Trying a new brewing method!

[Duxuk]

It's time to do AG#29. It's about a year since AG#1, after many extract brews, but this time I'm going to do an overnight mash. I'm partly inspired by Alanywiseman, who has tried one this week. I also think it may make the brewday a little easier, with less waiting around. I may also get a higher OG through higher efficiency. It's not that efficiency is so important, but I'd like to get around 1055 to improve the beer.
I am a BIABer and can see some potential problems if I do my usual routine and just leave the mash overnight.
I find that when I mashout I get hot spots. The thermomter can shoot up and a good stir gets the reading down. It's just not as easy to stir with the bag in place, so here's my plan.

Heat 19l of water to 70C in my stockpot. Add the grains without a bag, insulate, and leave overnight.
Reheat to 75C for a mashout. Then my new trick. I will line the only big vessel I have, an FV, with a nylon sheet and put the contents of the stockpot in. Strain, add the FV contents to the stockpot again and get it heating to a boil. Meanwhile I will add 6l of water at 75-80C to the grains in the FV and restrain, adding this to the boil. I'll then do the rest conventially, using a second nylon sheet in the FV as a hop filter, which is my usual procedure.

The recipe for 20l of "AC ME3000" (always a classic/kitcar name!) is..........
4kg Maris Otter
200g Crushed crystal
60 mins 10g Northern brewer.
20 mins, 15 mins, 10 mins and 5 mins 20g Amarillo
0 mins cooled to 90C 20g Amarillo and 20g Citra
Gervin GV12 yeast
1 tsp Irish moss at 10 mins
20g Citra dry hop at 10 days.
I will bottle between 2 and 3 weeks.:thumb:

 

[Duxuk]

I got the heat on by about 7am and was finished at 11.30. Easy life!
The mash had fallen to 48C overnight. Had a bit of a delay doing the family taxi service but all went well. I squoze a bit of work into the time available and was anxious to see the OG.
I only got 19.5l in the FV of the planned 20l, but no problem. The OG was 1060:-o, Higher than expected. My last brew was 1060 but used more grain. The efficiency, by my method of calculation, was 94.43%. That's better than I would have expected. The figures are only for my own comparison so it doesn't matter that other calculation methods may give different figures.
I will definitely do this in future. It's definitely easier and a little more cost effective. Hopping was a little more involving with so many additions but I hope the result will justify the effort.:drink:

 

[clibit]

I might have to give that a go myself! :idea:

 

[alanywiseman.]

That sounds like a nice brew :thumb:

Why did you empty the contents of the pot into the FV then strain? Would it not have been easier to just pull the grains out then 'sparge'?

 

[Duxuk]

My idea was to not have the bag in place, which gets wrapped around the spoon when stirring. I think this may be causing hot spots in the grain bed. I just put the grains into the pot and lined the FV with the voile. Poured the contents in then hoisted. I've been doing the same as a hop filter since I started BIAB. I put the flameout hops into the voile and add the wort including hops. then, when I hoist I filter the whole lot out. A bit of a squeeze and I get a virtually loss free brewing system. 4.2kg of grain, 19.5l in the FV at 1060 OG.
Some may wish to mention "hot side aeration" but the beer tastes great so I haven't found a problem to fix.

 

[Oakers73]

Duxux, when you say you use the sheet as a hop filter is the Wort still hot? I was just wondering about sanitation of the sheet otherwise? Sounds like a good method to me.... i reckon I could do a half size AG brew this way with my 15 litre stock pot....

 

[Duxuk]

I use a second, clean sheet for the hops. Not the mucky one I used for the grain!
I tend to cool to 90C then tip it in. That should kill the bugs, I hope. I've never had a problem with infection. I sanitise my FV with a no rinse sanitiser, which I swaer by. I use it for bottles and everything else. The brew is now fermenting well. I have high hopes for this one.

 

[alanywiseman.]

Keep us posted with how it's coming

 

[Duxuk]

The fermentation was rapid and has calmed right down, now. I'll dry hop in a couple of days.:-D