Easy Stovetop All-Grain Brewing (with pics)

[Justibone]

The reason people have the big AG set-ups is to use the grain bed to filter the wort. Also, they get more efficiency, and also an easier (if not simpler) brew day. The big systems are good for a lot of things, and one of those things is controlling the amount of trub left over.

If you are brewing 5 or 6 gallon batches, or especially 10 gallon batches, this is a good way to do it. You have less efficiency than the full set-ups, perhaps, but it works well. When you lose half a gallon to trub, that's not as big a deal as when you are making only 2 or 2.5 gallons and you lose half a gallon.

Theoretically, if your mesh bag was fine enough, you could capture more particulates, etc. Also, if you can whirlpool efficiently you might save yourself some trub... but if you brew in a bag, you pay the price in trub.

If someone knows of a solution to this, please, share it.

 

[NYCBrewGuy]

So brew-in-a-bag results in more trub? I've never heard that. I've only done BIAB so I have no frame of reference... I always figured that the grain and strainer bag was acting as a filter just as much as in a normal MLT.

If you are thinking that no-sparge is the culprit then maybe you can modify your method. For example, mash in a pot with a bag. After the mash is complete, move the bag to a bottling bucket. Sparge as normal recirculating the wart and then with 170 degree water. I don't see why this would lead to any more proteins.

 

[Justibone]

I don't know why it does either, but it does.

Other people have said so in this thread as well.

 

[Sublime8365]

I'm fairly new to brewing but want to get into all grain as soon as possible. Since I really like experimenting and like a variety of different beers, I'm interested in small batch brewing - around 2.5 gallons. I'm also interested in this method because my current brewpot is only 5 gallons, which is fine for partial boils on extract kits but won't cut it for 5 gallon all grain boils obviously. I feel this stovetop method would be a good way to start all grain because it's less of an investment (less equipment and all). So I'd just need to get another pot of equal (maybe even smaller) size than what I have and a bag.

Would this increased about of trub prevent this method from being worthwhile? Does this decrease the efficiency or is it just considered "beer lost" because of the volume? I would bump it up to 3 gallons to account for that if it were the case.

 

[electronjunkie]

I'm fairly new to brewing but want to get into all grain as soon as possible. Since I really like experimenting and like a variety of different beers, I'm interested in small batch brewing - around 2.5 gallons. I'm also interested in this method because my current brewpot is only 5 gallons, which is fine for partial boils on extract kits but won't cut it for 5 gallon all grain boils obviously. I feel this stovetop method would be a good way to start all grain because it's less of an investment (less equipment and all). So I'd just need to get another pot of equal (maybe even smaller) size than what I have and a bag.

Would this increased about of trub prevent this method from being worthwhile? Does this decrease the efficiency or is it just considered "beer lost" because of the volume? I would bump it up to 3 gallons to account for that if it were the case.

My trub amount seems to be proportional to the amount of beer I am brewing and mainly the grainbill. If you do a small 2.5gal batch of barley wine vs a 5gal Bitter, you are going to wind up with much more trub as a percentage of beer in the barleywine than in the bitter. Also if you don't put your hops in a muslin bag (I use my grain bag) the amount of trub in the kettle is greatly increased as well in my experience.

I have not experienced this trub problem and I love BIAB. I wash my yeast and reuse it and don't have a problem with the trub there either. I do gravities of around 1.055-1.065 though, no barleywines or really high gravity stuff.

I usually get around 70% efficiency using DB's method. I have gotten as high as 80% in smaller beers but I try not to go that high b/c of fear of tannin extraction.

You probably do get more trub than a traditional AG method b/c the grain can be used to filter, but man is my brewday easy just having to clean out a bag. Just adjust your recipe accordingly and top off with water if you can. I would probably avoid doing barleywines with BIAB as has been stated earlier in this thread (1.100 OG)

 

[Justibone]

For my small batches, I've had more luck doing partial mashes. Really, if you think about it, the only difference between using DME and 2-row is essentially 1) cost and 2) trub. There's nothing magical about brewing with only grain (and no extract)... unless you think there is something magical about it. As for me, I've done AG with BIAB, I can do it any time I want, but now I'm "regressing" to partial mash because it suits my 1) brewstyle 2) equipment and 3) slow drinking.

