There has to be a better way to drain BIAB over a kettle at mashout without using a hoist

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
MaxStout said:
I'm going to have to rework the bucket thing.

I tested it--propped it up by the bolts, with the bolts supported at their ends. I set 15 lbs. of weights inside (approx. the weight of a typical bag of wet grain). The bolts defected quite a bit, due to the thin plastic wall of the bucket. With a bag of hot grain inside the plastic would likely flex even more, perhaps even fail. I don't want this thing collapsing into the kettle.

First, cutting off the top part of the bucket was a mistake--I made it less rigid. I'll probably need to use another bucket--intact, so that it has the reinforced rim. I'll also need to reinforce it around where the bolts attach, with some sheet metal plates on the outside.

So, drilling lots more holes in another bucket. Yay.
View attachment 749217

View attachment 749218
Click to expand...
I use a grill cooking grate that covers the top of my kettle and set the bucket on that.
 
If you can find .090" thickness buckets, they are much stronger when hot. I use one with a 5500W heating element for a water boiler. I think most buckers are .070". Look on the bottom for some kind of marking that says 70 or 90 -- or I suppose 100. If you find 100's, buy them (I don't know if they exist)
 
Look for a honey siv. Mine is 12" diameter and has retractable arms.
 

Attachments

  • PXL_20220114_145215310.jpg
    PXL_20220114_145215310.jpg
    2.6 MB
  • PXL_20220114_145222395.jpg
    PXL_20220114_145222395.jpg
    2.4 MB
MaxStout said:
I finally tried the "BIAB Rocket" thing. Worked like a champ.
View attachment 753721
Click to expand...

A long time brewer here, starting to fool around with BIAB so starting to determine my direction. 1 BIAB under my belt. I used a ladder to hold and drain my bag. It worked okay, not thrilled. So that broght me to this post, lots of interesting ideas. Are you not worried that the plastic bucket will start to melt as it rests above the boiling wort? What about warping?
 
balto charlie said:
A long time brewer here, starting to fool around with BIAB so starting to determine my direction. 1 BIAB under my belt. I used a ladder to hold and drain my bag. It worked okay, not thrilled. So that broght me to this post, lots of interesting ideas. Are you not worried that the plastic bucket will start to melt as it rests above the boiling wort? What about warping?
Click to expand...
I carry boiling water in a 5-gallon plastic bucket (usually 3 or 4 gallons) and it hold up just fine. But I made sure to get a heavy-duty bucket with thicker walls. A thin-wall bucket would probably warp, but it won't melt and shouldn't fail.
 
z-bob said:
I carry boiling water in a 5-gallon plastic bucket (usually 3 or 4 gallons) and it hold up just fine. But I made sure to get a heavy-duty bucket with thicker walls. A thin-wall bucket would probably warp, but it won't melt and shouldn't fail.
Click to expand...

My Igloo cooler warped when I put hot water(not boiling) to pre-warm it for my mash, thats when I went all stainlees steel.
 
balto charlie said:
A long time brewer here, starting to fool around with BIAB so starting to determine my direction. 1 BIAB under my belt. I used a ladder to hold and drain my bag. It worked okay, not thrilled. So that broght me to this post, lots of interesting ideas. Are you not worried that the plastic bucket will start to melt as it rests above the boiling wort? What about warping?
Click to expand...

It's not a problem. The grains are ~150F, which doesn't melt the plastic, and it sits above the wort on the kettle, so heating the wort doesn't affect it, either. The grain bag is done draining before the wort reaches a boil, anyway.
 
MaxStout said:
It's not a problem. The grains are ~150F, which doesn't melt the plastic, and it sits above the wort on the kettle, so heating the wort doesn't affect it, either. The grain bag is done draining before the wort reaches a boil, anyway.
Click to expand...

Now it makes sense, I thought people left the grain over the brew pot through most of the boil. Thanks
 
balto charlie said:
Now it makes sense, I thought people left the grain over the brew pot through most of the boil. Thanks
Click to expand...

After, say 15 or 20 minutes, it's drained about all it can drain. The bucket rocket thingy is strong enough that I can squeeze the bag by pushing down with a pot lid to speed up draining.
 
