Hello Everyone!

[smertin]

Hey everyone,

I have tried a couple of essence brews so far (couple of mangrove pouches) a tin of bavarian lager and a stout with a few hops extra chucked in. Been enjoying it so far but just been sort of guessing how to do it all.

Ive been researching all grain brews over the past week and decided to get myself a 50L stock pot and 3 ring burner to try out some BIAB recipes, ive found these 2 and ordered up the ingredients but im a bit skeptical about the method im going to use:

http://beersmithrecipes.com/viewrecipe/653/dr-smurtos-golden-ale
http://beersmithrecipes.com/viewrecipe/393947/oatmeal-stout-biab-quotbreakfast-stoutquot

Im taking it the boil size is the amount of water i put in the stock pot and bring it upto the mash temperature (strike temperature as ive read elsewhere?) then i drop in my mixed grains in a bag along with any hops that are to be added for the duration on the boil. I then keep the temperature consistent for the boil time (adding hops along the way at allocated times) and then hoist out the bag of grains to drain.

Then with the remaining liquid (wort?) bring back to the boil. Then put the stock pot in a bucket with ice around to drop to pitching temperature and finally empty all the liquid into fermenter and add yeast.

Any advice on what i am doing wrong or what i could do better would be greatly appreciated.

cheers.

 

[YAPN]

Plenty of helpful, and more experienced guys on here than me but your 'mash' time is seperate from your 'boil'.
Mash grains for something like 40min @ 70c depending on your recipe. Remove grain bag and bring liquid 'wort' to the boil. Add hops and boil for 1hr or so. Take care when handling the large volume hot liquid. Enjoy.

 

[smertin]

Thank you very much for the quick reply!
I see. So in recipes when they say boil volume that is actually the starting mash volume? or once the grains are removed I have to top up to boil volume? Ive got myself some heat resistant gloves on order for squeezing the bag and lifting the pot
I was reading that for a higher OG it is recommended for the mash temperature to be a little lower and vice versa. Anyone have any views on this theory? also if i reduce the temperature is is recommended to increase the duration?

 

[YAPN]

I can't tell you much about boil volumes as I stick to K&K brewing but I believe there is optimal mash temps and durations for the quantities and types of grain you use. So choose your grain quantity and type/s to reach your desired OG and stick to recommended temp and duration. Rather than changing temp and duration on your chosen grains. If any of that makes sense.

To help out BIAB brewers there are lots of Youtube tutorials. Maybe spend an afternoon watching and taking notes.

 

[brewgasm]

I do everything from k & k to biab, what ever suits me at the time and enjoy all methods. I'm saving up for a single vessel system.

Treat this forum as your brains trust. So many of us are willing to help and share our views and experiences

 

[Madscientist86]

A 50L pot is going to need more than a bucket of ice to get it to pitching temperature. That sized pot you will need an immersion chiller or counterflow chiller if doing a 28-30L boil. I would recommend hot cubing if you dont have a way to chill rapidly.

Boil volume is the volume before the boil. After removing your bag you will need to top up to this volume.

 

[pnorkle]

Hey @smertin - have a look here - https://aussiehomebrewer.com/threads/a-guide-to-all-grain-brewing-in-a-bag.11694/ It's an old thread but still relevant.

HTH.

 

[smertin]

thank you very much for all your help. i might grab another fermenter and use that as a hot cube, the link you gave me looks extremely useful, cheers!

 

[smertin]

Just finished my second brew in 2 days, after odering up 2 recipes worth of grains then finding out they dont last too long post milling! Really enjoyed it! Have a golden ale in the fermenter and an oatmeal stout in my "cooler" waiting for the drop in temperature.

Thank you so much for all of your help. Hopefully all works out well with them and be supping them down soon! Cheers!

 

[Drewgong]

nice work @smertin I'm in the Same just finished my 3rd biab session yesterday also kegged my first biab yesterday it's still not carbed but tasting great. did you take a hydrometer reading to see how efficient you were ? my first two were low 50s my third brew I sparged and got upto 64% still room for improvement but at least heading in the right direction.

 

[smertin]

nice work @smertin I'm in the Same just finished my 3rd biab session yesterday also kegged my first biab yesterday it's still not carbed but tasting great. did you take a hydrometer reading to see how efficient you were ? my first two were low 50s my third brew I sparged and got upto 64% still room for improvement but at least heading in the right direction.

Nicely done! I actually took my hydrometer a mates house a couple of weeks ago and we couldnt find it for the life of us. Had to just pitch the summer ale without taking the reading. He called me up and said he found it today though so can do the reading on the stout when I get home! Never actually used the hydrometer before though so will try and figure out how to use it How difficult was the kegging? thinking of getting a keg and fridge when my new house is finally ready to move into but havent even looked into the process yet.

 

[awfulknauful]

Always a good idea to keep a couple for spare, they have a tendancy to break, never lost one though, that must be a first.

 

[Drewgong]

I'm on my 4th hydrometer never never ever sit it on the bench lol main thing about the hydrometer is the temperature its calibrated at it will be written on it somewhere. so take your sample cool it down to the correct temp (mine was 20c) also give the hydrometer a quick spin as little air bubbles like to stick to it. I find taking a photo is best as my eyes arnt so great you can then zoom in to see your exact number plus you have a record for when you do your final gravity be mindful the water tends to curve up slightly where it touches the hydrometer you want the lower reading .

 

[Drewgong]

Kegging is by far the best way to go in my opinion its not difficult at all. have a look on gumtree there's always second hand setups on there .....where are you located

 

[smertin]

Ive just put it into the fermeneter and had to top up 1 and half 1 liters, happy with that Looked like it was between the last mark on 40 and 50 so guessing its an OG of 0.049? Taking a picture would be a good idea though as i did struggle a little.

I was having a look earlier on gumtree actually beacuse i saw thread on here with mixed reviews about kegland (where i was eyeing up a fridge). Found a few good looking ones around. Im in Grensborough (north melbourne suburb).

Also had a quick glance at a DIY fridge set up. Might do a bit more research now!

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Ive just put it into the fermeneter and had to top up 1 and half 1 liters, happy with that Looked like it was between the last mark on 40 and 50 so guessing its an OG of 0.049? Taking a picture would be a good idea though as i did struggle a little.

I was having a look earlier on gumtree actually beacuse i saw thread on here with mixed reviews about kegland (where i was eyeing up a fridge). Found a few good looking ones around. Im in Grensborough (north melbourne suburb).

Also had a quick glance at a DIY fridge set up. Might do a bit more research now!

What did you put in the fermenter?

 

[smertin]

the stout that has been in the cooler overnight (- the trub and hop sock)

 

[smertin]

just found a 140 litre chest freezer for $100! Just been looking at fitting a collar on them and putting a few kegs in there, be a nice little project while i wait for the brews to ferment! ANyone have any suggestions on a co2 bottle? Messaged supagas to see how much they do rent an swop for and also saw you can use soda stream cylinders. Might be a viable option for the mean time!

 

[Drewgong]

kegland is the cheapest around but there out of stock on 6kg bottles you can try kegking or try a local home brew store they usually sell them I wouldn't rent

 

[smertin]

cheers for that. ill do a bit of looking around and see what i can dig up. renting them does seem pretty pricey especially when ive got a baby due in 4 weeks, can imagine il be slowing down on the drinking a little when hes here!