Indoor BIAB

[Gavin C]

I realize that you're not expecting a reply and one at this late date past your posting may very well cause you to blow out a well-earned swig of home brew but damn the torpedoes and full steam ahead! I, too, use a BIAB method although decidedly less scientifically driven that your set up. Plus, I have an electric range and can't bring anything more than about four gallons to a boil so I do 2.5 gal batches. I live in a small house so this works out well for me (I use, no laughing, several Mr. Beer fermentors - love'em; just the right size and easy to store). I would love to get your specs on the Hopperator 1000 you've got a pic of. the three bolt plastic jobber. I don't have the head or patience for iodine, ph yada, yada, yada (I just use bottled spring water and hope for the best) but that is freakin' genius. I reckon I could figure it out but I'm also lazy and don't believe in reinventing the wheel if I don't have to. Any advice on that little gizmo would be much appreciated!! Thanks much,

Mark

Ooops - I see lots of responses - I'll go back and see if there's any details on that little Hopperator 1000 (you can use the name if you want; no charge )

Hey Tobinn

No worries at all. Welcome to HBT by the way.

That is a hop-spider and here is how I made it. A tried and tested idea by many before. Nothing I can claim for my own but thanks all the same. Best of luck with your brewing and thanks for your feedback on the thread. Let me know if there are any other bits and bobs you would like clarification on.

Parts

• A PVC adapter. Can't remember the exact dimensions 5 to 4" would be a guess.
  
• Three Stainless steel carriage bolts, nuts and washers selected to ensure it sits over the lip of the kettle. (14" diameter in my case)
  
• A stainless steel hose clamp that fits over the narrower part of the PVC adapter.
  
• The bag; I now use a great hop bag from @wilserbrewer . Highly recommend his gear. Prior to this I used a $2 paint strainer bag from Home Depot/Lowes.

After use, take the bag off, dump hops and pop it in the laundry hamper. Ready to go for next time. Hope that helps some.

 

[Gavin C]

Second effort at a dry Irish stout.

Couple of minor changes. (added 4oz of base malt)

Numbers came in as planned this time with a lower mash temp (148°F single infusion). Tastes as planned (Very Guinness like)

Can't wait to get this batch on nitro. (A first for me and my brewing)

 

[Tiber_Brew]

I might be preaching to the choir, but a few tips from a long time nitro tap owner:

1. Carb your beer to 1.5 +/- 0.1 vol CO2
2. Push beer with your beer gas (I use 80/20 N2/CO2) at 26-30 PSI
3. Don't waste time carbonating with beer gas; use pure CO2
4. Clean the nozzle often. It traps some beer after every pour and can get nasty

Cheers!

 

[Gavin C]

I might be preaching to the choir, but a few tips from a long time nitro tap owner:

1. Carb your beer to 1.5 +/- 0.1 vol CO2
2. Push beer with your beer gas (I use 80/20 N2/CO2) at 26-30 PSI
3. Don't waste time carbonating with beer gas; use pure CO2
4. Clean the nozzle often. It traps some beer after every pour and can get nasty

Cheers!

Hey Tiber. Thanks for the great tips. Very much appreciated.

I have a 75/25 mix of N2/CO2 and plan on force carbing with 100% CO2 to the range you mention ~1.5 volumes. That won't take long and will save beergas. CO2 is a lot cheaper.

Thanks for the pointers on the cleaning and the serving psi. I wasn't aware of extra measures with a nitro tap and was going to serve at ~30psi and see what I get. I have 12 ft lines. I expect I'll need to adjust from there a bit.

Can't see your picture at work. Lots of images and gifs get blocked. (see it now. Looks great)

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Hey Tiber. Thanks for the great tips. Very much appreciated.

I have a 75/25 mix of N2/CO2 and plan on force carbing with 100% CO2 to the range you mention ~1.5 volumes. That won't take long and will save beergas. CO2 is a lot cheaper.

Thanks for the pointers on the cleaning and the serving psi. I wasn't aware of extra measures with a nitro tap and was going to serve at ~30psi and see what I get. I have 12 ft lines. I expect I'll need to adjust from there a bit.

You should be in good shape with those figures. Enjoy!

Edit: be careful when cleaning the nozzle. The diffuser disk can pop out and go down the drain pretty easily. Too easily.

 

[BeardedBrews]

A long time nitro tap owner

I'm sorry for the minor hijack but I'm in a similar boat adding nitro to my keg system. Do you have experience using 100%N2 instead of beergas?

 

[Gavin C]

I'm sorry for the minor hijack but I'm in a similar boat adding nitro to my keg system. Do you have experience using 100%N2 instead of beergas?

Not done it but all information would mean that the beer would go flat as the beer is served. 0% CO2 means the dissolved CO2 will come out of suspension as the partial pressure in the headspace will equilibrate.

