Why doesn't everyone BIAB?

[duckmanco]

I liked BIAB a lot when I made session beers, as my vessel was a 10 gallon pot. But I've really come to like batch sparging in my cheaply converted cooler because I'M more consistent that way, not that each process is any better than the other, it's just that batch sparging is so much easier for me to make consistently great beer with, therefore it's my main AG method. But man, cleaning just the kettle is a serious upside.

 

[JesseRC]

I just picked up that burner. How do you like it? Does it rip through propane? How many batches can you get out of a full tank? I am anxious to see spring so I can get outside and start AG.

I get about 2.5 batches of 11g each. Sure it rips through propane, but its badass. YOu can run it reall low or roaring like a jet. Really heavy duty and heavy. YOu'll like it. Only thing I dont like is how low to the ground it is, but I guess since its meant to handle large pots , lower is better.

My 15g pot centered on the burner and the base is still 4inches wider

 

[RM-MN]

Thanks for that information, make sense. I'll have to look more into the BIAB AG for a future batch.



Answering my question with another question attempting to patronize me just isn't helpful.



Sounds like an awesome upgrade. What kind of equipment do you need to boil an 11g batch, as far as the BTU's needed? I assume you're using a propane burner. Right now I'm on the kitchen stove, so doing an AG batch would most definitely require an large propane burner of some sort. Anything beyond 4g is really difficult for me to boil.

Why? There isn't any rule that you can't do a 3 gallon all grain batch right on your kitchen stove. I've done it a few times and it works really well. Try it.:rockin:

 

[msa8967]

For people who do smaller stove top BIAB batches, will squeezing the grain bag extract any tanins or undesirable tastes in the beer?

 

[Fastmetal]

I do full boil BIAB batches on my stove all the time. I average 75% efficiency. I am limited to about 14lbs of grain right now but that will all change soon. I just got a keggle and a new propane burner. I have never noticed any tannins from squeezing the bag but I don't squeeze the crap out of it. I just put the bag over the pot on an over sized strainer. But it's all about what works for you. There is no one answer in brewing. I have a buddy who only brews extract batches and makes some damn fine beers. YMMV.

 

[H-ost]

I did a 5 gallon BIAB once because I didn't want to and didn't have time to bring out my full setup for 10gallons. It was about as easy as doing an extract batch would have been. I can see myself doing BIAB + partial mash in the future if I want to make only 5 gallons but seeing as I do 10 gallon batches and I'm brewing outside on those days it is just so much easier for me to hold a consistent mash temp in my cooler.

 

[BBL_Brewer]

They don't make bags big enough.

 

[Euphist]

I do full boil 5g BIAB on my electric stove (does take 2 burners). Efficiency on my last batch was 82%. This is with a $30 Corona mill and a bag that cost less than $4 to make.

As far as "lifting heavy bags", if I can't lift that grain bag, I don't really need another beer! I squeeze every drop out of those grains and have never had an issue with tannins. A couple of free buckets from the bakery makes it painless as well!

The biggest attraction for BIAB right now is the minimal footprint. I live in an apartment, and simply do not have the for all the extra equipment.

 

[samc]

BIAB works just as well for me as my 3 keggle set up. If you have a large enough bag & kettle you can do just as well with either method.

 

[tknice]

When I went from AG to extract I considered BIAB but my stove can't handle full boils with my Blichmann 10G pot so I first had moved my brewing outside and onto a propane burner.

I went with the traditional route for a number of reasons, and I don't really use an HLT but rather a second pot for heating of sparge water. I do all my mashing indoors and it's fine with my cooler as it traps in any odors - the mother-in-law always complains incessantly about any stove top grain cooking smell. Anyhow, onto the reasoning:

Heya Rev.. Everyone has their opinion, and I respect yours, but people are reading this and deciding whether to try biab.

1. I didn't want to have to lift out a heavy bag of grains and suspend it while it drains

You don't need to suspend anything. Get a cheap grate from Walmart or home depot that is a few inches wider than your pot. I don't need help putting the grate in place for all but the largest of grain bills. Here's a pic of my grate with a tile work basin attached:

2. I HATE cleaning out grain bags, especially bigger ones!! It's a pure PITA in my opinion

Take a kitchen trash bag and spread it out on the ground. Set the biab in it and reach in, grab the bottom of the bag and up end the grain into the bag. Put the brew bag into a bucket of water until your done. Let it dry and shake it out the next day. How hard is that?

