A Guide To All-grain Brewing In A Bag

[buttersd70]

Well worded, Pat. :icon_cheers:

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

Katie busted her bag last weekend. If you get a tear in your bag for some reason, make sure you patch it before your next brew!!!

I just gave Katie and Lloyd my original BIAB bag with the drawstring. It served me well and even did a few double-batches!

But, for the price and convenience, I think it is best to buy a bag from Gryphon Brewing. He uses the design that I supplied him with and that I used to get made up for anyone who asked me too. I used to charge only the cost price of material and what my dry-cleaner charged me. This came to $38 from memory - $26 for the sewing and $12 for the material. This was pretty inconvenient for me and also for my dry-cleaner who finally refused to do any more!

So, I think it is not a bad idea to buy one.

Maybe I'll send Gryphon an email asking him to include some spare fabric for drunken brewers who tear or burn their bags?


Pat

PP, never had one of our Biab Bags tear yet by weight alone ! The nature of the fabric does not allow it , It may tear if draped over sharp edges so be warned. But have had two (drunken brewers)out of fifty odd bags being burnt by some process or another.You two know who you are !! we replaced them at not cost to the customer by the way. My mum puts these together, and she is a great seamstress and is very particular about how the bags are treated.If you stuff up one of her bags you have to face her! I think we may include a patch kit for accidental processes. LOL
Like any thing treat it right and it will last.
GB

 

[PistolPatch]

butters Thanks mate. Every word gets fretted over to a degree you wouldn't believe but I think we are getting close. I have edited the post you are referring to right at the end but don't read that as it only contains bribery info for BribieG. He says I have to send you money as well

Gryphon: BIAB bag sales should increase after recent posts here. I want 25% of your net profit to be delivered by a promotional girl with my next bag of grain thanks. And yes, I know it is only Katie and Eric that abuse bags but this stems from childhood issues which I am working through with them. The patch kit can do no harm though so good on ya!

 

[buttersd70]

I have edited the post you are referring to right at the end but don't read that as it only contains bribery info for BribieG. He says I have to send you money as well

in the immortal words of Dick Emery....."oooh, you are awful! But I like ya!"
:lol:

 

[Bribie G]

As a "conventional" mash brewer, I've never commented in the biab threads, but I have read them, with interest....

I have, however, recently had my first taste of a biab beer (thanks, bribie, me old mate). Spread the biab love, guys.....all the naysayers, with their over inflated egos, and hypothetical 'problems with the process'....I tasted that beer, and tasted it hard, cos it was sent to me specifically for feedback (on the recipe, not the method of production)....I was looking for issues....the clarity (and presentation in general) was excellent, and there were no discernable process induced off flavours at all.

Oh, and as it was a Mild, anything off would have stuck out like dogs wotsits.

And actually....Butters will shortly be joining you biab mob. Kinda sort of. I want to do some smaller batches for recipe development, and have decided that, given my current equipment, biab (or at least a hybridised method) is the way for me to go with it....

ps....yes, I'm heavily medicated atm.

For the first time since Diana's funeral I burst into tears

However all the hairs on my body have now settled down and I have recovered my composure enough to suggest that a drawstring is great but to take the strain off your precious new bag you can't go past getting some 'awning cable' from any hardware store and paying a boy scout to show you how to make a traditional hangman's noose. My neighbours are now used to seeing me rigging it up in the garage and no longer ring Lifeline.

 

[buttersd70]

For the first time since Diana's funeral I burst into tears

roflmao :lol:

 

[Bizier]

I have done a few more BIABs, and I am thinking of changing my bag design to one that has less seams at the stress points at the base. I have a "baked bean can" design and it is getting a workout with continuous 10kg-ish dry grists being wrung some.

Drinking my SMASH MO+EKG+Ringwood English Pale, and it is going down an absolute treat.

 

[Bribie G]

P.S. Special thanks to BribieG too. (Bribie, thanks for doing as I asked and slipping that gold-winning commercially brewed Mild to butters. I will fix you up for the postage etc at the Swap - our secret, ok?)

You also owe my Brother in the UK about thirteen quid for the bottle of Higsons Mild and the postage.


On the question of bag design, the baked bean can design is optimal for getting a 'tear drop' profile when you are draining. My bag is a 'pillowcase' design and has the main 'strap' of the fabric running down, around the bottom, and up again with the only seams at the sides. The problem with that design is that although it is the strongest, when you hoist it, it turns into a giant pair of dogs bollocks and if you have a narrow vessel such as a Crown Urn the two streams of wort can start to spill and run down the outside of the urn or pot. Ugly.

It's sort of 'six of one half a dozen of the other'. Personally I'll be going a Gryphon bag soon because our local Island sewing lady has retired, dear old chook. My bag has actually done over thirty brews but each time I have to raise it in three or four stages so that when it's swinging free eventually, the dog bollock effect isn't too bad. I would much rather hoist it up to its upper position in one hit and walk away until drained.

 

[Cocko]

I have done a few more BIABs, and I am thinking of changing my bag design to one that has less seams at the stress points at the base. I have a "baked bean can" design and it is getting a workout with continuous 10kg-ish dry grists being wrung some.

Drinking my SMASH MO+EKG+Ringwood English Pale, and it is going down an absolute treat.

I ran 35+ brews through my 'fold over' pillow case style design and never had an issue! In fact I have just passed the baton Bag to a mate and I can't see it giving up anytime soon... my grain bills were 7-8 kg.... Also had the bag double [french] seamed down the sides... only way to roll!

