Whether or not a "mash out" ( most homebrewers don't do a true mash out) will increase your efficiency depends on what conversion efficiency you're getting. If it's low, raising the temp at the end of the mash will help further gelatinize starches and may increase your efficiency. If your conversion efficiency is high, raising the temp won't help much, if at all.
I have already brewed using my BIAB system. I got 65% efficiency, but didnt mash-out. Can anyone tell me what it is exactly for (the mashing out) and how much it can increase my efficiency?
Thanks.
Do not always expect 80+% with BIAB. From my experience the efficiency you obtain will be effected by the FG of the beer. I recently did a RIS with FG of 1.106 and got only around low 60s%. For low gravity beers I expect 80+%.
I believe sparging to be more important than mashout with BIAB. But since it takes no more effort to raise the temperature for a mashout I always do it.
From my experience the efficiency you obtain will be effected by the OG of the beer. I recently did a RIS with FG of 1.106 and got only around low 60s%. For low gravity beers I expect 80+%.
I also tea bag. But you will get better efficiency if you squeeze the bag, and then place it in a pot with some water for a few minutes, just to further dissolve sugars into the water. This is especially true with higher gravity beers, such as the MidWest Bourbon Barrel Old Ale.
Why does it have to be a seperate pot with water? How about after squeezing, putting the mash bag back in the oiriginal pot? Doesnt that help to increase efficiency too?
No. Because the water doesn't have sugars in it to "stick" back on the grain. You want to rinse the grain of all of the sugars you can, not just submerge it in a sugary solution.
Just like when you use a washing machine. You drain the soapy water, and then rinse and agitate with clean water. You can't rinse effectively in the same solution.
I hope that makes sense.
+No. Because the water doesn't have sugars in it to "stick" back on the grain. You want to rinse the grain of all of the sugars you can, not just submerge it in a sugary solution.
Just like when you use a washing machine. You drain the soapy water, and then rinse and agitate with clean water. You can't rinse effectively in the same solution.
I hope that makes sense.
+
Yooper, do me a favour please and tell me what is the grain/water ratio for this type of rinsing of the grains? Thanks.
It doesn't matter. You can use as much as you need to reach your boil volume. You can even go without a sparge, but it does increase efficiency a bit.
If you have, say, 5 gallons of runnings after the mash with the BIAB, and you want to start with 6.5 gallons for your boil, you can use as little as 1.5 gallons so that you have the boil volume you need.
I'm not any sort of expert on BIAB, but I think many BIABers mash with the full volume and skip the sparging step if their pot is big enough.
It doesn't matter. You can use as much as you need to reach your boil volume. You can even go without a sparge, but it does increase efficiency a bit.
If you have, say, 5 gallons of runnings after the mash with the BIAB, and you want to start with 6.5 gallons for your boil, you can use as little as 1.5 gallons so that you have the boil volume you need.
I'm not any sort of expert on BIAB, but I think many BIABers mash with the full volume and skip the sparging step if their pot is big enough.
Sorry to bother you with more questions...but there is one more thing I'd like to understand. For this "clean water and the mash bag" idea...what temperature shall I use? The mash or mash-out temperature?
Secondly, If you do sparge (or mash out) it is a generally considered a bad idea to do so about 170F as it can extract tannins from the grains that are usually considered undesirable in beer.
I very much agree with all of your post but this. As long as the pH is OK, going above 170 produces very little risk of tannin extraction. If going above 170 was a problem in itself, then anyone who did a decoction mash would end up with undesirable tannins.
IF your pH is high and IF you go above 170, you MAY risk tannin extraction. Maybe that's what you're recalling?
Good point. You are exactly right. As soon as I read it I remembered learning that somewhere else once also. Now I just have to figure out what it is about 170F that sticks in my head.
A few things to add. . .
If I were to BIAB I would likely go for full volume mash (adjusting the grain bill if needed to compensate for efficiency) and at the end of my mash I would raise the temp of the whole kettle to 168 (stirring while I did it). At that point I'd pull the grains and let them drip into the kettle until the boil started. At that point I would discard the grain.
I did extract brewing when I started and 170F was the magic number to not go above when steeping the specialty grains due to risk of tannin extraction.
Doesn't tannin extraction have something to do with volume of the grains? With the small amount of steeping grains used in extract, I always thought that was the reason it was easier to have tannins produced when going over 170?
I did extract brewing when I started and 170F was the magic number to not go above when steeping the specialty grains due to risk of tannin extraction.
Doesn't tannin extraction have something to do with volume of the grains? With the small amount of steeping grains used in extract, I always thought that was the reason it was easier to have tannins produced when going over 170?
...
It also would indicate that draining and squeezing the bag only increases volume not efficiency. ...
I have also found that even ghetto sparge seems to result in less residual sugar left in the grain.Later on take mash 15 pounds in 6 gallons, pull out the bag, squeeze/drain, then put it in 2 gallons of water for 5 minutes, while stirring, pull out the bag, squeeze, and add in the runnings, and take a reading. I'll bet you the 2nd wort has a lot more sugar, even though both are around 6.5 gallons.
I don't agree. If you squeeze you get more volume with sugar in it. Same for sparging. You can then evaporate this water and end up with a higher OG.
Squeezing + sparging give you more total sugar, though the sparge wort is weaker than the main wort. Which is why I don't mash in all the water, and instead hold some back.
Using BIAB take 15 pounds of grain and mash in 8 gallons. Then raise teh bag and take a reading.
Later on take mash 15 pounds in 6 gallons, pull out the bag, squeeze/drain, then put it in 2 gallons of water for 5 minutes, while stirring, pull out the bag, squeeze, and add in the runnings, and take a reading. I'll bet you the 2nd wort has a lot more sugar, even though both are around 6.5 gallons.
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