BIAB question

This is exactly how I did my first batch -- it's less simple than it sounds if you're doing 5 gallons. When I did my "squeezing" the bag was something like 150 degrees, so using my hands was out of the question. Using my brew spoon just caused the damn bag to tear, which then introduced a bunch of junk to my brewkettle. Between the grist and the water soaked into it, the bag was something like 25 lbs, which is a lot to manage when it comes to 150° gelatinous masses.

If you can figure out how to lift the bag out of the kettle and let it drain naturally, that may be the way to go.

 

I haven't done it yet, but I plan to transfer to another pot, and pour water over it and let it drain, and then pour that back into the main pot. I had enough problems trying to get all the water out of 2 lbs of steeping grains on my last brew to try it with 10+ lbs.

 

Yes you can get decent results by brewing in a bag with nothing but a bag and a kettle, but how do you plan on squeezing a hot, heavy, sticky, dripping bag full of wet sugary grain?

 

Seriously. When I started brewing, I went straight into all-grain, because let's face it, I'm a badass. But I was too intimidated by the process of building a mash tun (I'm extra non-handy) and went with BIAB instead. After the travails of that first batch, though, I just built a damn tun and never looked back.

It should be noted, though, that the beer from that first BIAB batch actually was pretty tasty, although my calculated brewhouse efficiency was something like 38%. Call it a "mild porter".

 

FTL asks the question...

Bag-squeezing is the least of your worries.

 

I got a bag from this dude and it was by far one of my best brewing investments to date. I mash as normal, do a "dunk" sparge for 10-15 min stirring a good amount, and let the bag drain drip over kettle when done with the sparge. The 4 handles makes it not much of a chore. A couple minutes of dripping and you have 95% of what you'd get , if u please just set the grain in another container to drip out the rest.

http://www.bagbrewer.com

 

What batch size are you planning? That will determine how big of a kettle you need. For 5 gallons, you'll need an 8 gallon kettle minimum. Otherwise, you just need a bag big enough to loosely hold your grain. Get a bag that is too small, and it will compact the grain, decrease contact with the water and lower efficiency. I've been brewing BIAB exclusively for the last 3 years and have made some great beers and get about 70-83% efficiency. I use a 15.5gal keggle, do my mash in the bag, I keep a cooking grate handy for the end of the mash. Lift the bag out of the kettle and then slide the grate over the top of your pot, this gives you something to set the heavy bag on to while it drains. I let it drain for a few minutes, hold the top of the bag close and spin it tight with my free hand and then use a pot lid to squeeze/press the hell out of it while on the grate. The you just boil as usual. I even brewed a 5 gallon batch of a 11.5% RIS using about 28lbs of grain (dry weight), I just used multiple bags to make the weight more manageable when lifting and draining. Enjoy!

 

I squeezed the shit outta my bag with no issues. Though the temp was around 80F since I was sour mashing, but I squeezed it until practically nothing came out and my berliner tastes great.

 

Astringency doesn't come from squeezing the bag, it is more a result of very high mash temps and/or pH issues IMO

 

I BIAB about 30% of my brews. I use a 5 gallon paint strainer bag with a stock 7.5 gallon turkey fryer pot to do 3-4 gallon batches. I squeeze my bags (just twist the top) without untoward effects.

 

I used to use a simple colander that fit my pot. Lift out the bag, drop the colander onto the pot and set the bag in it. Worked great. Then you can do a pseudo sparge by heating your top off water and pouring it through the grain. You may not get much more wort out but you'll get some.

 

Nice, I never thought about separating the grain into two bags, I will definitely file that in the old noggin for when I attempt a RIS.

 

I bought a bigger kettle so that I could do exactly what youre talking about; a "dunk sparge". The price difference between the 10 gallon and 15 gallon kettle was less than $10.

$35 for a bag seems excessive but its not the first website that ive seen such an animal? Are these a $25 improvement over the standard BIAB bag that can be found at Morebeer, Northern Brewer etc or even a paint straining bag at HD or Lowes for $5-$10?

 

That's a good question. For me it was. Custom built to your kettles specs, very sturdy and the handles are an added bonus. I went from Home Depot special to this so it was a big leap.

 

I squeeze the bag like I'm trying to kill what's inside. Haven't had any astringency issues that I'm aware of, and my brews have been tasty.

 

By simple colander I'm sure you mean quality built strong colander. The handles on mine would buckle under the weight in a sec.

 

Yes. http://biabbags.webs.com/
Give this fella your pot dimensions and he'll make you up a bag. Just shorten up the bag a bit on the height dimensions so its not restin on the bottom of the pot. Your lightly squeezing will be just fine and ssam's and slusk's colander idea is awesome too. You don't have to hold it midair.

 

Definitely need a stout colander! I use a metal one. Found that out the hard way when I had to pry a plastic one out of the inside of my kettle!