3. I worried, and I still think rightfully so, that the Blichmann burner would torch the bag unless I could find a way to suspend all that weight

Again, no need to suspend the bag. Most polyester bags won't burn and if you are worried (like me), get a cheap stainless rack for the bottom. I use the canning rack from my pressure cooker.

4. I've read several BIAB brewers claim lower efficiency

I haven't seen this.

5. If I used a pot for mashing indoors the smell would permeate more throughout the house and I'd have to hear the complaints. Doing it outside in my kettle I knew would be much harder to maintain mash temps in this weather, I would need to apply heat every now and then

I mashed outdoors in my 15 gal blichmann pot last weekend and it was 19 degrees. I zip a winter coat around it (you can use a sleeping bag or whatever) and I think it dropped two degrees in 75 mins.

6. The extra cost wasn't a matter for me at all and I personally find it more convenient in several ways

I didn't do biab for cheap, I do it for ease and cleanup time. I don't feel like my setup saved me much money lol.

As for the stuck sparges and all that, I don't have any. I had a stuck sparge when I first went AG because I'd gotten a false bottom for my cooler. I had to basically move the grains over to a grain bag and it turned more into a BIAB. But, I found out right after the brew the false bottom was warped. I returned it for a refund and got a bazooka screen for $17 and it's been awesome with no stuck sparges since. I very rarely use rice hulls too, never do with my wheat beers, but I have used rice hulls on a few occasions to play it safe. I mill my own grain and I've been getting a consistent 79% efficiency since getting my own mill.

Do whatever makes you happiest, it's not really a matter of this vs. that in terms of what's better. It really all comes down to a "configuration" that works best for you. Some people do it on their stove top and BIAB is most convenient. Some do it for the cost savings. Others have reasons for using a more traditional setup - and trust me... most of us aren't doing it for "traditional" reasons. It just works best for me and the way I brew.

Rev.

Totally agree with everything except the stovetop part. Many of us do 10 gallons outside on a burner, not on the stovetop. I just want people to understand that biab does not have to mean 5 gallons on the stovetop.

 

[gunner65]

I can do 10g batches inside on my ebiab system no problem as someone said earlier you can go as simple or complex as you desire with any brewing method.

 

[kman6234]

I'm going to be attempting my first BIAB brew on Sunday. I've done a bunch of all grain brews with the cooler MLT / HLT setup and they turned out well, but the simplicity of BIAB appeals to me and I figured I should try it out. If all goes well I plan on switching to BIAB all the time and selling my coolers.

For BIAB I bought a pulley system that I'm going to mount inside my garage and I also bought a grill grate for a 22.5" weber grill to put over my 18.5" brew pot to let the grain bag rest and drain after the mash.

 

[kh54s10]

I've done about 5 hlt, cooler, boil pot brews and have the procedure down pretty good.

I have also done two 3 gallon BIAB. I have not been able to dial in the volumes to get the predicted OG and efficiency. I would not want to mess with anything larger. It is messy, and if you squeeze the bag you have to be careful not to burn yourself.

It is perfect for small batches in the kitchen when it is snowing or below freezing outside though.

 

[EdWort]

I use a turkey fryer basket and a pizza screen instead of squeezing my bag.

Great for making starter wort for canning.

 

[Beer-lord]

EdWort, great idea! Just takes a little bit of thinking.
I've only done 2 BIAB for 5 gallon batches. Both are in bottles conditioning. I wouldn't say its uber easy but I will say it is not hard and the cost is a no brainer for me.
To each his own.....it's all good!

 

[StanJohnson]

I plan on doing small 2 gallon BIAB. I originally found this video on homebrewtalk:



About the only difference is since I have a 3 gallon water cooler, I plan on doing a sparge step. I'm not sure if I can get all the water and grain in a 3 gallon cooler. Plus I just want to try it and see how it works. My motto is RDWIWBB (relax don't worry it will be beer)

 

[Rev2010]

@tknice - I knew even while typing that someone would respond as you did trying to defend BIAB by breaking my post down piece by piece. You obviously missed my point and I still don't know why people feel the need defend their method over those used by others. I'd stated it's what works for a persons needs. If biab works for you great, just as I don't feel the need to convert others neither should you. It's rather silly actually. Btw, using extra racks like you suggested requires extra cleaning. I typically rinse my mash tun and only clean it with oxyclean every 3 or so batches. Not much work with a mash tun either, don't know what the big problem is.


Rev.

 

[mr_bell]

Totally unrelated, but does anyone know what the guy in the video (German Imperial IPA) make that dipstick out of? It looks somewhat translucent. I would like to make something like that.

 

[tknice]

@tknice - I knew even while typing that someone would respond as you did trying to defend BIAB by breaking my post down piece by piece. You obviously missed my point and I still don't know why people need defend their method over those used by others. I'd stated it's what works for a persons needs. If biab works for you great, just as I don't feel the need to convert others neither should you. It's rather silly actually. Btw, using extra racks like you suggested requires extra cleaning. I typically rinse my mash tun and only clean it with oxyclean every 3 or so batches. Not much work with a mash tun either, don't know what the big problem is.


Rev.

I think it's funny as well because I never break posts down like that.. I think it was the first time I have actually, but I did so because I feel strongly about it. I'm not comparing one to the other at all.

Here's the thing about biab imho. People are scared to brew all grain because they think its overly complicated or need lots of equipment which is simply not true. When you list your reasons for not liking biab, why can't I offer alternative processes, especially if I believe them to be easier?

To put it another way, it would be like saying I don't want to brew all grain the traditional way because I don't like the idea of moving liquor around with pumps. You would say, you don't need to do that. Tiered systems are designed to move it with gravity.

There is no big problem, I promise.

 

[gunner65]

I think your response was spot on. Someone asks about biab and another chimes in with a list of negatives that are easily remedied. Rev don't have such thin skin the post was valid to the thread.

 

[Ramitt]

damn, that pizza screen is genius, wish I had thunk of that when I was biabing

 

[StanJohnson]

mr bell

Here's the original post with the video.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/small-batch-tips-293434/

It's post #9. The member is C-Rider. You could probably PM him about the dipstick. It kinda looks like some sort of thin walled PVC with a cap with a hole drilled in it.

 

[Komodo]

I have a bag in my round cooler tun. 1/2 the water volume goes in the MT, other half is in the kettle. I do 1-2 batch sparges into a holding bucket, yank out the bag and do a dunk sparge/squeeze in the kettle water (probably unnecessary, but there is some decent sugar in there), combine them and boil. I've hit 85% brewhouse efficiency average and grind my own grains using roller mill at .39. Water is treated with citric acid to lower Ph, so not worried about tannins . . .it takes heat AND Ph to get those out.

 

[Northcalais40]

How many commercial brews are done biab? Why is that do you suppose?

 

[Seven]

How many commercial brews are done biab? Why is that do you suppose?

I would suppose none because when brewing commercially you are going for much larger quantities. Fortunately, home brewers aren't brewing on a commercial scale and this opens the door to other brewing methods for us.

 

[Fastmetal]

How many commercial brews are done biab? Why is that do you suppose?

Because they are not brewing beer in their basements and garages. BIAB is a way to go all grain with little to no extra equipment. Some folks like it and stick with it. Pure and simple. I brewed 2 extract stovetop batches when I first started doing this a little over a year ago. Then I went to BIAB in the same pot and did that for 8-10 batches then I got a smoking deal on a keggle, got a big bag and started using that outside. I don't really see why everyone has to bash it and question it as a viable method. It obviously works for a lot of people. When the time (and money) is right I will probably go to a 3 vessel automated electric system but until them BIAB works for me.

 

[Bradinator]

This thread is turning into an internet argument that cannot possibly be won... And requires a haiku to derail it.

Some use nylon bags
Some use a picnic cooler
Lets birth some beer drinks

 

[wilserbrewer]

They don't make bags big enough.

Oh, I beg to differ...I have made some gigantic bags

 

[wailingguitar]

How many commercial brews are done biab? Why is that do you suppose?

Apart from the fact that most commercial brewers would oppose the idea, the equipment would actually end up being more expensive on a large scale. A simple bag would not suffice, the vessel would have to be stainless steel... and quite large. Not to mention the fact that it would require mashinery to both lift and dump the inner vessel. It would make the system much more expensive, require a larger footprint and just be a general PITA.

 

[ElDuderino]

How many commercial brews are done biab? Why is that do you suppose?

I would think it would be impractical, may be impossible, to lift several tons of wet grain out of a kettle.

It works great making five to ten gallons of beer in my back yard, though