First BIAB Dry Run

[hellbent]

Get brewmate, punch in your grain's temp (usually around ambient), your recipe and the mash temp you'd like (ideally with these first brews, they're generally around 64-65 degrees) - don't heat up strike water to a certain temp without doing the calc, it mightn't be the same for you.

My strike temp, in Tasmania, with the grain's temp at 18 degrees was approx 70 degrees. It's horses for courses and not as simple as apply one temp to the entire process.

+1 brewmate

 

[wbosher]

I use Beersmith to do the calculations, wasn't going to suggest they run out and buy that just yet. Forgot all about Brewmate, yeah use that.

Interestingly, even with all the fancy calculations, it still always seems to be around the 2-3 degrees though.

 

[Pickaxe]

Question then - My beersmith is telling me to go for 77.1 degrees C to get to 66 degrees.
Scratch that, now I've gone in and adjusted the settings I see I need strike water at 73.8.

Thanks again for your help Goomba. Could have ****** that up royal.

Will make sure I do that each time from now on.

 

[wbosher]

Wow that's a pretty massive difference still. Mine has never gone about 3 degrees higher, and I've hit the correct temperature most of the time with a degree.

What gear are you using, what water volume, and how much grain? Just curious.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

I generally, if I can't access my brewing software (which is rare), I generally went for a 4 degree jump, worst case, i'd be 1 degree below mash temp.

Given the default setting for grain is 20 degrees, and you're at my old stomping ground and it's going to be damn warm there still, it seems a little high.

Look, worst case, you end up with mash temp 69 degrees and sweetish beer.

 

[mikec]

Back to the OP, +1 for what someone else said.
Cool the wort in the pot, then pour it into the jerry with a big-arse funnel.
You'll be doing the good aeration ready for yeast pitching, and you won't be mucking about ladling (or pouring) hot wort.
For your maiden brew and 10L, use the KISS method.

 

[Pickaxe]

I'm just using a pot, 2L per KG of grain (2.5kg grain - 5 L of water). Does that make any sense? I'm about to start heating water too!

 

[manticle]

I think the disparity is because BIAB is usually full volume whereas some other methods start with much less water in the pot. 3V type brewing for example will start with a ratio similar to yours pickaxe (that's the ratio I use for example - a bit more liquor for lagers), then make up the volume with sparging. Simplest BIAB employs all the liquor at once during mashing and therefore the strike temp needed is much lower.

For my system it's close to 10 degrees most times at that ratio - for BIAB it would be closer to 3-4 degrees above, depending on actual volume, grain bill, temperature of grain etc.

 

[wbosher]

That makes sense. I sometimes forget that not everyone does full volume BIAB.

 

[Bribie G]

Suggest cool in pot overnight (gladwrap) then pour into FV.

I have done hundreds of brews just running out of urn tap into cube. Until they expanded the brewery Pilsner Urquell just ran the hot wort into huge shallow pans and blew fans onto it.

Figure.

 

[Pickaxe]

Thank you for clearing that up guys. That all makes more sense to me now.

Mate, if it wasn't for AHB eh? You guys rock! Yes, I'm going for a smaller volume mash and then sparging to make up my 15L boil. Guess I'm not strictly doing a BIAB brew, but a partial. Though I am using a bag, and a pot stove top, ie. same methodology in theory.

Horses for courses, I guess.

Again, thanks to all for the help and advice. Esp Goomba, you keep on giving it, and it is appreciated, thanks buddy.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

+1 to making sense. I've returned to BIAB-ish after a long hiatus, and I still sparge and have always done so, so never done full volume. I've never done the 'true' BIAB with the urn, the bag and the full volume - I remember there was debate a couple of years ago about what constituted BIAB and I don't want to reignite that fruitless argument.

BribieG is a true BIABer, and an award winning brewer - someone whose opinion has always been highly regarded by myself.

As for the exact temps - that's why software exists - to save the creativity for us and the guesswork for the software.

 

[Pickaxe]

Well, here's to the software - Beersmith.

I just wrapped up my first BIAB - Or should i say PMIAB - Partial-Mash-In-A-Bag - and the software was right.

Strike water was 75 degrees, 5L water to 2.5kg Grain - once mixed and stirred it hit 66 degrees. Perfect! Just hoping my towels and dressing gown insulation holds for the 60 minutes.

{Just a note for first time mashers - I use a milk thermometer used for coffee making when brewing (for heating milk using a coffee machine), the beauty is there is a red band on the dial a couple of degrees +/- 66, which is the perfect temp for coffee milk AND mashing. Just thought it might help some other brewers with their L plates on like me. Other bonus is they have a clip to attach them to the side of any pot while heating water, steeping or boiling. highly recommend.about $14 from Big W or other kitchen shop like House etc. Catering suppliers even cheaper.}

 

[iralosavic]

I can see you're all about keeping it low cost, but I'd seriously invest in a stainless siphon and hose (silicone if transferring post boil). You will use a siphon so many times around the brewery you'll begin to wonder how you managed without one.

 

[jimmyfozzers]

Well, here's to the software - Beersmith.

I just wrapped up my first BIAB - Or should i say PMIAB - Partial-Mash-In-A-Bag - and the software was right.

Strike water was 75 degrees, 5L water to 2.5kg Grain - once mixed and stirred it hit 66 degrees. Perfect! Just hoping my towels and dressing gown insulation holds for the 60 minutes.

{Just a note for first time mashers - I use a milk thermometer used for coffee making when brewing (for heating milk using a coffee machine), the beauty is there is a red band on the dial a couple of degrees +/- 66, which is the perfect temp for coffee milk AND mashing. Just thought it might help some other brewers with their L plates on like me. Other bonus is they have a clip to attach them to the side of any pot while heating water, steeping or boiling. highly recommend.about $14 from Big W or other kitchen shop like House etc. Catering suppliers even cheaper.}

Will be interested to see how well your temp holds. I've been going from 65 to 61 over a 90 minute mash, with a towel and big fleece blanket wrapped around the pot. Need to improve that somehow. Good luck!

 

[Pickaxe]

Thanks Jimmy Fozzers - Got Queensland ambient temps on my side though. About 27 degrees here now. Also got it sitting on a towel and a bamboo chopping board. Hoping this natural fibre doesnt extract heat too much and is better than my laminex benchtop.

Although, correct me if I'm wrong, that doesnt sound too bad for heat loss? Isn't that within tolerance considering the 90 min mash?

 

[wbosher]

That's one good reason for a larger volume mash. I mash 30 - 40 litres and because of the volume I can go 90 minutes and loose only 1 degree.

 

[Pickaxe]

+1 wbosher. Was starting to realise that when you guys were talking strike temps. bigger volume means less temp fluctuation.

 

[Pickaxe]

spryzie, I dont mean to hijack your thread. Let us know how things go. Sounds like we're at the same place brewing wise. Good luck.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

In Tas (I mashed in about 4:30pm yesterday, temp approx 15 degrees outside) I mashed in at 65, it was about 63.5 when I finished a 60minute mash. A doona and a sleeping bag wrapped around did the job fine. It was around 16L plus grain.

In Brisbane, i could afford to be even less careful in summer.