2nd BIAB queries

[PokeHer]

Hey guys,

I'm planning my 2nd BIAB brew day this weekend. I'm going to do Devonbrew's Ploughmans Lunch Pale Ale

Firstly, are there any considerations I need to take for doing this recipe as BIAB?
And also, I have the ingredients, I got them from my local home brew supplier, he has given me Amber Malt in liquid form, Amber Malt Extract, this stuff, is that what I want? Will it do? or should I get something like this?. He seemed fairly certain that's the stuff I needed, I'm sure he happily take it back.

Thanks

 

[bunkerbrewer]

I'm planning my 2nd BIAB brew day this weekend. I'm going to do Devonbrew's Ploughmans Lunch Pale Ale

Firstly, are there any considerations I need to take for doing this recipe as BIAB?

Not really, the recipe looks good. Hopefully you've got a good idea of what your water volume needs to be from the previous brew? The only other thing is, are you confident in hitting 85% efficiency? If not you might want to adjust the recipe.

And also, I have the ingredients, I got them from my local home brew supplier, he has given me Amber Malt in liquid form, Amber Malt Extract, this stuff, is that what I want? Will it do? or should I get something like this?. He seemed fairly certain that's the stuff I needed, I'm sure he happily take it back

I'm guessing you started doing BIAB so you could do all-grain brewing? If so, take back the extract, patiently explain you're not doing extract brews and ask for some amber malt :)

 

[calumscott]

85% isn't going to happen with BIAB. Low to mid seventies is more like it. My last one was 76% mash efficiency and total efficiency (if it now matches the estimates) of 64.1%

 

[PokeHer]

I'm not clued up with efficiencies at all tbh. I will read up on it over the next few days, but with some adjustments, this recipe should be ok to do BIAB?

I'm guessing you started doing BIAB so you could do all-grain brewing? If so, take back the extract, patiently explain you're not doing extract brews and ask for some amber malt :)

Thanks I will do. I didn't even question it at the time, I just gave him my list and he went around and gathered everything for me. To be fair, it was their open day where they had 8 or so barrels of home brew for anyone to sample (good sized samples too!)

Cheers

 

[bunkerbrewer]

85% isn't going to happen with BIAB. Low to mid seventies is more like it. My last one was 76% mash efficiency and total efficiency (if it now matches the estimates) of 64.1%

I've had 85% mash efficiency from BIAB on a couple of brews (brewhouse 75%)

Just lucky maybe :) :whistle:


[edit] Agree that the OP should set the bar lower though

 

[bunkerbrewer]

I'm not clued up with efficiencies at all tbh. I will read up on it over the next few days, but with some adjustments, this recipe should be ok to do BIAB?s

Sure, it'll work great. Any AG recipe will work with BIAB (at least, all that I've seen) :thumb:

 

[calumscott]

85% isn't going to happen with BIAB. Low to mid seventies is more like it. My last one was 76% mash efficiency and total efficiency (if it now matches the estimates) of 64.1%

I've had 85% mash efficiency from BIAB on a couple of brews (brewhouse 75%)

Just lucky maybe :) :whistle:


[edit] Agree that the OP should set the bar lower though

74% is the best BHE so far, 81.7% for mash...

 

[PokeHer]

So let's see if I'm on the right track here. I have calculated my efficiency to be around 68% based on this calculator. It's going to be very rough as my actual efficiency according to that calculator was 55%! But I boiled very hard, I'm going to be making some changes this time around so it's going to be hard to estimate but I have done the best I can at the moment. I'll go with 68% for now.

What I've done is entered my target OG and FV volume and my grains, and I have added grain until my efficiency drops to around 68%. This comes in at around 15% extra grain @ 68% efficiency to achieve my target OG and FV vol.

Sound about right?

 

[bunkerbrewer]

So let's see if I'm on the right track here. I have calculated my efficiency to be around 68% based on this calculator. It's going to be very rough as my actual efficiency according to that calculator was 55%! But I boiled very hard, I'm going to be making some changes this time around so it's going to be hard to estimate but I have done the best I can at the moment. I'll go with 68% for now.

