Scottie Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 Hey Brew Dudes After many years of brewing with a hybrid 3V system I've decided to cross over and give BAIB a go. My 19 litre Coleman Mash Tun has been giving me nothing but trouble with stuck mashes and my investment in a false bottom turned out to be a waste of cash as it wouldn't fit nicely. I've also always struggled with kettle losses and my efficiency never gets above 70% these days. I will appreciate it if some of the regular BAIB are willing to share their process and any tips and tricksthey have picked up on the way. Cheers & Beers Scottie 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 (edited) Good on you for seeing the down all of your ways and going to the great BIAB method. I have a 2v set up which works a treat. Recently I have changed a couple of things and my brew house efficiency is now a very respectable 76%. 1st tip make sure you do no sparge as it is obviously a full water volume method. 2nd Use your HLT and HERMES coil or RIMS system if you have one to make sure the mash temp stays stable by reticulation of the mash water during the mash. I have a 20 litre urn and InkBird I use. I have my immersion coil dual purposed as a HERMES set up during the mash and at the end converts to the cooling coil. 3rd. Do a 15 minute mash out at ~75c. Now this all seems obvious to experienced brewers but since I started doing all of that my BH efficiency has settled constantly at the 76% I stated. And lastly do not be afraid to squeeze the bag myself and Kelsey are squeezers and we have no problem with the astringency that you can read about in BIAB literature. Hope that helps and good luck. PS. Get a pulley set up somewhere so you can pull the bag out and let it drain. Cheers and good luck. Edited July 2, 2020 by MartyG1525230263 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozlizard Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 I just BIAB on my stove using a Big W stainless steel pot. Had some great results and some not so great. I believe my failures have been due to temp control in summer and I suspect too much oxygen getting to the brews during cool down. That is only a guess, due to the fact that some brews are darker than they should be which, I believe can be a symptom of oxygen exposure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben 10 Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 Crown urn and a grain bag. Mash, raise, drain, boil. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted July 2, 2020 Author Share Posted July 2, 2020 Thanks all for the feedback. Your setup MartyG is very impressive. I have two Crown Urns, but I will most likely star out as Ben10 suggests, similar to Lizard no doubt, by doing the Mash, raise, drain & boil method. Cheers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bribie G Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 (edited) No need to keep the urn running during the mash. Cover the surface with a circle of bubble wrap, fit the lid and wrap the urn with a cheap Big W doonah. Most of the conversion takes place in the first 20 minutes anyway and you should only lose a couple of degrees during the mash. No need for a bag, just get a square of Swiss Voile from Spotlight curtain section (not the dress section) and cut off the corners to make a circle. If you can devise a skyhook, throttle the "bag" with a hangman's noose and raise using a block and tackle. Edited July 2, 2020 by Bribie G 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaddyBrew2 Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 You a NASCAR fan mate ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Captain!! Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 (edited) Hey Scottie, As you have the urn, I’d just get a bag mate. I lift out and drain through a bucket with holes into a bucket. Once it gets up to boil I just empty the drained wort from the catchment bucket into the urn. Other than that mate, you know the rest. top bucket has about 25 8mm holes drilled in it. Just sit that into the other bucket and your bag in that and let gravity be your friend Also, If your going to do a 90 minute boil, just sparge your bag in the bucket with 2l of water. Just that last little bit of efficiency and clearer wort due to the longer boil. looking forward to hearing you having fun brew days again mate. Edited July 2, 2020 by The Captain!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 29 minutes ago, The Captain!! said: top bucket has about 25 8mm holes drilled in it. Just sit that into the other bucket and your bag in that and let gravity be your friend That is a great tip ... will make one of those up myself. ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicolasW Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 I have been pretty much following @Bribie G awesome guide from 2016 on AHB: https://aussiehomebrewer.com/threads/using-a-40l-electric-urn-for-biab-a-guide.90284/ Running an old Birko 40l with a stainless tap. No skyhook for me unfortunately I just lift out - looking for a decent colander to hold the bag while it drains. I am currently using an old kmart sleeping bag for my lagging and lost 2c (pretty sure strike temp was a little low) on my last brew including a couple of stirings over the mash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted July 3, 2020 Author Share Posted July 3, 2020 8 hours ago, The Captain!! said: Hey Scottie, As you have the urn, I’d just get a bag mate. I lift out and drain through a bucket with holes into a bucket. Once it gets up to boil I just empty the drained wort from the catchment bucket into the urn. Other than that mate, you know the rest. top bucket has about 25 8mm holes drilled in it. Just sit that into the other bucket and your bag in that and let gravity be your friend Also, If your going to do a 90 minute boil, just sparge your bag in the bucket with 2l of water. Just that last little bit of efficiency and clearer wort due to the longer boil. looking forward to hearing you having fun brew days again mate. I like the sound of that Captain, I've also got plenty of grain buckets kicking around the Brewery. A two litre sparge to help things along. My last two brews with teh Coleman Esky Mash Tun have been pretty much like this anyway just without the bag and with 250g of grain at a time as I scoop it out of the stuck mash. Cheers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Captain!! Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 25 minutes ago, Scottie said: 250g of grain at a time as I scoop it out of the stuck mash. That would suck donkey appendages big time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzza Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamus O'Sean Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 1 hour ago, Bearded Burbler said: What ya got goin' there BB? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzza Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 1 hour ago, Shamus O'Sean said: What ya got goin' there BB? Ha ha Shamus... not sure... photo from the archives? ; Nice freshly milled grain ha ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted July 3, 2020 Author Share Posted July 3, 2020 On 7/2/2020 at 9:09 PM, Bribie G said: No need to keep the urn running during the mash. Cover the surface with a circle of bubble wrap, fit the lid and wrap the urn with a cheap Big W doonah. Most of the conversion takes place in the first 20 minutes anyway and you should only lose a couple of degrees during the mash. No need for a bag, just get a square of Swiss Voile from Spotlight curtain section (not the dress section) and cut off the corners to make a circle. If you can devise a skyhook, throttle the "bag" with a hangman's noose and raise using a block and tackle. Hi Bribie G Checked out your AHB post. Turn Key Brewery - I hope so. Looking forward to today's brew day with anticipation. I may end up regretting all the time I spent mashing and sparging and cleaning up 3 vessels. Hopefully the results are as good. It's feeling like my first brew day all over again. Just on question,why do you prefer to turn the Urn off during the mash? Cheers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bribie G Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 (edited) Hi Scottie I've been banned from AHB for a few years now because I joined the other forum. Leaving the urn running during mashing can cause hot spots and burning - and by insulating the urn you can get great results - just walk away and do something else for an hour. BIAB in an urn is basically a few hours of doing nothing, punctuated by a few brief spells of furious action, then back to doing nothing again All the best with the brew day. Cheers Edited July 3, 2020 by Bribie G 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted July 4, 2020 Author Share Posted July 4, 2020 12 minutes ago, Bribie G said: Hi Scottie I've been banned from AHB for a few years now because I joined the other forum. I guess that others will now benefit from your knowledge. At least you still brewing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 How many of the BIAB brigade give the grain a small rinse. I dont do it but anything to extract more malty goodness is a gooder for me. I just hoist and let it drain and squeeze but I did read that Captain gives a short 2l sparge. Also what sort of BH efficiency you guys getting. I am in the ~75% range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzza Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 2 hours ago, Bribie G said: I've been banned from AHB for a few years now because I joined the other forum WTF? Free Country!?! Freedom of Speech?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozlizard Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 2 hours ago, MartyG1525230263 said: How many of the BIAB brigade give the grain a small rinse. I dont do it but anything to extract more malty goodness is a gooder for me. I just hoist and let it drain and squeeze but I did read that Captain gives a short 2l sparge. Also what sort of BH efficiency you guys getting. I am in the ~75% range. I take the bag out at the end and place it in another large pot and then sparge with 2-4lts of hot water and squeeze the bejesus out of it, then tip it back in the wort. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, MartyG1525230263 said: How many of the BIAB brigade give the grain a small rinse. I dont do it but anything to extract more malty goodness is a gooder for me. I just hoist and let it drain and squeeze but I did read that Captain gives a short 2l sparge. Also what sort of BH efficiency you guys getting. I am in the ~75% range. I just lift it and let it drain for half an hour then squeeze it. Usually get around 75% Brewhouse efficiency. I've done a small sparge occasionally but I'm not sure it did a whole lot. I'm not hell bent on hitting exact numbers anyway. If I go over or under predicted OG by a couple of points I'm not worried. If it is well out then that's a different matter but it rarely happens. Aiming for 1.051 OG on today's brew, but I'll be happy if it's anywhere between 1.048 and 1.053 or so. I do leave the urn on during the mash but I have a false bottom to prevent it burning the bag. It doesn't really come on much if at all though. It just turned itself on now with 10 minutes left in the mash, I have it set just to keep it going too low but as has been said most of the conversion happens in the first 20 minutes or so anyway. Makes it easier to heat it to the 72 degree rest and mash out after that too because I can just leave the bag in there and stir it. I find a coarse crush gives me better efficiency than a fine crush, but YMMV. Best to just figure that one out for your system. Edited July 4, 2020 by Otto Von Blotto 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 5 minutes ago, ozlizard said: I take the bag out at the end and place it in another large pot and then sparge with 2-4lts of hot water and squeeze the bejesus out of it, then tip it back in the wort. Yep I squeeze but don't rinse. I will have to start doing that. This has an obvious answer but am going to ask anyway. I assume that you make an allowance for the rinse water when you do your strike water volume? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzza Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Otto Von Blotto said: but I'll be happy if it's anywhere between 1.048 and 1.053 or so. ... or for me @Otto Von Blotto Kelsey happy if anywhere between 1060 and 1080 Ha Ha Ha !?! (well usually not that far from 1060 meh) Edited July 4, 2020 by Bearded Burbler 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicolasW Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 2 hours ago, Bribie G said: I've been banned from AHB for a few years now because I joined the other forum. Sorry to hear that. I used to lurk on AHB but I had noticed that it had gone slightly down the tube after I came back from a 6 year brewing break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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