My first BIAB IPA

[virgil1]

I started with a Brooklyn Brew Shop Everyday IPA. It went to bottles after 3 weeks of fermentation. Will be two weeks in the bottle this coming week. Haven't even tried it yet, but I already bought a BIAB kettle: a Bayou Classic 44 qt. Added a 3 piece ball valve from bargainfittings.com. Bought a 6.5 gallon glass carboy at my LHBS and some grains and hops to brew my first 5 gallon batch tomorrow. I asked my LHBS if they could grind it finer for me since I was doing BIAB, but they said they couldn't as it was 'hard to switch it back when they did'. They recommended I add some gypsum. 1 Tablespoon for a 5 gallon batch. Does that sound right? I also bought grains for my first recipe that I intend to do tomorrow. I bought an 11.5 g package of yeast, Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05). The recipe I found on beersmith called for one package. Does that sound right(just one pack of yeast)? The rest of my recipe/steps:

add 36 qt water(8.5 gallons) at 160 degrees

Add grain(total about 60:00 mash):
12.5 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US
1.75 lbs White Wheat Malt
0.75 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L
0.5 lbs Cara-Pils/Dextrine
Keep temp around 152 degrees for about 60 mins
raise temp to 168 degrees for 10 minutes
Assume it takes 7-10 mins to bring temp up, the keep it for 10 mins

Take out grain bag
Hop Schedule
Start boil(60 min total boil time)
add 0.50 oz Columbus (boil 60 mins)
add 1.00 oz Cascade (boil 20 mins)
add 2.00 oz Centennial (boil 10 minutes)
add 2.00 oz Centennialb(boil 1 minute)

cool wort (going old school, using my sink and lots of ice)

through strainer(to remove any debris) into 6.5 gallon glass carboy
2 weeks in fermenter with no dry hops
1 week in fermenter with 1.0 oz Centennial and 0.5 oz Columbus, 1.0 oz Amarillo

Bottle, let sit for another 2-3 weeks

Drink

I'll post how it all goes.

 

[Yooper]

The gypsum does NOT sound right. It depends on the water you're starting with, of course, but for my water that would ruin the beer. What is the water chemistry you are starting with? If "I don't know" is the answer, I wouldn't add a thing.

Are you dealing with chlorine in your brewing water? That is important for sure.

156 for a mash temperature is too high.

You want 152 for your mash temperature.

I don't understand your hop schedule at all.

Normally, the hops are listed as "time remaining in the boil". I have no idea what 89 minutes means, but I think it's backwards.

I'd look at the recipe again, as 90 minute boils are not common and usually not needed.

 

[MadHomebrewer]

Your local store might not want to change the setting on the mill, but I would ask them if they would run your grain through twice.

 

[McKnuckle]

Agreed about not adding gypsum blindly.

156 is on the high side, nice and malty, but within a valid range and not a problem. Lagunitas mashes their IPA at 160.

I do understand your hop schedule. But for future reference, list the times as counting down to flameout (i.e. How long each addition will steep).

90 minute boil is not necessary unless you have a lot of Pilsner in your grain bill. But it's not a problem either, and historically it was common in many types of beer.

Welcome to HBT, where 10 people have a dozen opinions!

 

[virgil1]

The gypsum does NOT sound right. It depends on the water you're starting with, of course, but for my water that would ruin the beer. What is the water chemistry you are starting with? If "I don't know" is the answer, I wouldn't add a thing.

Are you dealing with chlorine in your brewing water? That is important for sure.

156 for a mash temperature is too high.

You want 152 for your mash temperature.

I don't understand your hop schedule at all.

Normally, the hops are listed as "time remaining in the boil". I have no idea what 89 minutes means, but I think it's backwards.

I'd look at the recipe again, as 90 minute boils are not common and usually not needed.

Thanks! I was reading the hop schedule wrong. It felt wrong when I typed it in. I corrected it in the post. LHBS told me the Gypsum to increase my efficiency after they asked me if I was brewing locally(in San Francisco...I live 1/2 mile from the LHBS). So should I leave the Gypsum out? With that much grain, if I bring it up to 163 to start, will it come down to 152 when I add the grain? Or should I drop it to 159 degrees to start(before I add the grain).

 

[virgil1]

Agreed about not adding gypsum blindly.

156 is on the high side, nice and malty, but within a valid range and not a problem. Lagunitas mashes their IPA at 160.

I do understand your hop schedule. But for future reference, list the times as counting down to flameout (i.e. How long each addition will steep).

90 minute boil is not necessary unless you have a lot of Pilsner in your grain bill. But it's not a problem either, and historically it was common in many types of beer.

