Brew In A Bag Competition Successes

[Bribie G]

In another thread a BIAB skeptic threw down the gauntlet:

...if you are mashing at much higher L:G ratio and getting a highly dextrinous wort.

I put out the challenge last year to hear from any award winning BIAB'ers to come forward. None (to my knowledge) every have. I am sure it possible, especially in heavier beers (stouts etc), but I would love to know if any BIAB beers have won in light lager catagories in major competition.

And before any fervent BIAB;s jump in...if you love the beer you make, I don't have any problem at all. What I do have a problem with is the contention that it is the equal of well made conventionally mashed beer. This is misleading to brewers wanting to improve their craft.
If I am wrong the competition results should prove it.

BIAB is a comparatively new method and with a couple of exceptions like PistolPatch and Thirsty Boy, it has been embraced mostly by newcomers to grain brewing. Therefore, and quite understandably, until now the vast majority beers receiving placements in competitions would have been brewed on the more traditional three vessel system, and the brewers would not only be wedded to their three vessel equipment but be well experienced in what they do ... and of course that experience is what wins them competitions!

However with a cohort of BIAB brewers coming up through the ranks, learning as they go, and with the ongoing 'tweaking' and development of the method one would probably be looking, by this stage, to see BIAB brews starting to appear in competition results.

With the above in mind it is very pleasing to see that in this year's Brisbane Amateur Beer Brewer's (BABBs) annual competition, beers brewed by the BIAB method picked up the following awards this evening:

• First place in Class 3 (Bitter / Pale Ales) with a special bitter TTL style
• First place in Class 4 (Dark Ales) with a UK mild
• Third place in Class 6 (Stout / Porter) with a FES
• Champion brewer of the Competition used BIAB in all his entries

A pretty sound start, to be sure, and it will be interesting to see how BIAB fares from now on in comps around the country, wherever the brewers - of course - are willing to divulge whether they used BIAB or not. It goes without saying that BIAB owes its increasing influence and success to brewers such as the aforementioned PP and TB, Reviled of NZ, fellow travellers like Pollux, Flattop, Katie and many others too numerous to mention, and that our AHB forum has been a great vehicle for getting this aspect of the craft up and running.



Keep on Baggin

 

[buttersd70]

• First place in Class 4 (Dark Ales) with a UK mild

I remember that post. :lol:

Was this your mild, Michael???? Please tell me it's so....

 

[Bribie G]

I remember that post. :lol:

Was this your mild, Michael???? Please tell me it's so....

Yes.. PM sent :icon_cheers:

 

[buttersd70]

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

Where are all the Biab baggers (pun intended) now ? It was only a matter of time before it got recognition.
GB

 

[buttersd70]

Where are all the Biab baggers (pun intended) now ?

Sitting in a corner, making tinfoil hats. :unsure:

 

[Thirsty Boy]

I don't understand all you people - cant you see that with all that we know about brewing science - its just not possible to make a quality beer using this silly method of brewing.

Either the judges at that competition were fools and retards with no knowledge of beer and probably on the take as well, or every other brewer who entered the comp is inept, unlucky or their entries were lost in the post.

Yeah .... thats far more likely than a BIAB brewer winning champion brewer of show.

yeah

So there.

 

[Steve]

Congrats to ALL BIAB'ers!
Cheers
Steve

 

[Maxt]

Well done to anyone who can do well in a comp. It shows you have a good level of control of many areas of your brewing, from recipe creation to bottling techniques.
As mentioned before, I look forward to seeing BIAB results at the NATS, against the best beers in the country. I have always believed that darker and heavier beers were suited to the style. I am also keen to know how BIAB beers fare in the pale lager category.

 

[chappo1970]

Bribie,

A big and very well deserved congratulations mate! :icon_chickcheers: You are and still are a brilliant brewer. Who not only brews beautiful beers but also shares the knowledge and love with anyone willing to listen. What some here need to remember is Bribie also does all his brews by feel and knowledge not a beersmith or promash in sight to help him formulate recipes.

Keep baggin Bribie!

 

[clarkey7]

I think Bribie is a No-chiller too! :super:
My beers were all no-chill for this comp except the 7 day Vanilla Stout.

So the take home message for newbies is:- read up and understand the basic principles on all processes and brew for yourself on a system that your happy with. You can make great beer on almost any gear.

