All - I started HB about 5 years ago and really did well. But I stopped brewing about 2 years ago. Break up, move and back to get my degree meant I didn't have time. As things have settled out some - I'm staring at my equipment to get back into it. Just before I stopped I had started my change to AG with big igloo/Gatorade style coolers. Now I'm thinking I might give BIAB a go with those coolers at 5 gallon batches as I save for a Spike system. Leads me to some questions: 1. Is this a bad/dumb idea? 2. Most BIAB seems to be targeted at 3 gallon runs. Why? 3. Any issues with 5 gallon BIAB and efficiency? I'm thinking of using the cooler and then racking to the boil kettle as it seems like the cooler would maintain temp much better than doing it in the BK - tho it would limit me to single step mash - correct? Thoughts?
Welcome back to homebrewing! 1) Nope! 2) I've seen a wide range of BIAB batch sizes, from 1 gallon to 20 to someone doing 2 barrels (was a bag strength test, IIRC). I think it can depend on the equipment people already have when transitioning to BIAB. Personally, I started out buying a 5 gallon BK for extract batches, so when moving over, I was limited by that and not wanting to buy a new BK. I also wanted to brew smaller batches to brew new styles and have more variety, so it worked out for me to downsize to 2.5 gallon batches. I've also wondered if some people use BIAB to test new recipes, making smaller batches so as to not commit to the (usually?) longer sparging process. I also wonder if the many Australians who jump-started the BIAB trend were limited by no-chill fermenter sizes available to them. Just wonderings, though. 3) Some people report a dip in efficiency when switching over, but as usual it is a matter of dialing in your new system/process. I never tried 3 vessel brewing, but I consistently hit 74-75% efficiency for beers 1.065 and less. The important part here is a fine grind -- if you have your own mill, I've seen 0.020" being a commonly-used diameter. If you're like me and grind at a LHBS, I run my grains through twice. I've also seen a few online stores offer double-grinding, but their names escape me. Full batch mashes mean you don't have to worry about stuck sparges, so you can grind nice and small. You have to make sure you mix the grain and water extremely well, as the finer grind lends quickly to doughballs. I pour the grain into the strike water slowly, mixing with a whisk the entire time, and then stir like a madman for 5 minutes before I officially start the mash timer. I then stir like the dickens at the end as well. Water chemistry bumps efficiency as well -- getting my water report before my last batch and focusing on that, I saw a nice little bump to 79% brewhouse efficiency. Onwards and upwards! If a finer grind doesn't get you where you want, you can certainly sparge with BIAB -- either the pour-over method or dunk sparging. Those increase efficiency somewhere around 3-5% for the average Joe, from reading on forums. I haven't found a need to sparge, though I may soon for a 10.5% imperial stout I'm planning. Since no sparging means you aren't rinsing off leftover sugars, make sure to let as much of the wort drip out of your bag to reduce grain absorption as much as possible. Depending on your setup, you can let the bag drain as you strike the burner to boil the wort, and you will often see the dripping finish just about the time the wort is boiling. A colander that fits across your boil kettle or a pulley system above your BK is very useful for this. Similarly, despite the controversy around squeezing the bag, go for it! Tannins are a non-issue if you dial in your water and you will gain a few points that way. Plus, it's a great stress-reliever/workout. Just make sure to protect your hands! Unless you do a decoction I guess it would limit you to a single step in the cooler, though more experienced BIABers may have figured out a way around that. I mash in my BK and wrap it in a winter jacket and I lose ~0.5-1 degree in an hour in a 70-75 degree apartment. My mashes often end up filling 80-90% of my BK between the water and grains, so they hold heat extremely well. Many people cover their BKs with moving blankets and winter clothes, or cover them in Reflectix (don't forget the lid!) and leave the bottom exposed so they can apply heat. The latter seems a safer bet for applying heat, though I haven't done research it. I'm on BIAB batch 5 tomorrow, so I'm definitely still learning and tweaking my process. Hopefully a few others here with more experience chime in! Cheers!
1. Nope 2. I don't see that BIAB is aimed at 3 gallons except on places like Northern Brewer where they're trying to transfer partial boil extract brewers into a full boil all grain system on a stove. I brew 5 gallon BIAB primarily. 3. I get 10% better efficiency with BIAB compared to traditional all grain myself and most BIABers report a bump in efficiency. Use the cooler if you want, BrewInABag.com makes bags for coolers as well. BIAB gets a bad rap from some (usually from folks that haven't tried it before or who are just repeating what someone else told them) but most people that I know that have tried it seem to switch and enjoy it more for one reason or another.
Cliff : 1. Depends...your ultimate goal is a "Spike System"...wanna explain? 2. I dunno...but did you have bad experience with standard all-grain before you quit? 3. Probably not, standard AG batches with batch sparging aren't known for high-efficiency either I'd take a deep breath and see what equipment you already have.
1. Spike Brewing - buy once, cry once 3 vessel electric brewery. I like the execution of their system and the idea of an electric brewery over a propane powered one. 2. No bad experiences. I never got going in AG at all before I stopped brewing. 3. Good to know. Inventory wise *not counting ingredients/cleaners)? Blichmann burner (and 2 other turkey fryer style burners as spares) 2 stainless boil kettles large enough to do 10 gallon full volume brews Couple hundred bottles and caps with capper 48 swing top style bottles (22 ounce I think) 4 - 6 gallon better bottles 2 - 5 gallon better bottles 2 hydrometers 2 ale pails (used for sours - I don't use them for other beers) 2 racking canes (one for sours, one for non) 2 - 10 gallon round Rubbermaid beverage coolers - one with SS ball valve installed, other stock Bell's Brewery stir plate with flask for building up starters Spoon Thermometer Spray bottle Wort chiller (50ft SS coil with garden hose ends)
I think the reason you quit brewing was you were bottling (not kegging) With that nice equipment, I think I would put it to good use. btw, I bought my Blickman Hop Rocket when at Bell's, but never saw the need for a stir plate. Good luck in whatever you decide.
Not really that heavy...if you can lift a full 5 gallon fermenter, which I guess I just assume most brewers can do, then you shouldn't really have a problem lifting a wet bag of grain. If somebody is muscley challenged then you can get a pulley system for less than $20 to make life easy.
Of course a fermenter is usually kept around 150 degrees, making it exactly like hauling a steaming mess of grain out of a hot kettle.
Hahaha...TOO funny! Fermenter = 60+lbs grain bag = 20 or so for an average batch...it's really not the same thing, but if you can haul a full fermenter, why should you have problems lifting 1/3 of that weight in a grain bag? I've never had an issue lifting a hot, wet 15-20 lb bag and I consider myself to have average strength, so I assume an average brewer could do it too. And again, if it's THAT big of an issue, you can get a pulley set up for around $20 to negate this problem. Cheers!
Sounds like all the OP needs is a false bottom. With 2 large kettles, he could easily split the runnings, cut the weight in half and/or partygyle to his heart's content. I'd still opt for a kegging system when all is said and done.
