Biab Hoisting Or Pulley System?

[Thirsty Boy]

That's my intention.

I will probably do this soon enough. Then from there I'll decide if I want to make/buy a HLT and go fully 3V, or just go back to standard BIAB and use the Eski for beer.

OT again - Sorry

Yep - You can go with all 3V if you need to, its a little less pain in the bum than transferring the kettle. But to be honest.. not a lot. If you do - make sure you get a 60L pot as your BK. With a 40L urn, an eski big enough to brew as we've just been talking about; and a 60L pot... you'll have a system thats great to do single batches well, but that can also stretch to doubles without having to jump through any hoops to handle the volume.

 

[Phoney]

I'm a BIABer but it really shits me off when people from both camps make out their processes are simpler than they are.

It's not for my benefit, it's for the benefit for anyone reading who is thinking how they want to go with AG. There's no need to sell your process to people, just be accurate about it IMO.

Chill out bro, If you look back at the OP, Mister was asking what contraptions we use to hoist our bags and how we do it. He wasn't asking whether it's worth building anything fancy vs building something completely different all together and not doing BIAB at all. That was the purpose of this thread if I read it correctly?

Secondly, most of us only have experience in our own processes and can only fathom difficulties that brewers have with other systems (plus we cant help but feel a bit proud of what we've built) so it's no wonder we're all a little biased.

In reality the only true way to settle the score is to run each system side by side and compare, but even then you'd still have too many factors and considerations to take into account - so whatever floats your boat and works in your own home is all fine by me. :icon_cheers:

 

[MarkBastard]

OT again - Sorry

Yep - You can go with all 3V if you need to, its a little less pain in the bum than transferring the kettle. But to be honest.. not a lot. If you do - make sure you get a 60L pot as your BK. With a 40L urn, an eski big enough to brew as we've just been talking about; and a 60L pot... you'll have a system thats great to do single batches well, but that can also stretch to doubles without having to jump through any hoops to handle the volume.

I can't realistically see myself doing double batches and the main reason I currently BIAB is from lack of room so I don't see that ever happening.

The 40L urn will definitely be for the boil and for the HLT I'd either get another urn if a bargain comes up or go the bucket of death route!

 

[manticle]

Mash Tuns and Tiers

A mash tun is not fun to clean. The inconvenience of this (and I have done both) is more than the few second inconvenience of hoisting a bag and the rinsing of the grain bag (do it under a tap and then throw in washing machine.) This is even more so for double-batches.

Another huge advantage of BIAB over a non-pumped traditional system is that BIAB is a single tier system with the tier being at bench height. With a non-pumped traditional system, many people (unless they have a four-tier stand made up of tiers at varying heights) end up having to lift their full kettle (hot if they are no-chilling) to a height at which it will drain into the fermenter. You don't hear this talked about too much .

I'm the last person to try and negatively compare BIAB to 2 or 2v - I think both methods can make good beer and I have tasted good beers made with HERMS, RIMS, Eski tun, BIAB and bucket o'death. Doesn't really matter - what matters is the brewer, the recipe/ingredients and the fermentation process.

However lifting a 50 L keggle high enough to drain into my cube is one of the least difficult bits of my brew day. Admittedly most of my jobs involve lifting awkward, heavy and often precious stuff and there is so far nothing wrong with my back so maybe I'm lucky. When I can't lift I'll build a brewstand - as Mark suggests - building pulleys and hoists or building stands are possibly much of a muchness.

The bench I lift my kettle onto for cube draining is about thigh height.

Cleaning my tun is as difficult as throwing the grain in the garden then giving the tun a quick scrub. Even a BIAB pot would need a clean after a brew.

All these systems make beer. Arguing about which is better has always seemed pointless to me - unless you can actually taste it.

 

[Cocko]

I can't realistically see myself doing double batches and the main reason I currently BIAB is from lack of room so I don't see that ever happening.

The 40L urn will definitely be for the boil and for the HLT I'd either get another urn if a bargain comes up or go the bucket of death route!

If it works for the brewer than it is right! IMO!

All these systems make beer. Arguing about which is better has always seemed pointless to me - unless you can actually taste it.

Only reason I left the bag was to brew bigger batches, have my beers changed? - only in volume.

Do you like 'your' beer?

EZ.

 

[Mister]

Went with a tie-down ratchet system in the end:



Works quite well so far.

M

 

[MHB]

Only done a couple of BIAB brews (just to familiarise myself with the process)
40 L urn, A-Frame ladder, a piece of rope and a knot called a sheep bend was all it took.
Just straddled the urn with the ladder and put a piece of bar between the treads. The Sheep bend is a knot that is used to tie thin and thick rope together so it doesnt let the gathered bag slip and is easy to undo.
Mind you reading the previous couple of pages, the number of possibilities and the level of peoples creativeness is amazing.
MHB

 

[Bribie G]

Another tweak, I bought a pack of those stainless steel "S" shaped hooks and hang the awning pulley from the hook with the other end of the hook through the "strapping" on the beam, so I can remove everything easily and take my BIAB rig to brew days - there's always a skyhook spot somewhere - Hi, I'm Fred's mate.... don't mind me sweety just keep putting on your makeup - aha that's the spot I'm looking for up there , just borrowing your stool for a minute............:icon_cheers:

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Just to add another process to add to the many. I don't think mine is the best or the easiest process (actually I think it's probably far more time consuming than some - but I view brewing a bit like making the odd meal - it's an opportunity to do something manual and creative, unlike auditing (my job), and taking a bit of time is something I enjoy. Only difference is that I don't drink making beer (ironic innit?), unlike cooking where the food is less toasted than me!)

