First biab today

[bigmike99]

So I brewed biab for the first time today after about 8 extract batches. Went pretty smoothly (I thought) until I took my gravity reading after cooling the wort to about 78' and it was 1.038. It was supposed to be about 1.055.

Pretty sure my problem was reading too many ways people go about their draining, sparging, etc. I used my pulled to have the grain drain for about 30 min and did a bit a pushing on the grain to help it drain at the end of the 30 min. I'm guessing it wasn't enough and that's why I ended up so off.

Also I've read where a wheat heavy bill is tough efficiency wise. Grains were crushed really well by AIH.

Overall I'm super happy with how it went even with the miss. I think worst case i have a session summer wheat. Can't wait to brew again.

 

[ThatGeekGuy]

Welcome to BIAB, you'll get better with each batch as you understand your system. If you had your LHBS crush your grains, make sure to get a double crush, and possibly up your total grain bill a bit. If you're doing a 60 minute mash, go to 90 and pick up a few points as well.

 

[bigmike99]

Saw the threads about mashing 90 instead of 60. Ill try that next time for sure. I asked for and confirmed the double crush. Like inside happy overall though.

 

[bigmike99]

Should I expect much of a taste difference with the batch or will it just be low abv?

 

[454k30]

I see you did a wheat beer. What percentage of you grain bill was wheat? I did a 100% wheat earlier this year and had lower than expected OG. I chalk it up to a couple of different things: the wheat didn't have a great crush. It wasn't bad just not great for BIAB. Second, I think the thermometer I was using was reading high; in other words, my kettle was cooler than I thought. Third, and this one is just my opinion, I think wheat is normally used as an adjunct and not a base grain. As a result I think wheat sits around the LHBS store for a while and gets a little old. I have noticed a difference between results depending on who I source my grain from. Try the same recipe from a different LHBS or online store and see what you get.

 

[Brew-Jay]

I've done about 8 BIAB brews so far and I've hit or exceeded expected OG every time but once. I attribute the low OG to a low mash temp. Like the previous poster my thermometer was off by 6 or 7 degrees. When I thought I was mashing at 152 it was really closer to 145. To top it off, I wasn't keeping an eye in it and the temp had dropped to 135 after an hour! I don't recall how much I missed OG by, but I learned my lesson that day. Calibrate your thermometer just to be on the safe side. I bet it runs a little high.

 

[bigmike99]

I actually think I was a little high on the mash temps. Should have been around 156 and I was closer to 166 for about half of the time. I really think the low gravity was from not getting all I could out of the mash by squeezing the hell out of it.
See what happens I guess. Thanks for the tips.

 

[JohnSand]

I've done three BIAB mashes, only one hit OG#. I think I was low on water in the first, came in way high. But I keep some LME handy to add to any batch that comes in low.
It will still be good beer.

 

[Mozart]

Congrats on the Summer Session Wheat!

Out of curiosity, what efficiency did you assume when calculating the recipe OG of 1.055?

It'll take time to dial in your process and equipment (written like someone who has his dialed-in already, but really doesn't), but I personally use a colander to drain and then do a 'tea bag' sparge. I've either hit or been about .002 under on my OG assuming a 65% efficiency.

Yes, I know there's room for improvement efficiency-wise, but thus far I'm ok with my 65%. I personally think it's more important to be consistent with one's efficiency than it is to maximize efficiency, as with consistency, one will more often obtain the intended result.

 

[bigmike99]

I'd have to double check my assumed efficiency but I think 70-75 was what beersmith was. I let the grains drain by hanging my steam basket above my pot for 30 min but gave it a squeeze or three only.

Ill make sure to keep some lme and dme on hand for my next batches.

 

[MTate37]

I've done three BIAB brews so far and love the process. My efficiency has been 64%, 75% and 86%. The biggest difference for me was a finer crush, stirring the hell out of the mash every fifteen minutes and squeezing the bag well. Put the bag on top of an oven rack on your pot and use two coffee mugs to push on the bag and you'll get a lot of wort out of the bag. The 90 minute mash helps as well. I see a lot of people comment that they like to sparge and mashout, but if I've hit my anticipated OG and volume I don't see any reason to add steps to make the brew day longer.

 

[Brew-Jay]

I've done three BIAB brews so far and love the process. My efficiency has been 64%, 75% and 86%. The biggest difference for me was a finer crush, stirring the hell out of the mash every fifteen minutes and squeezing the bag well. Put the bag on top of an oven rack on your pot and use two coffee mugs to push on the bag and you'll get a lot of wort out of the bag. The 90 minute mash helps as well. I see a lot of people comment that they like to sparge and mashout, but if I've hit my anticipated OG and volume I don't see any reason to add steps to make the brew day longer.

Your process sounds a lot like mine. I'll tell you though, with a good crush I bet you can reach anticipated OG at 75% efficiency in under an hour. I usually do a brief mash out before removing the bag then sparge with 2 gallons of 170° water to reach boil volume. The sparge helps get the last little sugars out without having to squeeze a lot. Mash pH might be another factor. That's my next focus.

 

[BadDeacon]

I have done a few BIAB. Recently realized my thermometers were off. Recalibrated before last batch. Mashed at 152 in 5 gal or water. grain bill was 9.75 lb. 8.75 base & 1 specialty.

I would have hit my numbers with a 4.5 gal batch.

I think I will start adding a lb of extra pale extract or bulking up the base malt by 20-25%.

 

[TangoHotel]

My first BIAB attempts were in the 60s. Now I have it up into the high 80s. I've been double crushing and squeezing the bejeesus out of the bag. Also I've been making longer times at 152, and sticking it there. Its great if you like high abv beers. But for whatever reason now I miss my OG by several points. (I like a stronger beer anyway, it's no biggie for me.) but when I make a helles hefeweizen, and I'm hitting 1.065 when it should be a 1.045 things can get hairy. My HH end at 6.5% Oh well. Welcome to BIAB.

 

[Brew-Jay]

My first BIAB attempts were in the 60s. Now I have it up into the high 80s. I've been double crushing and squeezing the bejeesus out of the bag. Also I've been making longer times at 152, and sticking it there. Its great if you like high abv beers. But for whatever reason now I miss my OG by several points. (I like a stronger beer anyway, it's no biggie for me.) but when I make a helles hefeweizen, and I'm hitting 1.065 when it should be a 1.045 things can get hairy. My HH end at 6.5% Oh well. Welcome to BIAB.

That's great. If you are consistently overshooting then you can actually reduce the grain bill. Go BiAB and save!

 

[TangoHotel]

That's great. If you are consistently overshooting then you can actually reduce the grain bill. Go BiAB and save!

I do when they're my recipe brews. If it's a kit, it's just higher abv.

 

[BlackGoat]

my efficiencies were low for my first few batches then I tried a new method of really getting everything out of the grain. I bought two homer buckets, drilled a bunch of small holes in one and stacked them inside each other, basically making a false bottom. After the mash in the kettle I put the grain bag into the buckets and let it drain on its own. Then I will push down like crazy on the grain bag using a lid to a stock pot that easily fits into the bucket. You can pour some heated or unheated sparge water over the grain bag after this to increase your efficiency a bit more. Really easy process, cost me about $8 in buckets. Good luck!

 

[Xantus954]

I did my first BIAB no sparge batch on saturday with Edworts Bavarian Hefeweizen. Ended up with 1.040 instead of 1.052. Mashed for 90 minutes

After re-reading the BIAB no sparge process from the sticky on the forums here I believe my issue was not doing the Mash out properly. I heated to 170, stirred for maybe a minute and pulled the bag and squeezed it. Suppose to let it sit for 10 minutes at that temp, I'm thinking thats my issue so I'll have to try it the right way next batch.

 

[Milan37]

I did my first BIAB no sparge batch on saturday with Edworts Bavarian Hefeweizen. Ended up with 1.040 instead of 1.052. Mashed for 90 minutes

After re-reading the BIAB no sparge process from the sticky on the forums here I believe my issue was not doing the Mash out properly. I heated to 170, stirred for maybe a minute and pulled the bag and squeezed it. Suppose to let it sit for 10 minutes at that temp, I'm thinking thats my issue so I'll have to try it the right way next batch.

I doubt your issue was due to your mash-out technique. Many brewers (including me) don't mash-out at all and hit the numbers just fine. I'd look more toward your crush first. Whatever you do, I'd only change one thing at a time--so either make your crush finer or mash-out for the full 10 minutes. But if you do both, you won't know which one fixed your issue.

 

[wilserbrewer]

As said above, look at yourcrush. Also, are you using a small bag in a large kettle? Are you using a steamer basket that is small for the kettle size with considerable volume under the basket?

JMO, I don't feel a mash out is needed.

 

[Weezy]

I think conventional wisdom is a mash out isn't worth much since we all immediately start boiling wort. There's no time in between for the enzymes to do anything else.

I recently did a batch with ~35% wheat and my efficiency dropped to about 65%.

The fine grind is a key recommendation imho.

Just keep plugging! Get a few batches under your belt to get comfortable with your process and equipment. See what you efficiency is like over a few batches. Once you're comfortable, I'd recommend doing the same recipe a few times in a row to test your consistency. You could even do smaller batches to save on the $$$.

good luck and have fun!

 

[Xantus954]

Thanks for the tips guys. I'm gonna try the recipe again when i move that one to keg next week. This time I'm changing a few things. I'm buying a steamer basket that will fit in my brew kettle, just for ease of lifting in and out of the kettle and draining the grain. Got messy with sitting it on an oven rack over the pot, and even though I have a bag from wilserbrewer and its very well made I dont want to risk it ripping open.

I added the grains while stirring and then didn't stir them again until the 90 minutes was up and I started the unnecessary mash out, and now I've read that you should stir vigorously every 15-20 minutes. My grains were single ground, I asked for double but the guy at the LHBS store immediately asked if I was doing BIAB and suggested a single grind. I also need a way to track efficiency and since my brewpot doesnt have a sightglass, i guess ill get a yard stick and measure gallon by gallon so I can track efficiency in future batches.

