# Some questions from a noob starting BIAB (with urn, no chill)



## BrewRick (28/5/13)

Hi all,

I have just purchased the 40 litre Crown urn to start my first BIAB.

The home brew shop recommended starting off with no chill (and possibly even sticking with it).

I've got a couple of questions to might help me on my way.

Firstly, is a 25 litre plastic water cube from the hardware store adequate for a no chill cube?
Secondly, what is the easiest way to transfer the wort from the urn to the cube. Just just the tap to pour the wort directly in, or use some sort of racking procedure or hose to transfer the wort?
Lastly, I assume that transferring the wort from cube to fermenter is as simple as taking the lid off and pouring the wort in.

Sorry if these are questions that should seem obvious, but I couldn't really find any info to answer them.

Cheers.

PS - the "using an urn to BIAB" tutorial will be a great guide to helping me brew my first batch!


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## esssee (28/5/13)

G'day Rick.

I reckon you've already got the basics down pat.

DO use a hose to rack from the Urn to the Cube. That stuff will be boiling, and you do not want any splashing. Use a Silicon Hose for this.

When transfering from the Cube to the Fermenter, I usually pour from as high as I can get without spilling, as the oxygen you introduce doing this will help the yeast in fermentation.

Good Luck.


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## acarey (28/5/13)

See if you can get a 20L cube. You want to have it full to the brim to minimise air contact with the wort when no chilling. I got mine from supercheap auto, its 20L but fits about 23 by the time it warps under the heat. I read somewhere to no chill 3 batches of boiling water in it first to get rid of any plastic taste. Also make sure its food grade. Can't remember the specifics but google is your friend.

Re transfer, dont just pour the wort into the cube from the tap re: oxidising the hot wort, it can have an affect on shelf life of the beer. Opinions are divided though. I bought a metre of silicon hose and jammed it on the end of the urns tap. Such a pain in the ass to get it on, I just leave it there now.

Re: cube to fermenter: I just pour it in from a height, this air rates it a bit which is good for the yeast.


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## acarey (28/5/13)

If you have an exposed element, make sure you have something to keep the bag off it when you raise the temp for mash out. I got a $8 staino colander from Kmart that fits perfectly. I just sit it in the bottom before reaching strike temp and putting the bag and grain in. Havent burnt a bag yet!

edit: translate from autocorrect to english


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## JimRobbo (28/5/13)

Hey Rick,

I have been using a similar setup for a few months now and had great results.

"I'm a no chiller" and i transfer from the urn straight to my fermenter via some sterilised hose.

Honestly mate my setup is super basic but beers have been great !

All the best


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## Phoney (28/5/13)

1. Your water cube should be fine as long as it's made out of HDPE plastic. Should have a little arrow triangle symbol with a '2'
2. Easiest way is open the tap and pour it in. Using a hose creates less potential for mess, and hotside aeration (the latter has been proven to not be a problem in the homebrew world anyway)
3. Yep, splash it around as much as possible to get oxygen into the wort.

Good luck 

edit; beaten by others


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## spryzie (28/5/13)

I just ladle my boiling wort into my cube. Not had any problems.

Some frown upon it.

I don't have a tap on my pot.

I only do 12L batches, so takes me about 15 ladles with a 1L Pyrex jug. I'm done in 3 minutes. However my beers have a lot of trub introduced this way.

Otherwise you must use silicon hose since boiling wort will leach who knows what from vinyl tubing and give you cancer.

Cube has to be HDPE so you don't get cancer. I have a 10L blue willow jerry can you can find at Kmart or hardware stores. It holds 12L.

They also come in 20L and would be perfect for 23L brews.

When I start to care about trub, I'll rig a syphon hose with a filter...


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## BrewRick (28/5/13)

Cheers guys, every one of these posts have been really helpful.
I'll check my tub is HDPE before buying. Will look for a 20L if you guys think it'll suit better.
While I'm at the hardware store, I'll look for some silicon hose and work out some way to attach it to the urn's tap.

The only thing I need to work out now is how to lift my grain bag and strain/sparge it. I noticed some just sat their bag on a baking tray over the urn while the wort was being brought to a boil. Others soak the bag in more hot water in a separate bucket. Will research this a bit more.

Thanks again, there are some great people on this forum!


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## spryzie (28/5/13)

I winch mine with some rope.

After it's dripped out, I place it a colander, pour a litre of 75 degree water over it and squeeze out excess.

The colander doubles as a scorch protector while the bag is in the pot.

Some frown upon squeezing too.


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## Clutch (28/5/13)

Buy a ball valve tap and save yourself some serious effort and swearing.

Pizza tray, 3 long stainless bolts with 2 nuts each = instant scorch protector.


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## lukiferj (28/5/13)

Picked up my 20 l cubes from a camping store. They were around $15 from memory. I use a colander on the bottom to cover the exposed element.

Link to my basic setup below. I use a clothes hanger from ikea ($30) which I braced with a bit of extra timber. I use a carabiner to hook my bag up and drain while I bring the urn to the boil. Not flash but it gets the job done. Don't find the bag too heavy to lift as I'm only doing single batches so generally between 4-6kgs of grain. 

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/42248-brew-rigs/?p=992220


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## spryzie (28/5/13)

But I already have a colander, a jug and some rope.


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## Bribie G (28/5/13)

I did an article a few years ago about BIAB in an electric urn, that's got put into the partial mash sub forum during the website re-build. So it's easily missed. Intending to rewrite the thing as it's a wee bit old now but, if you haven't found it yet, it might be of use to you.

The article only goes as far as the end of the boil, because everything after that is the same as any other method of wort production.

With no chill, if you get two 10L little Jerry cans from hardware store or Bunnings, they are far more convenient for handling and pouring.

edit: they actually hold around 11 litres, so good for a normal batch.


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## lukiferj (28/5/13)

Bribie G said:


> I did an article a few years ago about BIAB in an electric urn, that's got put into the partial mash sub forum during the website re-build. So it's easily missed. Intending to rewrite the thing as it's a wee bit old now but, if you haven't found it yet, it might be of use to you.
> 
> The article only goes as far as the end of the boil, because everything after that is the same as any other method of wort production.
> 
> ...


This guide was where it all began for me :kooi:


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## Midnight Brew (28/5/13)

I'm terms of the silicon hose, grab food grade so you won't need to worry about plastic leaching. It's great stuff and worth it's weight in good in the brew house. 

Easiest way for draining bag is lifting it out and placing it In a bucket or use a pulley system. A pulley system is easier as you don't have to heft a hot bag of grain out of the kettle. I personally don't see any reason to sparge when it comes to BIAB but that's just me. 

Keep the first few brews simple until you get a good grip of your system. You'll be drinking the results in no time and adjust from there if need be.


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## Bribie G (28/5/13)

lukiferj said:


> This guide was where it all began for me :kooi:


Great to hear, luk - and to think there wasn't even a "like" button in those days :lol:

edit spellink Nazii


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## BrewRick (28/5/13)

I've already got that link saved in my favourites Bribie G. Cheers for that, I'm sure it has given a lot of first timer BIAB brewers some confidence to jump in.
All great tips, so thanks again.

Will definitely get a ball valve to help with transfer to the cube. 

Will eventually get a pulley system, but will go the bag in a bucket (i'd abbreviate that to BIAB, but I think that's been used elsewhere!) for the time being.

hanks again all!


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## Bribie G (28/5/13)

. Dat me in da vid in me lab coat.

Like most people I can't stand my voice in a video :unsure:


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## anthonyUK (28/5/13)

I liked that video Bribie and thought you came across as very knowledgable and made what appeared to be very complicated to me, easy to understand so helped me move over to BIAB.
How could you forget the bag though?


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## fletcher (28/5/13)

not sure if this has been mentioned, but for cubes, make sure it's a cube that has the hole at the top. i use the 20 and 10L jerry cans for fermenting and thought, 'oh sweet i'll use it as my cube too', but the hole is kinda on the side so i could never completely fill it and get rid of all the oxygen.


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## bum (28/5/13)

fletcher said:


> not sure if this has been mentioned, but for cubes, make sure it's a cube that has the hole at the top. i use the 20 and 10L jerry cans for fermenting and thought, 'oh sweet i'll use it as my cube too', but the hole is kinda on the side so i could never completely fill it and get rid of all the oxygen.


You know you can tip them, right?


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## manticle (28/5/13)

fletcher said:


> not sure if this has been mentioned, but for cubes, make sure it's a cube that has the hole at the top. i use the 20 and 10L jerry cans for fermenting and thought, 'oh sweet i'll use it as my cube too', but the hole is kinda on the side so i could never completely fill it and get rid of all the oxygen.



Jerries are great for cubing.

Easy to squeeze with the knees. Just wear pants.


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