Recirculation question

[eulipion2]

Hello!
I have been doing BIAB for a few years now, and am looking to go electric. I currently mash with my bag inside the steamer basket for ease of lifting and draining, and plan to continue with that after converting. Unfortunately that leaves me with about a 1"-wide ring of liquid between the basket and the pot.

So my question is, when recirculating, will the circulating liquid actually penetrate the grain bed, or will it simply flow around it (path of least resistance)? Do I need to put a recirculation tube/arm directly into the grain bed for more consistent temperature control and flow?

 

[theck]

I was going to put mine above the bed, doing a cheap RIMs thing. I was planning on putting holes into something like a triclover tube (for easier cleaning) along the sides and having it drip down on the bed. I'll be using a square cooler for now until I can get something better when I get more money, so I'll be using it for a while. Not sure if it's the proper way so interested to see what other suggest.

 

[jwalkermed]

Good question. I figure putting the water back in the bag rather than out would be better but I have no proof of this. What I do is stir several times during the mash which I also think helps with efficiency. I can do this cause I don't have to worry about decreasing the temp since I'm recirculating w/ heat controlled by the PID

 

[C-Rider]

Why bother? BIAB is so simple.

 

[jwalkermed]

Why bother? BIAB is so simple.

If you have the ability to control your mash temp precisely it can give you better repeat-ability of recipes (theoretically). I also recirculate to clean my setup after I'm done CIP.

 

[eulipion2]

If you have the ability to control your mash temp precisely it can give you better repeat-ability of recipes (theoretically). I also recirculate to clean my setup after I'm done CIP.

You beat me to it! This ^^^

 

[wilserbrewer]

Hello!

I have been doing BIAB for a few years now, and am looking to go electric. I currently mash with my bag inside the steamer basket for ease of lifting and draining, and plan to continue with that after converting. Unfortunately that leaves me with about a 1"-wide ring of liquid between the basket and the pot.



So my question is, when recirculating, will the circulating liquid actually penetrate the grain bed, or will it simply flow around it (path of least resistance)? Do I need to put a recirculation tube/arm directly into the grain bed for more consistent temperature control and flow?

Simply adding the return back to the mash will work. While most of the wort may detour around the mash, some will flow through the bag.

 

[raysmithtx]

I have my return line through the lid so it goes into the center of the basket/bag. I get precise temp control this way.

I do get stuck mashes/sparges though. I have had the liquid go over the top of the kettle several time when the bag gets clogged and the water does not drain properly. I use eBIAB but so far have never had a scorched brew.

I stir occasionally to try to keep the grains from clogging and I will turn off the pump every so often to let the bag drain. Not a big deal but something I was not expecting.

 

[h22lude]

Why bother? BIAB is so simple.

You don't have to mill your grains fine if you recirculate. You will get better efficiency. The beer will come out clearer.

BIAB is simple but so is adding a valve, hose, pump and return hose. It will make a difference.

 

[Bobby_M]

In theory, flow would be more likely to go down through the grain if your basket didn't have holes in the upper half, or even in the sides at all.

 

[haeffnkr]

Hi,
I would suggest a stir motor over a pump for eBIAB.
Search my posts for pictures.

haeffnkr

 

[eulipion2]

In theory, flow would be more likely to go down through the grain if your basket didn't have holes in the upper half, or even in the sides at all.

Kinda like a Braumeister system? Unfortunately I've got the stock basket that came with my kettle. The holes go almost all the way to the top. Off topic, but I'm looking forward to getting a HotRod when they're available again. I dread the idea of having to drill my (fairly soft) aluminum kettle with even more holes!

Hi,
I would suggest a stir motor over a pump for eBIAB.
Search my posts for pictures.

haeffnkr

Interesting, and certainly cheap enough. Might have to add that on later, but for the time being, the pump's arriving today, and I can use it to whirlpool and transfer, as well as recirculating the mash liquid.

 

[emyers]

If I was to do a herms biab I'd put a raised rack on the bottom with a pickup tube, then a inlet port that's at minimum below wort level. A fancy sparge arm shouldn't be necessary and would only complicate the bag configuration.