# BIAB- gonna have a go , need gear



## mongey (23/4/18)

heya

so next week have my birthday and taking the day off work . after 3 and a bit years of doing extract and pimped extract kits I am going to try to do a BIAB . got house to myself to crank some tunes and drink some beer. 

was planning gonna buy a pot and a bag this week . I just stumbled across this while googling 

http://www.thehopandgrain.com.au/product/biab-starter-kit/


planning to do 20l to 23l batches . Is 40l going to be big enough ? 

I do like my Belgians, DIPA's and stuff so once i get into it I will want to do some higher OG stuff 

is something like this with a tap usefull or should I just stick to a 50l pot ?


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## Chap (23/4/18)

I run a 40L crown urn for my biab, and it holds a full volume 5.5kg grain bill nicely for my 23L batches.


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## solidute (23/4/18)

I use an old keg and gas burner. Works well for me and a few others locally


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## brewgasm (23/4/18)

It's a good size for 20-23l batches, you could probably go bigger depending on the grain bill.

I started biab a year ago but still do kits and fwk. My biab batches yield 10l of wort because I don't have any gear. Just a 19l stockpot from big W, a bag, stove top and bath tub for a chiller. I can't boil or chill a full sized batch so I am planning to buy a single vessel system such as the robobrew or grainfather.

How do you plan to heat and chill? Because if you need to buy an element or burner and a chiller cost wise the robobrew might be worth a look see


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## mongey (23/4/18)

brewgasm said:


> It's a good size for 20-23l batches, you could probably go bigger depending on the grain bill.
> 
> I started biab a year ago but still do kits and fwk. My biab batches yield 10l of wort because I don't have any gear. Just a 19l stockpot from big W, a bag, stove top and bath tub for a chiller. I can't boil or chill a full sized batch so I am planning to buy a single vessel system such as the robobrew or grainfather.
> 
> How do you plan to heat and chill? Because if you need to buy an element or burner and a chiller cost wise the robobrew might be worth a look see



yeah robobrew caught my eye . I'm also thinking about the 40l crown option. which also means I could brew in the laundry keeping the mrs happy 

if I stick to pots will use the kitchen stove top and no chill


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## brewgasm (23/4/18)

mongey said:


> yeah robobrew caught my eye . I'm also thinking about the 40l crown option. which also means I could brew in the laundry keeping the mrs happy
> 
> if I stick to pots will use the kitchen stove top and no chill


I found that my stove struggling to boil my half batches. I'm waiting to see how the big robobrew goes when it hits the market. I'm thinking that if I am going to spend half a day to make a batch of beer I might as well make it a double lol


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## brewgasm (23/4/18)

Or if money grew on trees [emoji1]


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## mongey (23/4/18)

brewgasm said:


> I found that my stove struggling to boil my half batches. I'm waiting to see how the big robobrew goes when it hits the market. I'm thinking that if I am going to spend half a day to make a batch of beer I might as well make it a double lol



yeah right, interesting .Is your stove gas ? 

makes me think the crown maybe the best option for now


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## brewgasm (23/4/18)

mongey said:


> yeah right, interesting .Is your stove gas ?
> 
> makes me think the crown maybe the best option for now


Yes, it's gas but there is nothing flash about it. I'm pretty sure that a friend of mine has a stove that would cope with a full batch.


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## DTrain123 (23/4/18)

I've recently started doing BIAB brewing. I'm currently using a 25L stockpot and can squeeze out 22L batches, I've been adding extra water as it boils down. However it does boil over the top a bit and make a mess on the stove top so I was looking for something bigger.

Maybe one of these pots: https://www.tentworld.com.au/buy-sa...Aly_jfjZ_eaK7IQcVyM57gUP92wRM_x8aAgcxEALw_wcB

It's a 40L ally crab cooker pot. It's cheaper than the pot you posted. The internal basket part would also be handy for holding the brewing bag and lifting it out the pot. You could probably rig something to balance the basket on the top of the pot so you can rinse out the last juices from the grain and get them to drip down into the pot.


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## gabbawocky (24/4/18)

I bought one of these from Tentworld:

https://www.tentworld.com.au/buy-sale/primus-stock-pot-50l-stainless-steel

Drilled a couple of holes for a tap and an element and it works okay for 23L batches.


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## solidute (24/4/18)

DTrain123 said:


> I've recently started doing BIAB brewing. I'm currently using a 25L stockpot and can squeeze out 22L batches, I've been adding extra water as it boils down. However it does boil over the top a bit and make a mess on the stove top so I was looking for something bigger.
> 
> Maybe one of these pots: https://www.tentworld.com.au/buy-sa...Aly_jfjZ_eaK7IQcVyM57gUP92wRM_x8aAgcxEALw_wcB
> 
> It's a 40L ally crab cooker pot. It's cheaper than the pot you posted. The internal basket part would also be handy for holding the brewing bag and lifting it out the pot. You could probably rig something to balance the basket on the top of the pot so you can rinse out the last juices from the grain and get them to drip down into the pot.


The ally might be a problem. Something about leaching stuff into the wort if i recall.

