NOOB wanting to do BIAB brewing Small Batches 2.5 gallon

[beeeeeerman]

Howdy hi everyone. Im new to brewing. Im jumping in all the way. Im planning on doing small batches BIAB style and have soooooo much to learn. Im planning on documenting everything I do by video and plan on making some mistakes and hopefully learn to make some good beers. Yup, I have a website and want to have fun and always have some good suds on hand. Im in the Spring TX area and if anyone is near. I'd love to connect.

Im only wanting to do small batches so I can drink up my results, learn and brew more.

Below is my intro video detailing what I have purchased to get started. Please feel free to give any advice / criticisms or whatever. Im hoping to share w/ the forum what Im doing brew wise and would love feedback

 

[wilserbrewer]

Welcome, nice vid and nice first post!

 

[Rdom]

I like it man. Looks like you've prepared well. You're gonna love it! Welcome to BIAB.
BTW my equipment setup is very similar and I also do 2-3 gallon batches.

 

[Rdom]

One thing I didn't see in the video was a thermometer for measuring mash temp and a spoon or paddle for stirring, both very important. Maybe I just missed it. I haven't been to the website yet.

 

[TimFarAway]

Nice! I did 2 mini BIAB kits and am stepping up to 2.5 Gal myself. I'll keep any eye out and see how you're doing, maybe we can compare notes and not double up on the mistakes we're both likely to make.

 

[beeeeeerman]

thanxx everyone.
brewday !

I have a probe thermometer and my cooking thermometer. Hope these will do . I shall check them out to see how accurate they are. They are pretty close at ambient temps and I shall see what they say when water boils to see how close they are to 212

I shall use my 21" stainless spoon for stirring the mash.

My first brew today will be an Imperial stout w/ a little coffee added at flameout.


Below will be my plan of attack:

Heat 3 gals @160
Mash In 90 mins
heat 1.5 gal @170
Sparge using above
Top up 3.5 gal
Boil 1 hr THEN
60 mins add Nugget 1.1 oz
20 min add Willamette .39oz
Cool to 65
Place in 3 gallon Carboy
Rehydrate & Pitch yeast using Danstar Winsdor Ale Dry


Im using a 4 gallon pot I figure for a 2 hr boil, I will need 4 gallons to start so I will mebbe get it to 3.5 gallons, bring to a boil and top up as it goes hopefully ending w/ 2 gallons at the end of boil.

I dont have my fermentation chiller built yet however, I have a big plastic chest that i will place the carboy in along with a 1 gallon jug of ice and play w/ that to aim for 65 -68 degrees fermentation temp for 14 days then bottle.

Im hoping to video everything so i will post in this thread what happens. Sorry you will have to look at my fat keyster doing the brewing. Mebbe next time I will get that dancer I fell in like with to do the video presentation



2 gallon batch Imperial Stout https://brewgr.com/recipe/2054/

6.8lbs Maris Otter
6oz special B
6oz flaked barley
6oz choc malt
6oz flaked oats
6oz munich 10
1oz c80
Hops 1.1oz nugget 60mins
.39oz willamette 20mins
1 oz coffee @ flameout <<<< MY idea
120min boil

 

[beeeeeerman]

Ok fine, have it bubbling away in a carboy @ 66 degrees. Im sure I did plenty wrong, however I did learn and drank a bunch of brew while learning. The probe thermometer got wet along the way and stuck at 147 for a while. I dried it out and will look at sealing it. I got 1.112 after boil so I guess I did something right. Day 3 of fermentation and bubbling is slowing down. I pitched 11 grams dry Danstar Winsdor Ale Yeast.

Im thinking 2 weeks in primary the bottle and mebbe try one at 2 weeks and go from there. Im seeing how other brewers like to let Imperial Stouts sit for a while before they are ready to consume. Im guessing I picked a brew that I need to sit on for a while so I wont get instant gratification. I'm reading some say I should let it set on the yeast in primary for 3 weeks or so.

Any suggestions on fermenting duration and bottle conditioning ? I dont have the abilities right now to keep it for too long in a cool environment cuz I'm in Texas and not wanting to get a fridge for a stockpile just yet.

Ohh well mebbe brew this weekend and let this one sit

 

[dustys_dad]

I had 5 gallons of an extract imperial stout in the primary for 3 weeks, and then in secondary for 3 weeks. I added whiskey soaked oak chips to the secondary. I bottled and let it condition for a month before I touched the first one, and each bottle was better with age. I let the last bomber sit for a year before I cracked it open last Friday and it was amazing.

Everyone will have a different opinion, but my $.02 is that with a big beer, time is your friend.

 

[C-Rider]

Pretty good. Questions:
1-if this is your first brew why such a big beer? That's gonna have to sit for a long time before you can really enjoy it. Should have started w/something you could enjoy in 6 weeks. But to late about that.
2-why the 120 min boil?

Here is a video I did a few years ago. I too do small batches. Back then about 1 3/4 gal but now I try for 1.9 gallons which leaves me w/hopefully 1.75 in the bottling bucket and 3 six packs. Check out my method to squeeze that bag of hot grain. I don't sparge as it's not common in BIAB and I can really press my bag and get every last drop out. There is a lot of sugar in the wet grain.



Now I use to coffee cups, one in each hand, and press down on the bag of wet grain so I don't burn my hands. This way I can really put some pressure on the grain.

A lot of us add coffee cold brewed to the bottling bucket (to taste) as it's hard to know what the results will taste like when you add to boil kettle w/out doing it a number of times to get just the right amount.

Good Job, keep up up and soon you'll be wearing a Master Brewer's hat when you brew. LOL

 

[RM-MN]

Ok fine, have it bubbling away in a carboy @ 66 degrees. Im sure I did plenty wrong, however I did learn and drank a bunch of brew while learning. The probe thermometer got wet along the way and stuck at 147 for a while. I dried it out and will look at sealing it. I got 1.112 after boil so I guess I did something right. Day 3 of fermentation and bubbling is slowing down. I pitched 11 grams dry Danstar Winsdor Ale Yeast.

Im thinking 2 weeks in primary the bottle and mebbe try one at 2 weeks and go from there. Im seeing how other brewers like to let Imperial Stouts sit for a while before they are ready to consume. Im guessing I picked a brew that I need to sit on for a while so I wont get instant gratification. I'm reading some say I should let it set on the yeast in primary for 3 weeks or so.

Any suggestions on fermenting duration and bottle conditioning ? I dont have the abilities right now to keep it for too long in a cool environment cuz I'm in Texas and not wanting to get a fridge for a stockpile just yet.

Ohh well mebbe brew this weekend and let this one sit

If your OG was that high, you severely underpitched the yeast. You should have used at least 2 packages of Windsor and possibly 3. Your yeast may quit on you before your beer fully attenuates and the yeast may throw some interesting esters from being stressed.

You're thinking 2 weeks of fermenting and then bottle? I'm thinking 6 to 9 weeks in the fermenter to let that beer finish, then another 6 weeks to carbonate in the bottle, then another 3 to 6 months to mature. You only need to keep it cool for the first part of the ferment, probably 4 to 6 days until the ferment slows down. Once the ferment slows your flavors won't be changing much and letting the beer warm to the low 70's will encourage the yeast to finish and your yeast are going to need all the encouragement you can give them.

 

[beeeeeerman]

If your OG was that high, you severely underpitched the yeast.

Even for a 2 gallon batch ?

 

[RM-MN]

Even for a 2 gallon batch ?

Oops, I missed where you mentioned that this was a 2 gallon batch, I was thinking it was a 5. In that case I would say you only slightly underpitched because you really do have a big beer at 1.112. The time to ferment won't change much though. By the time the yeast get nearly done they will be pretty stressed with the amount of alcohol they are swimming and will be pretty sluggish.

 

[beeeeeerman]

Oops, I missed where you mentioned that this was a 2 gallon batch, I was thinking it was a 5. In that case I would say you only slightly underpitched because you really do have a big beer at 1.112. The time to ferment won't change much though. By the time the yeast get nearly done they will be pretty stressed with the amount of alcohol they are swimming and will be pretty sluggish.

Should I consider pitching more ? It is day 4 and it is still bubbling about 1 every minute

 

[wilserbrewer]

Should I consider pitching more ? It is day 4 and it is still bubbling about 1 every minute

RDWHAHB, for a 2 gallon batch, 11 g should be ample. The above poster assumed a 5 gallon batch and 1 packet of yeast on a rather large beer...hence the concern for underpitching.

FWIW, repitching additional yeast after the bulk of fermentation is complete is sometimes not that effective. But I think you are fine!

 

[beeeeeerman]

RDWHAHB

But I dont have any !!! I have to wait 6 weeks.

OK, Ok I'll go to the LBS and get the stuff to cook another batch ... ESB it will be :rockin:

 

[Hjandersen]

But I dont have any !!! I have to wait 6 weeks.

OK, Ok I'll go to the LBS and get the stuff to cook another batch ... ESB it will be :rockin:

Good choice - smaller beer means faster maturation and generally ease the process..

 

[RM-MN]

Good choice - smaller beer means faster maturation and generally ease the process..

If you like a wheat beer, they can be ready to drink even faster. Keep the amount of alcohol low and they ferment out quickly and will be ready to drink by the time they are carbonated in the bottle.:rockin:

 

[C-Rider]

But I dont have any !!! I have to wait 6 weeks.

OK, Ok I'll go to the LBS and get the stuff to cook another batch ... ESB it will be :rockin:

That's what you get for starting out w/a BIG beer~

Get that second and third fermenter and get your pipeline flowing.

 

[beeeeeerman]

That's what you get for starting out w/a BIG beer~

Get that second and third fermenter and get your pipeline flowing.

Yup..I guess doing the big beer was fine, my first lesson is I see that this is not a sport of instant gratification. If I rush, i'll prolly get bottle bombs

I'll be brewing ESB tomorrow and prolly next week a wheat beer