Why is it..

[QuercusMax]

I will freely admit to being an evangelistic BIAB'er. I've been a casual homebrewers since '05, doing partial boil extract+specialty grains batches. I had read about doing all-grain, but it seemed really intimidating - having to build things, worry about batch vs fly sparging, stuck mashes, insulation, etc. I really liked brewing, and bought 33lb jugs of LME to do my batches.

Then I read about BIAB, watched some YouTube videos, and decided to give it a try. Bought myself a paint strainer bag and brewed a 3 gallon full boil batch of the Session Saison I found on here. It was awesome! Ended up the best brew I had ever made out of 32 batches up to they point! And it was SO EASY and cheap.

For me, 3 gallon BIAB is the best way to get into all grain. You don't need any extra equipment ( although I bought a $25 refractometer after my second BIAB because using a hydrometer is such a PITA ).

I've since invested in a 7.5 gallon ported kettle, but aside from that and a cheap $20 corona mill I have made no more equipment purchases over my original kit I bought 8 years ago. I've bought some extra 5 gallon buckets, but I'm still using all my original kit.

I may at some point upgrade to a "real" all grain system, but honestly, I
don't see any pressing reason why. I get 80% efficiency, and I can mash 10 pounds of grain easily, so I either make 5 gallons of 1.050ish brews, or supplement with extract or make a 3 or 4 gallon batch.

So sorry if I'm one of the evangelical BIAB'ers, but that's my story. Going all-grain is scary, and if you have to make a big equipment outlay in terms of time/money (my LHBS sells a mash tun kit for $150!), it's quite intimidating. With a 3 gallon AG batch, the extra equipment plus ingredients were CHEAPER than an extract kit! You can't beat that! And like RM-MN said, it is quick, too. I've done multiple double brew days in under 6 hours. If I prep everything ahead of time I'll be done in 3.5 hours.

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

Home Depot has the 5 gal cooler for 22 bucks....a couple of washers, 2 O rings, a ball valve, a water heater line(used instead of false borrom) ,,,you are OTD for under 50 bucks. I have done all three and believe you me AG is not scary......not saying which method is better but if cost is your concern,,,,,,make your own mash tun, you do make your own beer, right?

 

[silentmike]

home depot has the 5 gal cooler for 22 bucks....a couple of washers, 2 o rings, a ball valve, a water heater line(used instead of false borrom) ,,,you are otd for under 50 bucks. I have done all three and believe you me ag is not scary......not saying which method is better but if cost is your concern,,,,,,make your own mash tun, you do make your own beer, right?

x2

 

[QuercusMax]

Seems like you're ignoring what I said. Sure, once you've done AG once or twice, it's not a big deal, and I'm considering building a "real" mash tun, but if you're not at that point yet, it's a pretty big hurdle to jump.

You're not seriously contending that spending $50+, tracking down a bunch of parts, and spending bunch of time is in the same ballpark as "buy a $3 paint strainer, and go"?

Not everybody is a DIY powerhouse, and has the time and inclination to spend fiddling with home-made gear. People have other responsibilities - family, work, volunteering, yard work, etc., and time available for brewing is precious. You need to put yourself in the mindset of the casual extract brewer, you're looking at it from the POV of one who has already crossed the chasm.

 

[dstranger99]

Seems like you're ignoring what I said. Sure, once you've done AG once or twice, it's not a big deal, and I'm considering building a "real" mash tun, but if you're not at that point yet, it's a pretty big hurdle to jump.

You're not seriously contending that spending $50+, tracking down a bunch of parts, and spending bunch of time is in the same ballpark as "buy a $3 paint strainer, and go"?

Not everybody is a DIY powerhouse, and has the time and inclination to spend fiddling with home-made gear. People have other responsibilities - family, work, volunteering, yard work, etc., and time available for brewing is precious. You need to put yourself in the mindset of the casual extract brewer, you're looking at it from the POV of one who has already crossed the chasm.

Yeah, a $3.00 strainer bag will harbor the same results.

But Jesus, you sound like it takes a genius to build this, it doesn't. One trip to Lowes or Home depot and your done.

 

[silentmike]

youtube does wonders for DIY projects

 

[DrunkleJon]

Lets try to keep it civil. I noticed before I even considered AG that there was this chasm between the BIABers and kettle and cooler AGers. It just seems that recently the amount of super enthusiastic go BIAB type responses has increased by a lot. Its weird though that you do not see the same 'you have to do it this way' attitude for practically anything else other than the whol1 1 gal/5 gal batch size.