Welcome to HBT, where 10 people have a dozen opinions!

Ok, that's two votes against the Gypsum. Why would my LHBS say that it would improve my efficiency if I added Gypsum? I changed the hop schedule so its less confusing. I did 'count down'. He said running it through twice 'didn't really work'. I am sure a grain mill is in my future, I just want to do it little by little. Figure more fun that way! I think I will take the temp down just a bit. If it says in beersmith that I should start out at 164 degrees, and then it will come down to 156 once I add the grain, then if I want to take it down 4 degrees (to 152) do I take it down to 160 to start before I add the grain?

 

[singybrue]

Your shop guy doesn't understand biab.
Have him run the grain through twice. You'll get better efficiency.
The gypsum won't do anything significant for efficiency.

 

[McKnuckle]

Here is how to calculate your strike water temp given water volume, grain weight, and target mash temp:

http://www.brewersfriend.com/mash/

Gypsum is added primarily to raise sulfate (SO4) in the water. SO4 of, say, greater than 100 ppm is sensed by some as a dryness that helps accentuate hop bitterness. That is desirable in an IPA. But adding it blindly to water whose mineral levels you do not know, and in somewhat inaccurate measures like a Tbsp, is not advisable. If you add too much, it can be kinda gross. It also lowers pH, and again - without knowing the water - too much can lower pH below what is optimal for mashing.

 

[virgil1]

Here is how to calculate your strike water temp given water volume, grain weight, and target mash temp:

http://www.brewersfriend.com/mash/

Gypsum is added primarily to raise sulfate (SO4) in the water. SO4 of, say, greater than 100 ppm is sensed by some as a dryness that helps accentuate hop bitterness. That is desirable in an IPA. But adding it blindly to water whose mineral levels you do not know, and in somewhat inaccurate measures like a Tbsp, is not advisable. If you add too much, it can be kinda gross. It also lowers pH, and again - without knowing the water - too much can lower pH below what is optimal for mashing.

Thanks! I checked that out the strike water temp with that site, and came up with 159.6. So, basically 160F should work. I'll do that. I don't think I will be adding Gypsum. I hadn't even told my LHBS I was doing an IPA. I think they really think I need it for the San Francisco water. I'll hold off for this batch tough. I'll post to this thread how it all goes tomorrow. I updated the start of the post with my new water volume and my temps. 8.5 gallons to start. Beersmith calc'd 1.14 lost in the grain, 1.28 boil off, 0.24 cooling shrinkage, 0.84 trub loss, giving me 5 gallons (approx).

 

[virgil1]

Brought my 8.5 gallons strike water to 160
Put the grain in(it was pretty full...almost to the top with all that grain)
The temp dropped to about 150, so I applied a little heat(like 30 seconds)
Kept it between 150 and 153 for an hour
I used a thermapen to take the temp, dumping some wort into a glass measuring cup(like 24 oz) and sticking the temp probe in the flow out of the ball valve, then dumping the 24 oz of wort back on top.
After an hour I turned the heat on until it hit 168. I left it for 10 mins, without applying extra heat. It dropped to about 160 by the time the 10 minutes was done.
I took the bag out, and the post boil volume was about 6.4 gallons(a bit more, just measured with a wooden spoon). I only squeezed the bag a little, not crazy. I understand why people setup pulleys now . It was a heavy bag.
I took a sample out before I started the boil and threw it in the fridge. Once it was down to about 74 degrees, I checked it. Looks like 1.054. I'll check it again after the boil is done. Dropped in 1/2 oz of Cascade hops as soon as it came up to boil temp.

 

[TheHopfather]

With BIAB you can really skip the mash out, save yourself a little time in your brew day. Just remove the grains, and squeeze and/or let it drain while you are heating the rest of the wort.

I would also skip using the strainer and use a hop bag instead, just dump everything into the carboy. I don't trust that you can ever completely sanitize a mesh strainer.

 

[virgil1]

Brought my 8.5 gallons strike water to 160
Put the grain in(it was pretty full...almost to the top with all that grain)
The temp dropped to about 150, so I applied a little heat(like 30 seconds)
Kept it between 150 and 153 for an hour
I used a thermapen to take the temp, dumping some wort into a glass measuring cup(like 24 oz) and sticking the temp probe in the flow out of the ball valve, then dumping the 24 oz of wort back on top.
After an hour I turned the heat on until it hit 168. I left it for 10 mins, without applying extra heat. It dropped to about 160 by the time the 10 minutes was done.
I took the bag out, and the post boil volume was about 6.4 gallons(a bit more, just measured with a wooden spoon). I only squeezed the bag a little, not crazy. I understand why people setup pulleys now . It was a heavy bag.
I took a sample out before I started the boil and threw it in the fridge. Once it was down to about 74 degrees, I checked it. Looks like 1.054. I'll check it again after the boil is done. Dropped in 1/2 oz of Cascade hops as soon as it came up to boil temp.

