BIAB is superior............

[chrig]

I've had a strong itch to have a go at biab for a good while but as yet not had the courage to start plugging holes in my plastic barrel with broken bits of kettles....it seems like a good stepping stone in to all grain brewing

 

[Wetroads]

For some unknown reason i decided to do my first mini-mash on Sunday using a Coopers Euro Lager kit and an assortment of dark malts to hopefully end up with a black "Budvar" type lager.

There was probably around 1kg of malts in my bag in my small pot on the hob and maybe down to never doing it before, or maybe as i had a few beers beforehand, i pretty much covered the kitchen / hob / worktops / floor / wall / blender with wort at some point during those magical 3 hours.

Also my temp control was ridiculous - the top of the pot was 40 degrees and the bottom was 85 degrees, unless you stand there stirring it for 60 minutes??

I couldnt even imagine trying to do the same sort of routine with 5kg of malts, i would probably end up in hospital - if not from scolds then from the wife battering me for making such a mess of her kitchen.

So my preference is definately HLT/MT/POT :thumb:

I solved the temperature control with a thermal cooker. It is as if they were invented for this purpose. Apart from the fact that, if they were, they would probably be 5 times bigger!

 

[lambert]

'Significant Issues'

Hmm perhaps I need to be clear here, I think BIAB is a great way to get into AG brewing . . . I'm dubious about doing it on a stove top as I don't think a stove puts out enough wattage to really get 25L plus of liquid to a boil or maintain a vigorous rolling boil . . . lack of a (good) boil will mean that you retain excessive proteins/protein fragments that will cause stability issues with clarity and flavour issues as time goes by. . . . plus I know how much mess I can make with a 6L pot in the kitchen . . the consequences of a 25L boil is not worth thinking about.

I also remain unconvinced about the argument that you don't need clear wort out of the mash tun . . while I accept that it is not a requirement for wort to be bright, and free from solid lumps of grain is adequate, the amount of starch flour really should be reduced going into the boiler. The issue here is that as boiling proceeds these starch granules swell and burst open, which is what you do in a decoction mash, unfortunately you no longer have any active enzymes present to use up this freed starch . . . which will hang around in the beer leading to stability issues over time.

Excessively thin mashes will alter the fermentability of the wort, as it changes the activity ratio of alpha to beta amylase. This is not all that much of an issue as you can alter the temperature profile of the mash to take that into account, if you are aware of it in the first place. Ideally if you want repeatability then you need to keep many things constant and mash thickness is one of those.

Thin mashes without appropriate water treatment will also have potentially undesirable, and unrepeatable, effects on mash and boil pH affecting the beer stability.

I know many fine beers are brewed using the BIAB approach, and have recommended it in the past, but if you are after the final 5-10 points in a competition (against good 3V brewers) then you could well find yourself having a hard time getting then. If you are not into competitions and you brew beer to drink relatively quickly then you are not likely to see these 'Stability' issues as they only show up after 6 months or so (depending on the amount of care you take with brewing)

Hi Aleman,

Just to clarify - I've only ever done BIAB so I cannot compare it with 3V brewing!

It's interesting what you say about mash clarity - BIAB'ers might be their worst enemy by opting for a finer grain crush.
I will also have to read up on the thin mash and activity ratio of alpha to beta amylase. Maybe my inability to brew a decent ordinary bitter has got something to do with this :wha:

Lots of food for thought in your reply. Thanks,
B

 

[Duxuk]

Controversial Header..................... lol :nono:

If I said AG was superior I'd get clobbered by a mod in the interests of forum harmony.... .......... Boo-hoo, not fair.. :cry: :cry: :cry:

BB :whistle: :whistle:

In my OP I did start it with ..................or is it?

Just to clarify, I was hoping to start a debate on the advantages and disadvantages of the differnet AG methods. I've learned a lot from reading the reponses so mission accomplished :thumb:
I'm not pretending my own methods are superior, but they suit my circumstances at the moment.
I still have to research "hot side aeration". I never knew I needed to worry about it before!

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

Was only jesting, all brewing is good brewing whatever route you take!

BB

 

[artyb]

we know what ur like john... :clap: