Ag or BIAB?

[peebee]

I use a Grainfather (very similar brewing system) with full boil mash for exactly the reasons outlined in the OP. I wrote up the procedures for doing it too.

But it is quite a long document (with an example, which details the full boil mash, or "BIAB", so you can't skip that bit!). But the procedure is based on using Beersmith (v3, but v2 will do it). So I'm saving everyone from getting the post unless I get a request to post them (links to the PDF document).

 

[robster62]

I'd like to read that. I need all the help I can get. Robobrew is delayed by a week - problems at Southampton apparently.

 

[peebee]

There go (they'll probably open in your Web browser, but the PDFs will download to file too):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11engfVsgy6okCgLiuwb8gc2gaMVahiV7/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ISrSYlK5q5Acf1xHgaZ8mC_0mm2UWuhA/view?usp=sharing
Part 1 is mainly aligning the Beersmith program with the Grainfather, Part 2 is mainly use (Grainfather) but includes the BIAB example.

There's a lot covering the automating of mash schedules using "Grainfather Connect". I don't know if the Robobrew has an equivalent 'phone app, but there will be plenty of other parallels between Grainfather and Robobrew in the rest of the article. I'd be interested to learn how the article does match up with Robobrew.

(EDIT: The irony is: The Grainfather software is very flexible and can probably be used with a Robobrew).

 

[Harbey]

Had a play with the Brewfather software last night - that David Heath chap mentioned it in a Robobrew vid. Look good but it's subscription based. The Grainfather online recipe maker is excellent (in my opinion) and it's free but I don't think you can use the phone app very well without a Grainfather (I could be wrong).

 

[peebee]

My PDFs are possibly a bit "high-brow", especially if trying to read before you've got the kit and played around with it for a bit. And with the documents describing similar, but far from identical, equipment. The documents are probably best to "come back to" later on.

But having read the rest of the thread in more detail, I'm probably going to start messing with "no sparge" with full-on recipes too (the documents are describing low-alcohol recipes for "no sparge"). Not having to heat sparge water in a separate boiler, not having to treat separate quantities of water, massive time savings, etc., and by all accounts not take a big hit in efficiency for doing it. All seems very compelling.