AND listen to BribieG :icon_cheers:

PB

 

[Fourstar]

Just goes to show, you dont need to spend sever hundered/thousand dollars on a HERMS/RIMS setup when all you need is a big enough pot, some loose change, a trip to Dimmeys and the ability to sew.

Top work all you BIABers! Time for me to dough in on my Plastic Tun!

Cheers!

 

[lczaban]

I don't understand all you people - cant you see that with all that we know about brewing science - its just not possible to make a quality beer using this silly method of brewing.

Either the judges at that competition were fools and retards with no knowledge of beer and probably on the take as well, or every other brewer who entered the comp is inept, unlucky or their entries were lost in the post.

Yeah .... thats far more likely than a BIAB brewer winning champion brewer of show.

yeah

So there.

I was there at the judging and there were no mugs in the judging ranks. The best beers won fair and square, and it just so happens that the BIAB beer got up. While I can understand and appreciate where you are coming from TB, I feel that you are dismissing the technique out of hand. It's a bit sad that you aren't open to the idea that good beers can be made using BIAB. I think that a lot more depends on the brewer rather than the equipment that they use. The science doesn't tell the whole story all the time IMHO...

Well done to anyone who can do well in a comp. It shows you have a good level of control of many areas of your brewing, from recipe creation to bottling techniques.
As mentioned before, I look forward to seeing BIAB results at the NATS, against the best beers in the country. I have always believed that darker and heavier beers were suited to the style. I am also keen to know how BIAB beers fare in the pale lager category.

While this hasn't been proven just yet (AFAIK), I'm sure that it won't be too long before someone wins a major brewing comp at a national level using BIAB. The beers that BribieG won with are on the darker end, but I suspect that his light ales and lagers would compare favourably against any opposition. Maybe a mutual beer exchange might clear things up?

The BABB's annual comp would have to be one of the most keenly contested club comps in Australia, and as such I wouldn't be dismissing the results as being less significant than a state or national comp.

I think Bribie is a No-chiller too! :super:
My beers were all no-chill for this comp except the 7 day Vanilla Stout.

So the take home message for newbies is:- read up and understand the basic principles on all processes and brew for yourself on a system that your happy with. You can make great beer on almost any gear.

AND listen to BribieG :icon_cheers:

PB

So much good work and learning has been acquired and shared by everyone mentioned in this thread that it is only a matter of time before BIAB beers attained comparible results to a 3 vessel system. The biggest variable is the brewer, and there have been some wonderful BIAB exponents mentioned who are brewing some fantastic beers. It's a pleasure to know Michael and sample the efforts of his labour. I'd be happy to one day attain his level of knowledge and brewing skill. PB makes a good point that it is the basic principles that have the greatest impact on the quality of the end product, and I think this can be overlooked when brewers get caught up in the technicalities of brewing science.

As always though, the proof of the beer is in the drinking - let the tastebuds of the brewers decide!

 

[Bribie G]

Hi Gravity, I think Thirsty Boy, who does BIAB as well as 3V was being a bit wry and dry with his humour in his post actually

Don't get me wrong I wasn't trying to flame Maxt to a crisp, well maybe just a lightly toasted marshmallow :lol: However there is a lot to be said for his ideas re the darker beers. In fact the winning mild was done with deliberate 'dextrinification' of the wort if that's an English word using mash temp control and duration, and even though the recipe was about as simple as they come, I consider it my most technically successful brew yet. My latest brews I'm experimenting with are a straight down the line Czech Bo Pils with protein rest and a long lager (just got bottled) and a light Modern UK Summer Ale on 1469 in an experiment to go for the 'lighter and more refreshing' - and I'll be doing a series of lighter ales to investigate whether we need to mash cooler, longer, shorter, wetter, drier or whatever with BIAB. I will keep posted in the 'what's in the glass' thread.



Edit gramrr

 

[Maxt]

I was there at the judging and there were no mugs in the judging ranks. The best beers won fair and square, and it just so happens that the BIAB beer got up. While I can understand and appreciate where you are coming from TB, I feel that you are dismissing the technique out of hand. It's a bit sad that you aren't open to the idea that good beers can be made using BIAB. I think that a lot more depends on the brewer rather than the equipment that they use. The science doesn't tell the whole story all the time IMHO...

Yeah Thirsty Boy, stop bagging BIAB! :lol:

While this hasn't been proven just yet (AFAIK), I'm sure that it won't be too long before someone wins a major brewing comp at a national level using BIAB.

