Transition from BIAB to a cooler mash tun

[signpost]

So, an idea just popped in my head and I was wondering what you all might think of it.

I brew using the BIAB technique, both partial-mash and all-grain. I would love to move up to using a cooler as a mash tun, but being a full-time grad student limits the amount I can spend on new equipment. So, I can't buy the cooler, bulkhead, valve, and bazooka screen or false bottom all at once.

This got me thinking how I could do it in steps and realized I could maybe combine a BIAB technique with the traditional cooler mash tun technique. What if I just make a grain bag as big as the cooler? That way I could just buy the cooler and go for it, as is.

The bag would keep bits of grain from flowing through, so I wouldn't need the false bottom, bazooka screen, or other contraptions. I'm guessing the regular spout that comes on the cooler might not hold up, but it would probably work for one or two brews until I could get a valve installed, right?

What do you think?

And I promisse, I haven't had any homebrews yet this morning.

 

[BigJack]

Provided that your bag sits evenly on the bottom enough to let the grain bed set, I think you'd have the best of both worlds- good insulation, low cost, and easy clean-up.

 

[Vigilante]

My LHBS sells a small plastic valve for a few bucks which fits with cpvc (water safe pvc piping). This allowed me to build a cpvc manifold for my 10 gallon manifold for about 15-20 dollars. It works great, I have never had a stuck sparge even on beers that use 50% wheat, and it is super easy to clean. If you are interested in possibly going this route I could post some pictures for you.

 

[signpost]

My LHBS sells a small plastic valve for a few bucks which fits with cpvc (water safe pvc piping). This allowed me to build a cpvc manifold for my 10 gallon manifold for about 15-20 dollars. It works great, I have never had a stuck sparge even on beers that use 50% wheat, and it is super easy to clean. If you are interested in possibly going this route I could post some pictures for you.

I'm not sure I follow what you mean. Some pictures would probably clear it up, though.

 

[SpeedYellow]

You don't need the valve and bulkhead fitting, or an expensive bazooka screen. Just jam a tight-fitting tube through your existing cooler drain hole; it won't leak it it's a tight fit. And get a $2 plastic tubing valve from the LHBS. Add a cheap SS toilet-supply hose and that's about it. Just need a $1 copper tube fitting to join the tubing and SS hose. No need for anything too rigid here, mine are just sort of jammed together. I've done this problem-free for almost 20 years now.

 

[Joewalla88]

I was actually going to try this method for my next batch. I don't see why it wouldn't work.

 

[SpeedYellow]

Here's a pic of what I described above. Simple, cheap, and effective. The copper fitting has a slight bend, which helps to hold the tubing in place, which is just jammed inside it.

 

[Cider123]

With BIAB you mash right in the same kettle that you will boil in. With a banket wrapped around the kettle I rarely have the temp drop more than a few degrees over a 90 min mash. If it does drop I just fire up the burner that the kettle sits on for a min or two. No transferring, no sparging, less equipment and less fuss.
I'm not trying to convince people to switch to BIAB, but if you are already doing it, why do you feel the need to use a mash tun?
Are you having trouble maintaining mash temps?
Seems like your just making a simple process more complicated.

 

[signpost]

Is that plastic tubing valve easy to regulate if you want a slower/faster flow of wort?

 

[SpeedYellow]

Is that plastic tubing valve easy to regulate if you want a slower/faster flow of wort?

Yes, the plastic valve regulates flow extremely well, from a trickle to full flow and everywhere in between.

 

[Sock]

With BIAB you mash right in the same kettle that you will boil in. With a banket wrapped around the kettle I rarely have the temp drop more than a few degrees over a 90 min mash. If it does drop I just fire up the burner that the kettle sits on for a min or two. No transferring, no sparging, less equipment and less fuss.
I'm not trying to convince people to switch to BIAB, but if you are already doing it, why do you feel the need to use a mash tun?
Are you having trouble maintaining mash temps?
Seems like your just making a simple process more complicated.

^^^ This! I use a mash tun and BIAB seems just way too simple to not do. The only reason I don't is I'm already invested in the mash tun method.

