Biab or change to mashing

[Yob]

To this I'd add time faffing around the rig on brew day, a lot have gone the way of the BM to make more time for SWMBO, kids etc, 3hr brew day.

Faffing because you have to or want to? If the former, you havnt set it up right, if the latter.. well, its a part of the journey innit

I now brew at night after the bub has gone down to make space for the family during the day. If you can get milled and the HLT set up before dinner, all you need to do is run off to the MT and can go back inside... unless you are faffing around the system and having a beer that is... For me, there are plenty of things I can do in the shed while mashing. h34r:

 

[Forever Wort]

I concur with the BIAB fans. My brews take 3 hours now using two vessels including heating to strike, setup and sparging.

I don't think I will ever change systems. More vessels and lines just means more hassle, more cleaning, etc.

Part of the enjoyment of brewing for me is spending time outside, reading, gardening, etc. while I brew. On a nice morning with a jug of coffee there's nothing better. Especially if the puppy has just been walked and isn't running circles around my rig :unsure: - and I think BIAB is perfect for that "pottering about" mentality.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Seems to be a few BIAB'ers here that sparge, I would have thought that adds an arguably unnecessary step. I just got an 80% mash efficiency on the weekend due to having a new mash paddle and realising I must have had dough balls previously, doing a temp stepped mash with a protein rest at the start and using a swiss voile bag now (better drainage). I had anticipated 65%... the czech lager is going to be a strong one. Will shoot for 75% next time but yeah, after the weekend I can't see the need for sparging unless its because of pot size restrictions to full volume mash?

 

[Aces High]

I would say it gets difficult to do big volumes with BIAB but I'm still pretty new so don't give my opinion too much weight. I'm sure people would do triple + batches with pulleys etc but if you are going to that much effort why not just get another vessel and pump it.

I went BIAB, got a Braumeister and moved to 3v purely to do bigger volumes. No noticable difference in beers outside of other changes to my processes.

I BIAB double batch pretty much every time. I have a 115L pot on a rolling trolley and a sky hook and pulley system. a couple of weeks ago I almost ran out of beer (yes it was embarrassing), but I picked myself up and did 2 x triple batches in 2 weekends.

Because I was getting to the limit of the pot with an IPA... 17kg of grain and about 100ish L of water, I held back 10L and just added it in after pulling the bag. I floated a bowl on the wort to keep the boil stong enough and it all went ahead perfectly.

3 vessel is good for making beer, but don't think biab is any less of a method and its certainly a lot less complicated and I reckon there is less that can go wrong. My wife even won a bronze at last years Perth royal show using biab, and I bet she beat a few 3 vessel brewers in her category.

 

[philmud]

Slightly off topic, but what do BIABers suspend their pulleys from? My garage has nothing other than the brackets that the garage door rolls along & I doubt they are strong enough. Anyone have any brilliant solutions?

 

[panzerd18]

What about issues relating to the clarification of the wort as it is filtered through the grain bed? In biab do you get a much more cloudy wort as you are not recirculating through the grain bed?

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Slightly off topic, but what do BIABers suspend their pulleys from? My garage has nothing other than the brackets that the garage door rolls along & I doubt they are strong enough. Anyone have any brilliant solutions?

Do you have any rafters or exposed beams? I got a 200kg Velcro strap rated skyhook which I clip a pulley onto. The strap goes around one of my roof beams where it is exposed for the clear polycarbonate sections of roof sheet, all from the big green shed. Failing that, an expensive way would be to buy a car engine crane from super cheap auto.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

What about issues relating to the clarification of the wort as it is filtered through the grain bed? In biab do you get a much more cloudy wort as you are not recirculating through the grain bed?

I have noticed this in a pilsner eith unroasted nuts in the mash, because I dont recirculate I end up with nut oils in the beer and head retention is non existent, its only a problem for that beer for me as clarity doesnt really bother me. Most of my beers have a slight haze compared to megaswill

 

[brewtopbeer]

Thanks everyone for getting back to me, I will do my research on different systems and cost etc.. I'm looking forward to bigger and better things in brewing but I love BIAB so I will have to sit down and think what's better for me! Cheers again and talk soon..

 

[Milk-lizard84]

I currently biab brew in my 50l keggle. So far I have done one stepped mash, usually do single infusions with a mashout. I enjoy the simplicity of it. I thought about slowly getting pieces together to build a 3v system but I rent and don't have much space for such a system.
I've been pretty happy with what I have made so far but would like to make higher gravity beers. My only upgrade may be a 70l pot running an electric element. I enjoy biab brewing so I don't think ill change anytime soon.

 

[mje1980]

I 3vd for 10 years. Tried BIAB once, and gave away my tun and HLT. I don't often do super high gravity beers, though I do brew 6-8% Belgians. I add sugar to them anyway so it's all good there. For every other beer I brew ( mostly uk ales and blonde ales ) it works fine. Simple, takes up less space, less variables, means less equipment ( to bite you on the arse mid brew day ).

