Success! New BIAB brewer's 1st batch fermenting

[stealthfixr]

Maybe a wasted post, but I am just so darned happy with my first BIAB brew session. I returned to brewing after a 15 year layoff, having done three-tier 'traditional' all-grain before with Gott coolers and limited success. I've been brewing extract for the past two years, but took the BIAB plunge today.

I brewed the AG version of the Midwest Raspberry Wheat. I'd planned for 70% efficiency, but hit 75%! I milled the grain through my Barley Crusher twice with the stock gap setting, used a custom BIAB bag for my Bayou Classic pot, used a Chugger pump for the first time whenever I added heat and to recirc (and while using my JaDDed Wasp immersion chiller), but otherwise did everything pretty much straight forward. Also used a refractometer for the first time, and it sure was sweet to see 1.053 in it's window before putting the lid on the fermentor. I took my time and still only spent 4 hours from start to everything clean and put away finish.

Call me a BIAB convert!

 

[buzz1670]

Congrats I don't know why more brewers don't BIAB.

 

[jnacey]

Welcome to the club!

 

[thaymond]

Welcome! May your brew be delicious and infection free. Here's the result of my latest BIAB Zombie Dust clone. Its super delicious!

 

[johnodon]

Welcome aboard and congrats!

 

[DurtyChemist]

15 years then just jumped back into it. Wow.

I love my BIAB and I've been considering doing traditional all grain but don't think I need to spend the money on anything but grain and space is limited. If you make it to Reno hit up Brew Chatter. Great shop.

 

[jnacey]

Welcome! May your brew be delicious and infection free. Here's the result of my latest BIAB Zombie Dust clone. Its super delicious!

View attachment 201635

Great glass...I'm a Hawks transplant in Philly...tough livin...

 

[thaymond]

Great glass...I'm a Hawks transplant in Philly...tough livin...

Woof.

 

[stealthfixr]

15 years then just jumped back into it. Wow.

I am US military active duty, and my last assignment was at a US embassy overseas in an Islamic country. The commissary beer was often heat soaked, light struck and generally awful. It also cost about $50-75 for a case. After my first great disappointment buying beer there, I thought "I can do way better than this!".

And, so I did, without much in the way of equipment or anything. I found an AL 20 liter brewpot downtown for like $20, found a capper and a plastic bucket that someone left behind, got used bottles from the embassy bar, and I was almost in business. Thanks to Midwest being willing to ship to a DPO AE address, I was suddenly pumping out the beer as fast as I could--via extract. The beer was good, too! I never had an infected batch, but sanitization was a challenge and a half--thank goodness for readily available bleach.

I found that I really enjoyed brewing and wondered why I ever stopped. Now I've been home for a year and stayed with it, graduating to all-grain (again). I might not be saving any money, and the time isn't easy to carve out, but it is so satisfying! Belgians, IPA and stouts--love them all.

Now that I've found BIAB, life's very good in the brewing world.

 

[phantombrews]

Welcome! May your brew be delicious and infection free. Here's the result of my latest BIAB Zombie Dust clone. Its super delicious!

View attachment 201635

Just racked my zombie dust to secondary today added 1oz of citra and .5 oz of Amarillo to the secondary I like zombie dust but wanted a more hoppy flavor how long should I let the hops sit in secondary

 

[thaymond]

Just racked my zombie dust to secondary today added 1oz of citra and .5 oz of Amarillo to the secondary I like zombie dust but wanted a more hoppy flavor how long should I let the hops sit in secondary

7 days.

 

[jnacey]

Some of the more recent hop research has indicated that you get the full benefits of dry hopping after only a day or less. It seems that some of the more "hop forward" breweries have been moving to a 2-3 day dry hop.

One additional observation, if you're doing a 5 gallon batch, the 1.5oz of dry hops is probably on the lighter side. Something closer to 4-5oz will give you a much brighter hop nose, if thats what you're looking for.