I'm ready for biab suggestions please

[Libigage]

Hi all, I'm ready for my first biab but I need some help. I have a 30 litre burco so probably can't do 23 litres. I have Greg hughes recipe book but can't work out how much ingredients and water to use. I want to end up with 20 litres as I'm planning on kegging 10 and bottling 10. I would like to do a bohemian pilsner (page 86) any advice would be appreciated. Where's the best place to get the ingredients? If I followed the recipe but are the boil times the same even if doing less?

 

[Galena]

I have a 30 litre boiler for BIAB and you are correct that it will be difficult to do a 23 litre batch, there are ways but its a faff I can't be bothered with.
I tend to do 21 litre batches and I use Brewfather (free) to plan and make my calculations.
You can add the quantities direct from the recipe into Brewfather and then scale it down to your desired batch size quite easily, or the way I do it, just enter the ingredients and tweak it until the numbers for ABV, IBU, OG etc match the recipe or very close.
The boil and mash times will be the same, there are plenty of choices for your ingredients but I tend to use GeterBrewed and they do custom kits so you can buy exactly the ingredients you need, though beware it is all mixed up in one bag so don't go "off recipe" if you go for a custom kit.

 

[Covrich]

Are you planning to do a full volume BIAB or biab and then a seperate sparge stage? I only say because I think if you are doing a proper BIAB one stage single pot setup you may be a bit tight on getting 20l.. on the other hand, if you are doing a sparge. You probably could get 23l.. you end up with about 20l after fermentation and losses anyway, because as you will discover when going grain you need to account for loses as you will have much more trub

Boil times are the same if you are doing less just scale it down.

 

[Galena]

Are you planning to do a full volume BIAB or biab and then a seperate sparge stage?

This is a very good point which I forgot to mention, I do a batch sparge which helps with the volume of course.

 

[Duxuk]

Brew it short and dilute it in the FV. Using a batch sparge you can still get decent efficiency. I have a 32l stockpot and can do 24l evenwithout diluting.

 

[Rodcx500z]

I do 23L in a 30L klarstein fullhorn, if you need 29L of total water plus grain which will be about 34L in total 20L in the kettle and 9L in another bucket heated to sparge temp do the mash then a dunk sparge and bag squeeze, maybe not the best way but it works

 

[honeymonster]

Have a google for 'Biabacus'. It's a spreadsheet specifically for BIAB and I use it exclusively.

It's a lot to get your head round to start but it's a brilliant bit of kit!

 

[gavp1979]

I do similar to @Rodcx500z but I start with about 25l and then do a dunk sparge in enough water to get back up to 25l after losses from the mash. My spare isn't the most scientific usually just a couple of kettle fulls poured through the bag and left to sit for a few minutes while bringing the wort to the boil.

 

[Brewnaldo]

I use GH recipes a lot and do BIAB in a 35 litre kettle. I must admit I never end up with 23 litres in the FV but am hitting 20 regularly just now.

I tend to mash in about 26 litres, then a dunk sparge in 10 litres. Inside this sparge liquor to make up the boil volume to 28-30, but tend to skim off at least a litre maybe more of hot break whilst it's coming to the boil.

I would have to check my last brew which I did on Thursday for specifics but in terms of Grain ordering, I use GEB or CML mostly and sometimes round up a wee bit like if he says 4.7kg base malt I might up it to 5kg. So I do sometimes, but not always, account for lesser efficiency.

I am pretty much always there or thereabouts with my OG and it's only recently that I have selected the above volumes as working pretty well for me.

One point to note re the 23 litre thing, I am a bit obsessed with clarity so I pour away everything below the boiler tap, or sometimes higher if I syphon it out. Maybe I would get 23 to the fermenter if I used it all.

 

[Rodcx500z]

Hi Brewnaldo, the only things i do different to you are, i have stopped using my chiller, when the boil is over i bung the lid on seal all holes up with kitchen roll and leave it to cool for at least 4 hours then drain into the fv down to the tap leave over night then pitch, last 3 brews have been bang on 23L with very little trub

 

[Brewnaldo]

Hi Brewnaldo, the only things i do different to you are, i have stopped using my chiller, when the boil is over i bung the lid on seal all holes up with kitchen roll and leave it to cool for at least 4 hours then drain into the fv down to the tap leave over night then pitch, last 3 brews have been bang on 23L with very little trub

That's interesting. The whole reason I bought a chiller was to speed up my brew day and assist clarity. It has been admittedly hit or miss on that. Some brews the trub seems to hold in a strange sort of mid layer making it unavoidable by tap or by syphon. My last one I attempted to get some whirlpool motion going round the chiller and it seemed to drag it all further down. Used syphon and what went to the FV looked pretty clear.

An overnight rest would be great but I am pretty much forced to brew outdoors, and my kettle lid doesnt seal owing to a dropping incident which left the whole thing all mis shapen

I like to think trub from FV to bottles is about to be eliminated by my shiny new conical FV anyway