 

[Bribie G]

Cocko, did you get the dog bollock effect with your bag? It annoys the shyte out of me as posted above ( I also saw a photo posted by Katie who does mega sized brews and hers looked more like Elephants ) :lol:

 

[Cocko]

Yeah I did Bribie.. and let me tell ya, it makes it hard to spin and drain by squeezing! :lol:

Seriously, I use to pull the bag out by gathering the seams first, to the point of reaching a corner on one side, causing the exact opposite affect to 'Scrotos dangleous' affect... Running a Keggle with a smaller cut hole, on top, I had to manoeuvre it that way!

And yeah.. You gotta love that photo of Katies Elephant 'Scrotos dangleous'

 

[Bizier]

I am thinking of more like a circle the diameter of the pot + maybe 5 or 6 slightly flared wings tangential to the circumference (if memories of high school maths serves me true) and these are sewn together so that the seams only run vertically.

I might provide a diagram is this works out... hell I have a full beer:

 

[Bribie G]

Now your'e talking.

Forget about Three Dog Night now we have

five ball dog

:lol:


Actually that should work well

 

[PistolPatch]

LOL! The dog's bollock's photo of Katie's is from a double-batch done at my place

One word of advice though, I think you want to go either of 2 ways...

1.) If you don't have a pulley, aim to pull your bag out quickly and dump and drain it in a bucket.
2.) If you have a pulley system, you should have a cleat as well. This means you can raise the bag gradually.

I think I am worn out now but will do a post tomorrow explaining what I do with a pulley and a cleat and what I used to do without them.

One thing you shouldn't do however is leave the bag in mid-air, I reckon.

Til then, spot!
Pat

 

[Cocko]

Thats not funny Bribie, my dog does have 5 balls!


Anyway, Bizier,

That looks good if you know your seams will be good.

Suggestion: Go French seams! Basically, you sow the seam and then fold it into it self and sow up the other side! SO, no exposed thread... So you sorta create a tube AND double the strength!

Just my 2c!

View attachment 29322

 

[crundle]

Thats not funny Bribie, my dog does have 5 balls!


Anyway, Bizier,

That looks good if you know your seams will be good.

Suggestion: Go French seams! Basically, you sow the seam and then fold it into it self and sow up the other side! SO, no exposed thread... So you sorta create a tube AND double the strength!

Just my 2c!

View attachment 29322

plus 1 for the french seams, they work a treat and are amazingly strong.

crundle - gah my keyboard is dying - it wont type capital letters anymore...

 

[Phoney]

Well ive read the checklist, the PDF, the first few pages of this whopping big thread, and the last few pages, but im still a bit unclear on a few things. This is what ive got so far:

Birko 40L urn - delivered today! yay!
3m of un-dyed voile cloth and nylon thread - going to have a friend sew a bag for me, basically in the shape of a grain bag but 5x bigger.
hop sock, large - ordered from craftbrewer today
Silicone Hose - Heavy Duty -ordered from craftbrewer today
camping mat to wrap around urn - getting this from rays outdoors tomorrow
PH Papers -ordered from craftbrewer today

My Q's:

mash paddle - will the stirring paddle I got with my coopers HB kit do?
Siphon - is this neccessary given that I have a tap on the bottom of the urn that I will use to pour the wort straight into the cube?

Now im buying up the ingredients to make the good doctors GA and Tonys LCBA. So I think next weekend will be the day of reckoning, ive only done partials so far so im a bit nervous...but ill just dive in and give it a go I reckon

 

[Renegade]

Bizier's pattern, while it looks like it would work, is going to have you using a lot of material that's going to end up wasted. Unless you make a dozen dry-hop socks out of the waste.

I'm going down to Spotlight at lunch to grab a couple of metres, so the "french seam' pattern is very timely. I'll report back with the store location etc if I'm successful with getting some.

Hey Phoney, congrats man ! Bet you cant wait for that maiden voyage down the AG path !

 

[Katherine]

Well ive read the checklist, the PDF, the first few pages of this whopping big thread, and the last few pages, but im still a bit unclear on a few things. This is what ive got so far:

Birko 40L urn - delivered today! yay!
3m of un-dyed voile cloth and nylon thread - going to have a friend sew a bag for me, basically in the shape of a grain bag but 5x bigger.
hop sock, large - ordered from craftbrewer today
Silicone Hose - Heavy Duty -ordered from craftbrewer today
camping mat to wrap around urn - getting this from rays outdoors tomorrow
PH Papers -ordered from craftbrewer today

My Q's:

mash paddle - will the stirring paddle I got with my coopers HB kit do?
Siphon - is this neccessary given that I have a tap on the bottom of the urn that I will use to pour the wort straight into the cube?

Now im buying up the ingredients to make the good doctors GA and Tonys LCBA. So I think next weekend will be the day of reckoning, ive only done partials so far so im a bit nervous...but ill just dive in and give it a go I reckon

for the mash paddle go to bunnings and in the paint section get a paint stirrer there about $8.00, easier to agiate the grain then the stirrer, tho the stirrer is great for whirlpooling.

 

[Phoney]

Thanks Katie.

So, with a recipe with a grain bill of ~10kg, how much water will I need to add? the PDF says 38L, which obviously isnt gonna work with my 40L urn. Will the figure beersmith gives me be accurate for BIAB??