Going BIAB, got some question on standard practices

[Partagas]

After reading up on biab, i am really interested in trying it out. Im wondering if a mill is a must for BIAB and hitting a good efficiency, or can i make up for it with a longer mash or a mash out? Also a pulley is out of the question for me as i brew in my kitchen under an exhaust hood. What can i use to drain my bag? And lastly, has anyone ventured to brew a big beer such as a barley wine using this method?
Thanks in advance for your responses.

 

[morbster]

1. A mill is not a "must" for BIAB, but the fact that you aren't limited in the same way as those brewing with three vessels, having your grains milled more finely is a very easy way to improve your brewing efficiency. I don't believe adjusting your mash parameters will give you the same yield. I purchased a corona mill, 2 Home Depot buckets, and now have a dustless mill station for under $50. I recommend it.

2. What kind of kettle are you using? What is the diameter? My first kettle had a tray with a bunch of holes in the top of it that was just wider than the kettle top, so I could just set my grain bag on that and let it drain out. It was nifty.

3. I have not brewed a big beer on my system, though it is certainly done. I believe the bigger limitation will be your vessel size, especially considering your kitchen setting. Edit: that's not to say you couldn't do it, but you may need to consider doing multiple batches and combining the boiled down product.

 

[C-Rider]

I do small batches and can turn 7 lbs of grain to flour in like 10 minutes using a blender. I put in 1 coffee cup at a time to keep from over working the moter. I count to say 20 each time and I get good results.

 

[doug293cz]

A stainless steel colander that is just slightly larger in diameter than your kettle makes a great holder for draining your bag. It also makes squeezing the bag easier.

Big beers in small pots are a challenge. One trick you can use is to mash 1/2 your grain, then pull and squeeze the bag, discarding the spent grain when finished. Then mash the 2nd half of the grain in the same wort. You will probably need to add heat to the wort before putting in the second bag of grain to hit the correct mash temp. Also keep in mind that your mash efficiency (the lauter efficiency specifically) will decrease with increasing grain bill weight to pre-boil volume ratio.

Brew on

 

[stz]

I used to do big beers or large volume using ad-hoc methods. While proper BIAB is about a standard process which is safe, sane, repeatable and relatively easy if you are prepared to throw caution to the wind and accept what you get where there is a will there is often a way.

I used to heat single infusion mash water in my 60L kettle which used electric and gas, then line it with the grain bag and mash in. I'd make sure it was hydrated and then put the lid on and leave to mash occasionally using a little gas to keep up the heat with the rational being the bag was nowhere near the base due to it being tied off at the rim and the base of the kettle being occupied up by the filter and element. I used to lose heat pretty fast because it was an uninsulated aluminium pot. At the same time I used to heat a second volume of water in a 30L stainless pan on the stove then add more grain to that, lid it and place into the oven which had previously been on at the lowest setting to better conserve heat.

I had 21L and 19L pots heating water for batch sparge on the stove as well as a plastic bucket. This was all in my kitchen which was about 8' square before counter tops and cupboards and the stove and fridge (I'll attach a picture, because it was so very small). After my mash was complete I'd lift the biggest bag from the 60L and allow it to drain, squeezing as best I could. Then I'd set it to drain into a bucket, tying the bag to some hooks which were driven into a shelving unit to suspend it and allow it to better drain. I'd alternate between pouring off the wort collected in the bucket while a jug caught the last few drips and batch sparging the bag in the bucket. Once 'done' I'd tip the grain into a plastic tub outside the back door, line the bucket with the bag and then start transferring the grain from the 30L in the oven into the bag and start batch sparging again. Yes my efficiencies and volumes were all over the place and if you want to get all particular about gravity better keep a few kilos of DME on hand.

For the boil I used both the 60L and the 21L (the 30 wouldn't fit on the stove at the same time as the 60L). I'd split hops and other additions as I needed to and top up the 60L as needed, as I was running off the 60L after chilling I'd usually pour what remained in the 21L in as well.

Using this method I could quite happily get between 60-70L into fermenter. If my batch size was smaller I had no problem hitting gravity and beyond. Thinking back on it now I can't believe I used such an ad-hoc method routinely with a sense of pride in what I was doing when really I should have been thinking outside the box a little more. I didn't have much space though. I thought that conversation tests, mash pH and acidified sparge water were more important than not suspending a bunch of grain with mug hangers.

 

[RM-MN]

After reading up on biab, i am really interested in trying it out. Im wondering if a mill is a must for BIAB and hitting a good efficiency, or can i make up for it with a longer mash or a mash out? Also a pulley is out of the question for me as i brew in my kitchen under an exhaust hood. What can i use to drain my bag? And lastly, has anyone ventured to brew a big beer such as a barley wine using this method?
Thanks in advance for your responses.

Without a mill of your own you will still get the same amount of efficiency as a conventional mash tun. Yes, a longer mash can make up some of the efficiency but there will be a limit. Raising the temperature for a mash out may speed up conversion and get you a little more efficiency but not nearly as much as milling with a cheap mill and getting the really fine grind will. The difference in the amount of grain needed with the finer grind will quickly pay for a Corona mill.

I have put a potholder on the counter next to the stove and slid the pot with the bag of grain over onto that to gain room for removing the bag since I too have a range hood. Pull the bag out and set it into a colander that is setting in a big mixing bowl to drain and sparge (if you want, gains efficiency).

The highest alcohol beer I have made with BIAB was a 9% but the only limitation is the size of the pot and your willingness to mill finely and sparge.