BIAB vs Mash Tun

[Rukula]

i know of these two ways to brew all grain; Brew In A Bag, or using a Mash Tun..

I was wondering if i should care to invest in making myself ye old cooler mash tun, or just go along with the brew in a bag.

I will stick to the 20-27L batches..

So! I want advantages and disadvantages with both methods, i know that allot of you have experience with both, so shoot!

:

 

[Dave1970]

take a look at Rich and Dave's Old Speckled Hen Challenge

BIAB vs Mash Tun brewing the same recipe and the conclusion was....inconclusive

The pics of the 2 brew days might give you an idea which you prefer but clearly both make good beer

 

[RobWalker]

BIAB - hard to brew higher gravity beers, slightly more grain required each time, can't do a double brewday etc, easier step mashing.

Mash tun - basically everything better but more expensive.

 

[Rukula]

One more question about this.. I see most recipes calls for using a mash tun, since i chose to go with the BIAB method, i was wondering on how to adjust the recipe.

If i have understood everything, i'm supposed to put both the mashing and the sparging water in at the same time, and do every step, starting with the mashing into that..

Do you use the exact same amount of water when brewing Biab, as you do when using a mash tun? I'm wondering because of the boil times, and the difference in water lost as water vapor from the boil.

And am i supposed to mash and boil with the lid taken off?

 

[pittsy]

What you need to do is heat water in pot to temp (poss 66c) then add grain in bag to pot , insure grains are mixed and no dry bits ) pop lid on and either maintain temp by using hob (not great idea as temps will differ in pot and prob too hot at bottom) or wrap well in blankets to avoid temp dropping or even pop into oven if big enough etc etc and that's why many use mash tuns as the're better at holding temp , next after mash rest (maybe 60/90 mins ) empty out wort and refill pot with water already at temp required (i want grains to be 76c so i add water a little hotter to get 76c as grains bring temp down ) now wait around 20 mins and drain wort . Now your ready for boiling , no lid , no less than 45 mins if extract but for AG 60 mins , 70 mins, and upto 90 mins depending on your type of brew . Darker beers often require longer boiling .The stronger the brew or sweeter the more hop is often used to try and bring a balance , but thats also down to taste and style .hope that helps , p.s mashing temps are important oh and also you may lose around 7% an hour when boiling and grain absorbs around 1 liter for 1 kg plus add a liter or 2 due to hops etc so in total you may want to use around 36l of water to end up with 29l pre boil and maybe 23l into FV

 

[klaus]

I have recently started AG BIAB. Two out of three brews have come out very well. One was the issue with a heavy grain bill for which I wasn't prepared ....

Using AG recipes & a 50l SS pot I start off with 33l water to 72C, mash in bag 90 minutes, lift out, drain/squeeze/etc, boil 90 minutes.

I haven't made any specific adjustments to the recipes and I was spot on in terms of volume (23-24l) and SG, per recipe. Produced very good result, SNPA and now Crouch Vale Best Bitter clone.