All Grain BIAB Beginner - need some help!

[duotwr]

Hi everyone

I'm looking for some general advice on my brewing. I started doing BIAB just before Christmas - I've done 4 brews so far, with a fifth currently fermenting.

Thing is - my first few have been a bit disappointing. I've done a couple of dark beers, and a couple of light. In all cases the flavour has been pretty weak, and with the lighter beers I've had a lot of bitterness - the bitter flavour persisting afterwards for some time.

My first couple I cooled in an ice bath (which took a while), and the second two I left to cool naturally overnight - although still with the hops in, which I suspect is what is causing the bitterness. I suspect that in leaving the hops in as it cools any flavours/aromas will disappear and I'll just get extra bitterness from the later hop additions.

So - this is a general request for help - has anyone had problems like these early on, and managed to resolve them? My most recent brew I did the hops in bags so I could take them out and then cooled naturally - still to see how that one turns out!

Thanks

Keith

 

[tommidolcetto]

I've not been doing it much longer than you but I have found that darker beers just take longer to condition in the bottle, been disappointed with a stout and a dark Belgium Dubbel that both have come good after 8+ weeks in bottle.

I would suggest cooling as quick as poss is important and not leaving the boil hops in as well. When you chilled overnight did you do it in a sanitised cube?

Too light - not enough grain? Not enough extraction in mash?
Too bitter - too many early boil hops, not enough aroma/dry hops?

Keep going and am sure it will come good, I'm on AG# 15 and still learning loads each time.

 

[duotwr]

Thanks for the reply. I know patience might be part of the problem, and I hope the beers will get better the longer I leave them in bottles.

I've yet to use a cube for no-chill - I usually just leave in the pot I'm using. I'm not particularly concerned about the infection risk from this so it's not been a priority - also I don't have an easy way of getting boiling wort out the pot and into the cube. I might look into this though - although it probably means putting a tap onto my pot. Also considering getting a cooling coil (although I hate the thought of the water usage for this).

I'm generally working to recipes from a Graham Wheeler book - which I'd expect to be fine. I know in the bigger picture it's still very early days.

Keith

 

[Duxuk]

Too much bitterness could just be too much hops boiled for 60-90 minutes???????????
I no chill and find that, for a 20l brew, I only need 10g of northern brewer for bittering for 60 mins. I love american hops so I often add 30g of chinook, cascade or amarillo for 20 mins then maybe 20g for 10 mins and upto 50g at flameout when the wort has cooled to 90C or less. I also dry hop!
My method is to chill directly in the FV. I fit a piece of net curtain inside and strap it round. I put the flameout hops in and transfer the wort when it has dropped to temp. Usaully after about 10 minutes. I leave it for a 20 minute steep then drain. I can then either just leave it to cool to pitching temp. or cool in a bath of cold water.
When you no chill the alpha acids continue to isomerise, leaving more bitterness, so you need to shift your hopping schedule to compensate. Actually the AAs will continue to isomerise even after bottling which is why you lose the freshest hoppy flavours after long storage. Some beers benefit from this whilst others are best drunk young.

 

[duotwr]

That's interesting to hear - my brew lengths are about 12 litres - I'm using a 21litre pot. I'll have a look at my recipes - it may be as simple as cutting the bittering hops.

But I also want to get loads of hop flavour in some of my beers. Just experimenting with dry hopping the beer I've got fermenting at the moment - but I might also look at adding some hops at flame-out.

One option for me might be to use my mash bag in the same way as you use a square of netting - I think it's probably large enough to use in the FV. Then I could transfer to the FV quite soon after the boil finished.

Hmmm. things to think about.

Keith

 

[Pinchy]

Hi Keith,

Do you use any brewing software? If you created your recipes on there it will calculate the IBU value for it. I sometimes check depending what beer i'm looking to brew for the typical IBU values for that style of beer. If you know what commercial beers you like the bitterness of you should be able to find out their IBU by googling it or finding a clone recipe :thumb: .

Cheers,
Pinchy

 

[Duxuk]

The brewing software is unlikey to make adjustments for slow cooling though, Pinchy. I don't know my IBUs, only that I love my beer : I do intend to build a cooler soon. It will be intresting to see what effect it has on my beers. I will report.
As a side issue I can tell you how to brew a bigger length in your 21l pot. Aim for, say 15l. Up your grain in line with that, but only start with a litre less water than you're using now. You can then use 4l of water to sparge your grain after you have drained it. Plop the bag into an FV and open it up. Whilst you are bringing the bulk to a boil you can pour in the 4l of extra water at 75-80C. I have a large glass jug. I know that if I put a full kettle of water in it and top up to 2l, add to the FV, and do this twice, it's job done. A good stir, redrain and add to the wort and you've produced more ale and still avoided a boil over. Eeeeeeeehhhhhhhh! it's like a gift from the Gods. More ale and better efficiency by 10% or more.