Moving from 5 gallon to 10 gallon BIAB batches

[grv]

Can anyone share their experiences as far as any efficiency drops or other challenges in going from 5 to 10 gallon batches? I have a 15 gallon brew kettle, so whereas I would go almost full volume BIAB for a 5 gallon batch, just holding back a little for a rinse of the bag, I'm not sure I'd be able to do that with a 10 gallon batch. I'd probably mash in about the same amount of water I would for a 5 gallon batch (8 gallons), and then rinse / top off to get to the pre-boil volume I am shooting for for a 10 gallon batch. Mash would be much thicker.

I've got a pulley for the grain bag. Will probably get a bag that is double stitched and plenty strong before I attempt this.

Thanks!

 

[wilserbrewer]

I have found that the easiest way to max out your kettle for BIAB is to mash in short of the full kettle volume to avoid spills etc.

Then after the mash rest, add hot water to near the rim of the kettle as a mash out step, stir well twice and remove the bag, then either suspend the bag over the kettle, or rest the bag on a colander, or even a couple long spoons spanning the kettle rim, and pour the remaining sparge water slowly through the grain bag.

A ratchet pulley is a great assist for larger grain bills IME.

There is also the dunk sparge option....but that has always seemed like more work.

 

[grv]

I have found that the easiest way to max out your kettle for BIAB is to mash in short of the full kettle volume to avoid spills etc.

Then after the mash rest, add hot water to near the rim of the kettle as a mash out step, stir well twice and remove the bag, then either suspend the bag over the kettle, or rest the bag on a colander, or even a couple long spoons spanning the kettle rim, and pour the remaining sparge water slowly through the grain bag.

A ratchet pulley is a great assist for larger grain bills IME.

There is also the dunk sparge option....but that has always seemed like more work.

Hadn't thought of that scenario - I'll give it a try! How about efficiency as you scale up like that? Pretty much the same, or should I plan for 5-10% less?

 

[SDJay]

I have found that the easiest way to max out your kettle for BIAB is to mash in short of the full kettle volume to avoid spills etc.

Then after the mash rest, add hot water to near the rim of the kettle as a mash out step, stir well twice and remove the bag, then either suspend the bag over the kettle, or rest the bag on a colander, or even a couple long spoons spanning the kettle rim, and pour the remaining sparge water slowly through the grain bag.

A ratchet pulley is a great assist for larger grain bills IME.

There is also the dunk sparge option....but that has always seemed like more work.

What temp do you use for your sparge water?

 

[wilserbrewer]

What temp do you use for your sparge water?

180 works fine, but I just aim to keep the mash below 170. Sparge water temp is not critical IMO...just best to keep the grain temp under 170. Kaiser did pretty extensive research and concluded even a cold water sparge works fine, just takes longer to heat up to boil...

 

[beernut70]

Thinking about moving up to 11 gallons in the fermenter. How was your efficiency? I usually get 80% and I am wondering if I should drop it a little bit.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Thinking about moving up to 11 gallons in the fermenter. How was your efficiency? I usually get 80% and I am wondering if I should drop it a little bit.

I don't really notice an efficiency hit on larger BIAB batches. but I don't track the numbers that closely. If the technique doesn't change, I would guess efficiency should remain constant. I wouldn't anticipate appreciable efficiency losses.

 

[Orange606]

I recent moved from 5 to 10 gallon batches with my electric inverted keg system with recirculation. I went from full volume mash to partial volume mash with cold sparge. I maintained the same efficiency as with the 5 gal batches. It does feel much more rewarding to have 10 gal of wort at the end of brew day as apposed to 5.

 

[beernut70]

That's good to hear. I am going to 11 gallons so when I brew with my brother in-law we can split 5.5 gallons each. Think I am going to tr wilserbrewer method and max out my keggle just keep whatever water I need to make up on the side.

 

[ArcLight]

My only advice for 10 gallon BIAB is use a pulley.
I have one but for some reason (maybe I was temporarily insane) I didn't use it.
My grain bill was only 24 pounds, but when I lifted it out of the kettle, it was holding 4 gallons initially. I held it for while as it drains, spilling a little on me and out the sides.
Then, since I'm a glutton for punishment, I put the grain bag in a second 7.5 gallon pot, added 2.5 gallons, mixed it in, let it sit a few minutes, and repeated that process TWICE, to get to my final volume. I have the strength to lift that weight, but it's not something I care to repeat.
Moral of the story - use a pulley for 10 gallon batches

(I got around 75% efficiency, with a double crush that was set tightly). We'll see how well it attenuates.

 

[Orange606]

I agree with ArcLight, I had a double pulley system but added a winch for the 10 gal batches after the first run. It is a bit heavy but more importantly you need time to hang for sparge and drain.

 

[SDJay]

My only advice for 10 gallon BIAB is use a pulley.
I have one but for some reason (maybe I was temporarily insane) I didn't use it.
My grain bill was only 24 pounds, but when I lifted it out of the kettle, it was holding 4 gallons initially. I held it for while as it drains, spilling a little on me and out the sides.
Then, since I'm a glutton for punishment, I put the grain bag in a second 7.5 gallon pot, added 2.5 gallons, mixed it in, let it sit a few minutes, and repeated that process TWICE, to get to my final volume. I have the strength to lift that weight, but it's not something I care to repeat.
Moral of the story - use a pulley for 10 gallon batches

(I got around 75% efficiency, with a double crush that was set tightly). We'll see how well it attenuates.

Another option is to split the grain bill between two bags. I do 5 gallon batches on stove top with 10 gallon Blichmann kettle. SWMBO not keen on installing pulley system over stove in kitchen, so I use two bags, which makes lifting wet grain much more manageable.

 

[msa8967]

What I do for larger 8-10 gallon batches is use a 2 bucket system to help drain the bag. I take one 5 gallon white plastic paint bucket and drill holes in the bottom. This bucket is placed into a regular unaltered bucket and then the grain bag is set into the drilled bucket so I don't have to hold it. You can also put a metal oven grate over your brew kettle and placed the drilled bucket on top of this grate for sparging directly into the brew kettle.