Whats The Biggest Biab Batch Possible?

[ekul]

Did you ever think that maybe 23 litres of beer a week is not healthy while also studying?

Not judging, just sayin...

Lol. I don't drink 23 litres a beer a week. I like my beer to get lots of age on it. Plus my mates drink a fair bit of it.

My beer costs me around $4-5 a carton, this cost is offset by my time. So while taking a few cartons only costs me around $20, it also costs me a fair chunk of time. If i can make quaruple the amount of beer, in the same time that it takes me to makea single, then i have reduced my 'costs'.

Edited to add- there's heaps of replies now, thanks guys! Keep them coming, i'll read them after work.

Also, i'm a science student... So alcohol is an elective, rather than a core subject

 

[Thirsty Boy]

If you want to stick with "a bag" then i think the bag reinforced with webbing (or even strips of voile folded on itself??) is the most elegant solution. That really keeps things exactly the same, just bigger and stronger. The strength of the bag concept is something you wouldn't be too fussed about if you have ever seen the "big bag" powder dispensing systems... They are like that, the main material with webbing providing lifting points/support and general reinforcing.

But the simplest and easiest to manage is probably to use multiple bags. A normal bag is fine for a double batch say 40L so two of them gives you a quadruple batch and thats about what you'll get out of your 140L pot without having to bugger about with sparging etc.

Multiple bags will make stirring harder, restrict the ability of the mash to flow, move etc - and you might well find that your efficiency suffers as a result, which happens a little bit as BIAB batches get bigger even with a single bag. So you could do a quadruple batch with two bags, and all it would really be is a little less efficient than it was before.

But logistics will kick in too - you'll need a way to lift the bags, get rid of the grain, heat the water, boil the wort - and twice as big means twice as much hot liquid, twice as much chance to cock something up and tip it over and much more disasterous results when you do. Not saying thats a reason not to go large - but its something you need to take into account before you just go as big as you can. Go too big and you will start to hit the limits of what you can easily and safely do with homemade gear - which is why the pros pay so much more for their stuff, scale matters - be aware and make sure you stay safe.

 

[brett mccluskey]

Open the Kimono...
My mum swears by (what looks to me) like a light fishing line so it's probably nylon.
My failed bags were sewn with cotton.
I've repaired burst seams with dental floss and the rest of the bag seams failed while the floss stayed in place.
I've spent more time than I care to admit playing with voil bags before I realised that there were others doing the same thing etc etc.
My 'best bag' is a Spotlight so-called-swiss-voil mum-sewn with nylon and a round base. 30 litre urn 3 hour brew 'day'.
Hope this helps.
Harry

I sew mine with 100% polyester thread

I use 'fireline' or 'spiderwire' ...fishing braid to the uneducated Fantastically strong,expensive though,easy to thread through a needle eye,and lasts forever ....

 

[alkos]

 

[kymba]

or even strips of voile folded on itself??

make sure you (or your missus) stitch it real fine if doing this, as the crushed grain finds its way into every nook & cranny

I had the missus make a bag 'doubled up' for strength and there are grain remnants from about a year and a half ago - but every brew adds to the next, it is like little pockets of flavour past

I shudder at the thought of what it is doing to my beers, but nobody has died of leftovergrainism yet, and the mates say everything is ok - mostly by rolling around on the ground and vomiting

 

[Lecterfan]

I use 'fireline' or 'spiderwire' ...fishing braid to the uneducated Fantastically strong,expensive though,easy to thread through a needle eye,and lasts forever ....

What an awesome way to combine two of the best things about each respective past time. Now if I could just brew on the beach when the salmon are on...

 

[Mayor of Mildura]

holy crap. is that phillip? imagine the amount of hops that went into that!!!

 

[Andyd]

If you're truely stuck on the idea of a single bag, then "double bag" it (i.e. make your bag from two layers of voile). That should improve its strength (unless something compromises the mesh, like, say a knife ).

But as Thursy points out, the logistics of a single big bag are not going to be pretty....

Andy

 

[brett mccluskey]

What an awesome way to combine two of the best things about each respective past time. Now if I could just brew on the beach when the salmon are on...

i'm sure ,with the ingenuity of homebrewers ,it wouldn't be too much of an issue to sort out... :lol:

 

[Nick JD]

I reckon what you needs are two vessels that fit inside each other. Drill out a bunch of holes in the bottom of the inside one and line it with voile.

Drill 4 holes in the inside vessel's perimeter and install chains.

When your mash is done hoist the inner vessel out, put a plate of plywood of the same diameter in and a few kgs of weight, let it drain, swing it out of the kettle's way and unclip three of the chains letting the grain tip out into a wheel barrow.

 

[ekul]

I reckon what you needs are two vessels that fit inside each other. Drill out a bunch of holes in the bottom of the inside one and line it with voile.