 

[BeardedBrews]

Not done it but all information would mean that the beer would go flat as the beer is served. 0% CO2 means the dissolved CO2 will come out of suspension as the partial pressure in the headspace will equilibrate.

That's what I've read too, although in theory I could carbonate and store my stouts on the same regulator as my English ales (~5psi 36F) and when it comes time to serve, just pop on the N2 line.

I only ask because I have some desire to serve cold brew coffee on tap, but I worry about carbonating it with the beer gas.

 

[Tiber_Brew]

I'm sorry for the minor hijack but I'm in a similar boat adding nitro to my keg system. Do you have experience using 100%N2 instead of beergas?

Not done it but all information would mean that the beer would go flat as the beer is served. 0% CO2 means the dissolved CO2 will come out of suspension as the partial pressure in the headspace will equilibrate.

Gavin would be correct. The purpose of beer gas in general is to push carbonated beer at pressures higher than pure CO2 serving pressure while avoiding over-carbonating your beer. Beer gas is commonly used in bars and brewery taprooms for long tap lines and/or overcoming high vertical climbs, which require much more pressure than pure CO2 serving pressure could achieve with any means of reasonable carbonation. Same with nitrogen taps, faucet pressure requires about 25-30 PSI, which is far too high for pure CO2 (less you want over-carbonated beer). So, mixing CO2 with N2 (which has a far lower solubility in water based fluids) allows higher serving pressure, while maintaining manageable levels of carbonation.

With pure N2, you will get a negligable amount of dissolved gas at typical nitro tap pressure, so, as Gavin said, your beer will slowly de-carbonate as you pour. Unlike the wide spread myth says, "nitro" beers are not nitrogenated - they're carbonated.

Hope this helps.

 

[BeardedBrews]

With pure N2, you will get a negligable amount of dissolved gas at typical nitro tap pressure, so, as Gavin said, your beer will slowly de-carbonate as you pour.

I guess I should have phrased my question differently. I am familiar with the design intention of beer gas, what I was curious about was the "slowly de-carbonate" piece. I am interested in serving coffee on 100% N2 and wanted to see if anyone had experience serving a pre-carbonated beer on N2 alone.

 

[Tiber_Brew]

I guess I should have phrased my question differently. I am familiar with the design intention of beer gas, what I was curious about was the "slowly de-carbonate" piece. I am interested in serving coffee on 100% N2

You need much higher pressure than a typical nitro tap setup to get any noticeable foam, but it's possible.

and wanted to see if anyone had experience serving a pre-carbonated beer on N2 alone.

Same answer as before. It will slowly de-carbonate. The reason there's CO2 in beer gas is to maintain levels of carbonation. Without it, carbonation will reach equilibrium with the decreasing amount of CO2 in the head space, eventually leading to a completely de-carbonated beer. N2 requires very low temperature and very high pressure to start dissolving into water based fluids to any appreciable effect. Your pours will slowly become uninteresting and flat. The tiny bubbles in nitro beers that cascade after the pour and form that tight foam at the top come from CO2, not N2.

 

[BeardedBrews]

You need much higher pressure than a typical nitro tap setup to get any noticeable foam, but it's possible.

I'm not looking for head generation in the coffee, if I were I'd use beer gas. As I said, I am familiar with the intended use of beer gas.

Same answer as before. It will slowly de-carbonate.

12 Hours to Flat, 12 Days to Flat, 12 Weeks to Flat? Or, since it is more likely determined by the available N2 head-space, could I serve 1 gallon before going flat, or 3 gallons?

 

[Tiber_Brew]

I'm not looking for head generation in the coffee, if I were I'd use beer gas. As I said, I am familiar with the intended use of beer gas.

I assumed you were looking for head formation, as that has been the goal of many coffee nitro setups (example 1, example 2). And, given that dissolved CO2 forms carbonic acid, you wouldn't want to carbonate coffee to any degree (beer gas included), since it would cause the coffee to become overly acidic and off-putting.

12 Hours to Flat, 12 Days to Flat, 12 Weeks to Flat? Or, since it is more likely determined by the available N2 head-space, could I serve 1 gallon before going flat, or 3 gallons?

It depends on many conditions and variables, so there is no one general answer. To name a few: initial carbonation level of beer, volume of beer, volume of keg, temperature, time between pours, volume of average pour, and so on, and so on...

Edit: @BeardedBrews if you want to discuss further, perhaps you could start a new thread on this topic and avoid a hijack? My apologies, @Gavin C!

 

[Gavin C]

I assumed you were looking for head formation, as that has been the goal of many coffee nitro setups (example 1, example 2). And, given that dissolved CO2 forms carbonic acid, you wouldn't want to carbonate coffee to any degree (beer gas included), since it would cause the coffee to become overly acidic and off-putting.



It depends on many conditions and variables, so there is no one general answer. To name a few: initial carbonation level of beer, volume of beer, volume of keg, temperature, time between pours, volume of average pour, and so on, and so on...

