Does the color of the voile cloth in BIAB matter?

[msa8967]

Does the color of the voile cloth in BIAB matter? I have made these from white cloth/voile in the past but I wondered if using a yellow or beige or tan color would matter? I always boil and then wash the BIAB sacks prior to their first use.

 

[1977Brewer]

I'm 90% certain that polyester won't leach dye, but I'd test boil before I tried to mash in it.

 

[doug293cz]

If you stick with white, then you don't have to worry about whether any dye will leach or not. KISS.

Brew on

 

[msa8967]

It is more of a curious question. Is there a dye added to make these stay white..?

 

[doug293cz]

It is more of a curious question. Is there a dye added to make these stay white..?

No, the "white" yarn filaments are actually colorless and transparent. Light scattering makes the cloth look white.

Brew on

 

[soccerdad]

Can voile be dyed in 'shrooms?

 

[emwinna]

It is more of a curious question. Is there a dye added to make these stay white..?

They'll be bleached. Some people get weird about that stuff. I don't know if it would make a difference.

If you're concerned about imparting flavors, odors, or chemicals, strip your fabric by boiling it in some water with vinegar in it. It smells terrible, but dissipates quickly, and the vinegar odor shouldn't remain after the fabric is dry. The acid should loosen any kind of coating that might come off in a mash.

Lots of cotton and cotton-blend fabric sold in a fabric store will have some kind of sizing applied, which helps keep the fabric looking nice on the bolt. It's a good idea to wash well in hot water if you want to use it for food purposes. I personally would stick with unbleached muslin as it's ridiculously cheap.

 

[doug293cz]

They'll be bleached. Some people get weird about that stuff. I don't know if it would make a difference.

If you're concerned about imparting flavors, odors, or chemicals, strip your fabric by boiling it in some water with vinegar in it. It smells terrible, but dissipates quickly, and the vinegar odor shouldn't remain after the fabric is dry. The acid should loosen any kind of coating that might come off in a mash.

Lots of cotton and cotton-blend fabric sold in a fabric store will have some kind of sizing applied, which helps keep the fabric looking nice on the bolt. It's a good idea to wash well in hot water if you want to use it for food purposes. I personally would stick with unbleached muslin as it's ridiculously cheap.

Polyester is a synthetic polymer. It is naturally clear, so no need to bleach it. Most voile brew bags are polyester. If you're using cotton, then if it's white, it's probably bleached.

Brew on

 

[emwinna]

Polyester is a synthetic polymer. It is naturally clear, so no need to bleach it. Most voile brew bags are polyester. If you're using cotton, then if it's white, it's probably bleached.



Brew on

OP said they made their own, so I assumed purchased voile fabric. Voile is, strictly speaking - at least in fabric terms - cotton or cotton blend. Some does contain poly.

 

[Black Island Brewer]

OP said they made their own, so I assumed purchased voile fabric. Voile is, strictly speaking - at least in fabric terms - cotton or cotton blend. Some does contain poly.

The only white viole I found when making my bag was 100% polyester, but the colored ones were cotton or cotton blend.

 

[Thedutchtouch]

no, color wont matter. mine started white, and is now tan. i don't bother doing anything more than rinsing it out afterward and drying it, then shake out any husk stragglers. it's pre-boil and there's dirtier/grosser stuff in/on your grain.

 

[Inkleg]

Does the color of the voile cloth in BIAB matter?

Yes, you need to use white for lighter colored beers and dark voile for dark beers.

 

[msa8967]

I bought some new voile cloth (white) and decided to boil the cloth and ended up with some gray leeching out of the white cloth so I will boil all of these in the future.