My brew bench is out of service undergoing construction. I am itching to brew something so I'm thinking of trying "Brew In a bag". Have you guys had any experience with this process? 3 gallon / 5 gallon? Recipes? God, Family, Friends, Beer.
I do 3 gallon BIAB batches in a 7.5 gallon turkey fryer pot with a 5 gallon paint strainer bag. My efficiency is usually ~ 75-80% if I raise to mash out temp. I do a usual grain crush. Scale down your favorite 5 gallon recipe. I've done 2% ABV Berliner Weisses to 12% ABV Quads and everything in between.
How limited would you be if you only had a 10 gallon kettle? A 7 gallon kettle? BIAB is one option I am considering when I start brewing again at my new digs.
I can brew a 5.25 gal 1.07 gravity beer in a 10 gal kettle with plenty of wiggle room. I'd likely need to supplement with DME to go much above 1.09ish though.
I do 2.5 to 2.75 gallon batches, use a 5 gallon kettle to mash, two 3 gallon kettles for boil, and 3 gallon carboys. Love the process, easy to do in my small San Francisco kitchen. (Brewing outside is not an option for me.) What sort of beer are you looking to make? Let me know the style and I'll be more than happy to share recipes.
I think I'll use my ten gallon kettle for a five gallon batch. Any recipes to share along the line of a Pale or Amber Ale?
Generally speaking, you can brew a BIAB batch that is slightly larger than 50% of your kettle size. Think of it in terms of combining your grain with your strike water and your sparge water in one kettle at one time. Then go to "Can I Mash It?" http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml to verify you have room.
