Mash in a bag

[jjinsa]

I made a BIAB batch today. I make 12L batches in a 23L pot - which should work, but I think the pot is actually closer to 20L and was labeled wrong. When I mash, I have liquid spilling everywhere as the pot is filled to the limit.

I thought of an alternative, which seems easy enough - Mash in another vessel such as a cooler, with no tap/spigot (full volume, like BIAB) exactly how I would have mashed in the brew kettle, but then transfer the wort to the kettle for boiling when the mash is done. No sparging etc - just mash exactly the same way as I would have for BIAB except in the cooler, and then transfer to the kettle... Would this work?

Would I have to be careful when transferring from cooler to the pot and not oxygenate the wort too much. How should I transfer it?

Also, could I do a larger batch (12L BIAB all grain is the max my kettle can handle when doing everything in the single vessel) by mashing a larger grain bill (for a 19L batch or so) and then just topping up after the boil (ie in the fermenter).

Thank you

 

[McKnuckle]

Of course it will work. The grains don't care what vessel they are in during the mash. A cooler works fine and, of course, is insulated to retain heat. Only downside is the inability to directly apply heat if you mess up the temp. You can add boiling water or cold water to tweak things, but that's a pain. Get the strike temp right - or a bit high then let it cool - and it's easy peasy.

My cooler has a ball valve so transfer is easy. Lacking that, use the built in plastic spigot. See if a particular diameter of tubing will fit into it, but that's not really necessary. You can pour gently if all else fails. It's not a big deal.

If you can rig up a false bottom with a strainer or something, place the bag of grain on that after draining the free liquid. Start your boil. In 15 minutes or so you'll have gravity working for you, and there will be more wort under the false bottom. Or just squeeze or hang the bag over the cooler, and dump into kettle when you've collected the remaining yield. It's flexible and easy. Don't over think it.

 

[andrewf1985]

Dont see why it shouldnt work. Worth a whirl if it makes sense to you

I might get burned for this but dont worry about oxidising too much, it wont affect the beer

http://brulosophy.com/2014/11/18/is-hot-side-aeration-fact-or-fiction-exbeeriment-results

 

[TexasWine]

Personally, I would incorporate a sparge step before introducing another vessel into the process. Pull the bag, pour water over the suspended bag until you hit your pre boil volume, squeeze here and there if you wish, and you're off to the races!

 

[jason.mundy]

I thought of an alternative, which seems easy enough - Mash in another vessel such as a cooler, with no tap/spigot (full volume, like BIAB) exactly how I would have mashed in tWhe brew kettle, but then transfer the wort to the kettle for boiling when the mash is done. No sparging etc - just mash exactly the same way as I would have for BIAB except in the cooler, and then transfer to the kettle... Would this work?

Would I have to be careful when transferring from cooler to the pot and not oxygenate the wort too much. How should I transfer it?

Also, could I do a larger batch (12L BIAB all grain is the max my kettle can handle when doing everything in the single vessel) by mashing a larger grain bill (for a 19L batch or so) and then just topping up after the boil (ie in the fermenter).

Thank you

You say you are worried about hot side oxygenation.... I would use a hose that is rated for the temperature you are transferring at to get it to the botton of the next vessel.

It is definitely possible to use another vessel to mash in. When I was a three vessel brewer, I would line my mash tun with a bag to make clean up easier... also didn't have to worry about grains clogging up my valves.

Cheers!

Jason

 

[jjinsa]

My cooler doesn't have any outlet whatsoever, so picking it up and pouring into the kettle was my only option.

Why would a sparge step be necessary if it isn't necessary in BIAB? I understand I would need more water to get to the boil volume but not really to get more gravity points. In BIAB I usually just squeeze the bag to get all the sugar out and I hit my target OG. I suppose it would increase my efficiency if I lifted the bag up and poured some sparge water over it, so I would need a lower total grain bill.

The main concern for me was oxygenation, and I know very little about it but have just read about it in many threads.