The BABB's annual comp would have to be one of the most keenly contested club comps in Australia, and as such I wouldn't be dismissing the results as being less significant than a state or national comp.

I am sure there are many good brewers in Brisbane, but the national results don't really support your claims.

AABC 2007
CHAMPION STATE
Victoria 27 points
NSW 25 points
ACT 22 points
SA 4 points
WA 3 points
QLD 2 points

AABC 2008
Champion State )
(Awarded 3 points for a First, 2 points for a Second, 1 point for a Third in each Category)
Winner: Victoria 18 points
=2nd New South Wales 17
=2nd Australian Capital Territory 17
4th South Australia 13
5th Queensland 10
6th Western Australia 3

Anyway may the best beer win I say! I enjoy learning more about our great craft. For example, the accepted wisdom (from Palmer onwards), was that a thicker mash was more preferable. PP provided evidence to the contrary, and that's good enough for me. So long as beer brewing is getting better in this country, then it's all good!

 

[Bribie G]

Probably more to do with Melbourne and Sydney being far more populous and kultchad, with Brisbane let's face it, being just a big rural town until the last couple of decades. Our absolutely dismal record on brew pubs and micros is a sad reflection on this ( all power to SCB, Mt Tamborine, Eagle Hts nowadays). However it's finally turning around and time will tell.

Edit: and in terms of population Queensland is the most decentralised state for population Centres so HB is very fragmented outside of Brisbane (although fellowships and clubs arising in places like Toowoomba :icon_cheers: ) and is really only strongly established in Brisbane, so BABBs is effectively still 'it'.

About time for the Sunshine Coast Guys to get mobilised, I seem to remember some discussion about that last year B)

 

[Pollux]

It's good to see that BIAB beers are starting to pick up some awards on the way.


I really need to get brewing myself, but I'm going away to the Gold Coast tomorrow for 5 nights, back for one day then off again for another week......Got 4 new empty kegs to fill.

 

[Katherine]

It's good to see that BIAB beers are starting to pick up some awards on the way.


I really need to get brewing myself, but I'm going away to the Gold Coast tomorrow for 5 nights, back for one day then off again for another week......Got 4 new empty kegs to fill.

You kegging Pollux? you should be ashamed there empty, have they being filled yet? We have three empty kegs but 4 and soon 5 full fermenters.

PP has won an award and will win more... And Lloydie and Myself indvidually will win an award I just know it.

keep baggin....

:icon_cheers:

 

[katzke]

A few posts have suggested that award winning beer can only be brewed on fancy systems with all grain. Nothing farther from the truth. Just got back from our club group brew and the host won not only best of the IPA category but best of show with a malt extract with steeped grain kit with added hops in a beer competition. It was his first ever homebrew. Yes an odd win and no he has not been able to repeat it but a win is a win as has been pointed out to me a few times.

I have a first and my wife has a third place with BIAB beer. Not they were not lagers and I will likely never brew a lager in my life. One was a Wit and that is a light tasting low hoped beer. Would it win a national competition? Probably not because it was not a Belgian Wit and would go in the Mutt category with all kinds of not-to-style beers. I brew what I want to drink and not to style for competition. In the case of the Wit I have a big bag of raw wheat to get rid of we will never grind into flour. The next beer is in the fermentor and will be an English Wit. Yes English with English hops and English yeast. I have no idea what all I will try maybe even a Black Wit. Why not brew a Belgian Wit? Because I do not like any of the Belgian brews I have sampled.

So will a BIAB Ale or even a Lager win a big brew competition. Yes when someone that brews to style enters and wins. Are all beers that win brewed on fancy complicated systems? No extract beers still win from time to time. Even people that brew with simple all grain systems win.

So get it out of your head that the only way to win big in competitions is to brew like a brewery. It just aint so.

 

[Pollux]

You kegging Pollux? you should be ashamed there empty, have they being filled yet? We have three empty kegs but 4 and soon 5 full fermenters.

All empty, I just bought them the other week, haven't even had time to strip 2 of them down and give them a good cleaning yet..I'm also yet to grab a fridge to keep them in.

It's all good, I will just brew 5 in 5 days and I'll be back up to speed, I also have to test drunkskunks new found technique of improving the boil with the crown urn.

end of off-topic randomness....