What I've done is entered my target OG and FV volume and my grains, and I have added grain until my efficiency drops to around 68%. This comes in at around 15% extra grain @ 68% efficiency to achieve my target OG and FV vol.

Sound about right?

Yep, sounds good :thumb:

If you take lots of notes, your efficiency will get better as you brew more. So at some point you'll end up with a higher OG than you planned for, but that's easier to deal with than a low OG - you can do nothing, or add some water.

Good luck with the brew :)

 

[rich27500]

Calum I have to disagree too

 

[rpt]

I think efficiency depends on what strength you are brewing. The higher the OG the less efficient the mash will be. I think this is especially so with BIAB. I may be talking total rubbish here so please someone correct me...

 

[calumscott]

Certainly my results so far suggest that the higher the intended OG the worse the efficiency. My mega APA mash efficiency was down in the 20's!!

 

[rich27500]

Makes sense I never really attempt much above 1.060

 

[lambert]

Certainly my results so far suggest that the higher the intended OG the worse the efficiency. My mega APA mash efficiency was down in the 20's!!

Calum,
I've ran some quick calculations (using info from your brewday posting and some assumptions) based on the braukeiser formulas and there must be something wrong with your calculations or measurements to get to only a 20% efficiency. :wha: :wha: I'm not an expert on formulas and numbers, I normally avoid them like the plague, but that 20% looked worryingly low .
My brewhouse efficiency (wort in fermentor) is routinely between 77% and 81%. Five of the last 11 brews were over 1.060 OG. Efficiency does suffer on bigger beers but 75% is very do-able on a 1.076 beer.

cheers,
B

 

[rich27500]

BUT...numbers won't matter if your beer tastes great

 

[lambert]

BUT...numbers won't matter if your beer tastes great

Fully agree.

 

[calumscott]

Certainly my results so far suggest that the higher the intended OG the worse the efficiency. My mega APA mash efficiency was down in the 20's!!

Calum,
I've ran some quick calculations (using info from your brewday posting and some assumptions) based on the braukeiser formulas and there must be something wrong with your calculations or measurements to get to only a 20% efficiency. :wha: :wha: I'm not an expert on formulas and numbers, I normally avoid them like the plague, but that 20% looked worryingly low .
My brewhouse efficiency (wort in fermentor) is routinely between 77% and 81%. Five of the last 11 brews were over 1.060 OG. Efficiency does suffer on bigger beers but 75% is very do-able on a 1.076 beer.

cheers,
B

It's what Beersmith is telling me!

8.4kg grain, 20.5l batch size. Was looking for 1.064 preboil, only got 1.050. Beersmith says that's a mash efficiency of 23.4%

I had to lash in a kilo of extra fermentibles to get me back to where I wanted to be for the boil!

BUT...numbers won't matter if your beer tastes great

OH YEAH!!! It's a belter of a beer, I might consider opening another at the weekend, just to be sure it's maturing OK...

 

[rich27500]

OH YEAH!!! It's a belter of a beer, I might consider opening another at the weekend, just to be sure it's maturing OK...

I think you'll find that, hard as it is, quality control is an essential task in our art!

 

[PokeHer]

OH YEAH!!! It's a belter of a beer, I might consider opening another at the weekend, just to be sure it's maturing OK...

I kegged your BIABitter a couple weeks ago, it's conditioning in the house at the moment, going to move it out to the garage tonight, I too may have to check that it's conditioning OK!

 

[calumscott]

OH YEAH!!! It's a belter of a beer, I might consider opening another at the weekend, just to be sure it's maturing OK...

I kegged your BIABitter a couple weeks ago, it's conditioning in the house at the moment, going to move it out to the garage tonight, I too may have to check that it's conditioning OK!

Absolutely!! You MUST make sure that the secondary fermentation is complete before moving to conditioning temperature. After all, we wouldn't want the yeast going to sleep before they'd finished now would we? :rofl: