Electric Biab With Removable Bucket

[randyrob]

Hey Guys,

I've got an electric keggle & I want to be able to maintain temps during the mash & ramp temps for mash-out
without my BIAB Bag sitting on the element possibly melting a hole in it. I was thinking about welding in some brackets
just above where my element / temp probe / flat switch sits and getting a piece of stainless mesh cut to size so i
could secure it and the BIAB Bag would sit on that much like people use cake racks i guess. I also have issues
getting the BIAB Bag thru the small opening on my keggle. So I grinded the opening slightly bigger (28.2cm Diameter)
and now it fits a standard 20L Handy Pail perfectly and it sits right on the lip and leaves a 10cm gap between
the bottom of it and my elements. I've also drilled a heap of tiny holes on the bottom of the pail. As an added
bonus i'm going to mark the strike water on the inside wall of the pail. So the plan is to still line the BIAB Bag
inside the pail but should make for easier lifting.

Will it work?

Rob.

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

Why not holes in the side of the pail as well ? It would allow better circulation.
GB

 

[felten]

I like the idea of a mesh filter in the base, it would help to prevent tap blockages when using whole hops as well.

 

[bradsbrew]

Why not holes in the side of the pail as well ? It would allow better circulation.
GB

That might make a bit of a mess when lifting the pail out though? Not sure how tough the plastic that holds the handle is as well Rob?

Cheers brad

 

[randyrob]

Hey Guys,

Hopefully get a chance to brew with the setup soon, i'll be recirculating the wort with a pump during the mash and mashout
so it should be well circulated. The Pails are quite strong and with a standard bber it will only have 5kg of grain and the equivalent
of water in it less than half of what it is rated for anyway time will tell.

Cheers Rob.

 

[ekul]

Have you had problems with the bag touching the element?

When me and QLDKev did a brew last monday we had the bag in and the mongolian on (aluminium pot) to get to correct mashing temp. With rigorous stirring the bags did not melt, or indeed show any type of damage. It you have a pump recircing wort you may not have a problem.

In saying that though, i do like the idea of having a vessel inside the pot, to make sparging easier, so i would like to hear your experience with it.

 

[Thirsty Boy]

you wont really need the bag, but it wont hurt either I suspect... it might though.

If you go to the main (big) BIAB thread - on the fist page of posts there are links to the couple of previous threads where the idea for BIAB was developed from the notion of "a single vessel brewery" which is pretty similar to the title of one of the threads - and it was all developed from someone seeing the Braumeister either on the web or at someone's house.

Pretty much exactly what you are talking about was tried, and worked. I seem to recall that it was either infective or thought that it would be ineffective, if you didn't include the re-circulation step. As a matter of fact I think someone won a trophy or medal with almost exactly what you propose.

BIAB grew out of the sort of system you mean, simply as a way to make it truly one vessel, simpler, easier and perhaps cheaper - there was never really much doubt about a system that uses twin vessels one inside the other - the Braumeister is adequate demonstration that this sort of thing works - in fact BIAB was the innovation that we were all surprised was so effective.

If you do the bucket in the pot, it will work, your sparge if you do one will actually be effective and work like a sparge in a normal mash tun and your wort will be as clear or clearer than wort from a normal mash tun - But - you will also encounter many, if not most, of the issues with stuck mashes, slow recirculation etc etc that you might get in a normal RIMS type 3V system, so I suggest you do a bit of reading about how 3V mash/lautering systems and especially re-circulating versions work; because your system really bears very little resemblance to BIAB and is much more closely related to those sorts of systems - so a bit of a mental paradigm shift will serve you well.

TB