First BIAB. Overall well, few issues

[pricelessbrewing]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f67/nut-brown-ag-30187/#post297276
Just brewed this today, first ag (biab). Og was about 1.062, ending up around 4.8G.

Had to do two 2.5g batches on the stove top, one after the other into a single 6g bucket, then hydrated and pitched the yeast.



Issues:
first mash the bag slipped, I had to pour and filter it out with my other bag into 5 different pots then recombine into the main pot. Temp probably dropped down to like 140~, and had to heat back up to boil which took awhile.
First boil was fine, no boil overs.
First chill, immersion chiller leaked a couple drops a minute at the connection point between tube and pipe. Need to get proper hose clamps and/or twist the pipe so that the connection point extends past the edge of the pot more.

Did not whirlpool, or let sit after chilling. Just poured over another bag to filter everything out.

Second mash was fine, temp dropped two degrees and held the there.

Second boil I tried to straddle two burners on my stove, both only covered by about 60% or so.

Second chill, twisted the pipe a little bit to get the drops to fall on stove instead. However the tube got really hot it seems and started to become visibly malleable, the weight and tension of the tubing itself seemed to be deforming it. I cut it off and turned it away from the stove.
Will take pics tomorrow of tube ending and chiller for suggestions.

Did not whirlpool, or let sit after chilling. Just poured over another bag to filter everything out.

Questions:how do you all get the grains out of the bag? Just flip inside out onto garbage? Do you bother with the small bits, or just leave it? Wash in washing machine, or let it go since the wort will be boiled?

Should I worry about the vinyl tubing, or just adjust the copper to get the tubing out of the way of direct heat?
Not sure if damaged from conduction with copper, or convection of hot air and thermal radiation.

How much starsan do you keep stored long term, and how? Fill a 6g bucket, or do you only use a smaller amount at any time?

Downsides to using bag to filter instead of whirl pooling and siphoning?

How does everyone measure out their water volumes? I'll probably do the acid etching inner volume markings that was posted recently, but I think I'll wait to do that. For now I've been filling a fermentation bucket than pouring into the kettle.

 

[BargainFittings]

Sounds like a busy brew day.

When I did biab I would flip my bag inside out and rinse it out well and air dry. Give it a hard flip outside when dry and the little bits will let go.

Get some of the braided vinyl tubing and that should take care of most of those issues.

For starsan I use RO water and store 5 gallons in a bucket or keg. I keep reusing it for months.

Nor real downside to the bag filtering other than the particle size it will filter out.

I use a sight gauge on my HLT. When I first started I used my stainless spoon and etched marks on it.

 

[aartdouglass]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f67/nut-brown-ag-30187/#post297276
How does everyone measure out their water volumes? I'll probably do the acid etching inner volume markings that was posted recently, but I think I'll wait to do that. For now I've been filling a fermentation bucket than pouring into the kettle.

I use an aluminum yardstick from the hardware store. I calibrated it using known volumes in my 5 gal SS pot. I plotted the volume as a function of the height of the water in the pot, used Microsoft excel to get the equation of the regression line, and use that now to determine volumes pretty accurately.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

Yea it was pretty busy, started around 4 and didn't pitch till around 11.
Once I tried the double burner, I realized I got a much more vigorous boil. I think I'll see just how much volume I can get to boil at once. I think I should be able to get around 4G, maybe 4.5 G to boil. In which case I might just start going 4G batches instead of trying to split them.

What do people do with the extra hops and yeast though when they scale down, since most lhbs only have 1 oz packages?

Braided vinyl tubing has the same "maximum working temp" of 175F. Only one side was noticeable affected by the heat, and was directly above the back burner which was only about half covered. I'll try to adjust so both are extended up and away from the burners first, before I replace the tubing.

 

[BargainFittings]

Thicker tubing will take longer to sag. Keeping the heat off it is the best idea.

 

[smyrnaquince]

What do people do with the extra hops and yeast though when they scale down, since most lhbs only have 1 oz packages?

I just use the full package/vial of yeast.

If you are brewing again within a few weeks (couple of months?) you can just keep the leftover hops in the freezer.

The other alternative I've been exploring is to use more hops, but boil for less time, to get the same IBU.

Also remember that the original recipe used an ounce of hops because they come in ounce increments. You can usually adjust the amount of hops a bit one way or the other and still be in style, just not have the same IBU as the original recipe.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

Thanks for all the suggestions.
Been almost 48 hours now, and no bubbles in airlock. Bad yeast?

 

[DonH]

Thanks for all the suggestions.
Been almost 48 hours now, and no bubbles in airlock. Bad yeast?

are you controlling the temp? or did you simply place it somewhere dark?

 

[pricelessbrewing]

It's in the basement right now, 62-64. I'll check again tonight when I get home, hopefully it's just starting a little slow from the temp.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

Okay so there's still no airlock activity.
should i keep waiting?
Go buy more yeast?
Open and check for krausen?
Open and measure gravity?

 

[RM-MN]

Okay so there's still no airlock activity.
should i keep waiting?
Go buy more yeast?
Open and check for krausen?
Open and measure gravity?

Check for krausen. You might not even need to open the fermenter. A strong light on the backside should show through enough to see the level of the wort and any krausen above that line. If not, sure, open it up to see. If there is no krausen, add yeast. If you have evidence of krausen, take a gravity sample while you have the fermenter open.