what Michael describes is a standard minimash or partial mash - If that's something that interests you, you can do it with a bag if you like, or there are other ways, lots of them - for instance have a look at
http://www.howtobrew.com/ - browse around
this most excellent forum looking for info on Partial Mashing - or in fact do a Google search on "stove top" partial mashing (some people call it mini mashing) - you will find hours upon hours of entertaining reading on how to partial mash.
If you want to brew a
full AG (and you are more interested in the bag methods than a mash tun) - you need to ask yourself a couple of questions.
Is the concept of spending $150 or so to do this a limiting factor??
If it is - then NickJD has a nice thread on how to make a transition to a stove top form of AG brewing that costs very little money - Nick's method sort of welds BIAB to more traditional Batch Sparging and sprinkles it with High Gravity brewing. It
is cheap - but in my opinion it trades that money saving for complexity. And I am not personally convinced that it is the surest route to brewing the highest quality beer - it might be, I hope it is. But there are reasons why it
might not be and I remain a little skeptical as of now. Still - it is
at the very least, a perfectly good stepping stone technique that will get you brewing nice AG beer quickly and cheaply.
Is what attracts you to BIAB rather than a mash tun based system, the simplicity and ease of the process?
If so, then I think that Nick's method isn't for you. That method is pretty much on a par with mash tun brewing from a process/complexity/difficulty perspective. Neither Nicks HG stovetop method, nor a more traditional Mash tun system is actually very hard - Brewing really is a simple process. BUT - there is no doubt that Full Volume standard BIAB is the easiest and most simple way to produce an AG beer - thats why standard BIAB has turned out to be so attractive to new AG brewers. It is also most probably cheaper to get into than mash tun brewing... but I think it's the simplicity that's the key point. You do need a bigger (40L+) pot; and you would struggle to do it on your stove so a heat source either gas or electric is required - and thats where the expense comes in. Still - I expect that I could build a brand new, from nothing BIAB set-up and hand you change from $200 - a decent amount less with a bit of scrounging and second hand hunting about. The simplest, easiest and most compact set-up (once again demonstrating that you exchange money for ease in BIAB) is a 40L commercial hot water urn from Birko, Crown, Zip, Roband etc etc - just like they have at the Footy club. They work a treat, have inbuilt thermostats, are nice commercial units so you don't need to build, drill, wire, weld, solder or glue anything at all. Plug in and brew. But they will cost you closer to $300 for a new unit, and second hand ones are a bit of a PITA to find. If simplicity is what you are after - than an urn (Birko I think is the better choice) is what you want.
For balance - there are people out there who feel the same way about BIAB in any way shape or form, that I do about high gravity stovetop BIAB. They are yet to be convinced that it is a genuine way to brew the best quality beer that you can. They disagree with me and are therefore little better than raving lunatics - however their opinions may be worth considering I suppose.
Will single batches always be enough for you??
If you think you might want to brew, even occasionally, a double batch - then you will need a bigger system. You can upsize from single batch standard BIAB to double batch for much less than double the price. But it takes the Stovetop and Urn options off the table. You definitely need a pot and heat source combo.
In my opinion the systems that best suit the answers to the above questions are --
Note: I will always recommend the electric option first as I think it's almost always the better option for brewing. I am talking about new, legit equipment. If you can get stuff second hand, or if you are willing to use a keg you "found" down by the river... great, that will make things cheaper.
1 - I want it cheap - the cheaper the better and I don't mind a bit of mucking about to have it at the minimum price
A 19L pot from K'Mart or wherever - Some of the pots you already have in your kitchen & Nick's stovetop method. A bag.
2 - I don't mind spending a bit of cash to keep it simple - but lets keep it under a couple of hundred bucks.
A 40L pot and a 2400W over the side immersion element. Pot modified to include a ball valve in the bottom. The element is a little on the dear side so for less money you could have a stock standard camping shop 3 ring LPG burner. BUT - if you don't already have a BBQ gas bottle and regulator, then these will cost extra and the electric element becomes the cheaper option again. Also factor in that you need to fill that Gas bottle every 4-6 brews and that will cost $20+ each time.. electricity is much cheaper in the long run. A bag of course.
3 - I want it simple and off the shelf, I have no handyman skills and don't wish to develop them - $300 is OK by me.
A 40L Birko hot water urn and your bag.
4 - But I might want to do the occasional double batch to keep me in beer when time is short.
Same as option 2 - but this time with a 60-70pot. You can still brew a double batch with 1x2400W element, but things take a fairly long time to heat up and boil... if your "occasional" might actually be a bit more regular, then your life will be easier if you go with either the gas, or two electric elements if your electricity supply can handle that amount of power. A 60L pot and over the side element is my "ideal" BIAB system from a cost and versatility perspective.
5 - I think I will want to be brewing double size batches all the time, I have a lot of friends and a drinking problem... show me the volume!!
A 70-80L pot and 2 x 2400W elements. Or 4 ring burner (or one of the more powerful gas burners from the sit sponsors). Your burner choice will be about how much time you are willing to spend waiting for things to heat up and get to the boil - all the options will actually boil the wort well enough. You may also want to consider the need for a pulley of some sort to raise and suspend the bag... you can still do a double batch without well enough, but it would make your life a hell of a lot easier if you do have one.
Those aren't your only options - not by a long shot. And this is all in the general realm of BIAB. But - I have personally brewed at least a number of times on each of the options I mention (except the urn) and know for a fact that they are simple and great systems for making AG beer. I re-state my opinion that option 4 with an electric element is the ideal BIAB system.
Hope that helps you out a little
TB
I guess I would say the right time would be when you're ready to start making higher quality beer and have more control over what you brew. I'm yet to start BIAB myself, however currently mustering the equipment together.
