Going for 1st BIAB

[Philjobooboo]

Hi fellow brewers, I've just bought a 50L brew bag and boiler thermometer, so I'm looking at my 1st biab brew! I've done a few lager kits which where to be honest awful! And when I was on the brink of giving up on brewing Pittsy, came in to the rescue with extract brewing, so this will be my next step. All advice and guidance will be well received cheers Phil

 

[Eduardo]

Get your strike up to temp,

Add your grains,

Maintain it,

Finishes your mash and squeeze your bag,

Start your boil,

Add your hops,

Cool,

Add yeast.

Job done.

 

[pittsy]

Get your strike up to temp,

Add your grains,

Maintain it,

Finishes your mash and squeeze your bag,

Start your boil,

Add your hops,

Cool,

Add yeast.



Job done.

Never squeeze bags as you are releasing tannins which will give astringency tastes , Let the bag drip by leaving it for a bit or moving it into another container (and collect wort later) .

 

[Eduardo]

Never squeeze bags as you are releasing tannins which will give astringency tastes , Let the bag drip by leaving it for a bit or moving it into another container (and collect wort later) .

Thanks for the tip. I'll let it drip naturally in the future.

 

[Awolphotography]

I use an over the sink drainer from ikea, lift bag out, slide drainer underneath and let it continue to drain whilst wort is coming up to boil...

 

[alymere]

I can't recommend the Biabrewer.info website enough

http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=194

use the biabacus spreadsheet for your recipe, looks daunting at first but really is easy to use.

 

[MyQul]

Never squeeze bags as you are releasing tannins which will give astringency tastes , Let the bag drip by leaving it for a bit or moving it into another container (and collect wort later) .

This isn't true. As I understand it tannin production is a chemical process not a physical one. I squeeze my bag till it begs for mercy (help gets my efficiency up a bit. As I do maxi biab I can get a bit more beer during dilution) and never had a problem

 

[pittsy]

People have different levels of perception , some will notice certain flavours other may not . If you like just about all foods and drink you may have a lower perception , if you are a bit fussy at times and really enjoy certain tastes while dislike others strongly then you may have a high perception of flavours . ( not including real fussy eaters that eat **** all day ) .
Tannin extraction from the grains can be done several ways . They are there already you just don't want em .

 

[Duxuk]

Since I now sparge my bag with 6l of water, which I reserve from my starting volume, I suppose I do Maxi BIAB. There's less need to squeeze the bag for efficiency 'cos after a sparge there's a lower concentration of sugar left in the grain. I measured my second runnings and found they were 1036 compared to about 1055 for the first runnings ( that was with a 4l sparge volume).
I got my best efficiency ever on my last brew. I mashed at 68C to get a bit more natural sweetness and, due to a work related cock up, I mashed for 130 rather than 90 minutes.
I won't leave it more than 90 again. I don't want to extend my brew day for a few extra %.

 

[Paddye]

be careful if you try to heat your mash, I wasnt and burnt a huge hole in my bag, whole batch and bag gone to waste.

 

[alymere]

Scorching the bag is always a risk when heating up to do a mashout.

To avoid it I have a hoist above the stockpot which holds the bag clear of the pan bottom with out exposing the grains above the surface of the liquid, works a treat. I do like to do a 90 minute mash then a 15 minute mash out, but I do full volume.
The efficiency into the kettle has been between 80 and 85 % on the first 6 batches I have made.

Depending on the weather the evaporation rate does fluctuate slightly as I brew outside in the greenhouse.

The batches that I put into cubes and did no chill have been much more successful in respect of head retention and flavour.

Last batch I made back in December, a Riggwelter clone is still in the cube but as an experiment after I filled the 25 litre container the 2 1/2 litres of trub left in the pot I poured straight into a small fermentor, cooled it in the sink then chucked in some Nottingham. I dry hopped with some EKG and left for a couple of weeks in the house to ferment.
I bottled 4 500ml pet bottles and left it to condition. I drank one last month and it tasted good.