I already love that making an AG hefeweizen costs about 20 bucks in grain, and if I use some washed yeast that's a cheap batch of beer. Just gotta get the process down so I can hit my targets.

 

[BlackGoat]

the guy at the LHBS store immediately asked if I was doing BIAB and suggested a single grind.

My limited experience (and this is a very generalized statement) is that LHBS store staff haven't really embraced BIAB brewing and don't really understand it well. In a recent visit I actually had to explain what it was to the owner of my local store, seemed as though he thought it was just some variation of steeping grains w/extract. Stirring the grain during the mash should make a very noticeable difference in your efficiency, definitely give that a go.

 

[1MadScientist]

Pretty sure my problem was reading too many ways people go about their draining, sparging, etc. I used my pulle[y] to have the grain drain for about 30 min and did a bit a pushing on the grain to help it drain at the end of the 30 min. I'm guessing it wasn't enough and that's why I ended up so off.

Ah good, using a pulley. I use two pot lids to squeeze the bag when it's suspended over the kettle.

I really think the low gravity was from not getting all I could out of the mash by squeezing the hell out of it.

There is NOT any higher OG 'locked', gravity, inside the bag. What does help is to do a proper mash out at 170 F, this helps the sugars in the liquor to have the best viscosity to get released.

 

[BadDeacon]

I had problems w my efficiency recently too. I thinned out my mash and it helped a lot.

I have a standard turkey fryer setup.

Heated 5 gal water, mashed in at 150, held for 60 min stirring every 10 min, mashed out at 170 for 10 min. Than lifted basket and let drain over pot and sparged w 2 gal 170 water. Stores well and started boil.

I leave the basket hanging over pot for half the boil and let it drip while the boils going.

Pre boil hydro reading is 1.054 @ 80. Brewers friend calves efficiency at 89%!!!!

 

[BadDeacon]

Meant to include pic.

 

[wilserbrewer]

What does help is to do a proper mash out at 170 F, this helps the sugars in the liquor to have the best viscosity to get released.

Sorry man, I have a problem here...the sugars in the grain are plenty viscous at 150 vs. 170... just say no to mashout IMHO...cheers and respect!

 

[shjbrown]

I think the effects of using a strainer pot may reduce efficiency. When a bag is hung, the resultant compression of the grain helps drain the bag. This might be replicated by vigorous squeezing in the strainer, but likely not as effective.

 

[Milan37]

My limited experience (and this is a very generalized statement) is that LHBS store staff haven't really embraced BIAB brewing and don't really understand it well. In a recent visit I actually had to explain what it was to the owner of my local store, seemed as though he thought it was just some variation of steeping grains w/extract. Stirring the grain during the mash should make a very noticeable difference in your efficiency, definitely give that a go.

I had the same experience at the LHBS recently. I explained BIAB only to have the guy comment about squeezing the bag and releasing tannins. Seems that some LHBS lag behind the cutting-edge--online shops (NB, etc) are embracing BIAB but my local shops seem to be just now realizing it's a real method.

Also, I tried stirring every 15-20 minutes for my first couple batches, and then I stopped. I noticed no difference in efficiency. I mill my grains at home and always double-or-triple crush them. My previous batch I triple-crushed and got high-80's, today I double-crushed and got right around 80%. The crush has been the single biggest difference-maker for me when it comes to efficiency. But I would encourage everyone to try different things, one at a time, and see what works for their system.

 

[JohnSand]

While BIAB is well established among home-brewers, it apparently still isn't widely known or embraced in the business sectors. This summer I explained it to a professional nanobrewer.

 

[Catawampus]

You might want a little more temperature control with your mash...166 is pretty high. The enzymes denature at 170 (part of the reason for mashing out to "set" the profile of the beer). No doubt, they are beginning to go when you're approach the upper 160s. The higher amylase mashes usually end around 162. Most certainly, some of the beta's were dead as a door nail at this temperature.

I'm guessing this is either crush problems (which is actually by far the most common problem on this front), or the mash. I'd be shocked if that much gravity was locked in the bag. You'll get a little more from a nice hot mash-out, but I'd also bet not enough to make up your difference. I only point this out because I have BIAB'ed for years and my numbers rarely depend THAT much on methods of sparge, presence/absence of mashout, or method of squeezing the bag.

 

[iravansneak]

My first BIAB attempts were in the 60s. Now I have it up into the high 80s. I've been double crushing and squeezing the bejeesus out of the bag. Also I've been making longer times at 152, and sticking it there. Its great if you like high abv beers. But for whatever reason now I miss my OG by several points. (I like a stronger beer anyway, it's no biggie for me.) but when I make a helles hefeweizen, and I'm hitting 1.065 when it should be a 1.045 things can get hairy. My HH end at 6.5% Oh well. Welcome to BIAB.

Or add more water and have more beer.