I've not noticed any difference in taste, and I step mash every beer, the hard way. I turn the gas on, lift the bag and stir for a few minutes, then check temp til it's right. I could add a herms etc and a pump, but for me, I don't find it back breakingly difficult to lift the bag and stir for a few minutes each step. I know my lifting arm never gets out of calibration or runs out of batteries, the same as my stirring arm.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

I 3vd for 10 years. Tried BIAB once, and gave away my tun and HLT. I don't often do super high gravity beers, though I do brew 6-8% Belgians. I add sugar to them anyway so it's all good there. For every other beer I brew ( mostly uk ales and blonde ales ) it works fine. Simple, takes up less space, less variables, means less equipment ( to bite you on the arse mid brew day ).

I've not noticed any difference in taste, and I step mash every beer, the hard way. I turn the gas on, lift the bag and stir for a few minutes, then check temp til it's right. I could add a herms etc and a pump, but for me, I don't find it back breakingly difficult to lift the bag and stir for a few minutes each step. I know my lifting arm never gets out of calibration or runs out of batteries, the same as my stirring arm.

Do you experience any difference in finished clarity of beer? Also I don't hoist my bag up when heating on gas with my Italian spiral in a 72L pot, bag seems to work well, I make sure I drape the bag before adding grain so that it doesn't rest on the bottom of the pot though.

 

[mje1980]

No, I don't think so. Though my last 2 saisons have had some chill haze. That may be yeast related or BIAB related but they're saisons, so it's no big deal for me. An apricot blonde I have on tap was my first BIAB and the clarity is great ( US05 ). I don't aim or really care for super "bright" beer but do like clear beers.

 

[mje1980]

Looks like I'll have to pull a small sample of that blonde right now to double check


Ok, so it is slightly hazey, though it did have a good whack of wheat malt in it. Clear enough for me but could be clearer. I'll keep an eye on the next few. Again, it's no big deal for me, and I haven't bothered with clearing aids for a long time. Something I'll keep track of, but most likely not do anything about

 

[philmud]

Do you have any rafters or exposed beams? I got a 200kg Velcro strap rated skyhook which I clip a pulley onto. The strap goes around one of my roof beams where it is exposed for the clear polycarbonate sections of roof sheet, all from the big green shed. Failing that, an expensive way would be to buy a car engine crane from super cheap auto.

No, no anchor pions I can see. A brew stand may be ok, if it was weighted correctly, but I'm considering 3v or a BM clone (or a GM) anyway.

 

[mje1980]

I screwed a beam under the top of my brew shelves. Just stuff I had laying around, and it meant not having to climb into the roof cavity. A plus in my book

 

[Eagleburger]

I BIAB ales and mash tun lager. Both get brewbrite in boil, both go infermenter clear. 3 hours is a typical brew session. I brew after the kids go to bed at 7pm and am always finished by 10:30. Lagers take a little longer as I brew 45L. Having 8400w helps.

 

[Bribie G]

I'm currently upgrading to a 3 vessell with herms.
1. I'm Sick off turning the gas on and off and stirring the grains to maintain mash temp.
I lag my urn in a sleeping bag and a sheet of metallised foam then walk away for an hour or 90 mins. Lose about a degree and a half.

2. I want to make it easier to step mash and mash out.
Rack at bottom of urn to keep it off element, just stir and heat to get to the steps, then step up to mashout. most of my mashes are stepped. You have to heat up to boiling anyway so you get the steps and mashout for free using BIAB. Step mashes are hard with 3V but HERMS would be the way to go.

3. Getting sick of hoisting the bag out.
I pull mine out one handed with a pulley attached to a spar across the ceiling hatch. then take it out to garden, shake and flap and grain's disposed of.
4. I do double batches all the time now with my 80litre pot and it's pushed to within 5litres from the top of the pot. Id like to do bigger beers and bigger batches.

5. I'd like to be able to do twin double batch days. Mashing in another double batch while I've got one boiling.
Brewing such large quantities you probably would benefit from a 3v system. However I often do double batches by mashing in a bag lined esky while #1 is boiling then transfer wort to urn when #1 has been run off to cube or chiller.
6. I've nearly been brewing for ten years now and I want a full system to stare at and admire.
7. So basically easier and a bit less hassle and more volume along with the bling factor and a bit more consistency with temps and replicating beers along with actually planning and building the thing which I'm enjoying.

 

[n87]

No, no anchor pions I can see. A brew stand may be ok, if it was weighted correctly, but I'm considering 3v or a BM clone (or a GM) anyway.

what... so you dont have an engine crane? :huh:

 

[Aces High]

Do you experience any difference in finished clarity of beer? Also I don't hoist my bag up when heating on gas with my Italian spiral in a 72L pot, bag seems to work well, I make sure I drape the bag before adding grain so that it doesn't rest on the bottom of the pot though.

Ive never had problems with the clarity of the beer. Often a heap of hop residue goes into the cube and I also dry hop directly into the fermenter. I just cold chill before kegging and add some gelatine into the keg and it clears perfectly in just a few days.