Brew In The Bag Question

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Adam Pike

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Hey lads,I'm doing my first brew in the bag as we speak! I've just finished my mash time and started my boil. Is it ok to rinse the grains with boiling water??? Cheers! Pikey!!!
 
You really should have all this decided prior to doing it. Are you using software, something like BrewMate to work out what needs to be done?

Everything you need to know is in the software. If you start sparging and did not cater to do so then this is going to throw out your results.
 
Yeah Should have thought about it a bit more!!!! No I'm not using brewmate!Thanks lads, appreciate the help!!! Lesson learnt!!!
 
Use boiled water but cooled down.

Boiling water will release tannins into your wort.

Rinse/sparge about 78-80C
 
Here's a differing opinion- the BIAB sparge step can indeed be effected with near- boiling water. The aim is to elevate the entire mash to around 75C and that's achieved by adding a few litres of roughly 100C water to many litres of mash at mid- 60C and stirring well. This is particularly so with MaxiBIAB where kettle volume is limited- with that method if using 78C water and enough of it to reach the desired mashout temp, there's probably no way all that sparge liquor would fit in the kettle even if added at the end of the boil (that's not advised BTW). That kind of defeats the purpose of the mashout sparge.
FWIW, I've been using boiling water to sparge my MaxiBIABs for years, not once in club, state and national comps has tannin been fingered as a fault, it seems to be another myth.
Pikey, I'd suggest using the stock/ no- sparge BIAB to begin with, so follow the $30 Stovetop or MiniBIAB methods, alternatively use a bigger kettle and stick with stock BIAB.
Hope that helps! :icon_cheers:
 
Here's a differing opinion- the BIAB sparge step can indeed be effected with near- boiling water. The aim is to elevate the entire mash to around 75C and that's achieved by adding a few litres of roughly 100C water to many litres of mash at mid- 60C and stirring well. This is particularly so with MaxiBIAB where kettle volume is limited- with that method if using 78C water and enough of it to reach the desired mashout temp, there's probably no way all that sparge liquor would fit in the kettle even if added at the end of the boil (that's not advised BTW). That kind of defeats the purpose of the mashout sparge.
FWIW, I've been using boiling water to sparge my MaxiBIABs for years, not once in club, state and national comps has tannin been fingered as a fault, it seems to be another myth.
Pikey, I'd suggest using the stock/ no- sparge BIAB to begin with, so follow the $30 Stovetop or MiniBIAB methods, alternatively use a bigger kettle and stick with stock BIAB.
Hope that helps! :icon_cheers:

Good advice.
This is what i really love about Biab, so many myths being busted. When I first started out AG brewing, I followed certain rules & would never consider doing things such as no chill, full volume mashing & no sparge that some of us do with Biab. Follow the advice from experienced guys like RdeVjun, BribieG etc & you won't go wrong.
 
Thanks for that Crusty <blush>
I'm under the impression that tannin extraction is more a pH thing than a temperature issue, otherwise Decocted brews would be rotten with tannins, and they actively boil portions of the grain itself.

The tannins and sparging issue can be a problem with 3 vessel brewers where the end sparge (fly or batch) exposes the grain husks to higher and higher pH levels, which is why they keep an eye on their gravity and don't sparge past below a certain figure to avoid tannin extraction.

In the case of "standard" BIAB we are only doing a half-arsed sparge - if we do one at all - compared to 3V brewers and I doubt if the pH would ever get high enough to be a problem. With maxi-Biab where they do a bit more serious sparge I understand that some guys add a bit of citric acid to the sparge liquor as an insurance, and that gets taken up by the yeast in the fermentation.
 
Yeah, another one blushing- cheers Crusty! :icon_cheers:
Bribie G mentions citric acid- that's a really good call, certainly worthwhile mentioning apropos high temp sparge water- always ensure that it is acidic, be that with a small amount of lactic or citric acid, or if it is low alkalinity naturally (eg. rainwater- but perhaps test it first to be sure). Sparge pH may be more of an issue in a conventional setting, though a small amount of acidifier (eg. 1/2 tsp in 6L) won't do any harm to a BIAB's sparge, to be sure.
 

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