What effect does mash-out have for BIAB?

[wilserbrewer]

...and not sure how I could rinse the grains if they are suspended in a bag? Do you do that? Just pour water over the outside of the bag? Can't picture if it would work?

Sparging a bag of grain suspended over a pot seems to work surprisingly well for me. I didn't think it would work either, but a few batches ago I was short on runnings so I tried it...with a 2 qt pitcher, I slowly pour water over and through the side of the grain bag above the grain, it actually pours fairly well through the top to the fabric and rinses the grain. Didn't think it would work nearly as well as it does, I imagined the sparge water would just run off the outside of the bag...nope it goes through the grain

I have found that the bag / grain is quite sticky before the ghetto sparge, and much less sticky afterwards FWIW. The sticky sugar must be in the kettle I guess!

 

[aubiecat]

You guys have me talked into trying a rinsing sparge. The fact that I will be getting the last of those sugars out of the grain and the bag will be less sticky is appealing.
I always use half tap and half RO water so I may hold a gallon or two back and pour it straight from the gallon jugs.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I always use half tap and half RO water so I may hold a gallon or two back and pour it straight from the gallon jugs.

IME a gallon is plenty! Basicly your pouring it on the bag a little at a time and waiting for it to trickle through...all good!

 

[hikemor]

I do a partial mash BIAB. I mash in an igloo cooler, approx. 1.5 GAL. I dunk sparge in approx. 2 GAL in the BK for 5 min. at 170F then drain and squeeze the bag over the BK on a perforated, cookie sheet-type plate. Then add the cooler runnings and approx. .5 GAL of make up water for a 4 GAL boil.

Any recommendations or comments on this process? Thanks.

 

[wilserbrewer]

..... and approx. .5 GAL of make up water for a 4 GAL boil.

Any recommendations or comments on this process? Thanks.

Why add "make up water"? best practice efficiency wise is to use sparge water through the grain...but if you are only PM'ing, your rinse or sparge could be adequate...without details sort of a guess on my part...cheers!

With an additional 1/2 gallon sparge water, squeezing the bag could be pointless....I would suggest pouring the make up water through the grain bag and let it drain...this whole squeezing the bag for 10 cents of fermentables kinda bothers me...sure give it a little squeeze maybe....but when I hear of people wringing the bag like it owes you money...I just don't get it....

 

[C-Rider]

I do small BIAB batches using about 2.8 gallons to mash with. I use a paint strainer bag and a 5 gallon colman cooler as mashtun.
I tried sparging but decided it was to much work w/no great increase in efficiency.
Since I do small batches rarely going over 6 lbs of grain what I do is pull the bag up and set it in a colander over the cooler and w/a coffee cup in each hand put as much pressure on the bag over and over again until I get just about every last drop of liquid out of it. My BeerSmith is set for 75% and I usually get about 80%. I would imagine trying to get every last drop out of a 5 or 10 gallon batch would be much harder so maybe sparge is needed there.

 

[RM-MN]

I do small BIAB batches using about 2.8 gallons to mash with. I use a paint strainer bag and a 5 gallon colman cooler as mashtun.
I tried sparging but decided it was to much work w/no great increase in efficiency.
Since I do small batches rarely going over 6 lbs of grain what I do is pull the bag up and set it in a colander over the cooler and w/a coffee cup in each hand put as much pressure on the bag over and over again until I get just about every last drop of liquid out of it. My BeerSmith is set for 75% and I usually get about 80%. I would imagine trying to get every last drop out of a 5 or 10 gallon batch would be much harder so maybe sparge is needed there.

Start with the coffee cups full of cold water. When you feel you have squeezed out half the liquid, pour in one cup of the water and squeeze it again. Then dump in the other cup and squeeze it until no more liquid comes out easily. I'll bet you gain 5 to 10% efficiency! :rockin:

 

[C-Rider]

Start with the coffee cups full of cold water. When you feel you have squeezed out half the liquid, pour in one cup of the water and squeeze it again. Then dump in the other cup and squeeze it until no more liquid comes out easily. I'll bet you gain 5 to 10% efficiency! :rockin:

Hope I can remember to try it next time. :cross: