Biab Mash And Boil Times

[Cannibal Smurf]

I've noticed a bit of variety in BIAB techniques lately and though I'd start a poll to see who's doing what in the world of BIAB.
Some people have started a mini sparge in a smaller pot and adding it to their boil, others have lengthened mash and boil times, some dunk, some stir.
How do you go about your BIAB day?

edit: spelling

 

[RobB]

I didn't get an increase in efficiency when I 'dunk-sparged' in a second vessel.

I do, however, only BIAB with an L:G of 4 and then dump the remaining volume in at the end (close to boiling) which takes me to mash-out temp in a flash. This seems to give me slightly better efficiency, although the second vessel (urn) used to heat the water for the mash-out means it's no longer a single vessel pure BIAB set-up.

For a sixty second mash, I stir at 5, 10, 15, 20, 40 and mash-out.

Efficiency is high 70's to low 80's and if I have my urn on a timer and use no-chill, I can finish a AG brew in under three hours. I've departed from 'pure' BIAB to make my brew days as fast and family friendly as possible.

A sixty minute boil seems to work just fine for me.

 

[Pollux]

Malty - 60second mash??? you rock


On my second BIAB right now. I mash for 90mins, 60mins in I remove the covers and check the temp, I give it a good stir up while I'm there, using a motion similar to mashing potatoes...

At the end of the mash I just lift the bag, let it drain for a bit then hang it over a bucket while the urn heats up for the boil, I also like to give it a bit of a squeeze to draw the last of the sweet liquor out.

I did a 90min boil last night, but ended up with a layer of carmellised wort on the element which while easy to clean off made the urn keep switching off during the last 10 mins of the boil, hence the reduction in the boil time.

 

[apd]

I don't stir the mash once the temp has settled. I sparge with about 6L with the bag sitting above the boil on an oven rack. Going to try not sparging next time to see if there is a major difference.

I do a 70 minute boil - 10 minutes at the start before the 60 min hop addition.

 

[reg]

I am interested to read peoples replys as well.
Have just been reading about mashing in at 55 holding for 10 minutes and then ramping to approx 68 holding for 60minutes.

Then removing grain bag and ramping to the boil, boil for 60 minutes and getting a 5 - 7% increase in efficiency.

I personally havent tried it but will give it a go side by side with two brews with the same grain bill and hop bill and see what the difference is.

Oh and by the way I normally do 60 minutes mash and 60 minutes boil.

Reg

 

[MarkBastard]

I've only done one partial BIAB in a 20L pot. This is what I did:

Got 10L of water to strike temp. Chucked the bag in, poured the grain (about 1.9kg worth) in in a steady stream. Mixed it all around so everything was wet and temperature seemed even. Wrapped the pot up in three towels and left for about 40 minutes. Checked again, gave it a bit of a stir with the thermometer and took a temperature reading. Found the stirring was probably not even needed, all seemed good. Covered it back up again for 20 minutes.

Then I put the pot back on the stove to get it up to a temperature of 77 degrees. While the temperature was rising I was stirring and dunking fairly often. Once hitting that temp I left it for a few minutes, dunking, stirring etc. I then lifted and squeezed the bag. Then dumped the bag into another pot (or SS bowl really) and poured about 2L of 77 degrees temperature water over the bag, then lifted and squeezed again. Tipped this wort back into the pot and brought to the boil.

 

[Hashie]

I dough in at 55, then ramp up (stirring constantly) to 64 for 60 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. Ramp up again (stirring) to 77, pull the bag and drain, followed by a 90 minute boil.

Works for me.

Edit; more info.

 

[Cocko]

I dough in at 55, then ramp up (stirring constantly) to 64 for 60 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. Ramp up again (stirring) to 77, pull the bag and drain, followed by a 90 minute boil.

Works for me.

Edit; more info.

Hey Hashie,

Have you always done it this way? AND if not has it improved you efficiency any?

Cheers

 

[troopa]

mash time is determined by how fine the grain has been cracked for me
standard crack i mash for 90 mins
finer i mash less

dunno if this really makes a difference but it keeps my peace of mind

 

[crundle]

Have only done the one BIAB so far (doing next one tomorrow) and I put the bag into the urn (with cake rack underneath) and heat up water to 66 degrees, leaving the urn on and the thermostat set to 66. Then I pour in the grain and stir for a few minutes, then tie up the bag and leave it. Every 5 minutes I pull the bag up a few times to agitate things, then leave it again.

After one hour, I do a 15 minute mash out at 78 degrees and then raise the bag and wearing welding gloves and rubber gloves over the top, sqeeze the bag out somewhat to get more wort out.

I then boil the wort for 90 minutes, as one hour with my Crown urn only gives me about 7.6% loss, but 90 minutes gives me around 10-11%. Whirlpool, leave for 10 minutes to settle, and tap into a 20 litre cube with my clean hop bag in the neck of the cube to trap any unwanted trub etc.

Leave it for a day or two and ferment - life is grand!

cheers,

Crundle

 

[Hashie]

Hey Hashie,

Have you always done it this way? AND if not has it improved you efficiency any?

Cheers

Hey Cocko, yes, it gave me ~5% increase in efficiency

 

[Bribie G]

I've been doughing in at about 4 degrees higher than mash temp and it's a bit of a concern that the first pourings of grain are going into hells kitchen, poor little buggers. As it's a thin mash this is probably more of an issue than doughing in a thicker mash like the esky guys. So I'm considering doughing in cooler and bringing the temp up gradually as well. I can easily raise the bag off the element while I apply some heat.

I also do a bit of a mash out nowadays using three electric jugs that we have accumulated over the years :icon_cheers:

I now do an hour and a half boil as well especially when using BB malts to minimise risk of DMS, putting in first hop addition after the first 30 mins.

 

[Damian44]

Sky hooks are great. As soon as Ive done my mash-out, i hoist the bag up and put the flame on high. I find all the steam fills the bag with water again.
I do about 3 sparges before i use the hook to hold my hop sock. I'm getting 76% efficiency, with the option of a finer crush. I mash for 90 min and boil for 90 min.
I can see loads of advantages BIAB has over traditional brewing (space, time, no stuck sparge). BIAB rocks.

 

[Cannibal Smurf]

Hi, thanks for all your answers.

Looks like it's a 60/40 on both Mash and Boil times 60min vs 90min.

However only 26 responses out of 67 on the BIAB register and probably more out there that haven't bothered to add themselves to that list (so I don't expect to hear from most of them) but bumping back up hoping to get some more responses.

 

[Bribie G]

Voted.
Also bumping this thread as I have just bought 'Brew Your Own British Real Ale' 3rd edition ex London and they stipulate that 90 min mash will give you a superior wort and that for optimum isomerisation of alpha acid in hops and for other reasons 90 mins boil is ideal and that bittering hops should be added for 90 mins.

Hmmm. Opened my eyes for sure, and this book is based on info supplied by the UK ale breweries themselves so I'll go with that info for sure.

 

[Midnight Brew]

Found this thread from the early days

I mash for 60 then mashout for 10-15 minutes raising the bag inbetween. No sparge, I find it doesnt make too much of a difference other then chasing a few points a bit of extra base can make up for. Boil hard for 15 then normal boil for 60.

Still getting my head around the whirlpool process after the boil. Ive tried waiting for the convection currents to stop which took 30mins with a lid on and then whirlpooling which in that case was an hour after the boil before I cubed (wort was still at 95C/completly fucks late additions). Whirlpooling straight away and then whirlpooling again 20 minutes after the first whirlpool (produced best results so far). Next batch just one whirlpool. (Note to self, read up more on whirlpooling)

Starting to get the jist of my system and getting used to my routine. Time to buy a sky hook.

 

[Bribie G]

You are now sandwiched between two Bribie G posts. Gotcha

Yes I still do 90 / 90 for most brews. I don't whirlpool, just use a good floccer (BrewBright) and leave the urn covered for around 25 mins to let it settle out.
Then after filling the cube I run everything into a 5L poly pail with lid and let it settle overnight, and can usually glean a litre of clear wort off it.

For late additions I do hop tea made with The litre of left over wort, boiling, in a French Press as a "flameout" addition and add to the fermenter at pitching time. So the late hops bypass the cube.

Yes and get that skyhook

 

[Midnight Brew]

Sandwiched between your posts 3 years apart. You sure got me good!

Sounds like a good process to give a go and I never even thought about saving that last bit for French Press. With my process I dont see much point in adding late addtions unless they are french pressed or dry hopped because they are easily stretched to 60+ minutes.

I take it the sky hook is just a bunnings job fixed to a beam. ATM I brew under a clothes line so may attach one to that. The heavy bag takes its toll on the unfit brewer.

 

[Mikedub]

Midnight Brew, check out these posts from TB, Bribie etc regarding mashing out, good reading (pg 2 and 3)
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...54273&st=40

 

[Bribie G]

AFAIK you can't get pulley sets from Bunnings etc which is why I made my own up.

A pair of single blocks is good, but I came across doublers so just used them. They were $10 each on clearance at a hardware store and some clothesline for about $8.
A set of SS hooks are also useful for all sorts of things, for example just make a little noose to go round the bag with a hook fitted on the free end and hook it into the eye of the bottom pulley block for hoisting, then when it's drained and squeezed just lift it off when it's now light, and take it outside or whatever you do with the spent grain - instant bag quick disconnect B) - they come 4 to a card.

Edit: I adopted Cap'n MHBs suggestion of tying the fixed end of the rope lenght to the overhead beam, should have thought of that in the first place. :wacko: