The Bag

[65bellett]

On Saturday I did my first BIAB and I used a bag I made out of what looked like sturdy curtain net material that I bought from Spotlight. After removing the bag with the grain I discovered that the net was not nearly as sturdy as it needed to be. What material are you guys using and where are you getting it form?

 

[amita]

On Saturday I did my first BIAB and I used a bag I made out of what looked like sturdy curtain net material that I bought from Spotlight. After removing the bag with the grain I discovered that the net was not nearly as sturdy as it needed to be. What material are you guys using and where are you getting it form?

hi 65B. the material yo9u are looking for is called Swiss voil, to be purchased at Spotlight,read up on the BIAB download( sorry cant put the link here)
and dont forget to register your name on the BIAB register,

welcome and come and play with us!!

cheers amita

 

[kevnlis]

Be sure it is "Swiss" voile and not "Bahama" as the later is cotton and as fine as a bed sheet

 

[PistolPatch]

As the guys above said, it is most important to have the right material. I'll see if I can get a barcode for the Swiss Voille from Spotlight.

There are only four ways you can bugger a BIAB that I have seen so far (and the last two of these also directly apply to traditional brewing)...

1. Wrong Material - Cottons, muslins etc of indistinct or unknown poracities always seem to cause problems. The BIAB method produces top results so it is woth following the exact, 'recipe.'
2. Material Does Not 'Line' the Kettle. (I haven't worked out a degree of error here yet but I'm not confident in anything that will not completely line the kettle.)
3. Inaccurate Thermometer: Most are inaccurate and need to be clainrated at MASH temperatures not freezing and boiling points.
4. Inaccurate Temperature Readings: To get an accurate temperature reading, the mash must be agitated in one way or another prior to taking a reading. In Biab, you just stir things up a little before taking a reading. In some traditional systems you are able to do the same. In otheres you cannot.

These are VERY IMPORTANT things to keep an eye on.

Congrats on your first AG 65.


Pat

 

[Thirsty Boy]

The stuff you want is definitely the voil. I don't know if the stuff I use is technically swiss or not... but it was labeled Voile.

Its 100% polyester, white (no dyes in my beer please) and see through. Kind of like the chiffon see through thingies that girls wear over their shoulders at weddings.

It will be a fine, but visible mesh, rather than a solid tightly woven fabric. The gaps in the mesh shouldn't be a whole lot larger than the threads of the mesh.

Here's a super close up that Spillsmostofit took and posted to another forum, of the bag material he uses.



It was for an American forum so the coin used for reference size is a dime. The ruler graduations are in cm. So as you can see, a definite mesh, but one with about 30 holes per cm... so pretty fine

If you want, I live just outside the city, so if you work in town, drop into my place and I can give you a swatch of the stuff to take to spotlight. Just PM me and I can give you address etc

Thirsty

 

[apd]

1. Wrong Material - Cottons, muslins etc of indistinct or unknown poracities always seem to cause problems. The BIAB method produces top results so it is woth following the exact, 'recipe.'

Muslin works fine for me.

Andrew

 

[Fatgodzilla]

Muslin works fine for me.

Andrew

Another thing mentioned was the strength of the stitching - so with nylon for extra strength. Before I ask my teenage daughter to sew up this thing for me, is nylon something a sewing machine can use or is this a hand stitching. I know fishing nylon and surely this isn't that, is it ?

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

I use the first non-cotton thread that comes to hand in my $20 Reject Shop sewing machine.

 

[Fatgodzilla]

I use the first non-cotton thread that comes to hand in my $20 Reject Shop sewing machine.

Double stitched I assume. Is there such a thing as triple stitched (or more) ?

 

[apd]

Double stitched I assume. Is there such a thing as triple stitched (or more) ?

My muslin 'bag' is just a 2m piece of muslin, folded once, draped into the kettle and pegged to the sides. There's no stitching.

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

Double stitched I assume. Is there such a thing as triple stitched (or more) ?

Machine stitching will always be stronger in this form of material than hand stitching. I tend to go over each seam once or twice more and at corners and obvious stress points a couple times more. I think you can overstitch something as fine as this stuff, though...

 

[Thirsty Boy]

Another thing mentioned was the strength of the stitching - so with nylon for extra strength. Before I ask my teenage daughter to sew up this thing for me, is nylon something a sewing machine can use or is this a hand stitching. I know fishing nylon and surely this isn't that, is it ?

When you by the bag stuff from spotlight, just ask. There is 100% polyester thread there and its more or less the cheap stuff. Strong as buggery, don't try to snap it with your hands or you will cut yourself!! That way the thread is exactly the same stuff as the bag and you are only dealing with one material.