Edit: @BeardedBrews if you want to discuss further, perhaps you could start a new thread on this topic and avoid a hijack? My apologies, @Gavin C!

Not a hijack at all. No apologies needed. I've learned something new WRT cold coffee on tap.

 

[Gavin C]

..
Cheers!

Great looking beer. Great name too.

 

[BeardedBrews]

Edit: @BeardedBrews if you want to discuss further, perhaps you could start a new thread on this topic and avoid a hijack? My apologies, @Gavin C!

Too true, but I do thank you for all the information, and thanks to @Gavin C for the patience. I think we're pretty much on the same page, and I will probably just run an experiment using my first tank of N2 to see what happens.

Good brewing everyone!

 

[Tiber_Brew]

I will probably just run an experiment using my first tank of N2 to see what happens.

Good brewing everyone!

I'm interested in what you observe with that setup.

 

[Gavin C]

Kegged this beer yesterday. 30psi CO2 at 34°F

Today, 24 hours later I hooked it up to the beergas.

Beergas at 30psi and subsequently adjusted down to ~27psi (75% N2 25% CO2).

Very pleased with the outcome. A really simple and delicious dry stout. As close to Guinness as makes no odds. This is one creamy smooth drink. Tastes like home in a glass.

Grain Bill


Water Profile


*(RO water used to build from, not distilled. MY RO is ~2ppm TDS so distilled in Bru'n Water is closer to the truth)

OG 1.041 FG 1.011 SRM ~30 IBU ~40.

 

[Brew_G]

Sh*t, Gavin...that's beautiful.

 

[Gavin C]

Sh*t, Gavin...that's beautiful.

Thanks mate. Door is open for pints should you find yourself in DFW.

 

[chask31]

Coolest tower I have seen Gavin!

 

[Gavin C]

Coolest tower I have seen Gavin!

I think you are talking about the badass one @tiber_brew showed earlier. Mine is just a boring old chrome job I'm afraid.

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Coolest tower I have seen Gavin!

Thanks

 

[joshesmusica]

How has your experiences been with such low levels of everything in the water Gavin? Especially the lagers having such low chloride levels sounds interesting.

 

[Gavin C]

How has your experiences been with such low levels of everything in the water Gavin? Especially the lagers having such low chloride levels sounds interesting.

I'm enjoying the results but that is rather worthless information.

The Dublin and Munich historical water profiles in particular were a surprise for me. I had been making some incorrect assumptions. Some great information on the water used to make Guinness was gleaned from a very interesting presentation @mabrungard gave in 2013. Here

More on the stout and approaches to the various mashing techniques here. First version finished high at 1.014. Second effort with the same English yeast and a lowered single infusion mash (148°F) gave better to-style results. FG 1.011. Both beers had an OG of 1.041

Hopefully I'll have some useful objective competition data on some of the lagers in the coming months.

 

[BeardedBrews]

Grain Bill
View attachment 364056

Gavin, would you mind sharing the rest of the recipe?

 

[Gavin C]

Gavin, would you mind sharing the rest of the recipe?

No worries. Here it is. This one is quick and simple. 12 days grain to glass.

Grain Bill (78% Brewhouse Efficiency, 5.5 Gallons)

Hops


Water

Yeast (Using an appropriately sized starter)


Mash Profile


Fermentation Profile*


Next time I'll mash even lower. Probably ~146°F
Choice of hops is not very important as it's just a single bittering charge. Essentially shooting for a 1:1 ratio in IBU:gravity points

*All fermentation done in primary vessel before racking to keg. Ignore titles primary/secondary/tertiary etc. These are just used for ease to allow me to create fermentation profiles with ease in Beersmith.

 

[Gavin C]

Tis the season so figured it was time for another Märzen.

I'll be kegging this brew from Labor Day tomorrow.

OG and FG

Final Use of WLP833 for the time being.

~1L Slurry from a recent Pilsner

 

[BrewinBromanite]

Tis the season so figured it was time for another Märzen.



I'll be kegging this brew from Labor Day tomorrow.



OG and FG

View attachment 370770

Final Use of WLP833 for the time being.



~1L Slurry from a recent Pilsner

View attachment 370771

Nice "clean" looking slurry. Is that straight from the fermenter or washed? From my last hoppy batch, mine's a bit, errr, greener...View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1474549376.832232.jpg

 

[Gavin C]

Nice "clean" looking slurry. Is that straight from the fermenter or washed? From my last hoppy batch, mine's a bit, errr, greener...View attachment 370937

Hey Brewin.

Yes. That's straight from the FV into the sanitized jars. I never wash yeast.

I only ever harvest slurry from beers under 1.05 and beers without dry hops.

Pilsner slurry works well as the beer was 1.047 and the color is really light.

This slurry performed as hoped.