 

[bfriend54]

BIAB makes the most sense for small batches 3 gal or less

 

[RM-MN]

OK, I'll admit to being very enthusiastic about BIAB and mention it quite often. Here are some of the reasons why.
1. It's cheap. $5 gets you the paint strainer bags and that's all you need.
2. Space. For those with limited storage space a pair of paint strainer bags take up next to no space at all.
3. Cleaning. I dump out the grains while the wort is coming to a boil, rinse the bag and hang it to dry. Less than a minute for that part of the cleanup.
4. Efficiency. Since I can mill my grains fine, I get great efficiency, even with wheat. I haven't been under 80% since the jamnut came loose on my Corona mill and it adjusted itself coarser.
5. Easy. No stuck sparge ever. No lautering. Pull the bag out, let it drain a few seconds, slip a bowl under the bag and set it on the counter. No mess if I'm a little bit careful. Squeeze the rest of the wort out of the bag and dump it back into the pot. It's easier and more efficient to have a colander inside the bowl but it works without too.
6. Speed. Since my grain is milled so fine, I don't have to mash for an hour or more. My grain particles are wet to the center nearly instantly and conversion is very fast. I take the time to mash for 30 minutes but I think I could cut that by quite a bit. My wort tests negative for starches in less than 10 minutes. If I could cool a bit faster I could do a couple batches in the 6 hours some of you have mentioned needing with your pretty brew structures.

There are quite a few new brewers (I was once one of them) who don't want to invest the money and space for a mashtun until they know if it will work for them. I tried a small batch BIAB and it worked so well I never went beyond BIAB.

 

[QuercusMax]

RM-MN, are you my secret twin? All of those are true for me as well, including the nut on my corona mill coming loose and killing my efficiency due to a terrible crush...

But yeah. It's cheap, easy, fast, doesn't require extra space for equipment. I'd really like a good argument for why a brewer contemplating all-grain *shouldn't* try BIAB before building a "real" mash tun.

 

[luke_d]

I will never be the guy to throw it in your face, but I'll merely say this: I love BIAB. I do it for all my batches (unless it's a gluten free extract). And I've always hit my gravities and volumes basically spot on with about 80% efficiency.

But, like with almost every hobby or anything in general, there are like ten ways to skin this cat. It simply matters what works for YOU.

 

[LLBeanJ]

First off, let me state that I am a BIAB brewer. Been that way since my very first batch. I use this method for one reason and one reason only: it's stupid simple. And I'm all about simplicity. If there are 5 ways to do something and all will achieve the same result, I will take the simplest path, which usually also has the added benefit of being the most cost effective.

When I first decided to try my hand at homebrewing, I did A LOT of research before I bought any equipment. Decided right off the bat that it was going to be AG from the start. Money wasn't really a limiting factor, but I also didn't want to spend more than I had to. I was all set to go traditional AG, and was in the process of finding a cooler on Craigslist to convert to an MLT, fretting over whether I should go braid or manifold. Then I stumbled across BIAB. Both methods achieve the same result using the same ingredients, but with BIAB the MT is my boil kettle and the LT can be wadded up into a ball and tossed into my BK for storage. I was living in a townhome at the time, so space was a premium. Advantage BIAB. Another advantage to BIAB is no worries about a stuck sparge. Ever. As a new brewer, this was one less thing I needed to be concerned about. When it came down to it, it was a no-brainer really. If I were going to be doing 10g batches, I could see going the MLT route, though BIAB is still viable, but for 5g batches, BIAB fits my needs perfectly. And with no pulley system or stepladder boom and no mess.

With the background out of the way, now on to OP's question:

I think some of it may have to do with the bizarre shroud of mystery surrounding AG brewing that it seems a lot of new brewers appear to harbor, which seems to be propagated by AG brewers for some reason. You see it in the "About to do my first AG batch" posts, as well as statements like, "I'm hoping to go AG someday, but for now, I'm resolved to brewing with extract" that are scattered all over this site. For some reason, a lot of new brewers are intimidated by the prospect of brewing AG, as if it's some kind of super-human feat. And it doesn't help when experienced brewers tell them to take baby steps by first doing a few extract brews to get their feet when, then graduate to steeping/PM, then after you've got all that mastered, go ahead and dive into the mysterious and complex world of AG. I kind of get it, but then again, I really don't. Like I said, AG is all I've ever known. My first batch was simple and easy and it only got easier from there.

So, with all of the above in mind, when one of these timid souls breaches the subject of possibly branching out into AG brewing, those of us who are enthusiastic about BIAB, knowing how stupid simple it is and realizing that we're dealing with potential delicate flowers, will enthusiastically lobby them to go BIAB so they too can share in AG nirvana without stressing over MLT's and fittings, and braid vs. manifold, etc. Let's not kid ourselves; anybody who is already doing AG knows how easy it is. For those contemplating AG for the first time, you can take two routes: 1) read a couple of books, watch some youtube vids, browse these forums for a while, then get after it; or 2) seek comfort, advice, handholding, and reassurance from other HBTers as to which path they should take to achieve AG. The former don't need our advice and will do whatever they think will work best for them. The latter, however, by the their very nature, need the simplest route possible. My personal opinion is that BIAB fits that bill perfectly, so when somebody comes asking, it's safe to assume we're dealing with a #2 personality and throwing a MLT project at them, while certainly doable, may not be the best fit, otherwise they probably would have already done it.

Sorry for the long post. Also, if I've offended anybody, I apologize. It certainly was not my intent.

 

[brewmcq]

The honest answer is because for every extract brewer we can intercept and turn to BIAB, we get free stuff.

I only need to convert two more and I get a toaster!

 

[Whsoj]

This must whats left of Quickstar and Amway? selling BIAB Bags?

 

[GASoline71]

I just don't know why most BIAB brewers think AG with a round cooler tun is so much more complicated?

My brew days are as simple simon as you can get... and I brew AG with a round cooler tun.

Gary

 

[b-boy]

Why is it that when anyone asks a question about switching to all grain that the BIABers all chime in and flood the thread with responses saying "GO BIAB!!!!!!!!" (number of !'s varys) instead of just saying that BIAB is an option (if they need to promote it) and then answer the question as asked instead of just pushing everyone towards BIAB? I have done both, and honestly prefer regular AG with MLT, etc. I just find it odd that the more 'traditional' AG people aren't as... rabid (probably not the right word for this, but it is the equivalent of a Monday at work today) in their support for a style of brewing.

It's a well know fact that BIABers are monsters without souls. That's why.

 

[logdrum]

First off, let me state that I am a BIAB brewer. Been that way since my very first batch. I use this method for one reason and one reason only: it's stupid simple. And I'm all about simplicity. If there are 5 ways to do something and all will achieve the same result, I will take the simplest path, which usually also has the added benefit of being the most cost effective.

When I first decided to try my hand at homebrewing, I did A LOT of research before I bought any equipment. Decided right off the bat that it was going to be AG from the start. Money wasn't really a limiting factor, but I also didn't want to spend more than I had to. I was all set to go traditional AG, and was in the process of finding a cooler on Craigslist to convert to an MLT, fretting over whether I should go braid or manifold. Then I stumbled across BIAB. Both methods achieve the same result using the same ingredients, but with BIAB the MT is my boil kettle and the LT can be wadded up into a ball and tossed into my BK for storage. I was living in a townhome at the time, so space was a premium. Advantage BIAB. Another advantage to BIAB is no worries about a stuck sparge. Ever. As a new brewer, this was one less thing I needed to be concerned about. When it came down to it, it was a no-brainer really. If I were going to be doing 10g batches, I could see going the MLT route, though BIAB is still viable, but for 5g batches, BIAB fits my needs perfectly. And with no pulley system or stepladder boom and no mess.

With the background out of the way, now on to OP's question:

I think some of it may have to do with the bizarre shroud of mystery surrounding AG brewing that it seems a lot of new brewers appear to harbor, which seems to be propagated by AG brewers for some reason. You see it in the "About to do my first AG batch" posts, as well as statements like, "I'm hoping to go AG someday, but for now, I'm resolved to brewing with extract" that are scattered all over this site. For some reason, a lot of new brewers are intimidated by the prospect of brewing AG, as if it's some kind of super-human feat. And it doesn't help when experienced brewers tell them to take baby steps by first doing a few extract brews to get their feet when, then graduate to steeping/PM, then after you've got all that mastered, go ahead and dive into the mysterious and complex world of AG. I kind of get it, but then again, I really don't. Like I said, AG is all I've ever known. My first batch was simple and easy and it only got easier from there.