Drill 4 holes in the inside vessel's perimeter and install chains.

When your mash is done hoist the inner vessel out, put a plate of plywood of the same diameter in and a few kgs of weight, let it drain, swing it out of the kettle's way and unclip three of the chains letting the grain tip out into a wheel barrow.

I reckon this is the way to go so that sparging is possible. I see three options.

1) Use a 140L pot for the kettle, buy a 120L pot to fit in that and drill holes in the bottom. Would probably work really well, but it would be expensive, plus the 120L pot would never be able to be used for anything else.

2) Use a plastic inner vessel. Cut the top off a plastic 44 gallon drum, drill holes in the bottom and use that for the inside vessel. This means that you can sparge correctly by tipping in water. Obviously the material that the drum made from would have to be food grade.

3) Use a bag that has impermeable sides. A bag like this would be exactly the same as using a bag in a pot with holes in the bottom. The material that i think would work would be hdpe, like those woolworths green bags. Those bags cost around 10c to make so it shouldn't be too expensive to make one up. Making a bag with woven hdpe sides has the advantage that it can be exactly tailored to the kettle, as it can be made as large or small as you want. The sides will also add strength to the bag. So you could just lift the bag up and throw your sparge water on top.


Also, for lifting, i reckon the best thing would be a cheap hand winch, like this one. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/2000LB-RATCHET-HAND...=item2a0d3fff75
And also a pulley system. A quad batch of wet grain is going to be bloody heavy @ 30-40kgs!!


I know someone up here who has bought a 140L pot so i will check their's out. If i can find a source of that 'green bag' material for the right price then i think i will seriously consider making a massive biab rig. Even if i don't upgrade i may look at making a bag with impermeable sides for my double batch system. I think it would make sparging so much easier if i could just hopist the bag up a little and pour the watter in the top instead of f###cking around with plastic containers and pots of water.


The other thing i'm going to try next brew day is using two bags in my double batch system, just to see how it goes. I have a feeling its going to be a little frustrating, but it might be really good so we'll see.


thanks everyone for their input, there's some really good ideas here.

 

[QldKev]

What about using a 82L keg for the internal pot? (no you can't have mine B) ) maybe visit Bunnings and look at the rubbish bins and other containers, I think you could get one a pretty good size.

Then you could also get a march pump and recirc the wort back through the grain bed, and hopefully get an efficiency level that would mean no need to sparge.

The other thing I though off is why do you need to lift the bag out with all the grain in it? Make a bag for the pot, and to remove the grain get a decent size scoop lined with swiss voile and scoop the grain out into a large sparge bucket (rubbish bin). The sparge bucket could also be lined with voile and have a tap on the bottom for draining the sweet wort. You could even do a cold water sparge.

Also I think another simple way could be a 2V BIAB system. Get 2 x 140L pots, line the first one with voile and mash. Drain the wort from the grain into the second pot for the boil. You could do a cold sparge into the mash pot. The good thing about this is if you feel like a big brew day you could always get a second mash in running in the first pot while you a boiling in the second pot. So for a bit over an hour extra you get 2 full batches. But you would need a second burner.

When I get my pot maybe we should do a trip to the green shed.

QldKev

 

[Zizzle]

Some locals here do 20 gallon batches no worries.

 

[ekul]

thats awesome Zizzle. I do reclall seeing those pics before, nice one.

 

[DanRayner]

When people speak of a BIAB system where there is, instead of a bag or supporting the bag, some kind of bucket with holes in the bottom - isn't that like the crazy German home brew system? With winches and pulleys? I can't remember what it's called but I know that at least one brew shop stocks it. Comes in a 50L model and a 200L model...

 

[MHB]

As one of the people that sell them I will take exception to the term crazy and only the 200L Braumeister has a built in crane.
Braumeister
I have a 225 L stock pot and a forklift; I keep looking at them and thinking....... Hummmm
MHB

 

[DanRayner]

As one of the people that sell them I will take exception to the term crazy and only the 200L Braumeister has a built in crane.
Braumeister
I have a 225 L stock pot and a forklift; I keep looking at them and thinking....... Hummmm
MHB

HA! Yeah.... I'm sure it's awesome but it is pretty bat-shit-crazy-looking Have there been many people who've bought them?

hmmm.... yep, an electric pallet jack or forklift is all you'd need - then again, a second vessel and a pump might also do the same trick

 

[speedie]

dan it takes all the fun out of a brewday if you cant drive a forklift

 

[stux]

I can do triple batches 60L with my 50L pot

You should be able to do a quad batch with 80L fairly easily

The only real problem is lifting the bag. Lifting straps and a block and tackle seem the way to go.

Look into Maxi-BIAB

 

[DJR]

Engine hoist...