So BIAB is a thing, making the transition from full extract

[Bbowzky1]

Hey guys. Relativly new brewer. Got 4 under my belt and doing my first pilsner next weekend.
Guys ive been reading up on all grain meathods, traditional mashing and sparging is a bit beyond me at this point id say and I dont have the equipment. However BIAB seems the goods.
Does this method work well? Does it still keep you to just the brew day?
I have a 50lt aluminum pot, a 3 ring butane burner and all the usual brewing equipment for full extract brewing.
Ive been doing full boils with unhopped extract steeping grains and hopp additions and all that and all grain BIAB doesnt seem that different.
Like I could chuck in my grains mash them in the bag (following the correct temps and rests) lift the bag out hang it over the pot from the rails of my garage door and move straight into a boil schedual yeah?
Or am I missing something?
Guys with the way ive been brewing is it a big step to allgrain BIAB and is it worth the step up?
Cheers in advance

 

[Pogierob]

Do it, you have all the gear except the bag. and you are correct. it is as simple as doing the mash, removing the bag of grain and starting your boil.

 

[Vini2ton]

Make absolutely sure that there are no spiders in your garage as they have an adverse affect on brewer health. But yes BIAB is the way to go. Plenty of stuff about it on this site.

 

[nosco]

I did extract for about a year and then moved up to biab. I've done about 15 brews with it and I'd say it's very worth it. The average beers I have made is when I have been messing around trying to make my own recipes. Even then it wasn't terrible beer.
If you follow popular tried and proven recipes it's very easy to make great beer. In fact I'd say as long a you use proper sanitation, temp controlled fermentation and the rest it's very hard not to make great beer. The set up cost can get out of control pretty quick though

I started using the BIABicus from biabrewer.info. Very easy to get started with and they have a few sample recipes to get started. The recipes are all from this site I think. Brewers Friend looks the goods for biab too. I might give it a go on my next brew. Beer smith kinda sux for biab though.

I'm not sure how to describe the flavour difference between extract and all grain but AG is heaps better. Nothing like a fresh nicely carbed beer that you have made your self from AG.

 

[nosco]

The set up cost get out of control if your stupid like me. But if you already have the pot and burner it won't cost you...erm.....much. Make your self a Swiss Voil bag.

 

[Bbowzky1]

Yeah I dont have a bag nor a false bottom (do I really need one of these?) But pretty much everything else.
Would everyone suggest sparging the grain? Ie using some water over the bag as ya would when steeping grains?

Haha I currently brew in the garage. No spiders yet, the dogs seem to like fire and beer so they not allowed to get into the brewing shindigs.

Should I 1. make a wodden box and use expandafoam to make a snug insulated box for my pot or 2. should I use that aluminium foild insulation foam stuff from clarck rubber.

Im pretty anal with my cleaning solution rinseing bath and star san tub.
Also do all the hot and cold break things amd use irish moss. I dont have a temp controlled fermentor set up however my house is pretty consistent temp being winter in Melbourne.

In regards to AG recipes how would a BIAB method effect how one would follow the recipe?
Or basically follow step by step?

Im like big kev now - im excited

 

[Bbowzky1]

The set up cost get out of control if your stupid like me. But if you already have the pot and burner it won't cost you...erm.....much. Make your self a Swiss Voil bag.

As in go by the material from spotlight and sew it up?
How much is a bag usually? And tjey reusable yeah?

 

[Danscraftbeer]

It only takes an esky to step up the next level and batch sparge. Then you free your kettles for sparge water or heat santizing etc.
I just didn't like the idea of lifting a big heavy, HOT! wet soaked grain bill in Nanna's Nickers. (BIAB method)
Thats too scarey for me.

 

[Bbowzky1]

It only takes an esky to step up the next level and batch sparge. Then you free your kettles for sparge water or heat santizing etc.
I just didn't like the idea of lifting a big heavy, HOT! wet soaked grain bill in Nanna's Nickers. (BIAB method)
Thats too scarey for me.

I was actually thinking I could get a fry basket/ big colander that I can pull out on a rope on the garage door rails and then I can sparge that way to.
I dont really know just spit balling ideas as ive never done it and it seams an easy step up from what im already doing in full extract

 

[nosco]

Yep. Reusable, heat resistant and a better filter than the ones from a brew shop and under $20 easy. It's about $8 a meter or something but I have a big pot and bought a fair bit.

