BIAB questions...

[willypt]

Hey there brewers. So my first brew (a kit Ambar ale) has been conditioning for almost a week and my second (a kit wheat bear by brewferm) has been fermenting happily for the same amount of time. Good thing I'm midway through my semester finals at college and I don't have a lot of time to think about digging into the bottle stash right away. I do however consume some of my spare time researching and learning about AG and became very interested in the BIAB method.
Besides being in college I live in a 4 bedroom city flat and don't have a lot of space to stash gear. Brewing in a bag seems to cut down a lot on the gear costs and the required storage and operation space.I would like to know what are the biggest disadvantages of this method specially in what concerns the overall quality of the finished product.

By the way, do you think its wise to move from kits straight into AG or should I do a couple of extracts before taking the plunge?

Thanks a lot guys!

 

[John_Henry]

I've never tried it myself, but I remember a mate got a commercial brew in a bag thing given to him years ago. Like a normal kit as I recall, but I guess came with bags so you had almost everything there to get you started. If you already have some gear I don't quite see what the advantage would be.

As for all grain, DONT hesitate. You'll not look back. Don't listen to people who'll try and put you off (probably because they still brew kits), it's not at all difficult. I guess you'll already have a fermenting bucket of some sort? So if you also have a decent size pot/pan, all you'll need is a mash tun. When I started I converted an old cool box and was brewing all grain in no time. My only advice is to get a good quality thermometer and use it.

 

[willypt]

I've never tried it myself, but I remember a mate got a commercial brew in a bag thing given to him years ago. Like a normal kit as I recall, but I guess came with bags so you had almost everything there to get you started. If you already have some gear I don't quite see what the advantage would be.

As for all grain, DONT hesitate. You'll not look back. Don't listen to people who'll try and put you off (probably because they still brew kits), it's not at all difficult. I guess you'll already have a fermenting bucket of some sort? So if you also have a decent size pot/pan, all you'll need is a mash tun. When I started I converted an old cool box and was brewing all grain in no time. My only advice is to get a good quality thermometer and use it.

Yeah i have a pair of FVs. just need to get a decent pot. Is stainless steel really necessary or is aluminium good enough?

I've seen some tutorials of BIAB in which people would mash in the pot that would be used to boil the wort. The only disadvantage of that is the bad insulation, right?

 

[John_Henry]

Stainless is obviously preferable, and whist Alu might not be great if you have a pot already I would give it a go with that to see how you find it.

If you wanted to mash in your pot over heat you could always ad insulation to it.

If you have to buy a pot I would recommend getting a boiler instead. I got my first one second hand for £25, it was about 30L and is still running, just do a search for burco on ebay and you'll get the idea. Obviously you'll be using electric instead of gas, but it'll work a treat.

You could just use one pot for everything, but for the minimal cost of converting an old cool box I don't think it's worth it. You'll then have a three tier setup, which will make life easier for you.

 

[puravida]

BIAB is a doddle. Go for it.
The whole point is you can brew full AG beer WITHOUT the need for a three-tier set-up.

try this guide - http://www.brewstock.co.uk/?p=54

 

[PD]

You might be interested in this thread that a member put on about his AG build. Like you he lives in a small flat without much space.
He's made a nice tidy compact set up.

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=34087

 

[calumscott]

Yeah, go BIAB, I wish I'd gone earlier.

I use a 70l pot on my hob with a couple of custom made grain bags (pot's too big for the commercial ones).

If you do it right, BIAB can serve as a stepping stone to a 3 vessel system if you want, that's where I'll go eventually but the ability to do a really quick and easy BIAB brew remains. If you want to eventually do double length brews you'll need a 70l pot but if you're happy to stick to 5 gallons then a 50l is ideal - you'll be able to BIAB "big" beers in that no problem. Then you can add either a 50l or 36l insulated pot or box as your mashtun later. My 50l is in a box waiting for the time and cash to become available to finish the build - and the shed to put it in!

Meanwhile, BIAB all the way,

 

[artyb]

biab can be quick and cheap, and yet produce exactly the same beer as a 3v system

ive got ;

76L stainless stockpot with lid £35 on ebay, [used but spotless]

ball valve tap £12


gas ring £15 ebay [used and old but ideal,]...i have it converted and connected to the house gas supply,

i no chill with a 25l cube £5

so all in all its cost below £70..... :party:

 

[willypt]

Stainless is obviously preferable, and whist Alu might not be great if you have a pot already I would give it a go with that to see how you find it.

If you wanted to mash in your pot over heat you could always ad insulation to it.

If you have to buy a pot I would recommend getting a boiler instead. I got my first one second hand for £25, it was about 30L and is still running, just do a search for burco on ebay and you'll get the idea. Obviously you'll be using electric instead of gas, but it'll work a treat.

You could just use one pot for everything, but for the minimal cost of converting an old cool box I don't think it's worth it. You'll then have a three tier setup, which will make life easier for you.

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Burco-Cygnet-MFCT103 ... 46078ef613

Is this what you meant John? I wonder if I could get one of those shipped to Portugal.

 

[willypt]

BIAB is a doddle. Go for it.
The whole point is you can brew full AG beer WITHOUT the need for a three-tier set-up.

try this guide - http://www.brewstock.co.uk/?p=54

The guide you recommended threw a brick at my face right with its opening statement: "If you can make soup, you can brew fantastic craft beer at home." Despite being considered a very good cook by my college friends, mom and grandma (those two gotta count for something right?) soup is just not my fortè. Other than that it sure helped a lot! Thankyou!

 

[puravida]

Haha - okay, well I may reword that to 'soup, stews, pasta sauces, curries etc '
Any big one-pot wonder will do :thumb:

 

[wilsoa1111]

u can also make ur own boiler from a big thick plastic tub and some value kettle elements(v easy)-work better than burcos in the long run- and only problem ive found with AG is the time for a brew-5hrs-and storage of grain but the experience and the beer is much much better for the switch- btw i reckon some of the biab guys make better beer simply becasue of their basic approach which while less efficient extracts less tannins and due to inefficiency use more grain both make a more expensive but better product- first though u may want to check u can get malted grain where u are in portugal or u will be malting and grinding it yourself like one of the members (he is well hardcore)

 

[rpt]

The great thing about BIAB is how cheap it is to start AG. I've just ordered a 19L stock pot off eBay for £24 and I bought a voile for £4 yesterday to use as the bag. And that's all I need to start AG. I will put the pot in the oven while mashing to keep the temperature constant (yes, I can set it that low) but otherwise some insulation would suffice.

 

[John_Henry]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Burco-Cygnet- ... 46078ef613

Is this what you meant John? I wonder if I could get one of those shipped to Portugal.

[/quote]

I'm sure you could pick one up out there. You can get them a lot cheaper as well. Like I said I picked my one up second hand for £25.