I had my first attempt of BIAB brewing last weekend. I used by brew pot on the stove. My main concern is temperature control. It seemed that I couldn't get the temp stable. Either the bottom was too hot or the top too cold. I constantly stirred the mash hoping to mitigate the temp differences. I'm not sure if the constant stirring affected the enzyme processes. Nor am I confident that my temp targets were remotely close. Any suggestions on better temp control on a stove top? (I have an electric with an induction top).
First time BIAB
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I do 5-gal BIAB on my stove. You just need to find the right stove setting and stirring regimen to keep it stable. For me, my 8gal pot will hold steady for at least 15min with no heat since its such a large thermal mass. If I set the stove just barely above the lowest setting with the lid on, it holds it completely stable. The only issue is temperature stratification where it gets cooler at the top. I figure most of the grain is in the middle where it stays more constant, but I give it a good stir every 10min. Usually the reading has dropped by 3-4 degrees but kicks right back up to the mash temp after stirring.
My thermometer is at the edge of the kettle so its probably not entirely accurate, but oh well. I assume the reading immediately after stirring is good. Another option for you would be to insulate your pot with some material so its a better mash tun and maybe removing it before the boil.
With a little practice, you should be able to add your grain to a certain temp strike water, mix well and achieve mash temp. Placing your kettle in a warm oven will help greatly to keep a steady temp.
I've been going the oven route lately. Works like a charm.
Before that I used a sleeping bag, bungee cords and a few towels on the top and bottom to insulate. With no heat added I only lost a couple of degrees in an hour.
Another option, shorten your mash time. Did this with my last batch (30 minutes ) and everything seems to be just hunky dory. The beer tastes great.
You could always grab a cooler and a voile curtain for probably less than $20 and mash in the cooler. I bought a $14.88 48 quart cooler from Home Depot earlier this year and a voile curtain from Wal-Mart for maybe $4.96. I didn't even bother cutting the curtain to fit the cooler. Just line the cooler with the curtain, dump in the water, dump in the grain, and stir. Heat loss looks to be 1 to 2 degrees per hour. I rinse the curtain in the sink and then throw it in the washer. It's a tad bit awkward pouring hot wort into the kettle since there's no valve in the cooler, but it's not that bad. Just a thought.
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All good suggestions IMHO. Stir every 15 min and work with small temp adjustments (I cover with a beach towel). Oven works great if your kettle fits, or go the cooler route.
pricelessbrewing
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Yesterday I left the burner on setting 1-2 and stirred every 10 minutes. Kept temp steady within 1 degree, and should net a couple extra % effec. due to the recirculating mash.
Usually I just throw some sleeping bags and towels over it, and it holds within 2 degrees but the mash way too big (within a quarter inch of the pot top) and I was afraid if I put the lid on it would spill over.
The oven technique sounds effective, but I'm not looking forward to lifting a heavy pot down and back up onto the stovetop. Right now the only thing I have to lift is the grain bag, and that's heavy enough lifting from chest height to up to my hair.
Usually I just throw some sleeping bags and towels over it, and it holds within 2 degrees but the mash way too big (within a quarter inch of the pot top) and I was afraid if I put the lid on it would spill over.
The oven technique sounds effective, but I'm not looking forward to lifting a heavy pot down and back up onto the stovetop. Right now the only thing I have to lift is the grain bag, and that's heavy enough lifting from chest height to up to my hair.
I admit, it can be a challenge to get my kettle in/out of the oven. I usually put it on the oven door on a towel and slide it in.
Why has nobody suggested that you don't need an hour to mash with BIAB. Try half an hour and see what that does to your temperature change and see if you reach your expected OG which would indicate you got sufficient conversion.
I guess I should have suggested a 10 minute mash then.
Nah, I wouldn't suggest that short until I have a few more test batches behind me.:rockin:
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Most ovens have a 'warming' temperature, which is around 170 F. I used to preheat the oven, removing all the shelves, for at least 15 minutes prior to needing it. For higher mash temperatures, I left the oven on for 10 minutes after placing the kettle in. For lower mash temps, I turned the oven off as soon as I placed the kettle in.