On topic.

My system is 2 x stovetop method. That gives me a good batch size, head room for the boil, stepped mashing/mash out opportunities (if required) and no high-grav shenanigans required.

I pick up the bags (there are 2), and place each one into a 7L pasta pot, let it drain until it doesn't trickle, pour the extras into the "kettle" (the pot from whence it came). I then sparge the bag in the pasta pot to the required volume, runnings go into the "kettle". Repeat process for the 2nd bag.

The downside is that it does take longer, as I'm repeating the process across two pots. If I did it in one larger sized pot, I'd cut the time down, but see caveat above re: time.

I did have an esky mash tun. I take complete responsibility for my dodgy DIY skills. It didn't work out, but that was my fault. Cleaning it out was a major pain in the rear, but if I had built it better to continue with it, I'd have just got a larger bag/voile piece, to solve that.

My biggest reasons for my system. 1. I know it inside out back to front, and I produce consistent quality beers, regardless of style. 2. It requires no extra equipment and the cost of my brewery has not increased in the last year. 3. Space and "deconstruction" efficient. I can be in and out of the kitchen and the kit goes into the utility cupboard. It's apartment friendly as well (for when we move into a townhouse/apartment from the two-story monstrosity we have).

Yes, I go to Ross' place and love the bling, but I'm not paying for it for a few extra % efficiency and slightly easier brew day. In the cost-benefit analysis, it doesn't stack up, in my case. I respect other people's systems, and their probable better AG brewing experience. What I have works for me, my space, my abilities.

And I agree with M^B and TB - great to share and great to read others' system. This is what a forum like this exists for.

Goomba

 

[user 10246]

Here's something I knocked up for my new shed

 

[Nick JD]

My batches are so small I can just lift the bag out. Each keg is a different batch though, which I find a good tradeoff ... not sure if I'd want 50L of the same beer, that'd be all my kegs with the same flavour. At the moment I have two lagers an APA and an IPA.

But I do understand those folks who have limited brewing time and want to make shitloads in one go.

 

[spog]

goldy'the eyelet at the top of your lifting frame is it screw in or is it the type with thread and washer,if not for asafety sake i would use the threaded type.
dont want the eyelet pulling out during a lift........cheers.............spog.....

Here's something I knocked up for my new shed

 

[kymba]

sky beam here

i pissed off the ratchet strap coz i couldn't release it safely - i have since wrapped the strap around the beam a few times and use a carabiner as the lifting eye

 

[Newbee(r)]

Same rig as bribie, only in the shed. I positioned the kettle close enough to the cleat so I can tie off the cord with one hand while elevating the bag. Just easier to handle.

 

[user 10246]

goldy'the eyelet at the top of your lifting frame is it screw in or is it the type with thread and washer,if not for asafety sake i would use the threaded type.
dont want the eyelet pulling out during a lift........cheers.............spog.....

Spog, its a screw in, it's about 8mm I think, used it to hoist a double batch today. That frame will bust before the eyelet tears out I reckon.

 

[Deebo]

Ladder leaning on the wall with rope looped around a step.. seems to work for me.. tried once with pulley but prefer this.

 

[Bada Bing Brewery]

My batches are so small I can just lift the bag out. Each keg is a different batch though, which I find a good tradeoff ... not sure if I'd want 50L of the same beer, that'd be all my kegs with the same flavour. At the moment I have two lagers an APA and an IPA.

But I do understand those folks who have limited brewing time and want to make shitloads in one go.

+1 Nick. I would rather brew often and have variety than once a month and 50L of the same beer. I am currently brewing 3 out of 4 weekends and doing a corney at a time. Great for trying out new stuff. 1 BIAB of 4.5 kg of grain - no drama to lift and put in a bucket. Impressed by all the gadgets/hoists though .......
Cheers
BBB

 

[Hinji]

Thought I would add my hoist for today.
Pretty rough, but it done the job. Will get around to making something proper at some stage.
Cheers!

 

[spog]

if ti does the job go with it,ahhhhh home brewing,nothing better.......cheers...........spog.......

Thought I would add my hoist for today.
Pretty rough, but it done the job. Will get around to making something proper at some stage.
Cheers!

View attachment 46781

 

[Bribie G]

Another tweak, I sit the urn on a wooden board on a tool trolley so when I'm doing a double batch with 2 urns, the trolley moves along but the hoist stays at the same location, I run the 2 batchs half an hour apart. Also handy for doing a side sparge in a nappy bucket, which I do occasionally with a very high gravity brew such as Midnight Train or a massive AIPA. Hoist bag and do the 'main' drain, move trolley along, lower bag into nappy bucket sitting next to urn, sparge, lift & drain while the urn comes to boil..................