HELP NEEDED! Brew in a bag related....

Can I Mash It? calculator on the greem Bay Rackers site indicates for 7# at 1.5 qt/# you need 3.2 gallons of space. The 5 gallon kettle should be fine

*This only deals with tun size not specific BIAB issues which I cannot comment on due to my having never done it.

 

I have never personally done a BIAB mash but it is my understanding that the method works by mashing your grains in the entire amount of water needed to result in 5+ gallons of wort.


So you will need lots of water since the grains will absorb some of the water and you need to account for boil off. I am guessing here but maybe you need something like 7-8 gallons to start off with since the grains will absorb a certain amount (let’s say 1 to 1.5 gallons for discussion purposes). You then will have something like 6 to 6.5 gallons of wort. After 1 hour of boil you will boil off something like 1 to 1.5 gallons to end up with 5 gallons (hopefully).

Now, you could mash in your 5 gallon pot like Kjyost detailed but then you will need to sparge in order to get the needed 5 gallons of wort. Do you have a means to sparge? In other words, do you have a lauter tun?

Cheers!

P.S. This link has a handy calculator for determing how much water is needed for the BIAB method: http://classist.net/biab-calculator/

 

Too late for my comment. I'll add RDWHAHB

 

Jesse, I am glad that you got thing to ‘work’.

Just out of curiosity, what amount of strike water did you use? The calculator that I provided a link to indicates a need of 7.38 gallons of water.

You mentioned in the OP: “I am planning on a doing a 5 gallon batch of Kolsch. As such, there aren't a ton of grains to deal with (7 lbs.).”

Is 7 gallons of grain your only fermentable? I looked at a recipe for a Kolsch in Brewing Classic Styles and it lists 10.3 lbs. of Pilsner malt for a 5 gallon batch (OG = 1.048).

Cheers!

 

Jesse,

The first thing you need to do is relax! This is not the end of the world.

Ok, are you relaxed now?

There are beer styles that have low Original Gravities. For example, English Mild Ales. Even though a beer may have a lower OG, they can still be enjoyable beers. The ultimate session beer!

Now, a Kolsch beer is not normally associated with a lower gravity. Maybe this is an ‘opportunity’ for you? This batch could be a trend setter: Jesse’s Mild Kolsch beer!

The other option is to use the 2 pounds of Light DME that you have hanging around. It is totally OK to add that to your beer that is in the fermenter. I would suggest that if you got that route you should dissolve that DME into some water prior to adding it to the fermenter. I am unsure how well DME would dissolve into wort. Maybe just add the 2 lbs. to a quart or more of water and boil for a bit to make sure you have a good dissolved solution?

I am sure that either way your beer will turn out just fine.

As homebrewers we tend to obsess (I am reticent to use that word) about our beer making. With the exception of the ‘rules’ of:

· Always exercise proper sanitation
· Pitch plenty of healthy yeast
· Ferment at temperatures appropriate for the yeast strain you are using

Homebrewing can be a forgiving hobby.

Please report back what you decide to do. Just remember that a Jesse Mild Kolsch beer could be a historical beer.

In the immortal word of Charlie Papazian (a very, very wise man): Relax, Don’t Worry, Have a Homebrew (RDWHAHB)!

Cheers!

 

You could add some other fermentables (like corn sugar) a few days into primary fermentation to boost the gravity / abv a bit. Dissolve the corn sugar (say 6-7oz) in some water first, cool it to pitching temperatures, and throw it into the fermenter in say 2-3 days from now. That will at least bump you up a few gravity points sugar wise and perhaps enhance your yeasts attenuation a bit, giving you another slight bump in abv. Still wouldn't really put you into typical "Kolsch" range, but it could get you up to about a 3.5% abv session strength. Just tell people its a "table beer" and enjoy it for what it's worth.

 

Jesse.

I am confident that your beer will turn out just fine!

Cheers!

Jack

 

Perfect! You are in the Kolsch range of 1.044 – 1.050.

Luck beats skill!

Cheers!

P.S. Jesse, please report back how the beer tastes when it is finished. I received ingredients for a batch of Kolsch that I will be making in a month or so: it will be 2/3rd Kolsch malt and 1/3rd German Pilsner Malt.

 

“Therapist Jack's Train-Wreck Kolsch” LOL! That is the best name I have ever heard for a Homebrew!

I brew an Oatmeal Stout that my wife nagged me to make for quite some time. My wife’s name is Kathleen. One of her friends calls her Kate (I am not sure why since she doesn’t really go by Kate). Anyway, the name of the Oatmeal Stout is Kate’s PITA Oatmeal Stout. I told her that I use the PITA term since there are ‘extra steps’ to make this beer but the PITA was really a reaction to the nagging.

Cheers!

P.S. The Oatmeal Stout turned out great and is now in my regular lineup; I make two batches of it per year.