Looking at doing BIAB question

[Brewing1976]

I went to my local shop. They where talking to me about BIAB. I’m thinking about doing it. One thing I forgot to ask was what recipes do I use. Can I use all-gain recipe or is there just recipes for BIAB

 

[SteveH aka shetc]

BIAB is all-grain brewing, just a different way of mashing. You just need to adjust any all-grain recipe to fit the technique. May I suggest having a look at https://biabrewer.info/index.php ?

 

[Oginme]

BIAB is all-grain brewing, just a different way of mashing. You just need to adjust any all-grain recipe to fit the technique. May I suggest having a look at https://biabrewer.info/index.php ?

First sentence is correct. biabrewer is a great reference.

As for the second sentence, any recipe may need some adjustments to fit everyone's particular process. Adjusting a recipe ahead of knowing how you need to adjust that recipe will just increase the odds of compounding an unknown process difference.

Pick a relatively simple recipe for a beer style you like to drink and brew that recipe as it is to begin with. You may be off a few points in gravity one way or the other, but you will still end up with beer. From this experience, you will start gaining an understanding of how to adjust any all grain recipe to fit how you are brewing.

Taking good notes and measurements as you brew will help you get there sooner.

 

[madscientist451]

I hit my numbers using regular all grain recipes. My method is to stir the mash every 15-20 minutes and then do a dunk sparge using a second, smaller pot.
When mashing with the full volume of water, I have to add some extra base malt to get the gravity I want. Your results may be different. There are lots of ways to do BIAB, for example if you have a pot with a spigot, you can recirculate your wort, either with a pump or manually.
Until you figure out how your method works with the equipment you have, keep some DME on hand, pull a sample with 10 minutes left in your boil, chill it down and take a gravity reading. If your gravity is a little low you can add DME at flame out to bring it up.

 

[Leezer]

I biab using all-grain recipes as is, except I scale them down to my preferred 2 to 2.5G size. I started with a 4G kettle gifted from a friend and 5G paint strainer bags from Home Depot. I do full volume and do not sparge, but as others have said, you could do a sparge depending upon your results. I just drain and squeeze the bag a little. The thing to adjust for is your efficiency, which requires taking good notes and measurements and adjusting future brews based on that. The simplicity of biab is very appealing.

 

[LittleRiver]

You can BIAB any all grain recipe, without modification.

I typically do a full volume mash with no sparge, no recirculation, and no squeezing the bag (I just let it fully drain by gravity). I consistently hit or exceed recipe targets. I use a roller mill with a .025" gap.

As others have mentioned, pick a recipe and give it a go. Take measurements and notes, and see if you need to adjust your process. If your efficiency is low, the first place to look is your grain crush. When I started my efficiency was not where I wanted it to be. Purchasing my own grain mill fixed that.

 

[Brewing1976]

I biab using all-grain recipes as is, except I scale them down to my preferred 2 to 2.5G size. I started with a 4G kettle gifted from a friend and 5G paint strainer bags from Home Depot. I do full volume and do not sparge, but as others have said, you could do a sparge depending upon your results. I just drain and squeeze the bag a little. The thing to adjust for is your efficiency, which requires taking good notes and measurements and adjusting future brews based on that. The simplicity of biab is very appealing.

I’m thinking of getting a 10 gallon kettle with tapings and then get false bottom. So I can do full boil. My local brew shop can tap my 8 gallon for me. But I’d have to try to find false bottom for it

 

[kh54s10]

I’m thinking of getting a 10 gallon kettle with tapings and then get false bottom. So I can do full boil. My local brew shop can tap my 8 gallon for me. But I’d have to try to find false bottom for it

If you are doing BIAB, what do you need a false bottom for? The bag does what the false bottom does in other methods of brewing.

 

[SteveH aka shetc]

I stand by my second sentence [emoji38]

 

[Brewing1976]

I stand by my second sentence [emoji38]

I look at the page. I just really want false bottom

 

[SteveH aka shetc]

False bottoms are for the Kardashians [emoji38] I use a Bayou Classic with a basket so I guess that's the false bottom.

 

[Brewing1976]

False bottoms are for the Kardashians [emoji38] I use a Bayou Classic with a basket so I guess that's the false bottom.

I like false bottoms

 

[kh54s10]

Are you talking of a true false bottom or just an insert that keeps the bag off the bottom of the pot? A false bottom is unnecessary. Unless you are one of those that make talentless people famous......

 

[SteveH aka shetc]

I like false bottoms

At least you can not lie

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I went to my local shop. They were talking to me about BIAB. I’m thinking about doing it. One thing I forgot to ask was what recipes do I use. Can I use all-grain recipe or is there just recipes for BIAB

When I moved to BIAB back in Dec, I was worried about efficiency...it has to be a lower efficiency than my fly sparge, right?!? I worked in a mash out and dunk sparge into my process (along with my 0.025" grain crush). I moved forward with my standard 75% efficiency rate...but was hitting 80% to 85%!!! My 6% beers were coming in at 7%.

For my last few batches I have embraced the BIAB mantra of "keep is simple" and moved to full volume mashes. My efficiency dropped back to the same 75% I was seeing for my old fly sparge process. Most commercial recipe seemed to be geared toward the 70% to 75% efficiency range.

I’m thinking of getting a 10 gallon kettle with tapings and then get false bottom. So I can do full boil. My local brew shop can tap my 8 gallon for me. But I’d have to try to find false bottom for it

I have a 10 gal kettle. It is plenty big to boil a 5 gal batch (5.5 into fermenter, pre-boil volume around 7 gals). I could see where a little more room would be nice for full volume mashes. I am not positive the upper limits of my 10 gal pot, but looking at a calculator, 15 lbs of grain needs 9.1 gals of room. I could see a 12 gal kettle being handy. [Though I don't see much need for a false bottom.]