Help me prepare to go BIAB

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ThatITGuy

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I’m interested in switching to BIAB from Extract/PM. I have most of the required equipment except for a few things, I’m looking to get some feedback on equipment, and anything else that I should know before jumping into this.

Right now, I do extract/partial mash on my stovetop, but in an effort to save money I’m looking to switch to All-Grain, specifically BIAB for the minimal equipment requirements. Extracts are quite pricey in my area. I want to be able to do full boil batches.

Currently I own:

10 Gallon Kettle (Nothing on it yet, will need Ball Valve W/ Spigot, anything else I should add?)

5 Gallon Kettle with SS Ball Valve, Bazooka Screen & Thermometer

50L Keg (I intended to turn this into a MLT initially, but BIAB seems less expensive in the long run so I’m not sure if I’ll use this)

Immersion Wort Chiller

Digital thermometer


Things I need:

- Grain Mill

- Wilserbrew bag

- Propane Burner (Looking at Bayou SP10)

- ???



Thanks for the help!
 
You might want to consider using a hoist to lift your wilserbag. I use one for 10 gallon biab batches and attach it to a ladder positioned over the top of my keggle and burner. I don't think I could biab 10 gallon batches without the hoist but 5 gallons may be doable. Regardless of batch size it is nice to be able to hoist up the bag full of grain and let it drain straight back into the kettle.

Wilser sells a reasonably priced package with multiple grain/hop bags plus a hoist.
 
Looks like you have a great setup already. If you want to keep the cost low to start I've had success brewing 5 gallon BIAB batches (usually 10-12lbs of grain) with paint strainer bags from Lowes/Home Depot. I double bag it and has worked out well. Also, in place of a false bottom just using a vegetable steaming basket. Good luck to you!
 
I am in the same boat as you. I have done 1gal BIAB twice in my 5gal Kettle, and from that I decided to go for the 5 gal size. I just ordered my 10 gal Kettle and my wilserbrew bag. From doing the 1 gallon batch, things that I have used is :

Propane burner, instant read thermometer, for now I have my LHBS do my milling, a strainer ( that I set my bag on to let drain in my kettle). On my new kettle I have a pickup tube that will be close to the side to drain the kettle.

My first 1 gal batch I messed up on. I just took a guess on my boil off rate, and I ended up with 1/2 gal to much. So before i did my next batch I did a trial run with 2 gal of water to get my boil off rate, which I would recommend doing.

I noticed that with my thin kettle, I was losing temp during my 60 min mash, so i was checking my temp, and stirring every 15 min. I started out at 153, and in 15 min it dropped down to 149, so I brought the temp back up to 153... kind of did a rinse and repeat. I did not have a blanket or anything to cover/insulate my kettle, so that is what I did.

I hope this helps.
 
You might want to consider using a hoist to lift your wilserbag. I use one for 10 gallon biab batches and attach it to a ladder positioned over the top of my keggle and burner. I don't think I could biab 10 gallon batches without the hoist but 5 gallons may be doable. Regardless of batch size it is nice to be able to hoist up the bag full of grain and let it drain straight back into the kettle.

Wilser sells a reasonably priced package with multiple grain/hop bags plus a hoist.

Did you attach the hoist straight to the ladder, or did you have a pipe/board running across the to step?
 
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Did you attach the hoist straight to the ladder, or did you have a pipe/board running across the to step?
I have a 1 x 6 x 12 board with a hook screwed in it that I place over the top rungs. I attach the hoist to the hook.
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jeFTqqe
 
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You might want to consider using a hoist to lift your wilserbag. I use one for 10 gallon biab batches and attach it to a ladder positioned over the top of my keggle and burner. I don't think I could biab 10 gallon batches without the hoist but 5 gallons may be doable. Regardless of batch size it is nice to be able to hoist up the bag full of grain and let it drain straight back into the kettle.

Wilser sells a reasonably priced package with multiple grain/hop bags plus a hoist.
I think I'll be set for a bag lift, I've got an old clothes line that I'll repurpose for a pulley to hold the bag up, then tie it off around one of those old hooks you often see on boat docks.

