Which BIAB do you like?

[SudzMaker]

I have been doing some research on BIAB systems.
I have been brewing all grain using a 15g kettle and an ice chest/cooler for more than 15 years.
I usually brew a 10 gallon batch and ferment in glass carboy's.
All my beer goes into kegs and then into bottles as necessary.

I was hoping to get some honest input on a new BIAB.
I have seen various systems like Grainfather, Brewzilla, Clawhammer, Spike, Blichmann, Anvil, SVBS, Unibrau, Brew Tools, etc.
I am leaning more towards a Grainfather, the Brewzilla, and similar. Right now I am heavily looking at the Brewzilla.

The list includes modular and non-modular systems.

If you are a BIAB brewer what do you have and what do you like about it and what don't you like about it?
I'm just looking to reduce the number of hours in a brew day. My day can be 5-7 hours including prep and clean-up.

Thanks in advance.

 

[eliastheodosis]

Are you asking about all in one systems like Grainfather, Brewzilla, etc? At very initial read I was thinking you meant brew bags, as in brew in a bag (BIAB).

For all in ones I have used both a 110 and 220 Grainfather G30. Both are convenient and easy to use and clean. The 110v was very slow to get to temp and had a very weak boil. It made good beer but the convenience and time savings of cleaning was offset by the sheer amount of time it took to speed up all the molecules.

For me, the 220v takes care of all of that. The only downsides I see so far are cost, wiring, and the fact that heavily hopped beers can gum up the works. Cost can be offset by purchasing second hand or waiting for a sale. Wiring is easy enough if you're knowledgeable and cheap enough if you're not. The time savings is worth it if it's in the budget. There are all kinds of solutions to keeping hops out of the works so take your choice. Otherwise, it gives me more hands off time during a brew and makes the process more enjoyable.

Heard John Palmer talk about the Anvil in an interview recently. He made the point that the external pump can easily be shut off and cleaned out during a brew without disrupting the system much. No direct experience with that but it sounds like a fair point

 

[cmac62]

I have the Anvil 10.5, and I like that it has a switch for 110 or 220. It is easy to use and can have your water at temp when you wake up. If you are doing a 10 gal batch, I'd keep the cooler, heat the water to mash temp in the anvil and do the mash in the cooler and transfer it back to the anvil for the boil, but I know there are bigger All In Ones (AIOs) out there that can both mash and boil 10+ gals. I like the Anvil though, its a good system and easy to use and clear. One upgrade I plan on making is getting a wilser bag to fit it without the malt pipe, but then I'll need a false bottom for it. Anyway I have no complaints with it. Good luck

 

[shetc]

Bayou Classic (pump not shown)

 

[Bobby_M]

I have been doing some research on BIAB systems.
I have been brewing all grain using a 15g kettle and an ice chest/cooler for more than 15 years.
I usually brew a 10 gallon batch and ferment in glass carboy's.
All my beer goes into kegs and then into bottles as necessary.

I was hoping to get some honest input on a new BIAB.
I have seen various systems like Grainfather, Brewzilla, Clawhammer, Spike, Blichmann, Anvil, SVBS, Unibrau, Brew Tools, etc.
I am leaning more towards a Grainfather, the Brewzilla, and similar. Right now I am heavily looking at the Brewzilla.

The list includes modular and non-modular systems.

If you are a BIAB brewer what do you have and what do you like about it and what don't you like about it?
I'm just looking to reduce the number of hours in a brew day. My day can be 5-7 hours including prep and clean-up.

Thanks in advance.

These are pretty good. Honestly.
https://www.brewhardware.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=premium+recirc&Submit=
What I like about it is that my brew days are 4 hours long including clean up and it holds the exact temperature I tell it to (throughout the entire mash volume). It's also the fastest homebrew step mashing system you can get, if you're into that kind of thing.

The all in ones are perfectly fine for the price. The downside is that every component is proprietary and only replicable for as long as the manufacturer has parts for that exact edition. They also tend to have a new edition available every year so who knows how long that is.

 

[BeerHolic]

I use 2 converted 50L (approx 13 gallons) aluminum kegs. One for mash tun and one for brew kettle.
Use high BTU gas burners.
I use a voile bag especially made to size in mash tun.
From start to finish including cleaning 4 hours

 

[AlexKay]

These are pretty good. Honestly.
https://www.brewhardware.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=premium+recirc&Submit=

WANT

There are all sorts of reasons that wouldn't work for me: I brew lots of 1-gallon batches, I don't have a dedicated set-up space, I don't have 240 V ... but that's a really slick piece of kit.

