BIAB Limitations?

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by Adirondack47, Apr 17, 2014.

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  1. Adirondack47

    Adirondack47 Initiate (0) Dec 25, 2013 New York

    New brewer alert!

    I plan to brew with a 10 gallon kettle and my preferred/favorite style's are IPA, IIPA & flavored stouts. I like the idea of BIAB as a bridge between extract and AG but it seems that one of the major criticisms of BIAB is the amount of malt & grain that can be mashed via this method.

    I'm wondering what the limits are for those of you who brew high gravity IPA's or stouts using BIAB. How many pounds of malt/grain can you get into a 10 gallon kettle without running into problems?
     
    #1 Adirondack47, Apr 17, 2014
  2. pointyskull

    pointyskull Zealot (675) Mar 17, 2010 Illinois
    Trader

    Can't speak for a 10 gal kettle.:slight_frown:
    I use a 15 gal kettle for my 5 gal BIAB batches and have gone up to a 17 lb grain bill with plenty of headspace (that's what she said...)
     
    #2 pointyskull, Apr 17, 2014
  3. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    The Can I Mash It calculator on this page might help...
    http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml
     
    #3 VikeMan, Apr 17, 2014
    cfrobrew, jivex5k and jlordi12 like this.
  4. sjverla

    sjverla Initiate (0) Dec 1, 2008 Massachusetts

    @pointyskull has more experience than me with BIAB, but in my experience I wouldn't do more than 7 lbs per bag. You could have multiple bags in a kettle though, to increase total mash size.
     
    #4 sjverla, Apr 17, 2014
  5. pointyskull

    pointyskull Zealot (675) Mar 17, 2010 Illinois
    Trader

    There is always that moment when I'm removing the bag that I hope this isn't the time I wished I had used two bags.

    That's one of those things I keep intending to do (use two bags on big grain bills, that is) ...
     
    #5 pointyskull, Apr 17, 2014
  6. CurtFromHershey

    CurtFromHershey Initiate (0) Oct 4, 2012 Minnesota

    Unless you have a valve or false bottom for your kettle, decoction and multi-step mashing would be tricky
     
    #6 CurtFromHershey, Apr 17, 2014
  7. WeaponTheyFear

    WeaponTheyFear Initiate (0) Mar 9, 2008 Connecticut

    Sometimes you just have to double bag it.
     
    #7 WeaponTheyFear, Apr 18, 2014
    ericj551 likes this.
  8. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Are you referring to homebrewing or something else!?!:rolling_eyes:

    Cheers!
     
    #8 JackHorzempa, Apr 18, 2014
  9. MICBANGER

    MICBANGER Initiate (175) Jun 13, 2012 Illinois

    I have a 13.5 gal kettle with a strainer & bag. My max grain bill for a 5gal batch is about 18lbs.
     
    #9 MICBANGER, Apr 18, 2014
  10. Adirondack47

    Adirondack47 Initiate (0) Dec 25, 2013 New York

    Raising this one from the dead and ooking for some insight from those of you who use BIAB.

    After some more research in the last few weeks im thinking that BIAB is going to be my inroad to brewing. I'm wondering how those of you who brew clones or other existing AG recipes adapt them for BIAB? Are there any hard or fast rules to follow? Any tips or tricks?

    One of my favorite beer blogs is craftedpour.com and there are several clones that I would eventually like to brew. The link is for a Maine Beer Co Lunch clone and i'm wondering how I would need to modify or adjust it to use BIAB.

    http://www.craftedpours.com/homebrew-recipe/maine-beer-lunch-ipa-clone-homebrew-recipe

    I have a 15 gallon kettle and plan to brew 5 gallon batches on a propane burner.
     
    #10 Adirondack47, May 8, 2014
  11. od_sf

    od_sf Initiate (0) Nov 2, 2010 California

    If you're doing a 5 gallon all grain BIAB batch, and following an all grain 5 gallon recipe, you don't need to make any adjustments, really. Just realize that your efficiency *might* be lower with the BIAB process. After a few batches you'll figure out what your brewhouse efficiency is, then will be able to make adjustments accordingly.
     
    #11 od_sf, May 8, 2014
  12. jmich24

    jmich24 Initiate (0) Jan 28, 2010 Michigan

    Recipe looks good, I would double the dry hop for killer aroma.
    Chill the wort as fast as possible, pitch plenty of yeast, control fermentation temperature and sanitize sanitize sanitize. Try a fine grain crust and or double crush for improved BIAB efficiency.

    Good luck.
     
    #12 jmich24, May 8, 2014
  13. Adirondack47

    Adirondack47 Initiate (0) Dec 25, 2013 New York

    Awesome. Is that sentiment generally true for any recipe I might be interested in? My preferred styles are IPA, IIPA and Stouts or Imperial Stouts. I don't have any intentions of brewing anything other than those listed for the foreseeable future.
     
    #13 Adirondack47, May 8, 2014
  14. Adirondack47

    Adirondack47 Initiate (0) Dec 25, 2013 New York

    As a devout partitioner of the benevolent order of hopheads, I planned to add a few more ounces of hops toward the end of the boil or the dry hop. After some extensive reading and pondering over the last few weeks, I'm genuinely excited about this method of brewing and what I'll be able to create with it.
     
    #14 Adirondack47, May 8, 2014
  15. pointyskull

    pointyskull Zealot (675) Mar 17, 2010 Illinois
    Trader

    The only mods I do for my BIAB is a longer mash and a longer boil - ingredient amounts remain the same.
     
    #15 pointyskull, May 8, 2014
  16. CurtFromHershey

    CurtFromHershey Initiate (0) Oct 4, 2012 Minnesota

    May I ask why you boil longer?
     
    #16 CurtFromHershey, May 8, 2014
  17. pointyskull

    pointyskull Zealot (675) Mar 17, 2010 Illinois
    Trader

    It's been more of an experiment - longer boil times - after reading discussions of the topic on various forums.
     
    #17 pointyskull, May 8, 2014
  18. meatballj626j

    meatballj626j Initiate (0) May 7, 2009 Georgia

    That still doesnt answer the question why the longer boil....
     
    #18 meatballj626j, May 8, 2014
  19. od_sf

    od_sf Initiate (0) Nov 2, 2010 California

    Maybe to avoid DMS?
     
    #19 od_sf, May 8, 2014
  20. Adirondack47

    Adirondack47 Initiate (0) Dec 25, 2013 New York

    I have noticed that a lot of the information that I've read involves a sparge or several sparges during the process. Granted it seems to be mostly from people doing BIAB with smaller kettles (5-7 gallons) and it seems that this step is necessary for folks in that situation but I digress. As I'll have plenty of room in my 15 gallon kettle for a 5 gallon batch, do I really need to worry about this?
     
    #20 Adirondack47, May 9, 2014
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