 

[SpeedYellow]

I'm not too familiar with BIAB, but you don't have any ability to vorlauf, correct? (I.e. clarify the wort before fully draining it into the brew pot). This seems like a real disadvantage of BIAB to me, but I suppose I can't directly prove that running off cloudy wort hurts beer.

 

[beernut70]

I went from a cooler mash tun to BIAB and will never go back. A vorlaugh sets the grain bed so you don't get pieces of grain going into your kettle. That can't happen with a bag because it's too fine of material for that to happen. My beer finishes crystal clear in the keg without any finings. Even though there nothing wrong if a beer is a little cloudy.

I've seen some setups where they use a cooler with a bag. The cooler would hold the temp and the bag would make it easy to clean up. The only reason I could see using a cooler instead of just a bag in your kettle would be if your maxing out your kettle with grains.

 

[Cider123]

Vorlauf? Sounds like the name of some old USSR space satellite Vorlauf I

Yes, I know the process. But after removing the bag and boiling with whirlfloc, I chill then dump the whole damn thing into my fermentor. After 3 weeks the trub forms a compact cake which stays behind when I siphon into my keg. For the most part anyway. You know, trub ain't poison. I then chill and add gelatin for extra measure. It comes out clear.

 

[signpost]

With BIAB you mash right in the same kettle that you will boil in. With a banket wrapped around the kettle I rarely have the temp drop more than a few degrees over a 90 min mash. If it does drop I just fire up the burner that the kettle sits on for a min or two. No transferring, no sparging, less equipment and less fuss.
I'm not trying to convince people to switch to BIAB, but if you are already doing it, why do you feel the need to use a mash tun?
Are you having trouble maintaining mash temps?
Seems like your just making a simple process more complicated.

Well, I've done a fair number of decoction mashes, so I'm already adding some complications to my process.

But anyway, the reasons I want to step up to a mash tun are

1) with my current set up I can only handle about 9 lbs. of grain
2) a cooler mash tun would hold temperature better
3) I'd like to vorlauf to reduce trub to make it easier to save yeast from batch to batch

 

[SpeedYellow]

...
3) I'd like to vorlauf to reduce trub to make it easier to save yeast from batch to batch

Moving to a mash tun won't do it. You can remove trub even with BIAB by simply moving the wort to a settling vessel after cooling. I dump my chilled wort into a 6-gal bucket, leave for 30 minutes, then just pull the beer out of the spigot at the bottom, into the fermenter. Spigots are usually an inch or two up, enough to leave 0.5 gal or so of trub behind.

Does this make my beer better? Who knows, but my yeast cakes sure are clean!

 

[MindenMan]

signpost, I wonder, what is the size of your BK? I vorlauf using a Zapap tun set. If you don't know what a Zapap tun is, it is one 5 gallon inside another. The bottom bucket has a spigot, and the "top" bucket is drilled with holes in the bottom acting as a strainer for the grain.

 

[RM-MN]

^^^ This! I use a mash tun and BIAB seems just way too simple to not do. The only reason I don't is I'm already invested in the mash tun method.

That's what Craigslist is for. There is someone out there who wants a conventional mash tun setup and is willing to pay for one instead of building their own. :cross:

 

[beernut70]

Go for it. As stated already a vorlaugh won't make much difference with trub. Check out this video.

[ame="http://youtu.be/Vyz_zT_glDM"]http://youtu.be/Vyz_zT_glDM[/ame]

Just get a voile curtain from wal-mart about $5 and drape it inside the cooler you don't even need to sew it into a bag. Even if you don't have a pickup tube just pull the grains out in your bag and dump the wort into your kettle.

 

[SpeedYellow]

Go for it. As stated already a vorlaugh won't make much difference with trub. Check out this video.

Video Link: http://youtu.be/Vyz_zT_glDM

Just get a voile curtain from wal-mart about $5 and drape it inside the cooler you don't even need to sew it into a bag. Even if you don't have a pickup tube just pull the grains out in your bag and dump the wort into your kettle.

LoL!! I absolutely love the simplicity of this. So ghetto it's awesome. I like my toilet line setup, and I like the idea of being able to vorlauf, but the cost and simplicity of this rocks!