I would never drive it. I would just rub it with a diaper.

 

[madscientist451]

If you are a BIAB brewer what do you have and what do you like about it and what don't you like about it?
I'm just looking to reduce the number of hours in a brew day. My day can be 5-7 hours including prep and clean-up.

Thanks in advance.

The good news is you're getting 10 gallons of beer, the bad news is 5-7 hours....ugh. I don't have that much free time.
I have a Keggle and can run 10 gallon batches, but I like variety and don't like all the waiting for the bigger batches to come up to mash temp and to boil, so I have downsized. I use an 8 gallon pot for 5 gallon batches, but usually run smaller than that.
I use a cheap 16 quart side pot for a dunk sparge.
You don't need an all in one "system" to BIAB.
Someone here on HBT once said if you can make tea with a tea bag, you can brew BIAB.
I can do a brew in about 3 hours, but usually shave some time off by having my grains ready and the water already in the pot when I get home from work. When its cold ouside, I just set the pot on the back porch and go to bed and then dump to the fermenter in the morning. My mash doesn't recirculate, I can go cut the grass or do something else once I get the mash started. The dunk sparge seems to help hit the expected numbers, but many brewers skip that. Sometimes If I'm making a really dry beer, I'll start the mash before I go to bed and then boil in the morning.
So I started off BIAB, had problems with temperature swings, thought the beer needed some improvement, changed to mashing in a cooler, fussy fly sparge, vourlauf, spending a lot of time being a careful brewer, but then went back to BIAB with what I had learned, and haven't used the cooler since.
If you want to spend the cash on an "all in one" system, go for it, but all you really need is a pot and a bag. If you still want to brew 10 gallon batches with BIAB, I would recommend getting 3 bags, and splitting up the grain. It will be easier to pull the bags out.

 

[k-daddy]

As I've mentioned in several other posts, I fashioned my BIAB system based directly on the one Brewhardware sells (the one without the kettle legs). I did build a perforated malt pipe out of PEX tubing that extends down to the false bottom that seems to have helped with mash temperature consistency during the recirculation. It works like a charm and produces the same quality beer that my overly complicated 2 kettle RIMS system did. It's a real space saver and more importantly, a time saver when it comes to cleanup.

 

[odie]

I like the BIAB that I built.

Everyone does it a little different. Mine has morphed over time. I see what others do, I "steal" some of their ideas. I come up with my own stuff. I change it from time to time.

Everyone thinks theirs is the best. Maybe for them.

Collect everyone's input and build what works for you.

 

[Beermeister32]

Like Mad Scientist said above - It is easy to split it into multiple bags. I use what I call DBIAB - Double Brew In A Bag! It is a simple 2-bag setup with some stainless 1/8" welding rod over the top to clip on to. Makes bag extraction a breeze, no pulleys, block and tackle, engine hoists or extra buddies needed!

 

[Bayou Fatma Brewer]

Bayou Classic (pump not shown)
View attachment 816387

Looks like my crawfish boiling set up. Nice rig though.

 

[terrypratt1]

Bayou Classic (pump not shown)
View attachment 816387

What are you using in the photo for insulation? I have a "blanket warp" I put together that I bungee cord to my kettle - but I need to be very careful if i decide to add some heat (and it is quite bulky). It works well to hold temp even in the winter cold brewing outside garage - but wondering what that is in the photo.

Terry

 

[mac_1103]

What are you using in the photo for insulation?

It's called reflectix and it's available at most big box home improvement stores.

 

[terrypratt1]

It's called reflectix and it's available at most big box home improvement stores.

Thanks!

 

[shetc]

Looks like my crawfish boiling set up. Nice rig though.

Thanks!

Over a 60 to 90 minute mash, temp drops like 3 degrees with Reflectix. My wrap consists of 3 layers but I've never really tried different # of layers to see if there is a difference. Bayou Classic boil pot is made of fairly thin stainless steel so definitely needs the wrapping.

 

[BrewZer]

Over a 60 to 90 minute mash, temp drops like 3 degrees with Reflectix. My wrap consists of 3 layers but I've never really tried different # of layers to see if there is a difference. Bayou Classic boil pot is made of fairly thin stainless steel so definitely needs the wrapping.

I wrap two layers and secure with blue painter's tape. I put a garage towel over the top, and with this I usually only lose 2 or 3 degrees over an hour.

 

[odie]

There is a lot of thermal "mass" here. temps will drop slowly, even without a wrap.