I just transitioned to BIAB, having customized my old 10 gallon MegaPot into the Bobby’s Brewhardware design. Since room will be tight in the kettle for 5-6 gallon batches, my plan is to pull 2-3 gallons of “strike temp” water into a 3 gallon cooler for sparging. After the mash, hoist the bag, give it a squeeze, then place it in a food grade 3.5 gallon bucket with holes drilled in the bottom that is nested in a 5 gallon bucket. Sparge with the still hot sparge water, then place another empty 3.5 gallon (not drilled) bucket w/lid on top, have a seat for a minute, then pour the wort from the 5 gallon bucket into the kettle. Haven’t done it yet… hope it works as planned.
 
z-bob said:
Has anyone tried the kitchen cabinet handle yet? :D
Click to expand...


Wish I had the pictures, but yes, it has been tried. One of the first batches done in kitchen that was not finished before beer-smell-despising-wife returned home, as much time in the middle of brewing was devoted to fixing broken cabinet.

Don't do it.

And wear sunscreen.
 
I used the cabinet door again today to drain a brewbag. But I should probably mention that I never pull down on the rope to lift the bag up (using the cabinet handle like a pulley) because when you do that the door has to support 2x the weight of the bag. Maybe a little over 2x because of friction losses. I lift the bag and then tie it off, so the door only has to support 1x the weight. Also these are old cabinets so they are solid wood. (probably lumber-core plywood) I don't know if newer ones might be made of chip board or something with just a wood veneer.
 
soccerdad said:
There's always the Old zapap. 2 buckets. I with holes drains into one without.
Click to expand...
This is exactly what I do. A 3 gallon food grade Zapap which used to be a pie filling container is now a glorified and spill proof collander. I put it in a spare brew bucket to collect the runnings and sparge to get my pre-boil volume.

Large (bigger than original Zapap) holes drilled throughout bottom and 1/3 the way up the sides. Gives me room to stir and sparge as it drains.

For added bucketry, use a third on top to squeeze the life out of your grain.

Easy peasy with less mess and even less engineering.
 

Attachments

  • 20220421_174013.jpg
    20220421_174013.jpg
    1.2 MB
Last edited:
at the end of mash BIAB I open the tap and drain out the wort (pronounced wert) into a 4 litre jug which I tip into the boiler. Power on max and fetch the next 4 litres. Flow obviously slows to a mere dribble, if I am short on brew length I sparge with hot water - this does not happen often -
 
Here's a pic from my brew day yesterday. Bag took a really long time to drain because the recipe had so much wheat flour. I just let it hang for a half hour (tilting it back and forth occasionally to let it drain some from the upper parts of the bag), then squeezed the last little bit.
IMG_20220707_144732545.jpg
 
I've been using this kitchen strainer since 2013 when I started brewing. It fits right in my kettle, and it even fits in a 10 gallon cooler. The sides take care of the bag trying to "spread out" and there is no mess when allowing the bag to drain or when squeezing the bag. Once it drains, I move the bag of grains into a dunk sparge bucket (usually 150*) and mix them up and let them sit in the dunk sparge for 20 mins. Then I drain the bag the same way with the strainer. Been working like a charm for years....

https://www.amazon.com/U-S-Kitchen-...3363&sprefix=kitchen+strainer,aps,110&sr=8-26
 
balrog said:
The problem will quickly be realized as the bag sags and spreads over the flat area extending itself beyond the edges of the pot and dribbling sticky sugary wort all over the place.

Ask me how I know.
Click to expand...
I'll bet it's the same way I know!
 
z-bob said:
Here's a pic from my brew day yesterday. Bag took a really long time to drain because the recipe had so much wheat flour. I just let it hang for a half hour (tilting it back and forth occasionally to let it drain some from the upper parts of the bag), then squeezed the last little bit.
View attachment 774243
Click to expand...
Bob, why so many kitchen knifes, Bob?!?
😁

Almost same setup. Just in other spot. A hook on the ceiling. I sparge with water at room temp , 1l/Kg, to decrease temp, then squeeze the bag with my hands. No need for more hardware to clean up afterwards.
 
