Ok I'm Bored Let's Do A Speed Baib

[Bribie G]

1043 bang on

 

[kymba]

good work bribie!

are you going to pitch now or wait and risk infection???

 

[stux]

good work bribie!

are you going to pitch now or wait and risk infection???

No chill. No risk







*virtually

 

[Bribie G]

I've got a smacko of 1498 swollen up, I'll do a starter with some left over wort from this brew and pitch tomorrow.

 

[kymba]

No chill. No risk







*virtually

yeah, although I was trying to take the piss about another thread that was going off last night

 

[donburke]

yeah, although I was trying to take the piss about another thread that was going off last night

its ok, i understood where you were coming from, and i did see the humour in it B)

 

[Dave70]

At the risk of starting a bunfight, does anyone see BIAB as a a step backwards from batch sparging?
Personally, I can only see pros in my own situation since I have rafters on which to mount pulleys on, a strong back, a kettle more than large enough to handle the full volume required, insulation and occy straps.

Not having to empty and clean the esky of spent grain or worry about stuck sparges (albeit, rare) and keeping the whole operation in one vessel makes me wonder why I haven't had a closer look before.
Is there some giant fly in the ointment I'm missing here?

 

[bum]

Is there some giant fly in the ointment I'm missing here?

Not really. You'll most likely see significantly more turbid wort into the kettle but if you're doing everything right it'll be just as clear as 3V out.

My bunfight causing question (that I've been biting my tongue over since last night, but since Dave has broken the silence...) - I thought one of the major benefits of BIAB was always supposed to be that it is faster. 4hrs for a simple batch while aiming to break the land speed record? Dunno if I see a benefit there - unless you want the good core workout with the heavy lifting, I suppose.

Even though there was a question mark in there, I agree that the above is more of an observation than a question. Interested in people's replies though so it counts.

 

[Maheel]

I often think the same thing Dave

i am currently building a 3V (3 keggle) rig and have contemplated building it into a 3 X biab rig so i can do triples of 3 varieties at once ....

 

[stef]

This debate rears its head pretty often. I'm a BIABer, but i've just bought a big esky for mashing in. While i'm very happy BIABing, i find it really hard to do higher gravity brews. I have a growing desire to brew a few huge IIPAs, RIS etc, so want to have the flexibility to mash in an esky with manifold for those occasions. However, I think for my average brews i'll continue to BIAB.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Not really. You'll most likely see significantly more turbid wort into the kettle but if you're doing everything right it'll be just as clear as 3V out.

My bunfight causing question (that I've been biting my tongue over since last night, but since Dave has broken the silence...) - I thought one of the major benefits of BIAB was always supposed to be that it is faster. 4hrs for a simple batch while aiming to break the land speed record? Dunno if I see a benefit there - unless you want the good core workout with the heavy lifting, I suppose.

Even though there was a question mark in there, I agree that the above is more of an observation than a question. Interested in people's replies though so it counts.

I think the biggest benefit of BIAB (assuming that you aren't purchasing an urn - which I know is the basis of 'pure' BIAB, so it might be a red herring I'm throwing in here anyway), is low equipment costs and simplification for entry level AG brewers. That, and for those of us less DIY-skilled - no brew rig build failures.

From my two pot BIAB to my ghetto 3V method - I actually find the ghetto 3V quicker and less labour intensive. And the initial wort clearer.

But to understand why a separate lauter tun, separate mash tun and separate kettle/s worked for me - BIAB demonstrated it in practical terms.

The other reason it might work well is that if you are in an apartment/confined brewing space, it requires far less space than a 3V rig (even those nifty ones on the trolleys), and far less cleaning.

I have no side to take in any potential bunfight - I just know that from doing both - there are pros and cons for both. I chose what works for me, but everyone's circumstances are different.

Goomba

 

[mattyra]

This debate rears its head pretty often. I'm a BIABer, but i've just bought a big esky for mashing in. While i'm very happy BIABing, i find it really hard to do higher gravity brews. I have a growing desire to brew a few huge IIPAs, RIS etc, so want to have the flexibility to mash in an esky with manifold for those occasions. However, I think for my average brews i'll continue to BIAB.

I have only done a small amount of AG but I have only done the BIAB method. I have the esky for the mash tun and another keg that I purchased for sparge water. Hoping to start a cheapo 3v system up, make some good beer to impress the finance manager. Then I might be able to get some more equipment to buy some good parts (like sight glasses and pumps).