If your pot has a good base on it then you won't need a false bottom. If not just raise the bag a bit if you need to adjust the mash temp.

I don't sparge but a lot of people do. Some would argue that it's better not.

Get the stuff from Clark rubber. You might want to modifie or use your pot for something else down the track.

I don't bother removing the hot break. Your choice. Use Irish moss or similar. It makes a difference.

The good thing about the BIABicus for getting started is it will convert recipes for you but the recipe will need a lot of info like original gravity, batch size,IBU's blah blah. That's why I started with their sample recipes. Or you good just start with a simple brew and try it out. The book Brewing Classic Styles will give you more recipe's than you can probably use but a good read to get familiar with ingredients.

Ok I'm rambling now.....

 

[Bbowzky1]

Ok yeah cool ill get the gear from spotlight and clark rubber
The pots pretty thick but id hate to ruin a batch so I might make a false bottom for it.

Ill have to give the BIAB softwear ago. Does it cost anything or is it a free program thing?

 

[nosco]

BIABicus is a free spreadsheet so you need open office or something to run it and it might take a bit to find it on the site. You have to join to get it and don't be confused with the "calculator" or whatever, that's the old one. The latest version is 1.T or something like that. The sample recipes are already setup on the spreadsheet you just have to enter in your pot dimensions and some other details.

Brewers friend is just on the web page for free I think but I have only had a quick look. You can buy it as an app too.

 

[Bbowzky1]

BIABicus is a free spreadsheet so you need open office or something to run it and it might take a bit to find it on the site. You have to join to get it and don't be confused with the "calculator" or whatever, that's the old one. The latest version is 1.T or something like that. The sample recipes are already setup on the spreadsheet you just have to enter in your pot dimensions and some other details.
Brewers friend is just on the web page for free I think but I have only had a quick look. You can buy it as an app too.

Thanks mate your a legend.
Over the next few weeks ill build a false bottom. Buy material from spotlight and sew up a bag. By some insulation foam from Clarke's and chuck some velcro on it so as I can pull it on and off.
Ill also do a bunch more research and much around with the softwear.

if you all think its worth giving biab a go ill do my next brew after this pil as a BIAB

Thanks heaps everyone

 

[mje1980]

Craftbrewer bag is $25 or something. You don't absolutely need a false bottom. One bag, one boiler. I have a a pulley, but even with a double batch of standard strength beer I hardly use it, I just lift it.

I use beertools software and have not changed anything recipe wise since switching from 3v.

It's a simple process. Get the basics down, then complicate them later.

 

[crowmanz]

You only really need a false bottom if you want to do a mash out or try stepped mashing, so to avoid burning/melting the bag when adding heat. I think most brewers mash with the heat off but insulated. During my mash in my urn I chuck on an old sleeping bag and it holds temp ok.

I started with a swiss voil sheet with the edges tied up hanging out of the pot because I didn't trust my sewing, I now have this https://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=2889 but it has a draw string and has handled my 4-5kg grain bills fine, although it isn't as tight a mesh than the swiss voil.

Get your grain bill milled (for BIAB) from your LHBS and your bag and you are ready to BIAB.

 

[Bbowzky1]

Dont we alwag wanna do a 2 step mash? Protine rest and the saccharification rest?
And if we mash out we are gunna get better brewhouse efficiency yeah? Or an I over complicating stuff?
Im sure getting all the temps right will be fidly untill I get use to it.
I give the beer gools a look at to, is it a free softwear?
Woild it be better to mak a bag from voil as ifs finer or us the general concensus that the ones from the LHBS are the goods these days?
Yeah my local store is grain and grape and they will mill everything plus even do a fine or double mill. The blokes there ate pretty good

 

[yankinoz]

I've been doing BIAB for four years. Long ago I did conventional mashing in a tun and would never go back. Here are a few pointers:

1. It looks like you're mashing in the brew kettle. No worries. With the voiumes you're talking about, wrapping the kettle in insulation will maintain the temp nicely. I drop mine into a box lined with earth wool.

2. If for any reason you apply heat to the kettle after the bag is in, have a colander ring at the bottom.

3. Although most BIAB brewers mash at full volume and do not sparge, you can go with a thicker mash and sparge. The gain is higher mash efficiency, the risk introducing astringency. I mash of a 2.5 -- 3:1 ratio, squeeze the bag, and dunk sparge in another pot below 70 C for 10 minutes, using water on the acid side. I drain but do not squeeze the bag after sparging.

