon) voile bag to separate or drain the wort from the grain (this is called lautering).

I don't think cotton or even linen (pillowcase, bag) will hold up for long, the fibers will start to fray or break with use, compromising the weave.

 

[MaxStout]

Another vote for voile fabric. A pillowcase might clog up with mash debris, making the vorlauf difficult. Voile has a more open weave. Hold it up to the light. If you see tiny pinpoints of light shining through it should work. If you don't want to sew it into a bag you can simply use it to line a colander or a bucket with holes drilled in the bottom.

 

[Yeast Farmer]

Just check to make sure water can drain through the pillowcase first. I tried to use a pillowcase to strain a moonshine mash years ago, and that mf'er was waterproof. I was standing there holding a 40 pound sack of fermented mash, and not a drop would come out.

 

[Broken Crow]

I'm gonna add my vote to @Malticulous 's suggestion to make a mash tun. It can be as simple as drilling a lot of tiny holes in a PET bucket like a lot of folk did 30-odd years ago and those buckets are about as common in Iran as anywhere else. I wouldn't trust a pillowcase to remain viable for long if it is even up to the task... plus, you never know what the fabric may have been treated with.

 

[belgabrewing]

I can't get a brewing bag, cheese cloth or paint strainer in my town, can I use pillow casing? On a pillow casing the holes are way thinner than a brewing bag, how will that affect the wort?

A pillow case will work just fine. It will take a bit of extra time for the wort to drain so I would suggest a way to suspend the heavy wort and grain filled bag until it drains as much as possible.

 

[InspectorJon]

A lot of people are saying that a pillowcase will work. I wonder if anybody has actually tried it. I know it’s not the same thing, but I poured my post boil wart from a big stout through a paint strainer once. I wanted to get as much trub out as possible. it completely plug the paint strainer, and nothing would flow through it

 

[Brew_Dude41]

Well, I am an American and I really can't do much about the way I look.

Never stopped a Kardashian...

Plastic surgery can work wonders for you my friend.

 

[Zambezi Special]

Never tried a pillow case, although I tried straining yoghurt through one and that tool forever.
Assuming you have a pillow case , why not crush some grain, let it steep for a while and try?
My first biab bag came with a kit and was actually just some mutton cloth. It worked well enough, but more difficult to clean. Maybe that's an option?

 

[RM-MN]

A lot of people are saying that a pillowcase will work. I wonder if anybody has actually tried it. I know it’s not the same thing, but I poured my post boil wart from a big stout through a paint strainer once. I wanted to get as much trub out as possible. it completely plug the paint strainer, and nothing would flow through it

There are differences in paint strainer bags weave. I had a pair from a big box store that worked well. I replaced them with ones from a different big box store when the first pair wore out and were no longer stocked at the first store. These were a tighter weave and take longer to drain.