Questions on AG BIAB

[SLOSS]

Hello

Today I tried my first BIAB using DrSmurto's Golden Ale & I have a few questions.

How long should you mash for 60 or 90 mins? I mashed for 90.

How long should you boil for 60 or 90 mins? I boiled for 60.

What does the boil achive other than adding bitterness and hop flavours?

After adding the Irish Moss (used instead of whirfloc) at the end of the boil and once I cooled the wort I noticed a cloud of stuff in the wort I guess this was all the protiens clumping togeather, I put the entire contents of the wort including this cloud into my fermenter, I'm a little concerned that i should of left it out. Will it have an impact on the final outcome?

Any thoughts?

 

[jakethesnake559]

Hi SLOSS,
Congrats on your first BIAB!!
I find that a 90min mash helps me to achieve a better efficiency, did a 60min once when I was in a rush and missed my target gravity. Have a read through the attachment for details on boiling wort.

Regarding the "cloud" you mention.
Did you whirlpool?
Most people use this technique to allow the trub etc to settle out into a cone in the middle of the kettle.
This allows you to minimise the amount you get into your fermenter/cube whatever.
Regarding an ill effects, not sure...someone on here with more experience should be able to offer some opinions.

Cheers,
Jake.

View attachment The function of wort boiling1.pdf

 

[manticle]

Hello

Today I tried my first BIAB using DrSmurto's Golden Ale & I have a few questions.

How long should you mash for 60 or 90 mins? I mashed for 90.

How long should you boil for 60 or 90 mins? I boiled for 60.

What does the boil achive other than adding bitterness and hop flavours?

After adding the Irish Moss (used instead of whirfloc) at the end of the boil and once I cooled the wort I noticed a cloud of stuff in the wort I guess this was all the protiens clumping togeather, I put the entire contents of the wort including this cloud into my fermenter, I'm a little concerned that i should of left it out. Will it have an impact on the final outcome?

Any thoughts?

1. Depends on what you are aiming for. 90 min mash, even at high temps will lead to more short chain sugars (maltose etc) and will result in a drier, more attenuated beer. Temperature and pH are also important. For most beers, 60 will be plenty and you will get dry with a low 60s mash. Higher temps convert more quickly but result in more dextrinous beer. For really full bodies, dextrinous beers you can even mash for 30 mins in high 60s/very low 70s.

2. At least 60 mins. Usually start the timer once the foamy shit has broken apart (I time 15-30 mins after the boil starts before adding the first hop addition for most beers so 75 - 90 minutes for me, longer for rich, strong dark beers like wee heavy or doppelbock)

3. Boil develops colour and flavour, drives off volatile compounds like dms (actually converts smm to dms then vapourises it), gets gravity to the right point, produces break material that can be dropped out and sterilises the wort (grain contains bugs that can infect beer). Read this: https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CDgQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ibd.org.uk%2Fcms%2Ffile%2F307&ei=9ye9Uey3IYOVkAWU44GYDw&usg=AFQjCNFMOQmokU-KjsjDje5xSAL7hqN9HA&sig2=fR0-uFnfdsc3q36o2-J4mg


4. The point of adding irish moss or any other kettle fining is to coagulate the proteinaceous material and drop it out as most brewing science suggests this can have a negative impact on a variety of things in the finished beer - stability being one of them, flavour and foam stability are others. There are some home brewers who claim that adding all of this has no discernible impact - I prefer to keep it out because it's easy to do so and I'd believe published studies quicker than I would a homebrewer saying ' I do this and my beer is better than dragon's balls'. Regardless of which way you face on the matter, if you are going to include the hot break then there is no point adding kettle finings - they are there to make it easier for you to leave that crap behind. If you use whirlfloc, you might as well leave the stuff behind. A touch of it certainly won't harm your brew but there is no benefit to including it all - just some debate on the harm that it does among HBrewers.

 

[SLOSS]

Hi Jake & Manticle

Thank you for your replies, much appreciated.

Thats the great thing about this forum it has a wealth of knowledge, such a fantastic resource.

Cheers!