 

[RM-MN]

My cooler doesn't have any outlet whatsoever, so picking it up and pouring into the kettle was my only option.

Why would a sparge step be necessary if it isn't necessary in BIAB? I understand I would need more water to get to the boil volume but not really to get more gravity points. In BIAB I usually just squeeze the bag to get all the sugar out and I hit my target OG. I suppose it would increase my efficiency if I lifted the bag up and poured some sparge water over it, so I would need a lower total grain bill.

The main concern for me was oxygenation, and I know very little about it but have just read about it in many threads.

A sparge step isn't necessary in BIAB if you have a big enough kettle. I use the sparge step to accomodate a kettle that is a little small as I can mash in a little less water so I don't spill over the top of the kettle, then use the sparge to get to the pre-boil volume I want. That small amount of sparge also picks up a bit more of the sugars so I adjust my recipe to account for that.

There are two types of oxidation that people write about, hot side aeration and oxidation when the ferment is over. Hot side aeration doesn't seem to affect the beer at all, at least in the quantities that home brewers do. You can pour your hot wort into a different kettle to boil with no discernible changes. You do want to limit the oxygen exposure once the beer is fermented.

 

[jjinsa]

Thank you. Nice answer.

Out of interest why would it not affect the wort at the volumes we do?

 

[TexasWine]

My cooler doesn't have any outlet whatsoever, so picking it up and pouring into the kettle was my only option.

Why would a sparge step be necessary if it isn't necessary in BIAB? I understand I would need more water to get to the boil volume but not really to get more gravity points. In BIAB I usually just squeeze the bag to get all the sugar out and I hit my target OG. I suppose it would increase my efficiency if I lifted the bag up and poured some sparge water over it, so I would need a lower total grain bill.

The main concern for me was oxygenation, and I know very little about it but have just read about it in many threads.

Me, you and RM-MN are all in the same boat. Our kettles are too small to accommodate all the required water and grain simultaneously for the batch size were trying to produce. A sparge step wouldn't be necessary if we had a larger kettle.

Mashing in the cooler will work too. But my own personal preference would be to sparge, especially if I was deciding between sparging and picking up a 10 gallon cooler full of hot wort and aiming to pour it into a kettle. Catastrophic visions of hot wort being spilled all over the place come to mind.

Let us know what direction you take and how things go when you do it the first time.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

I agree with above. It'll be a lot easier to sparge a little rather than picking up a cooker full of hot wort.

Alternatively, imay be better to mash in the cooler, pull the bag, then use a pitcher to remove the wort until it's a bit more empty/ lighter so you don't risk making a mess or hurting yourself.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Yes, yes...a simple pitcher can move sparge water, first runnings or with a little sanitation chilled wort....poor mans pump I like to say....sometimes faster than gravity and no maintenance required.

The single most underrated option in homebrewing, the $2 pitcher.

 

[jjinsa]

Thanks for your answers. What water:grist ratio would be ideal for best conversion/efficiency? Then top to boil volume using sparge water I suppose. In L/Kg if possible

 

[No_Nrg]

So are you mashing with full boil volume?

I typically do as mentioned above and add a sprarge step (some would argue it's not true BIAB, but it can help a bit with efficiency).

I split the boil volume I want using a bit more than half as a strike/mash. I then pull the bag out and let it drain in a colander above the pot. I pour 170 degree water over it for a mock sparge until I hit my boil volume.

 

[brew_darrymore]

So are you mashing with full boil volume?

I typically do as mentioned above and add a sprarge step (some would argue it's not true BIAB, but it can help a bit with efficiency).

I split the boil volume I want using a bit more than half as a strike/mash. I then pull the bag out and let it drain in a colander above the pot. I pour 170 degree water over it for a mock sparge until I hit my boil volume.

This is exactly what I do as well. I split my strike / sparge water using a bit more than half to mash in, and the rest to rinse the grain until I hit my pre-boil wort levels.