BIAB is a great technique; I've done it and I'm glad for it... but it is not Excalibur the Dragon Slayer. There is a downside -- only one, that I've seen so far, but there you go.

So, that's why I've been writing these posts, to let people know what the tradeoff is. Like the other poster said, if you make an AG barleywine with BIAB, be prepared to lose a fair bit of the beer. If you just adjust your fermentor volume up to make up for the loss, then no foul, but it is a tradeoff you have to make, and it's better to make it with your eyes open.

That's my point.

 

[Xcorpia]

Hey DeathBrewer:

I'm sure you're tired of hearing this, but you are so freaking awesome. Thanks for this great post!

 

[Chaostar]

I am about to do my first AG using this method and I'm a little worried about the recommended sparge volume I got from BrewPal

Here's the recipe:

6# 2-row
1# Pilsen
0.75# Chrystal 60

0.5oz Warrior 60min
0.25oz Amarillo 20min
0.5oz Amarillo 5min
0.5oz Columbus

Wyeast 3522 Ardennes

I plugged it into the Brew Pal app and it's calling for a 3 gallon strike, which seems alright but a 7 quart sparge. Doesn't sound right to me but it is coming out to about 3.5 Gallon pre-boil.

My question is should I use more like 2-3 gallons to sparge and boil for a long time to bring it down to the 3.5 gallons, disregarding the software suggestions, and then add the hops and boil for the normal hour or so? I would be taking a hydro reading after the sparge and before the hop additions to add some DME if needed.

Just looking for some advice and assurance if this would work from more experienced brewers on here. Thanks

 

[Valcarde]

I did two batches using this method this weekend, and I have to say, I'm looking forward to more all-grain batches in the future. I don't feel intimidated by the amount of gear needed anymore

 

[ErieShores]

Is there any way, or has anyone ever used the first wort hopping technique with this method? I have been interested to use it, but unsure how to do it.

 

[agenthucky]

Is there any way, or has anyone ever used the first wort hopping technique with this method? I have been interested to use it, but unsure how to do it.

The equivalent process to FWH would be to add them to the kettle once your mash is done. If you transfer your BIAB mash to a different kettle to boil you can add them to that kettle, and transfer the warm mash on top of the hops. If you don't transfer, you can throw them in the mash once the grains are pulled out, and let them sit while you rinse (sparge) the grains. Just let them heat up with the wort.

You can always add them to the mash too!

 

[EdMerican]

Just a heads up to everyone, I used a grain bag for steeping and got a bit impatient while heating my strike water. Bottom of the pot got hot enough that it melted my bag. So while it's unlikely to melt the bag, impatience can lead to disaster. (I don't have a strainer )

 

[agenthucky]

Just a heads up to everyone, I used a grain bag for steeping and got a bit impatient while heating my strike water. Bottom of the pot got hot enough that it melted my bag. So while it's unlikely to melt the bag, impatience can lead to disaster. (I don't have a strainer )

To everyone who is talking about heating the kettle with the grains in there, this is another reason to use precise calculation to make everything happen on the fly, rather than the lazier approach of mixing steps

 

[Golddiggie]

I did two batches using this method this weekend, and I have to say, I'm looking forward to more all-grain batches in the future. I don't feel intimidated by the amount of gear needed anymore

That's what I love about the BiaB method... All you need are large enough pots, and a good way to heat the wort up... Both are easy to resolve... Since going to full batch boil sizes, I've come to realize I need to get a propane burner. After talking with the LL last night, it appears that he's not going to be a ******* and be ok with me using the porch (by my gas grill) to boil (I'll get blocks to protect the porch flooring)... I do need larger pots though, since the 20 quart pretty much maxes out around 12-13 pounds of grain... I still have some room left in the main pot (32 quart), but I need to be able to sparge... Going out today to get a larger pot to use. Planning either a 60 or 80 quart, with a steamer basket (to hold the grain bag)... Should be able to do full batch mashes then, or at least be able to mash my large brews... Getting the large pot mostly due to a planned 10 gallon batch in two weekends.

Suffice to say, BiaB is super-apartment dwelling friendly. Especially if you have a smaller place.

 

[bovineblitz]

I did a BIAB recently and had an issue with mash temperature... the heat wasn't well distributed and it seemed that the temp dropped very quickly, requiring me to directly heat a few times which is hard to control... that of course led to more poor heat distribution.

Any tips?

 

[agenthucky]

I did a BIAB recently and had an issue with mash temperature... the heat wasn't well distributed and it seemed that the temp dropped very quickly, requiring me to directly heat a few times which is hard to control... that of course led to more poor heat distribution.

Any tips?

I've had better days than others as far as maintaining mash temps go. As far as distribution of heat, you need to mix, mix, mix. Unfortunatly, this cools the mash. DB has a good suggestion of filling the kettle to the max, reducing the head space, as that is what cools fastest. He also has a few other tips of layering a towl or blanket around it, and putting a pillow on top (believe it or not, the pillow gets very warm, which helps reduce the heat loss).

A riskier method of maintaining heat which I have been trying as of lately is keeping the burner on low if I need heat, and to prevent the heat loss. This is a double edged sword, the coil for the burner heats the bottom of the pan more so than the top, lots of stirring are required. This cools off the top of the pan though, so there is a fine medium you need to get to to heat/keep heat of your mash. This requires a little practice, you will go too high, and you will not go high enough. Practice makes perfect.

 

[Golddiggie]

Wrap the pot in reflective insulation also helps... I did that to my 32 quart aluminum pot and heat loss from the sides went way down. I plan on doing that for any pots I mash in, and probably boil in too. If possible, put either a false bottom, or colander under the grain bag. Then it should be safe to apply low heat to the pot, to either maintain the temp, or get it back into the range you need. The false bottom would probably be the best bet, since it should cover the entire bottom of the pot...

I found that mixing from low in the pot helps keep temperatures even throughout... Just only get into it when you need to...

 

[djt17]

I did a BIAB recently and had an issue with mash temperature... the heat wasn't well distributed and it seemed that the temp dropped very quickly, requiring me to directly heat a few times which is hard to control... that of course led to more poor heat distribution.

Any tips?

Mix well; then wrap the kettle in an old sleeping bag. I only lose a couple of degrees this way.

 

[ErieShores]

The equivalent process to FWH would be to add them to the kettle once your mash is done. If you transfer your BIAB mash to a different kettle to boil you can add them to that kettle, and transfer the warm mash on top of the hops. If you don't transfer, you can throw them in the mash once the grains are pulled out, and let them sit while you rinse (sparge) the grains. Just let them heat up with the wort.

You can always add them to the mash too!

Thanks, I do use two vessels, I'll probably throw them in the wort from the first kettle that gets added to the boil kettle. Sound right?

 

[Bishop916]

I leave the burner on low-medium, place the pot like maybe 1/4 to 1/3 on the burner, and watch the temps; when the temps drop a bit on the surface (where the floating thermometer is) stir - this will bring the temps back up to where they need to be. Usually a few sloshes and stirs will keep things even for the hour long mash

 

[gak27]

I did a BIAB recently and had an issue with mash temperature... the heat wasn't well distributed and it seemed that the temp dropped very quickly, requiring me to directly heat a few times which is hard to control... that of course led to more poor heat distribution.

Any tips?

I take one of the racks out of the oven, put the other rack in the lowest slot, and turn the oven on to 170F. My mash stays right on temp this way. Your oven may require a different temp setting -- I check the mash temp and stir the mash every 15 minutes to make sure it's steady.

 

[phishfood]

:Snip:
Theoretically, if your mesh bag was fine enough, you could capture more particulates, etc. Also, if you can whirlpool efficiently you might save yourself some trub... but if you brew in a bag, you pay the price in trub.

If someone knows of a solution to this, please, share it.

I use a method similar to this exclusively. I heat my water in my single pot, transfer to a cooler, mash in a bag, then heat water and sparge in the same single pot.