Gumtree for a keg (or if you wanna risk it, permanently borrow one from a pub or similar) cut the top off and away you go


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## mongey (24/4/18)

thanks for the tips all

Think I'm just gonna go the 50l pot now on the stove and see how it goes.

if I enjoy the BIAB I'll look at a system like robobrew

If i suck at it I'll have a nice stockpot


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## Yuz (24/4/18)

If you're "testing the waters" why not get a BIAB sock ($10) and do it in an Esky?
Then use a large measuring cup (wearing gloves) and transfer wort from the Esky into your pot?
I've done a few (partial) BAIB batches this way... Wort is mashed in my 13L esky - and then goes into my 12L pot. Works.


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## DTrain123 (24/4/18)

That 50L stainless one from Tentworld looks the goods. I might put one on back order. They say they're out of stock until mid May


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## Dark Maiden (1/5/18)

I bought the KegKig keggle BIAB setup recently. The only thing different is the burner they offered. 

https://keg-king.com.au/brewery-equipment/brewery-kits/1-vessel-gas-brewery-biab.html

Has been working quite well. Just bought a 32cm pot lid on ebay to help maintain temps.


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## enikoy (2/5/18)

gabbawocky said:


> I bought one of these from Tentworld:
> 
> https://www.tentworld.com.au/buy-sale/primus-stock-pot-50l-stainless-steel
> 
> Drilled a couple of holes for a tap and an element and it works okay for 23L batches.



Same here. Been running this rig since February. My first move away from brewing with cans. Allows me to sparge the grains with 3 or so litres of water and I then press the grain with a potato masher to get the last goodness out. According to the "Brewersfriend" data it has achieved 71% to 78% efficiency over 5 brew days. Highest when pressing the grains. I'm happily sorted with this set up.


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## AussieCoops (20/5/18)

enikoy said:


> Same here. Been running this rig since February. My first move away from brewing with cans. Allows me to sparge the grains with 3 or so litres of water and I then press the grain with a potato masher to get the last goodness out. According to the "Brewersfriend" data it has achieved 71% to 78% efficiency over 5 brew days. Highest when pressing the grains. I'm happily sorted with this set up.
> 
> View attachment 112462



Where did you get the burner mate?


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## finley44 (20/5/18)

What size is this pot & where did you get it from?


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## MHB (21/5/18)

It will come as a surprise to lots of home brewers but brewery text books actually state minimum sizes for various brewery vessels, a lot of it involves safety and not filling the tank all the way up, having room for errors, stirring...
turns out for a 23L batch the minimum recommended size is around 37L (for 1V) so a 40 L urn works pretty well. Nothing wrong with having a bit of extra waggle room, you might decide to do a bigger batch, a stronger beer (above 37L is based on 12oP beer), get a bit more foam than expected... After your first boil over you will regret not having the extra couple of litres of head room.
Mark


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## Yuz (21/5/18)

Also, interested in a "proper" BIAB setup... What would be your pick?

1) 40L Stockpot & deep basket (as per Enikoy's setup) + 2200W Heating Element
+ Deep basket would be handy to lift the grains out but will need "feet" to clear the Element
+ Element is cheap and easily replaced
Total cost: $160 including SST ball valve tap + barb

2) 40L Second-hand hot water urn (about $100 + necessary fittings)
+ If it's a concealed unit
- If the heating element goes it can be very expensive to replace
- New Aus-made 40L urns cost 3/4 of RoboBrew V3!


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## enikoy (21/5/18)

finley44 said:


> What size is this pot & where did you get it from?


I use the Oztrail 40l aluminium pot. (I quoted the wrong post mentioning Tentworld)
https://www.tentworld.com.au/buy-sa...Aly_jfjZ_eaK7IQcVyM57gUP92wRM_x8aAgcxEALw_wcB

I bought it off ebay for $85 shipped (there are still some suppliers there if you search).
The burner was $125 from Snowys. 
https://www.snowys.com.au/mega-jet-outdoor-power-cooker

As I already had the gas bottles from my BBQ and planned to brew outside, I chose gas over electric.

So the budget for what you see in the picture was:
Oztrail 40l pot $80
Burner $125
Ball tap and barb $33
Silicon hose $10
BIAB Grain bag $12
Total $260 plus some bits and bobs I already had. At the time I was closely considering the Robobrew 2, but the then $599RRP and reliability issues pushed me towards separate components.

Certainly would agree on the bigger the pot the better, regarding boil overs. Starting the boil at 27l (to reduce to 23l) you need to fine tune the heat being applied. Fortunately the heat from gas can be wound back quickly.


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## Edd (23/5/18)

https://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php?t=352

Take a look at this before splashing out on more kit. May allow you to give BIAB a bit more of a run for it;s money before investing in more gear too soon? 
I use this method with my 30L brewpot. I typically need about 29-30L which of course wont fit. I mash with 25L and as its going I will heat the additional water required, lift bag out, dunk sparge the bugger in additional water then let it drain. Add to pot and away we go. I'm getting 70% efficiency at the moment which I'm more than happy with. When the time is right I'll invest in bigger pot and burner but for now I'm producing beer, and its occasionally drinkable.


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