96 replies to this topic

[positiveContact]

every mash is a decoction mash.  it's basically required.

[denny]

Are you basing this on specs from the malter?

yep

Denny step mashing? Man how times have changed!

It's so fast and easy with the G40 that there's no reason not to do it when necessary. OTOH, if I'm making an IPA with well modified malt, it's a single rest always.

He's going to order a whirligig next.

every mash is a decoction mash.  it's basically required.

what?

[positiveContact]

That was a joke, Denny!

[zymot]

I went from propane, HLT, Igloo cooler mash tun, and boil kettle to electric Brew In A Bag. Never looked back.

If you putting together your first brew rig, BIAB is the no brainier choice. If you are already set up and brewing, things to consider.

You investment:
A BIAB bag
Method to lift bag out of kettle
Eventually you will want a pump to step or maintain temps (or insulate your kettle)

With what you have now, you could convert to a 2 vessel system. Get a pump and maybe a BIAB bag, Many ways to skin that cat.

How big is you kettle? 10 gallon BIAB for 5 gallon batches are tricky as your grain bill gets larger. 15 gallon kettle is easy street.

[positiveContact]

I currently mash in a 20 gallon kettle and boil in a 15 gallon kettle. I could make it work and even still batch sparge if I wanted to.

I'd need to get the bag and a way to hold it up as you say. I'd also need to modify my MT slightly because it has a pointy thermometer sticking into it.

Edited by postSingularityHumanoid, 11 December 2022 - 08:08 PM.

[zymot]

I made frame with 2x4 and 3/8" bolts, nuts and washers. For me, space is and portability is an issue. It breaks down into a stack of 2x4s. It comes together in 5-10 minutes.

Depends on many factor for how big of a challenge and how expensive housing up 50-100 lbs of weight grain will be.

You want to measure the water temp before adding the grains and you want to measure and monitor the mash once the grains are in the water. You could do that with a hand held thermometer.

[positiveContact]

I already only use that thermo for knowing roughly what's going on.  I use the thermapen for my real measurements.

[positiveContact]

I understand your cons but I do not see them as issues.  I had a beam over my kettle so the hoist was easy.  Cleaning the bag is simple enough to just hose off.  I have bleached it to get stains out but nothing too bad.  I guess the oxygen added to the wort is an issue if you care.

 

I suggest one of these https://biabbags.webs.com/store

 

so I can't tell exactly what is going on in the pics.  how do you attach the rope to the bag when you hoist it up?

[positiveContact]

ordered the grand slam with double pulley.  

 

emailed the guy my dimensions.  this is pretty sketchy lol!  also, the price was $1 more expensive than the website said it would be but no biggie.

Edited by positiveContact, 21 February 2023 - 11:18 AM.

[positiveContact]

so good news is he already created a tracking number and confirmed I measured the OD of the kettle.

[positiveContact]

I'm actually looking forward to constructing something to hold the bag up about as much as using it for the first time.

[Gusso]

so I can't tell exactly what is going on in the pics. how do you attach the rope to the bag when you hoist it up?

Just wrap the supplied cord around the top of the bag and hook the chord to the pulley.

[positiveContact]

Alright. Do you make 10 gallon batches? Curious how high above my kettle I'll need to attach the pulley.

[Gusso]

Alright. Do you make 10 gallon batches? Curious how high above my kettle I'll need to attach the pulley.

Just 5 gallon batches. I do my brewing outside so I hoist from a ladder.

[positiveContact]

I have a pretty high ceiling in my garage so I should be okay. Since I'll be installing a 2x4 or something to span the gap I'm wondering if I might get some additional utility out of it.

[positiveContact]

so you think a 2x4 on edge would do this job?  it will be spanning about 7-7.5'  I could probably add a support about 1/3 of the way from one end if I needed to.  I typically wouldn't mash with much more than 10 or 11 gallons of water and maybe 25lb of grain.  worst case would be lifting all of this but the reality is that a lot of liquid is going to immediately drain out before I even manage to hoist the bag out of the liquid.  but let's just add it all up.

 

130lb would be a pretty conservative number.  150lb would be really conservative and honestly I don't know that I can even fit that much stuff in my mash tun anyway.

[positiveContact]

I'm about half done building my setup to hang the bag from. This 2x4 I'm using will require me to force some straightening. Got a little twist and some bowing but fortunately I know how to force wood to do what I want for the most part.

I had wanted to add a brace that would allow possibly boiling in my mash tun if I decided to do that but I think I want the brace closer to center to straighten the 2x4 out. I could add one more 2x4 I guess to make it happen.

[positiveContact]

all set for some BIAB!

 

edit: sorry for the crooked picture!  I did check that things were level!

 

Edited by positiveContact, 26 February 2023 - 12:37 PM.

[zymot]

As I look at it, I wonder if your horizontal 2x4 can lift the bag up far enough. You want, the bottom of the bag to clear the top of the kettle.

[denny]

As I look at it, I wonder if your horizontal 2x4 can lift the bag up far enough. You want, the bottom of the bag to clear the top of the kettle.

I would think you'd want the bottom of the bag as close to the wort as you could get ti limit O2 pickup from draining the bag.