Original gravity ended up being 1.061 after the boil and everything cooled down.

I bought a new 6.5 gallon glass carboy yesterday from my LHBS. I already had a three piece airlock, so I bought a drilled stopper when I was there. I pitched the yeast, shook it all up a bit, put the stopper in, and put the airlock(with vodka) in. I came out a few mins later, and the stopper and airlock had popped out. I pushed them back in again, and I either pushed to hard or the stopper is too small. The stopper went right into the carboy. I emptied it all out into a fermenting bucket I have, which I have a lid predrilled with a rubber gromet for the three piece airlock. I put it all in there, and then proceeded to work the stopper back out with some needle nose pliers. I plan on just letting it ferment in the bucket, might use the glass carboy for 'secondary' when I get ready to drop hop later. Any ideas on the stopper? Is there something better I should use for the airlock?

 

[pdog44450]

Download the Beersmith trial. It will probably help you with a lot of questions you have.

 

[virgil1]

Download the Beersmith trial. It will probably help you with a lot of questions you have.

Thanks, I did that before I started my batch. I think I just have a lot to learn still! It did help. I plan on buying a license.

 

[virgil1]

Seems to be fermenting just fine. Good bubble going in the 3 piece airlock. I am leaning toward just dumping my hop pellets in at 10 days and not doing a 2nd fermentor. I don't have enough beer to fill the carboy(I have about 4.5 gallons and the carboy is 6.5), so I don't think transferring it is a good idea. I'll post any other progress.

 

[pdog44450]

Thanks, I did that before I started my batch. I think I just have a lot to learn still! It did help. I plan on buying a license.

No problem. If you start to get seriously into brewing it's extremely handy. I bought a license the day my trial ended. Hard to brew without it!

 

[virgil1]

Gravity was about 1.010(a little less...perhaps 1.009). See pic. I also checked the temp. Going to let it sit for the week and then bottle. I dropped in:
1/2 oz Columbus
1 oz Centennial
1 oz Amarillo

Tasted it....seems pretty darn good! Excited to see how it turns out. I had some temp variation, particularly around day 9(it got a little warm...might have gone about 75 degrees for a few hours), but back hovering around 70 again now.

 

[Firewalker11]

Looks good, exited to see what that Amarillo adds to the profile.

 

[Foosier]

You don't really need to worry as much about fermentation temps after the really active fermentation is done (around 72 hours more or less after pitch). It is actually good to let the temp raise a bit after that point to encourage the yeast to clean up after themselves.

 

[Firewalker11]

I set the temp to 72 for a diacetyl rest after fermentation is done.

 

[virgil1]

Bottled it last night. Was at about 1.009. I only got 27 bottles out of it(16 oz). I think I could of siphoned a bit more out, but first time I used the plastic bucket fermenter and I wasn't sure where the trub started. After I was done I cleaned out the fermenter..I think I only had a bottle or two more in it anyhow. I used priming sugar, and I thought I had closer to 4.5 gallons(so over a gallon off), so it might be over carbonated. Probably almost 2 tbs too much sugar. I used this to calc:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/learn/resources/priming-sugar-calculator/
Will see how it is in a few weeks!

 

[Hellosluggo]

Subscribing to this thread. Planning to do my first BIAB soon as well. Looks like this has gone pretty well for you so far, interested to see your thoughts upon trying the first bottle! :cross:

 

[virgil1]

Turned out really nice. Friend of mine says it reminds him of Flat Tire, funny since I was going for Racer 5. Its good, a little malty, a little bitter. I can taste the hops, but I thought they would be a lot more present. I'll post if it gets better/worse with time. I gave 12 bottles to my buddy, kept the rest. Have a huge update to my BIAB system next week. Switching jobs and have the week off. My coworkers bought me all the bits to build a kegerator/ferm chamber. They rule. I had already planned on eBIAB. Gonna be a great week. Pics attached.

 

[Spartan300man]

Hopefully you meant Fat Tire, that's a pretty good beer!

 

[virgil1]

Ha, I did. Fat tire.

Hopefully you meant Fat Tire, that's a pretty good beer!

 

[virgil1]

still great on day two of trying bottles.