Questions on my first BIAB brew

[Coastalbrew]

Hi all,
This is my first post. Apologies for the noobie-itis.

I've been brewing with extract and steeping grains for the past couple of years and am super stoked to do my first BIAB brew. I have chosen to do the Rye Brown Ale recipe described in Chancellor Hellmann's article, here. I have been doing allot of research about BIAB technique and methodology, but am having some trouble finding a calculator or formula to assist me in determining the volume of strike water I need for my mash. I'm sure there is a thread that talks about this in length, so if anyone can point me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it. From my research I am figuring that with the 12.75# grain bill in this recipe, I will need somewhere in the vicinity of 6.5 to 7 gal of strike water to end with 5 gallons in my fermenter?

Also, is it worth the extra time to do a modified sparge and either dunk sparge the grains or pour some sparge water over the bag as it drains into the kettle? If so how much sparge water should be used? The recipe calls for no sparge, but I have seen a wide range of opinions on efficiency, so I thought I would ask for some first hand expertise for myself. Hope I'm not opening too big a can of worms with that one.

I plan to brew next week, so any additional tips, pointers, or insight would be much appreciated.

Thanks and Cheers!

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

Hi all,
This is my first post. Apologies for the noobie-itis.

I've been brewing with extract and steeping grains for the past couple of years and am super stoked to do my first BIAB brew. I have chosen to do the Rye Brown Ale recipe described in Chancellor Hellmann's article, here. I have been doing allot of research about BIAB technique and methodology, but am having some trouble finding a calculator or formula to assist me in determining the volume of strike water I need for my mash. I'm sure there is a thread that talks about this in length, so if anyone can point me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it. From my research I am figuring that with the 12.75# grain bill in this recipe, I will need somewhere in the vicinity of 6.5 to 7 gal of strike water to end with 5 gallons in my fermenter?

Also, is it worth the extra time to do a modified sparge and either dunk sparge the grains or pour some sparge water over the bag as it drains into the kettle? If so how much sparge water should be used? The recipe calls for no sparge, but I have seen a wide range of opinions on efficiency, so I thought I would ask for some first hand expertise for myself. Hope I'm not opening too big a can of worms with that one.

I plan to brew next week, so any additional tips, pointers, or insight would be much appreciated.

Thanks and Cheers!

Now that I have a big enough pot to do single vessel beers that are higher gravity, what I do is make a regular thickness mash of 1.5 Qt. strike water per pound of grain. It is important that the grain be twice crushed at the LHBS or whatever size people who have their home crushers set to for BIAB. I have the LHBS twice crush my grain. I do a single batch sparge and get 75% efficiency. The single batch sparge also hits the numbers I expect. I use this calculator to get my strike and sparge water amounts. The way I do my sparge is to heat water in my old smaller pot then submerge the extracted grain slowly so it doesn’t spill over, then I mix it and remove to drain. I don’t squeeze because anecdotally I feel that will lead to a cloudier beer.

http://www.brew365.com/mash_sparge_water_calculator.php

 

[wilserbrewer]

Rye is a small hard kernel and more difficult to crush than barley....I would be more concerned of that then whether you choose to sparge or not.

Some LHBS set the mill on the loose side, and if this is the case the rye may pass unscathed....my 2 fwiw

Some prefer to crush rye and wheat, both smaller harder huskless grains at a much tighter setting, or better yet imo in a corona mill.

My suggestion would be to crush your rye separately so you can visually confirm an acceptable level of crush....

 

[brew703]

I do full volume BIAB. Well almost full volume. Since I moved to brewing 5.75 gal (into fermenter) I hold back 2 gallons during the mash as my 10 gal kettle is maxed out when the grains are added. Once the mash is complete I'll either add in the two gallons by pouring over the grains while hanging or just pour into the kettle. I am also one who squeezes the bag. I generally go with 8.6 gal strike water, which gets me 5.75 gal into fermenter then 5 gal to keg. My boil off is typically 1 gal/hr. I do not sparge.
As for grains, I agree with the above regarding rye. You can have your LHBS package the rye separately and add that to a food processor. That's what I do with wheat. I get it almost to corn meal consistency.
Check out priceless brewing. Great calculator for calculating strike water.
https://pricelessbrewing.github.io/BiabCalc/#Advanced

 

[LittleRiver]

...Chancellor Hellmann's article...

That was a nice article, I'd like to try his Brown recipe. Be aware that other folks are getting results that run counter to what he is saying about efficiency. Plenty of people, myself included, are getting low to mid 80's efficiency without a sparge.

The main variable is how finely the grain is crushed. Make it a priority to get your own grain mill as soon as you can. The Cereal Killer for $99 (shipping included) is a great deal.