4.Many BIABbrewers who do not sparge put grain through the mill twice and report no problems with astringency as a result. I've done that and sparged and did pick up a liitle astringency despite the precautions in #3.

5. There are many variations and opinions. See the site BIABbrewer.

 

[Bribie G]

A few other pointers:

A bag is not necessary, just get a metre and a half of Swiss Voile from Spotlight for about $15. Put it on your garage floor, place pot in middle, draw a big circle, cut and either hem the edge on a sewing machine or melt it all the way around with a cigarette lighter or one of those BBQ lighters.



If you have suitable beams in your garage, get a couple of pulley blocks for a few bucks each, some soft style clothes line and fix up a hoist. Mine cost me less than $20 buying the pulley blocks from a stall at a flea market. I posted a pic of my 80 year old lady friend hoisting a full bag with one hand, can't find it just at the moment.



Learn how to do a hangmans noose.
To make it dead easy, do a little hangmans noose with a SS hook on the end that you can slip over the eyelet on the pulley block. So when you remove the bag you just lift it off, take out to the yard, undo the noose, empty the bag, flap flap then into a bucket of napisan and job done, no need to poke around cleaning out a bag.
I have owned around five bags and gave them all away.

The advantage of a sheet is that it hangs like a tear drop and there are no seams to give way. It's virtually everlasting, my older one is now four years old. I made a backup one, never used it.



Trust me.


To do a step mash, get one of these that cradle the bag nicely. From a kitchen shop.



To insulate the pot you can use a sleeping bag, wrapped around with a car windshield shiny foil thing and secure with two bungee cords. If you want to go upmarket you can get some of this from Clark Rubber.



You'll lose maybe a degree per half hour.

Sparging isn't necessary for normal quaffing strength beers as, if you think about it, the sparge water is actually in the pot at the beginning. The amount of sugars in wort left trapped in the grain after a BIAB mash is far less than in a 3v brew and is almost trivial compared to the extra effort of trying to recover some, especially if you squeeze the bag well.

I've only sparged when doing a strong beer, say over 6% ABV, where it can give a small amount of efficiency increase.


Apart from the quality of the beer, a big advantage of going AG is that, when you get a mill, you can buy grain by the sack and make better beer for half of the cost, or less, of extract.

edit: As Yankinoz says, with your own grain mill you can crush a bit finer for BIAB. I have a Marga Mill that I've modded to give a suitable crush. With BIAB you don't get stuck mashes so forming a grain bed of husks, as in sparging systems, isn't an issue.

further edit: you will occasionally see comments such as "I hated wrestling with the big wet heavy bag, my arms kept giving way, my shirt got soaked, that's the thing that turned me off / would turn me off BIAB"
FFS if you went onto a Holden reno forum and someone posted " I wouldn't recommend changing mag wheels by yourself because your arm will get sore holding up the front end of the car while you use the spanner with the other hand" .........

This is a craft / hobby forum and there are lots of good hints for doing things easily and efficiently but a lot of folk seem to have limited searching abilities. (not referring to the OP here as he posted with an open and enquiring mind) End rant, needed that one

 

[Bribie G]

Another point is, don't ever let anyone tell you that BIAB is an "entry level" system that is a useful stop gap until you can somehow step up to real brewing using three vessels or whatever.

BIAB is a perfectly good all grain system that wins heaps of awards in brewing competitions and is perfect for home brewing. The only reason it's not been well known in Australia is that our All grain pioneers over here modelled their systems on scaled down industrial breweries. BIAB would not be possible or desirable at the likes of Tooheys, imagine hoisting a few hundred tonnes of grain using a massive crane or something. The mind boggles.

However it's perfectly doable at home level and produces good wort with far less stuffing around and equipment than some of the other methods that try to replicate a micro Fosters setup in the garage. That's why there has been a proliferation of single vessel systems similar to BIAB, or incorporating BIAB, over the last few years.

 

[Mardoo]

Do it. Best thing I ever did. Don't forget that the mash will take at least an hour in most cases.

I advise working out a meticulous process list. It'll make the difference between pain and pleasure as you get used to all-grain processes.

Also, brew in the daytime. If anything goes sideways at night, and something will sooner or later, it makes for a very short sleep before tomorrow.