Now I am spoiled, my new gas oven has a 'drying' function which allows me to set the temperature for exactly what I want from 120 F to 180 F. It measures 2 degrees high, but who's complaining. I put the pot in at 154 F and it stays at 154 F for the whole time of the mash. :rockin:
Now I am spoiled, my new gas oven has a 'drying' function which allows me to set the temperature for exactly what I want from 120 F to 180 F. It measures 2 degrees high, but who's complaining. I put the pot in at 154 F and it stays at 154 F for the whole time of the mash. :rockin:
teleplucker
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I did my first BIAB, 2 gallon batch this weekend (after about 15 - 1 gallon batches). LHBS crush...40 minute mash...45 minute boil...I hit my numbers almost bang on with 73% efficiency, a touch higher than expected. Mashed in the kettle in the oven, set to 180F, sparged as my kettle is too small to skip that step. It's happily bubbling away in the fermenter as I write this
.Two lessons: (1) I had to make slight adjustments to the stove burner almost constantly to maintain a consistent, rolling boil; (2) an ice bath in the sink worked WAY better than packing snow around the kettle to cool the wort.
I did my first BIAB, 2 gallon batch this weekend (after about 15 - 1 gallon batches). LHBS crush...40 minute mash...45 minute boil...I hit my numbers almost bang on with 73% efficiency, a touch higher than expected. Mashed in the kettle in the oven, set to 180F, sparged as my kettle is to small too skip that step. It's happily bubbling away in the fermenter as I write this
Two lessons: (1) I had to make slight adjustments to the stove burner almost constantly to maintain a consistent, rolling boil; (2) an ice bath in the sink worked WAY better than packing snow around the kettle to cool the wort.
Snow makes a poor cooling agent because you need to keep it in constant contact with the pot. As soon as a little of it melts, there is an air space that insulates the pot from the snow and cooling slows way down. When you set the pot into the sink with an ice bath, the water makes the contact between the pot and the ice. You can do the same with snow if you set your pot into a tub of water and dump snow into the tub to chill the water. I do this quite often since I usually brew from December to March and always have a pile of snow available then.
I checked my oven and its lowest setting is 170, a bit warm for mashing (at least for maltose). So, I ordered a 5-gal water cooler from Target (no shipping!). With tax, about $25. I also got a 5-gal paint strainer that will hopefully fit over the cooler.
No need to keep the oven running while mash is going. Just warm it up, pop the kettle in, and turn it off.
teleplucker
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I suspected that would be the case, but tried it anyway. ~50F drop in first 15 minutes, ~80F drop in 15 minutes in the ice bath. The snow has now melted, but more will be here soon and I'll try again with cold water and snow.
teleplucker
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Just my experience, but I have to have the oven running at 170F, at least, and sometimes need to be at 180 or 190 to maintain the mash temps for 60 mins. Maybe it's the high altitude or the dry air (or crappy pots
).Just my experience, but I have to have the oven running at 170F, at least, and sometimes need to be at 180 or 190 to maintain the mash temps for 60 mins. Maybe it's the high altitude or the dry air (or crappy pots
have you ever considered that you may not need to mash for 60 minutes? Try a 30 minute mash sometime. Unless your grain is poorly milled your conversion is over well before an hour has gone by. With a 30 minute mash your heat loss should be about half.
teleplucker
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Yep - exactly what I did this weekend by mashing for 40 minutes. I was going to do 30, but wasn't convinced I had stirred enough. I've been following discussions that you and Owly have been involved in regarding BIAB and shorter mash times. Nonetheless, I still kept the oven on due to past heat loss and was able to maintain mash temp. With LBHS crush (actually a mix of two - one that crushes a bit coarse, one that crushes quite fine), I achieved reasonable efficiency.