I'll be doing no more than 6 gallon batches, mainly 5 (into the fermenter)

Looks like you have a great setup already. If you want to keep the cost low to start I've had success brewing 5 gallon BIAB batches (usually 10-12lbs of grain) with paint strainer bags from Lowes/Home Depot. I double bag it and has worked out well. Also, in place of a false bottom just using a vegetable steaming basket. Good luck to you!
Two great suggestions! Living in Canada the paint strainer bags are easier to come by, and will be much cheaper until I can order a wilser bag.

I really like the vegetable steamer idea, that's genius! A real false bottom for my kettle is probably around 100$.
 
I think I'll be set for a bag lift, I've got an old clothes line that I'll repurpose for a pulley to hold the bag up, then tie it off around one of those old hooks you often see on boat docks.

I'll be doing no more than 6 gallon batches, mainly 5 (into the fermenter)

Two great suggestions! Living in Canada the paint strainer bags are easier to come by, and will be much cheaper until I can order a wilser bag.

I really like the vegetable steamer idea, that's genius! A real false bottom for my kettle is probably around 100$.

Yea I try to be crafty when I can :yes:

Also, another thing I do for sparging is put the grain bags in a 5 gallon bucket and add my sparge water. Cover it and let it set for my 10 minute sparge. Then once I'm done adding the sparge water to the kettle I set the grain bag on top of a colander for pasta inside the 5 gallon bucket and let it drain while the kettle comes to a boil and add whatever drains out right before the boil starts. Saves time and I do not have to worry about holding the grains up long or mess with a hoist system. If I'm short on pre-boil volume or gravity is off I will squeeze, but last couple times have not needed to.
 
...I want to be able to do full boil batches....

If you mean full volume mash, where your entire water volume is used in your mash, that's what I do. I like the simplicity of it. With a tight grain crush 80+% efficiency is not hard to achieve, so I don't bother with sparging.

10 Gallon Kettle (Nothing on it yet, will need Ball Valve W/ Spigot, anything else I should add?)

You don't necessarily need the spigot, but it is a nice addition. I put a spigot on my kettle using parts from brewhardware.com, and I've been very happy with it.

I would not add a thermowell/thermometer to the kettle. People have ripped their bags on them. That said, others have been careful with them and not ripped their bags. I chose not to add a thermowell. I prefer to use a thermometer that has a remote probe and hi/low alarms. That way I can do other things when heating/cooling, the thermometer will tell me when I've reached target temp.

I also chose not to add a sight tube. I use the Priceless brewing calculator to determine my water volumes by depth, and mark the depths on a long ruler or a big stainless steel stirring spoon. It's simple, accurate, and easy to clean.

Things I need:
- Grain Mill
- Wilserbrew bag
- Propane Burner (Looking at Bayou SP10)
- ???

Good call on the grain mill, being able to control your grain crush is one of the best things you can do to improve your BIAB process.

I've been impressed with my Wilser bag, and can recommend it.

I have an SP10 burner. It may not be the best in the world, but it works just fine. For the measly price I paid for it on a clearance sale, it works great.

I built a little stand to raise up my burner, so I can drain directly from my kettle into my fermenter. I also raised up my fermentation chamber (a wine mini fridge), so I can drain directly from my fermenter (which has a spigot) while it is still in the chamber.

If you have a location that will allow you to rig a lift point right over your kettle, that makes it super easy to lift/drain the bag. The first time I BIAB'd I used a ladder, but after that I found a spot where I could mount a dedicated lift point. Wilser sells ratcheting pulley kit that works well, and is very reasonably priced.

Lift the bag, fire up the burner, and let the bag drain as your wort heats up to boiling. There's no need to bother with squeezing the bag. It won't hurt anything if you do, and you will get a little extra volume, but I like the simplicity of just letting time and gravity do their thing.
 
I really like the vegetable steamer idea, that's genius! A real false bottom for my kettle is probably around 100$.
You really don’t NEED anything in the bottom of the kettle. If you need to add a little heat to raise mash temp a bit, heat gently and stir constantly and you won’t scorch the grain or bag. Have patience and stir when adding heat, very simple.
 
I prefer to use a thermometer that has a remote probe and hi/low alarms. That way I can do other things when heating/cooling, the thermometer will tell me when I've reached target temp.
What thermometer do you use? The alarms sound nice
 
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