Quick question, what are the advantages or disadvantages to using a cheese clothe/nylon bag for grains and hops in all grain batches?
For Grains... Advantage: You can use your kettle as a mash tun (i.e. Brew In A Bag method). Disadvantages: Mash Efficiency may suffer (if doing BIAB). You have to lift the (heavy) bag out. <Search Brew in A Bag or BIAB> For Hops... Advantage: You don't have to filter the hops from the wort or take other measures to keep the boil hops out of the fermenter. Disadvantage: Possible reduced hop utilization.
Advantage for grains: cost. I purchased 3 large paint strainer bags from a local store at $1.75 a bag. I only need 1 for smaller grain bills and use 2 for larger. I think it's probably the best way for a beginning to do their first all grain batch. Because it doesn't involve too much of an investment and teaches some of the basic ideas of all grain brewing.
I thought I was going to have to mention the ol' Rachel Maddow Teabagging report. Guess I won't have to, now that we know OP was only talking about beer, and not tea.
Al, with them tea-bagging enemies, especially high profile ones, I would worry about potential poisonings. Hopefully, no receivers were dumb enough to use the bags...