So, with all of the above in mind, when one of these timid souls breaches the subject of possibly branching out into AG brewing, those of us who are enthusiastic about BIAB, knowing how stupid simple it is and realizing that we're dealing with potential delicate flowers, will enthusiastically lobby them to go BIAB so they too can share in AG nirvana without stressing over MLT's and fittings, and braid vs. manifold, etc. Let's not kid ourselves; anybody who is already doing AG knows how easy it is. For those contemplating AG for the first time, you can take two routes: 1) read a couple of books, watch some youtube vids, browse these forums for a while, then get after it; or 2) seek comfort, advice, handholding, and reassurance from other HBTers as to which path they should take to achieve AG. The former don't need our advice and will do whatever they think will work best for them. The latter, however, by the their very nature, need the simplest route possible. My personal opinion is that BIAB fits that bill perfectly, so when somebody comes asking, it's safe to assume we're dealing with a #2 personality and throwing a MLT project at them, while certainly doable, may not be the best fit, otherwise they probably would have already done it.

Sorry for the long post. Also, if I've offended anybody, I apologize. It certainly was not my intent.

Where are all the exclamation points?!!!!!!

 

[winvarin]

I've said it before... the day I buy a ladder to brew with, is the day I'm climbing on it to add hops in a 30bbl kettle.

I LOLed. Out loud even

 

[winvarin]

But it's so shiny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Rockindaddy]

What gets my goat even more than overzealous BIAGER'S is people who start threads with "Why is it.."

 

[plumber_bob]

I commend anyone who brews,... period.

As long as you brew, I like you!

My buddy is partial extract/bottle. I'm AG/Keg. We swap and compare. Of course I like my beer better, and he loves his beer, but we have different tastes as well.

I think I went for a traditional type setup because a pro brewer inspired me, well my buddy too. But the difference was that he wanted to brew as soon as he got the bug and bought a kit.

I built my brewery over a 9 month span with patience and much study. (Not saying my buddy didn't study too. But he does have an instant gratification thing going on.
)

I don't care how a guy brews, I just care that he brews, and I offer all the help I can when he/she has questions.

Depending on the person, I may recommend any of the types of brewing out there. Yes I'm partial to the way I do it, but so is everyone else as far as how they do it. They are the most comfortable with their way, not an untried way.

To me,... all ya gotta do to be cool, is brew. I don't care how or why, just brew!

And give me some.:rockin:

pb

 

[DrunkleJon]

What gets my goat even more than overzealous BIAGER'S is people who start threads with "Why is it.."

Hey! I represent that remark. And you are welcome. I did it just to annoy you. Success!

Plumber, I agree with you. I like to answer the question asked, rather than try to convince people to do things differently. Otherwise I answer the question asked then throw in a "you can also consider..." statement so it is their choice.

LLBean, well said.

 

[silentmike]

I went from extract to partial grain and straight to all grain. I built a mash tun out of a coleman extreme cooler that I bought brand new for $30 with a SS braid style filter. All grain method is stupid simple and I have never had a stuck sparge, EVER. My brew days are 3-4 hours during which I drink, smoke weed, watch baseball, etc....cost and simplicity shouldn't be the deciding factors here. I guess it depends on if you want to hoist a grain bag or turn a valve haha.

 

[silentmike]

This!!

I commend anyone who brews,... period.

As long as you brew, I like you!

My buddy is partial extract/bottle. I'm AG/Keg. We swap and compare. Of course I like my beer better, and he loves his beer, but we have different tastes as well.

I think I went for a traditional type setup because a pro brewer inspired me, well my buddy too. But the difference was that he wanted to brew as soon as he got the bug and bought a kit.

I built my brewery over a 9 month span with patience and much study. (Not saying my buddy didn't study too. But he does have an instant gratification thing going on.
)

I don't care how a guy brews, I just care that he brews, and I offer all the help I can when he/she has questions.

Depending on the person, I may recommend any of the types of brewing out there. Yes I'm partial to the way I do it, but so is everyone else as far as how they do it. They are the most comfortable with their way, not an untried way.

To me,... all ya gotta do to be cool, is brew. I don't care how or why, just brew!

And give me some.:rockin:

pb

 

[Punx]

I brew to save money...

 

[plumber_bob]

I brew to save money...

I wanna be yer friend!!!:rockin:

pb

 

[DrunkleJon]

Can I come over and visit? I promise I will help you brew, clean up after myself and not stay too long. Just a month or two...

 

[Punx]

Why not, the weather's nice over here in Australia right now!

 

[CA_Mouse]

I brew to save money...

Where were you when I was in Perth and Adelaide ummmm 32 years ago!

Seriously, sweet setup!

Mouse

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

I brew to save money...

That is just sick, I hate you!!!