Very first BIAB

[harritchate]

For Christmas I received an all grain kit (midwest supplies big Ben pale ale) from Santa Claus.. The only problem is that I have been brewing extract only and do not have the equipment needed to get to the next level. This leads me to BIAB.

I am going to bring the gains to my lhbs to get a finer crush, and I need to get a larger kettle to accommodate the full boil.

I have read tons of threads on here, and watched a bit on youtube.. What suggestions do you folks, who have experience with biab brewing, care to share with someone who would hate to ruin a batch.

Any help is greatly appreciated as I am intimidated by going to the next step..

 

[vamo]

Same thing happened me last year. I already did full boils with a 7.5gal turkey fryer so I only had to buy a bigger bag. For me it was really just as simple as using a bigger bag during the steeping step. I didn't sparge and had no trouble hitting initial gravity. Beer ended up very drinkable, but not as hoppy as I was expecting, but you can't really blame that on BIAB. I did have to add water at the end due to under estimating the amount of the grains would absorb.

If you are not already doing full boils and are using an electric stove you may getting 5 gal up to boiling.

 

[RM-MN]

Beer is quite forgiving so you shouldn't worry too much. How big of a pot do you have now for doing extract. A 5 gallon pot works well for a half size batch and it isn't too hard to divide a recipe. I do quite a few of them.

 

[wyoohio]

I have been doing 10 gallon all grain batches for close to 5 years. This summer my wife and I had Triplets, so spending hours in the garage became impossible, so recently I tried Biab on the stove with a 7.5 gallon pot I had from my extract days.
Let me tell you, Biab was easier than any extract brew I have ever done. I am now rethinking by big system.

 

[MaxStout]

For Christmas I received an all grain kit (midwest supplies big Ben pale ale) from Santa Claus.. The only problem is that I have been brewing extract only and do not have the equipment needed to get to the next level. This leads me to BIAB.

I am going to bring the gains to my lhbs to get a finer crush, and I need to get a larger kettle to accommodate the full boil.

I have read tons of threads on here, and watched a bit on youtube.. What suggestions do you folks, who have experience with biab brewing, care to share with someone who would hate to ruin a batch.

Any help is greatly appreciated as I am intimidated by going to the next step..

No need to be intimidated. BIAB is not a difficult jump from what you've already been doing. Just a little more equipment and a slightly longer brew day. You will need to pay closer attention to temps (mashing). That's basically it!

A couple questions:

Are you brewing on a stove top or using a propane burner?
What size kettle are you presently using?

If stovetop, there's a limit to how big a kettle of water you can bring to a boil. You can still do BIAB, but you will be limited in batch size. If attempting a full 5-gallon batch, it may be difficult, if not impossible, for a kitchen stove to bring 6 gallons of wort to a boil. OTOH, if you have a propane burner, you could bump up to a much larger kettle, say 10 gallons.

Aside from the bigger kettle, you only need a few other things. A fine-mesh bag, and some clips to hold it around the top of the kettle. A good thermometer for monitoring strike water and mash temps is essential.

 

[harritchate]

Thanks for the quick replies. I use a outdoor turkey fryer but an going to upgrade to a better model possibly the bayou classic add this bass pro model just is not working well and I cannot get a good flame... I have adjusted it every which way to no avail. I intend on mashing in on the stove so I can better control my temperatures that I will monitor with a digital thermometer. .

The kettle I have now is an economy style 5 gallon. I hope to stick with biab for the cost savings and that I will know exactly what is going into the brew.. With that said would you suggest a 7.5 gallon or 10 gallon pot?

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[Brewitt]

A 10 gallon pot is ideal since it allows you to brew 5 gal of a moderate gravity beer by BIAB. I had an8 gallon pot and often felt limited in brewing big 8-9% brews. I now use a 15.5 gal keggle and can even do 10 gal batches of moderate abv beers.

All that said, there are various workarounds for "too small" pots I sometimes reserve a gallon or two of the mash water and use it for a sparge that can be added back to the boil after the grain is removed.

Good luck and have fun

 

[MaxStout]

With that said would you suggest a 7.5 gallon or 10 gallon pot?

I would also say go with 10-gal.--15 would be better. With anything less you will be rather limited in what you can brew. You can do a 5-gal batch in a 7.5 gal kettle, but it would have to be a low-gravity beer, and even then, you'll be right up to the brim of the pot. Of course, you can always do smaller batches.

If you are looking to save some $$$, don't be afraid of aluminum. Before your first brew session you just need to passivate the interior by boiling some water in it.

 

[jCOSbrew]

Make sure you have a way to cool the wort. An ice bath in the sink wont work well with a 10+ gallon kettle. You can get a 10 gal AL stock pot for about $50. You will also need an imersion chiller or plate chiller.

If you are not quite ready for full volume all grain, you could get a few lbs of extract and do a partial mash batch on the stove. For partial boil (extract or AG) try a late extract addition.

 

[redshift76]

Make sure you have a way to cool the wort. An ice bath in the sink wont work well with a 10+ gallon kettle. You can get a 10 gal AL stock pot for about $50. You will also need an imersion chiller or plate chiller.

If you are not quite ready for full volume all grain, you could get a few lbs of extract and do a partial mash batch on the stove. For partial boil (extract or AG) try a late extract addition.

Or get one of these & use the no-chill method:

https://www.relianceproducts.com/products/hydration/79.html

 

[harritchate]

I picked up a 15 gallon aluminum stock pot and am waiting on my new bayou burner to come in. I already have an immersion chiller to get this down to pitching temperatures. If all goes as planned I will be being my first biab batch this weekend. A special thanks to my lhbs for allowing me to double mill my outside purchased grains.. looks like I will have to invest in a grain mill soon...

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