I use one of these.
Not sure if you can get them in the US.
It's a basket for converting your perserver cooker into a steam juicer.
Very sturdy with a about 40cm diameter at the top and as it's tapered it fits snugly into several of my diffeent pots and buckets.
Usually I put it on a 30L fermentation bucket and lift the bag from the pot and dump it in there.
Not perfect but works good for a grain bill up to about 17 or 18 pounds.
Anything heavier I wouldn't want to be lifting by hand anyway o_O

1676974944954.png

Its the middle part of this system.

1676975135483.png
 
Last edited:
Alan Reginato said:
Bob, why so many kitchen knifes, Bob?!?
😁

Almost same setup. Just in other spot. A hook on the ceiling. I sparge with water at room temp , 1l/Kg, to decrease temp, then squeeze the bag with my hands. No need for more hardware to clean up afterwards.
Click to expand...
Because I'm 63 years old, and I've been buying knives (just one or two at a time) since I was about 20) I didn't realize they were in the background :D The black handles are RH Forschner (now rebranded as Victorinox) and most of the white ones are Russell Dexters.

Best setup I've seen (I think it was in another thread on this site) was a large lag eye bolt screwed through the back of the cabinet into a stud. So when the cabinet doors are closed it is all hidden.
 
balrog said:
Genius, but watch the wear on the cabinet door edge finish.
Click to expand...

There's no problem with the door, it's swung all the way open when the eyebolt is in use. The closed door covers the edge of the cabinet itself where it can be worn.

The big vulnerability is the stove hood. Small bills are not a problem, but it starts to groan when I make the occasional >1.080
 
Related to this do people do anything beside use the draw string to lift the bag? (I know there are bags out there have that have sewn in lift handles, but I wasn't smart enough to look for that when I started).

I'm on brew #2 and have so far just used the draw string. First time it worked great. Second time the string came undone and I was really lucky I didn't have a giant mess. I had only lifted the bag about an inch when it happened so minimal splash. Was a pain though since of course half the string pulled into the hem on the bag and so I had to hold the bag by hand instead.

It was definitely dumb on my part since it was relying on the little plastic lock that holds the drawstring tight the way I had it hooked to the hoist. Next time I'll make sure I tie a loop so I'm not relying on that point. It made me think though is the string or the hem around the bag strong enough to support the weight or should I try something different in the future.
 
Langerz said:
Related to this do people do anything beside use the draw string to lift the bag? (I know there are bags out there have that have sewn in lift handles, but I wasn't smart enough to look for that when I started).

I'm on brew #2 and have so far just used the draw string. First time it worked great. Second time the string came undone and I was really lucky I didn't have a giant mess. I had only lifted the bag about an inch when it happened so minimal splash. Was a pain though since of course half the string pulled into the hem on the bag and so I had to hold the bag by hand instead.

It was definitely dumb on my part since it was relying on the little plastic lock that holds the drawstring tight the way I had it hooked to the hoist. Next time I'll make sure I tie a loop so I'm not relying on that point. It made me think though is the string or the hem around the bag strong enough to support the weight or should I try something different in the future.
Click to expand...

The plastic lock broke off of my drawstring a long time ago. I lift the bag by the drawstring with one hand, which gathers the top. I grab the top of the bag with the other hand, and I use both to lift it. Then I tie it off on the cabinet door handle. (you might do something different at that point, like have your wife slip an oven rack or giant colander between the bag and the kettle so you can set it down) Once it drains a bit you should be able to hold it up with one hand, freeing up the other for manipulating some kind of strainer.
 
Last edited:
balrog said:
I don't. I use the additional prussic knot loop, using the drawstring to gather the top enough to put the prussic around the cloth just below the opening.
Click to expand...
Draw string hoist lift for me. I tie a double surgeon's loop about 8 inches or so from the top of the bag. Quick, simple, and strong.
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

T
First All Grain Brew is in the fermenter(long)
Replies
5
Views
1K
beren
beren
3
Partial mash?
Replies
16
Views
2K
Broothru
Broothru
ILMSTMF
Hoist point for bag lift, advice needed please
2
Replies
45
Views
7K
ILMSTMF
ILMSTMF
G
Clawhammer 120v 5 gallon system Efficiency
Replies
11
Views
4K
Gbabcock17
G
M
Missed Efficiency in BIAB (longer post)
Replies
16
Views
2K
RePete
RePete

Latest posts

Back
Top