Do I need to change the recipe?

[cdunn1221]

Hello all,

Just about to purchase 10 gallon kettle and burner to get into all grain. Not having money for a separate mash tun I figured I'd start by using BIAB method. My question is this,
Can I use an all grain recipe kit from NB etc. and do it BIAB method or will this change grain requirements etc.? I am not sure how I will be doing BIAB, will I sparge or just squeeze the grain either.

Any help would be appreciated

Cheers

 

[Sammy86]

You definitely can...but I would recommend in the special instructions to say mill the grain twice or explain you're doing BIAB...good luck!

 

[radwizard]

The grain requirement should be the same. You can sparge it or just squeeze the hell out of it.
Use the priceless brewing calculator. It will help you out a ton in determining water volumes.

pricelessbrewing.github.io/biabcalc

 

[Gavin C]

Hello all,

Just about to purchase 10 gallon kettle and burner to get into all grain. Not having money for a separate mash tun I figured I'd start by using BIAB method. My question is this,
Can I use an all grain recipe kit from NB etc. and do it BIAB method or will this change grain requirements etc.? I am not sure how I will be doing BIAB, will I sparge or just squeeze the grain either.

Any help would be appreciated

Cheers

No you do not need to change the recipe regardless of what your equipment for all-grain is.

A NB kit will come with a standard crush for 3 vessel brewing which is less than optimal for full volume no sparge BIAB brewing that I do.

For most recipes I typically had to reduce the grain bill as they are usually written for a 75% efficiency.

Starting out with BIAB and a standard NB crush I experienced a lower efficiency with my first two BIAB batches. Once you get it dialed in you will adjust every recipe to meet the specs of your setup and efficiency.

I would suggest doing 1 of two things to compensate for the thick NB crush you will get as standard and your position on the brewing learning curve.
1: Run the grain through your blender and anticipate a 70+ brew house efficiency
2: Order a pound or two of extra base malt from NB and plan for a ~65% efficiency

Either way it's a good idea to pick one of their great recipes with a bit of wiggle room and an OG of ~1.050

Don't sweat the numbers starting off. Just measure the following accurately.

• Preboil gravity and volume
• Post boil gravity and volume.

This will help you learn about your system

With each brew you do you can dial things in

There is a link in my sig on efficiency to tell you what to do with those measures, and a couple on BIAB that may be of use to you.

Best of luck with it.


ETA: Northernbrewer will not crush finer. You will get their standard crush. I've asked and it was explained why it is not feasible. Makes sense given the volume of grain they mill and sell.

 

[cdunn1221]

Thanks for the great advice and help everyone!

 

[cdunn1221]

My plan is to buy the following:
10 gallon Megapot 1.2, DarkStar burner and I'll get a Draft Brewer Single Keg system for 100$ for spending over 200$.

Seem like a good investment?
Excited to go all grain and to be able to keg.

 

[doug293cz]

You should be able to handle up to about 14.5 lb grain bills for full volume (no sparge) with a 10 gal pot. For larger grain bills you will probably need to sparge.



Brew on

 

[pricelessbrewing]

You should be able to handle up to about 14.5 lb grain bills for full volume (no sparge) with a 10 gal pot. For larger grain bills you will probably need to sparge.

View attachment 317821

Brew on

Oooo I like that graph. Nice thinking, good to have as a resource for those "how much can I fit" threads.

 

[RM-MN]

No you do not need to change the recipe regardless of what your equipment for all-grain is.

A NB kit will come with a standard crush for 3 vessel brewing which is less than optimal for full volume no sparge BIAB brewing that I do.

For most recipes I typically had to reduce the grain bill as they are usually written for a 75% efficiency.

Starting out with BIAB and a standard NB crush I experienced a lower efficiency with my first two BIAB batches. Once you get it dialed in you will adjust every recipe to meet the specs of your setup and efficiency.

I would suggest doing 1 of two things to compensate for the thick NB crush you will get as standard and your position on the brewing learning curve.
1: Run the grain through your blender and anticipate a 70+ brew house efficiency
2: Order a pound or two of extra base malt from NB and plan for a ~65% efficiency

Either way it's a good idea to pick one of their great recipes with a bit of wiggle room and an OG of ~1.050

Don't sweat the numbers starting off. Just measure the following accurately.

• Preboil gravity and volume
• Post boil gravity and volume.

This will help you learn about your system

With each brew you do you can dial things in

There is a link in my sig on efficiency to tell you what to do with those measures, and a couple on BIAB that may be of use to you.

Best of luck with it.


ETA: Northernbrewer will not crush finer. You will get their standard crush. I've asked and it was explained why it is not feasible. Makes sense given the volume of grain they mill and sell.

You can compensate at least partially for the larger crush particles by mashing longer. Instead of a 60 minute mash, try 70 or 75 and see where you end up for efficiency. Eventually you will likely want your own mill so you can mill the grain to your liking.

 

[Gavin C]

You can compensate at least partially for the larger crush particles by mashing longer. Instead of a 60 minute mash, try 70 or 75 and see where you end up for efficiency. Eventually you will likely want your own mill so you can mill the grain to your liking.

Very good point.

Longer mash-times can somewhat compensate for the coarser crush.