I have a 55L esky but not sure as of yet how much grain and water that would hold (I know its 55L but that wont hold 55L of water when its full of grain). All part of the experiment tho.

 

[stuart13]

Missed a couple of plugs there Bribie From which esteemed retailer did you purchase the Brew Brite and Yeast from?

 

[Dave70]

This debate rears its head pretty often. I'm a BIABer, but i've just bought a big esky for mashing in. While i'm very happy BIABing, i find it really hard to do higher gravity brews. I have a growing desire to brew a few huge IIPAs, RIS etc, so want to have the flexibility to mash in an esky with manifold for those occasions. However, I think for my average brews i'll continue to BIAB.

Whys that?
Is it the physical limitations of the bag or rig? Efficiency? Bad back?
It's rare that I'd ever use more than 6 to 6.5kg of grain in one hit, so I guess we're talking in the order of around 12kg to be hefted.
To much load for off the shelf bags?

 

[Midnight Brew]

My bunfight causing question (that I've been biting my tongue over since last night, but since Dave has broken the silence...) - I thought one of the major benefits of BIAB was always supposed to be that it is faster. 4hrs for a simple batch while aiming to break the land speed record? Dunno if I see a benefit there - unless you want the good core workout with the heavy lifting, I suppose.

Even though there was a question mark in there, I agree that the above is more of an observation than a question. Interested in people's replies though so it counts.

I BIAB and for me its simple in the space I have but Im yet to break any land speed record. It takes me 5.5 to 6 hours to knock out a batch. I brew double batches and from crushing the grains to cleaning the kettle it takes 5.5 to 6 hours. In saying that I do a 3 step mash so with the rise times and then raising and squeezing the bag it takes 1h45m to finish the mash and squeeze. Then it takes about another 20mins to get to the boil which I do a 75min boil. Wait 10mins and throw in some hops and whirlpool and leave for another 30min. Cube then clean up.

I dont really rush anything because I brew on my days off or get up extra early to allow for the 6 hours. I also read up on a bit of brew litritature, do some odd jobs here and there, have lunch and a beer or two. No land speed records here but a happy brewer enjoying his brews.

 

[Bribie G]

Brewbright came from Mark in Newkie, yeast from CB. Thing about the high gravity brews and a 40l urn is that you are right at the limits. 50l urn would be great if they made one. I do a dunk sparge for anything over 6% - dead easy as my brew stand is on wheels so I just slide it along until the sparge bucket is under the skyhook.

My FES for the comps is 6.9 and hit gravities perfectly. So the setup is flexible, 1 or 2 pot whatever required. And step mashes are a doddle.

 

[Nick JD]

If I had a 40L kettle I would have no problems making 20L of 1.090, seeing as I can get 20L of 1.045 AG from a 19L pot. And that's not even really trying that hard - could get more.

These limitations are in your head, not your gear.

 

[stux]

If I had a 40L kettle I would have no problems making 20L of 1.090, seeing as I can get 20L of 1.045 AG from a 19L pot. And that's not even really trying that hard - could get more.

These limitations are in your head, not your gear.

The 'limitation' is that in full volume BIAB as your gravity increases your liquor:grain ratio decreases, and as that decreases your loss of efficiency to absorption in increases

Pretty graph : http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php?f=74&t=1481

You very quickly end up at <50% efficiency which means you actually end up with less extract than if you had used less grain!

Of course, the solution is simple, and it's the same solution 3V brewers use, sparge.

My preferred sparge is a dunk sparge with about 2.5:1 liquor to grain. Ie 25L for 10KG

I like Bribie's 6% rule

 

[Nick JD]

The 'limitation' is that in full volume BIAB as your gravity increases your liquor:grain ratio decreases, and as that decreases your loss of efficiency to absorption in increases

Full volume mashing in BIAB is the limitation. Who made it compulsary? I can make 20L of 1.090 in a 40L kettle and get 70% efficiency. Easy.

 

[Dave70]

My preferred sparge is a dunk sparge with about 2.5:1 liquor to grain. Ie 25L for 10KG

By dunk sparge do you mean dunking the bag into a separate vessel full of mash out temp water, letting it sit for however long then adding it back to the main kettle to achieve the final volume / OG?

Please humour me, I've only been at this for a couple of hours.