I too noticed the large amounts of trub in my fermentors. So I have started leaving the wort to settle in the kettle for an hour or so once I am done cooling, and then draining it through the bottom spigot on my kettle. The intake for this spigot is probably an inch from the bottom of the kettle, and most of the trub gets left behind. On smaller batches, I have to tilt the kettle to get the last of the clean wort out.

Doing this has left me with less than half of the cake in the bottom of the fermentor than previously.

 

[Golddiggie]

I use a method similar to this exclusively. I heat my water in my single pot, transfer to a cooler, mash in a bag, then heat water and sparge in the same single pot.

I too noticed the large amounts of trub in my fermentors. So I have started leaving the wort to settle in the kettle for an hour or so once I am done cooling, and then draining it through the bottom spigot on my kettle. The intake for this spigot is probably an inch from the bottom of the kettle, and most of the trub gets left behind. On smaller batches, I have to tilt the kettle to get the last of the clean wort out.

Doing this has left me with less than half of the cake in the bottom of the fermentor than previously.

I actually noticed a marked decrease in trub once I went to the BIAB method, and also started using the nylon hop bags. The nylon mesh for the grain bags, I'm using, is tight enough that you get no visible particles from the grain into the wort. Same from the hop bags. I draw those tight enough that no hops escape from them. The hop sludge can't escape, to the point that I need to really work to extract liquid from the hop bags while cooling the wort down, so that I get the most out of them. I've gotten to the point where I use one bag for each hop addition (time span) just to make it easier. Means no need to open the hop bag up to add the flavor, and/or aroma hops.

I have heard of larger mesh sized grain bags, but I've not seen them yet. Where I get my grains, currently, crushes them to .039", which could be another factor. At this point, even when I do get my own grain mill (in on the MA/CT grain buy :rockin: ) I'll probably start at that same crush size. For my last three AG batches, I've been getting 78%-82% efficiencies. No real need for me to try and get higher rates. As long as I continue to get the same rate range, I'll be happy (understanding that sometimes it could go outside that range)...

 

[wiescins]

RE: Hop Trub

I just toss the pellets in the kettle during the boil, then after cooling run the wort through a screen. It is a pretty fine screen (it came with and fits into my funnel) and gets all the hop particles out while aerating as well.

Are there any drawbacks of doing it this way?

 

[snazo]

subb'd for later

 

[Justibone]

RE: Hop Trub

I just toss the pellets in the kettle during the boil, then after cooling run the wort through a screen. It is a pretty fine screen (it came with and fits into my funnel) and gets all the hop particles out while aerating as well.

Are there any drawbacks of doing it this way?

My understanding is that, as long as your screen isn't getting too clogged, or if it getting clogged doesn't interrupt your process, then it's a good way to go. Some people have experienced the filter clogging up the funnel after a little bit, so if that's not a problem for you, then it sounds like you have a winner.

 

[wiescins]

My understanding is that, as long as your screen isn't getting too clogged, or if it getting clogged doesn't interrupt your process, then it's a good way to go. Some people have experienced the filter clogging up the funnel after a little bit, so if that's not a problem for you, then it sounds like you have a winner.

Filter does clog, but we have 2 and just swap them when brewing extra hoppy beers.

 

[agenthucky]

Filter does clog, but we have 2 and just swap them when brewing extra hoppy beers.

I do the same thing, and with my brewing spoon I just mix the funnel and it starts draining it. It takes a while, but it gets all of the hops. I don't see a decline in trub though, I still get a hefty amount

 

[tknice]

Filter does clog, but we have 2 and just swap them when brewing extra hoppy beers.

Same thing happens to me so I usually sanitize a bucket and put a disposable paint strainer over it, then just drain and toss.

Seems to work much better than the funnel screen, especially for well hopped batches.

 

[brewtiem]

Thank you DB! You inspired me to do a half batch of all grain. Previously I have only done two other batches, both extract. I mashed in my oven, hit 153° for an hour! 1.050 OG...(^_^) Vienna/hallertau.