...having some trouble finding a calculator or formula to assist me in determining the volume of strike water...

I'll add my vote for the Priceless calculator. It will give you more information than you really need, but it's easy to pick out the bits you do need. For me that is typically the starting volume, post boil volume (at 212F), chilled volume, and strike temp. I put a piece of masking tape on my long brewing spoon and mark the starting, post boil, and chilled depths. That makes it easy to fill the kettle to the right volume, and to check progress during the brew.

...is it worth the extra time to do a modified sparge and either dunk sparge the grains or pour some sparge water over the bag as it drains into the kettle?...

If you don't have your own grain mill, a sparge is probably a good idea. The crush you get from a store is not going to be as fine as it needs to be for BIAB. Once you get a mill and set it to a fine crush (I use .025") you most likely won't need a sparge to hit or exceed recipe targets.

... any additional tips, pointers, or insight would be much appreciated....

If you can, rig an overhead lift point for hoisting the bag. It's one of the best things you can do to make your brew day more enjoyable. What I do is hoist the bag and immediately fire the burner for the boil, letting gravity drain the bag into the kettle during the boil. Some people squeeze the bag, but to me the 1.5 cups of liquid left in a fully drained bag is just not worth the effort.

If you haven't already done so, get yourself a brew bag made of swiss voile fabric, preferably one made to fit your kettle. Wilser makes a fine bag, he also sells a hoist kit that is very effective and inexpensive.

 

[myndflyte]

3rd vote for Priceless BIAB. I love that it gives you the height of the water and wort needed (assuming you put in your pot dimensions correctly) and it's been pretty spot on with the volume.

 

[Coastalbrew]

Thanks for the info everyone. I am heading to my local shop to pick up my ingredients shortly.

 

[NewJersey]

Isn't biab water volume as simple as adding strike and sparge from a recipe and that is your new strike volume? Am I missing something?

 

[tofuguy]

Isn't biab water volume as simple as adding strike and sparge from a recipe and that is your new strike volume? Am I missing something?

Yes, when going full volume. The process is easy. I personally take a couple point hit versus fly sparging, but quality of my beers don't suffer.

 

[NewJersey]

Yes, when going full volume. The process is easy. I personally take a couple point hit versus fly sparging, but quality of my beers don't suffer.

i don't understand why people sweat their efficiency at the homebrew level.
if you're consistently 70%, just adjust recipes for that and brew on, right?
I totally understand that some people just enjoy the "chase" for perfection, but if just turning out quality beer is the goal i don't comprehend.
1/2 lbs more 2 row is how much??

 

[tofuguy]

i don't understand why people sweat their efficiency at the homebrew level.
if you're consistently 70%, just adjust recipes for that and brew on, right?
I totally understand that some people just enjoy the "chase" for perfection, but if just turning out quality beer is the goal i don't comprehend.
1/2 lbs more 2 row is how much??

Agree completely, I don't mind spending $1-$2 extra in grain. I also get around 70% with LHBS mill. My wife refuses to let me spend money on a mill when there is a free one to use there. I am able to adjust the gap setting in it, so I cannot complain.

 

[NewJersey]

Agree completely, I don't mind spending $1-$2 extra in grain. I also get around 70% with LHBS mill. My wife refuses to let me spend money on a mill when there is a free one to use there. I am able to adjust the gap setting in it, so I cannot complain.

Lol, same. My lhbs is a 2 minute drive from my house. I can call in my grain bill and go pick it up 20 minutes later. I have never milled anything myself.
One day if they close I will buy a mill. Maybe.
There's also the online shops that will mill and ship.

 

[4of7]

i don't understand why people sweat their efficiency at the homebrew level.
if you're consistently 70%, just adjust recipes for that and brew on, right?
I totally understand that some people just enjoy the "chase" for perfection, but if just turning out quality beer is the goal i don't comprehend.
1/2 lbs more 2 row is how much??

I am not a "Beer Troll". You right, it is about the art of the brew...I have never taken OG or FG.

 

[RM-MN]

Lol, same. My lhbs is a 2 minute drive from my house. I can call in my grain bill and go pick it up 20 minutes later. I have never milled anything myself.
One day if they close I will buy a mill. Maybe.
There's also the online shops that will mill and ship.

Count yourself as very lucky. The closest LHBS to me that has a grain mill is 125 miles away. I don't really count that as a LHBS.

 

[4of7]

i don't understand why people sweat their efficiency at the homebrew level.
if you're consistently 70%, just adjust recipes for that and brew on, right?
I totally understand that some people just enjoy the "chase" for perfection, but if just turning out quality beer is the goal i don't comprehend.
1/2 lbs more 2 row is how much??

Some will chase ,. Some will be chased... it's a wicked brew the mead I need