Do you use extra grain for a full volume mash?

[BrewSS]

Noob question, I know. But I've heard conflicting things. Is it necessary to use more grain for BIAB if you're not going to sparge? Does it have a major effect on the beer if you don't?

 

[Jimbodaman]

If you're able to crush your grain very fine than you should have no trouble hitting at least 70% efficiency like I do when I BIAB. Hope that helps cheers

 

[BrewSS]

I just brewed my first batch. I had the grain milled at a brew shop. I didn't use any extra grain, so hopefully it was milled finely enough. I also made a rookie mistake and ended up with 2.75 gallons of wort, rather than my intended 2.5. *Sigh.* I'm learning. I mashed out, so hopefully that helped a little.

Thanks for the response.

 

[Jimbodaman]

What was your grain bill and your starting gravity? If you have those I can tell you your efficiency (online calculators).http://www.brewersfriend.com/brewhouse-efficiency/

 

[Jimbodaman]

It takes a while to hit all your numbers perfectly i.e. volumes and gravities, you have to take good notes to learn your system. 2.75 gallons is likely not even a mistake, if the beer turns out tasty it's just more beer. cheers

 

[pricelessbrewing]

It takes a while to hit all your numbers perfectly i.e. volumes and gravities, you have to take good notes to learn your system. 2.75 gallons is likely not even a mistake, if the beer turns out tasty it's just more beer. cheers

I doesn't have to take awhile if you do some planning.

Use a good piece of software to estimate your mash efficiency, like mine. There's a built in batch sparge efficiency simulator thanks to @doug293cz

Aside from that just take a lot of measurements on your first brew day, and take good notes. If you do that you should be hitting your volume dead on and gravities within a few points. The more notes you take, the better. Record all the things!

 

[FruityHops]

A couple weeks ago I completed my first BIAB session. It was my second brew ever, my first being an extract kit.

I did a 60 minute full volume mash, no sparging. I used crushed grains that I bought from an online vendor and I got about 60% efficiency instead of the 70% I had planned for. Next time I plan to borrow my friend's mill to double-crush the grain and see if I'll get closer to 70% efficiency that way.

 

[austin713]

i used exactly what the all grain recipe called for, did a full volume BIAB mash, and nailed my target preboil SG and volume, as well as my post boil OG. i squeezed the bejesus out of the bag though and used a hop bag.

 

[jpakstis]

My last brew session I hit about 60% efficiency. While my OG was abut 7 points lower than expected, my FG ended up being local to 10 points lower than expected so it worked out in the end.

My plan this go-around is to increase my grain bill slightly and double-crush. The great guys at Home Brew Supply agreed to double-crush my grain bill with no hesitation. Can't wait to brew!

 

[pricelessbrewing]

My last brew session I hit about 60% efficiency. While my OG was abut 7 points lower than expected, my FG ended up being local to 10 points lower than expected so it worked out in the end.

My plan this go-around is to increase my grain bill slightly and double-crush. The great guys at Home Brew Supply agreed to double-crush my grain bill with no hesitation. Can't wait to brew!

If your FG is 10 points, either you pitched a different yeast, had an infection, your mash temp was off a lot, or you used a refractometer.

What happened there?

 

[RM-MN]

A couple weeks ago I completed my first BIAB session. It was my second brew ever, my first being an extract kit.

I did a 60 minute full volume mash, no sparging. I used crushed grains that I bought from an online vendor and I got about 60% efficiency instead of the 70% I had planned for. Next time I plan to borrow my friend's mill to double-crush the grain and see if I'll get closer to 70% efficiency that way.

if you get the grain crushed real fine you may not get closer to 70% efficiency. My first batch hit 80% which is just as far from 70% as the 60% you got. Mill that grain as fine as you can.