Anyone here Mash In A Bag?

[Seeker]

I've been reading on other sites about using a large Esky and a large sheet of voile to cover the inside to mash with as part of a normal BIAB.

This sound attractive to me as (I think) I could use a full volume in the Esky as if it's a large 40L pot, then hoist the grain out, and transfer to two stock pots to boil.

I have the following already;

50L Esky
19L stockpot
9L Stock pot


I'd just need the voile to be able to try AG at full volume. I may need to get or make a chiller but I can then just use it with the Esky that's already out.

Only thing that seems iffy is getting the wort into the pots without aeration. Would I need to siphon or just use the drain?

 

[Liam_snorkel]

just use the drain. a bit of splashing before the boil isn't going to matter.

 

[Bribie G]

Good idea, guy who won a first in a category in the Nationals last year still (as far as I know) uses a similar method but does a full pot boil.

When I do a double batch, maybe only once a year, I do a mash in a bag lined esky and a mash in the bag lined urn and use the urn to boil the two batches in succession.

edit: cut yourself a rectangle of bubble wrap and float that on the surface before you put the esky lid on, that's where most of the heat is going to escape from.

 

[Seeker]

edit: cut yourself a rectangle of bubble wrap and float that on the surface before you put the esky lid on, that's where most of the heat is going to escape from.

Great idea. Heat loss should be very low I think, especially if I poor near boiling water in first (I'll maybe poor into an inner container to avoid harming the Esky)

 

[seehuusen]

The bag in the esky, or in my case drinks cooler, is how I've been brewing up until I got my new false bottom.
It's a tiny bit harder to stir the mash with the voile in the esky, and I have had slightly higher efficiency on my brews after changing to the false bottom, about 7%.

You could quite possibly do a manifold/ screened drain from stainless washing hose or copper pipe, probably for about the same cost the voile...
Or are you using the esky for other things as well?

 

[Seeker]

The bag in the esky, or in my case drinks cooler, is how I've been brewing up until I got my new false bottom.
It's a tiny bit harder to stir the mash with the voile in the esky, and I have had slightly higher efficiency on my brews after changing to the false bottom, about 7%.

You could quite possibly do a manifold/ screened drain from stainless washing hose or copper pipe, probably for about the same cost the voile...
Or are you using the esky for other things as well?

Unfortunately it's the family Esky. No way I'll get away with modding it!

I also want to keep my options open as I've not tried AG yet.

 

[seehuusen]

I get ya, no dramas really I still hit 70% efficiency with the bag in the cooler, so it's not a biggie.
If you have the plastic spout for draining the esky, make sure to clean it thoroughly after brewing.
If it comes out, take it out and clean it. Sugars have a tendency to hang around and be hard to clean (for me it was at least)

 

[Tahoose]

Great idea. Heat loss should be very low I think, especially if I poor near boiling water in first (I'll maybe poor into an inner container to avoid harming the Esky)

I mash in a esky then use lord raja goomba's method of lautering the mash in a bucket within a bucket.

As far as mashing in the esky if my strike temp is 72c for example, I just get my strike water anything in the 80's and wait for it to drop to my desired temp. Hence pre heating the esky, which helps with temp loss.