Supposedly, most of the conversion happens within the first 20 minutes or so.

We are probably over obsessing over heat lose during the mash.

But a layer of reflectix certainly helps my boil as I'm only 120 volt.

 

[cmac62]

There is a lot of thermal "mass" here. temps will drop slowly, even without a wrap.

Supposedly, most of the conversion happens within the first 20 minutes or so.

We are probably over obsessing over heat lose during the mash.

But a layer of reflectix certainly helps my boil as I'm only 120 volt

I may have to get a some for my Anvil, I run it on 110 as a still and 220 in beer mode.

 

[Mac MacFarlane]

I have a brewzilla 35L 3.1.1 and a diy system using a spike solo basket and 20gal kettle. I would recommend the brewzilla 100% I’ve been using it for 3 years now and it owes me nothing but at some point it’s going to crap the bed and be useless. If I had to do it again I’d get a system like clawhammer or spike or make your own were parts can replaced as needed or upgraded for your own needs. Regardless of the system you choose I would get it in 240v.

 

[seatazzz]

I use a wilserbrewer bag in a 15g Brewer's Best kettle, on my custom-made brewstand. It's in my garage, which has no ceiling; I have two heavy-duty hooks screwed into the rafter directly over the brewstand for the hoist (also purchased from wilserbrewer). The same bag fits very well in my 10g Lowe's cooler for those times I feel like going all traditional 3-vessel brewing and stuff. For the 15g kettle I have a 14.5" false bottom from brewhardware, for the MT an 11" one, also from brewhardware. All in, except for the kettle, I've got about $200 invested in a nice BIAB system that works great. The wilser bags cannot be beat for quality and longevity; I've used mine at least twice a month for the last two years, and it's still as strong as the day it arrived. I've gone as high as a 20lb grain bill (at least 35-40lbs wet) and the seams don't even strain.

 

[Bart Taylor]

Ok, I went a subtly different direction. I'm trying to reduce the effort that goes into a brew day vs time. Previously I was making 25+ trips up and down between the basement, the garage and the kitchen. When I found out about using a condenser (IE no exhaust fan) I moved my whole operation into my basement. Everything is in the brew area and the cleaning station is around the corner. It makes for a super easy brew day. Need to work on operational efficiency to get the time out but it is a very leisurely day now. The brew day will get shorter as I improve stuff but I really like what I'm doing now. My last brew went a little long because we were doing some new stuff with honey that made a bit of a mess. However once the yeast was pitched everything went into the cleaning station (converted basement shower) for a quick rinse and I went to bed. The next day I finished the cleanup watching the tv with my wife. I could have done prep the day before watching the tube with my wife but didn't this time. I will next time.

Process wise the big difference between brewing in my garage and in the basement is I moved to electrical. If I was to go back to the garage I would stay with electrical. It is very nice. Not critical but very nice. 15 min to mash temp, 15 min to boil. Half the time of by old keggle on a burner.

Regarding equipment much of my stuff was bought used and modified/built by me with some help from friends. Even my panel box came from restore. Note: the bar existed I just needed to modify stuff to make it usable as a brew room (new sink, filtered water system, pully trolley etc).

Bart

 

[mac_1103]

Previously I was making 25+ trips up and down between the basement, the garage and the kitchen.

Well how else am I going to get my steps in?

 

[Bart Taylor]

Well how else am I going to get my steps in?

Steps good, stairs suuuuck

 

[BigPicture]

Thank you Beermeister & MadSientist. Great ideas!

 

[nocebo]

Current eBIAB setup, been using it for 2 years next month and don't plan on changing anything for a while at least. Modeled very much after Bobby's setup but with some very unnecessary tri-clamps.

It gets the job done quite well. Really like the Slingblade element, false bottom, and circulating both underneath and over top.

 

[Ninoid]

If you have a little technical knowledge, or know someone who does, you can make a cheap brew kettle yourself according to this video.



I made it like that a few years ago with a 30L stainless steel pot and a 2000W/220V heater and BIAB brewed over 150 bathes of beer in the tub without any problems.
An additional tip, especially if you brew in the bathtub, place a silicone mat under the pot so that the temperature does not damage the bathtub, and an air conditioner nearby to collect the boil steam would be useful.

 

[Beernik]

I have a keggle and, until recently, had a The Brew Bag for it. I burned a hole in it on my last batch, which means I should be more careful and probably add a false bottom to my keggle when I replace it.

But, it’s a great 1 vessel system and I can easily do 5 - 10 gallons of “normal” sized beers and 8 gallons of big beers.