wilserbrewer BIAB bags

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I just want to chime in here by saying that, if it weren't for BIAB (and wilser and his bags, in particular), I don't think I'd have gotten three years deep into brewing. There's no way I'd have ever continued with the hobby - or at least gone all-grain - should I have needed to go the way of a tiered, gravity- or pump-driven system with all kinds of valves and tubes and the like. Not only would it have frustrated the hell out of me, but also the little lady would almost certainly have had more than a few cross words with me by this point! :drunk:
 
Wilser bags are the only kind that I will use in all of my kettles. They wear like iron and mine get used hard with large grain bills. Their customer service is top notch.
 
I have a Wilser bag as well and have 40+ brews. I loosen the draw string enough to stretch the top of the bag over the handles of my kettle and tighten it up. I do on occasion turn on the heat if the temps drop more than 3 degrees during the mash. If i do that, i stir constantly to avoid scorching the bottom.
To this date, i do not have any seam separation.
FWIW, i also used to mash out but stopped as i didn't see any benefit.
 
Wilser, what's the best way to repair small holes? Maybe 1/8-1/4". My dumb a$$ forgot to make sure my big 20 gal bag was clear of the temp probe when I started hoisting and (several brews later 🤘) is starting to show wear and some grains are getting out. I want to fix it before it gets any bigger. Love the bag and your simple loop of cord is the best simple and most effective brew hack I've used. You should just ship every bag with a loop! Thank you again sir for making an awesome brewing product 🍻
 
I’ll say same thing for wilser bags, they’re great

But this one could have been defective and “if it is” he should stand behind it
 
jalc6927 said:
I’ll say same thing for wilser bags, they’re great

But this one could have been defective and “if it is” he should stand behind it
Click to expand...

Thanks for the compliment and concern, as mentioned above, repair / replace was offered to both above users. I think the issue is so minor neither have taken me up on this offer.

As also mentioned above, I stand behind my work far more than other bag makers.

Buy a "Brew Bag" for 30-50% more $$$ and put a rip in it, they give you a forever stamp and a piece of voile to patch the bag yourself....gee thanks.

I have actually repaired a Wilser bag and also reluctantly repaired my competitions brand "Brew Bag" for one of my customers...how about that...
 
Not a fan of keggles for BIAB, but due to popular demand we have come up with a shape that works well to compensate for the smaller top opening, yet still provide ample room for a full volume mash.
IMG_0415.jpg
 
Since buying a grain mill I am now taking full advantage of my Wilser bag by crushing finer than I was getting from my LHBS. I don't fret about efficiency numbers but the mill gave me a better crush and the Wilser bag kept the fine stuff out of the kettle plus I was hitting my desired OG without just upping the grain.

At first glance I thought that keggle bag was a diaper.
 
jsmith32 said:
I ordered a couple of voile BIAB bags from wilserbrewer earlier this week and had a chance to use one for the first time this evening.

I can't believe I waited this long to get these kind of bags. Not only do they let in far less husk material than the nylon bags that I had been using, but they drain surprisingly well too.

Here's a picture of the bag in use:
Click to expand...

Very cool & thanks for the pix. I just purchased one.
 
LostHopper said:
Since buying a grain mill I am now taking full advantage of my Wilser bag by crushing finer than I was getting from my LHBS. I don't fret about efficiency numbers but the mill gave me a better crush and the Wilser bag kept the fine stuff out of the kettle plus I was hitting my desired OG without just upping the grain.

At first glance I thought that keggle bag was a diaper.
Click to expand...

Yes the finer bag keeps a lot the trub out of my fermenter that i was dealing with when I used paint strainer bags
 
wilserbrewer said:
Not a fan of keggles for BIAB, but due to popular demand we have come up with a shape that works well to compensate for the smaller top opening, yet still provide ample room for a full volume mash. View attachment 548398
Click to expand...

Not a fan due to the smaller opening? I have a couple kegs i was thinking about cutting out the top of one with a plasma cutter here at work, for 10 gallon biab, not that I would do a lot of 10 gallon batches but would be nice to have the option
 
Rhaop said:
Not a fan due to the smaller opening? I have a couple kegs i was thinking about cutting out the top of one with a plasma cutter here at work, for 10 gallon biab, not that I would do a lot of 10 gallon batches but would be nice to have the option
Click to expand...

Ok just my opinion but it is also shared by others, I just don’t think keggles make good boil kettles for several reasons.

1. Smaller opening makes BIAB difficult, also cleaning is more difficult.
2. Kegs are heavy and a ***** to move about clean etc... a nice tool is light and easy to use imo.
3. The bottom chine on a keg is a heat sink and will heat up to near red hot on a burner and is a hazard that will brand a thigh black if not careful...ouch. A kettle stays at 212 degrees max. I have a hunch that heating a keggle is thermally inefficient and uses more propane due to the bottom chine and the greater mass, just a hunch.
4. A keg is worth $50 at the redemption site, a shiny new 15 gal concord kettle is $90 shipped to your door with lid.
5. For ten gallon batches, a shiny new 20 gallon SS kettle is $103 shipped. A 15 gal keggle is really to small to BIAB a true 10 gallon batch.

My opinion would be to sell a keg or two, and buy a shiny new 20 gallon kettle if you want to do 10 gallon batches. Or keep one keg and use it as a fermenter.

I just feel that the effort of hacking the top off a wonderful vessel for kegging and serving to make a marginal boil kettle is a waste....for what $40 savings.

Some love keggles, perhaps they have never used a purpose built kettle idk.

Perhaps some think keggles look cool all commercial brewery like and don’t mind the shortcomings I see...idk

Jmo
 
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wilserbrewer said:
Ok just my opinion but it is also shared by others, I just don’t think keggles make good boil kettles for several reasons.

1. Smaller opening makes BIAB difficult, also cleaning is more difficult.
2. Kegs are heavy and a ***** to move about clean etc... a nice tool is light and easy to use imo.
3. The bottom chine on a keg is a heat sink and will heat up to near red hot on a burner and is a hazard that will brand a thigh black if not careful...ouch. A kettle stays at 212 degrees max. I have a hunch that heating a keggle is thermally inefficient and uses more propane due to the bottom chine and the greater mass, just a hunch.
4. A keg is worth $50 at the redemption site, a shiny new 15 gal concord kettle is $90 shipped to your door with lid.
5. For ten gallon batches, a shiny new 20 gallon SS kettle is $103 shipped. A 15 gal keggle is really to small to BIAB a true 10 gallon batch.

My opinion would be to sell a keg or two, and buy a shiny new 20 gallon kettle if you want to do 10 gallon batches. Or keep one keg and use it as a fermenter.

I just feel that the effort of hacking the top off a wonderful vessel for kegging and serving to make a marginal boil kettle is a waste....for what $40 savings.

Some love keggles, perhaps they have never used a purpose built kettle idk.

Perhaps some think keggles look cool all commercial brewery like and don’t mind the shortcomings I see...idk

Jmo
Click to expand...

All great and valid points, right now one of the kegs is used as a brew stand, the other one I should probably sell off and buy another corny [emoji482]
 
jsmith32 said:
I ordered a couple of voile BIAB bags from wilserbrewer earlier this week and had a chance to use one for the first time this evening.

I can't believe I waited this long to get these kind of bags. Not only do they let in far less husk material than the nylon bags that I had been using, but they drain surprisingly well too.

Here's a picture of the bag in use:
Click to expand...
jsmith32 said:
I ordered a couple of voile BIAB bags from wilserbrewer earlier this week and had a chance to use one for the first time this evening.

I can't believe I waited this long to get these kind of bags. Not only do they let in far less husk material than the nylon bags that I had been using, but they drain surprisingly well too.

Here's a picture of the bag in use:
Click to expand...
 
TANSTAAFB said:
Wilser, what's the best way to repair small holes? Maybe 1/8-1/4". My dumb a$$ forgot to make sure my big 20 gal bag was clear of the temp probe when I started hoisting and (several brews later 🤘) is starting to show wear and some grains are getting out. I want to fix it before it gets any bigger. Love the bag and your simple loop of cord is the best simple and most effective brew hack I've used. You should just ship every bag with a loop! Thank you again sir for making an awesome brewing product 🍻
Click to expand...

For those interested in the "hack" mentioned here i will save you a lot of time looking for it and posting a shortcut here. It took me going a couple pages back from the end and the beginning to realize of course it has to be right in the middle pages forcing me to look through essentially all the history to find it. Post #249 in this thread.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/wilserbrewer-biab-bags.441854/page-7#post-6899052

This post lists all 3 methods for hoisting the bag
 
Gravelscratcher said:
Love my bag. Glad I went w/ a Wilser. I really like the drawstring, and it's easy to hoist.
Click to expand...

Try taking a small loop of cord and making a prusik hitch around the bag, just above the grains, and use that as your hoist attach point (instead of the drawstring). It works great, and it lets you put your attachment point wherever you want it to be.
 
Yea, Wilser gave me the cord w/ my package. It said on his little paper, that he preferred to hoist it w/ the drawstring, so I figured I'd go w/ that. I'll probably use the cord he provided next time, to shorten it all up some, and keep the pulley lower.
 
Gravelscratcher said:
Yea, Wilser gave me the cord w/ my package. It said on his little paper, that he preferred to hoist it w/ the drawstring, so I figured I'd go w/ that. I'll probably use the cord he provided next time, to shorten it all up some, and keep the pulley lower.
Click to expand...

Wilser said he preferred what???
Lol

I may have said using the drawstring is easiest, but never said “preferred”.

Using the loop of cord in a prusik fashion keeps the pulley lower and accessible.

Try it, easy and works well.

As for dough balls, when you stir the mash, I like to stir from the bottom in an upward fashion, any dough balls will surface briefly and you know more stirring is needed.
 
wilserbrewer said:
Wilser said he preferred what???
Lol

I may have said using the drawstring is easiest, but never said “preferred”.

Using the loop of cord in a prusik fashion keeps the pulley lower and accessible.

Try it, easy and works well.

As for dough balls, when you stir the mash, I like to stir from the bottom in an upward fashion, any dough balls will surface briefly and you know more stirring is needed.
Click to expand...
Ha ha...will do.
Great bag, and I appreciate the shipping/service.
Really like the drawstring design...snugs it up nicely around the kettle.
 
Last edited:
LittleRiver said:
Try taking a small loop of cord and making a prusik hitch around the bag, just above the grains, and use that as your hoist attach point (instead of the drawstring). It works great, and it lets you put your attachment point wherever you want it to be.
Click to expand...
That hitch looks like a super larks head, extra wraps to get better grip. I'm going to give it a shot around the shop/ yard.
 
Just got my bag and pulley in the mail the other day and can't wait to use it. Shipped out the same day I ordered and fits my kettle perfectly.

Can't believe I didn't see the Christmas special he was running. Would have definitely jumped on that.:(
 
aaron_m said:
Just got my bag and pulley in the mail the other day and can't wait to use it. Shipped out the same day I ordered and fits my kettle perfectly.

Can't believe I didn't see the Christmas special he was running. Would have definitely jumped on that.:(
Click to expand...
I missed the Christmas special by a day also but no big deal... my bag was also shipped immediately the next day after I ordered it. I plan on using it for the first time this weekend and will probably post results of my first BIAB in that section later. Looking forward to see if I can distinguish any differences from all my years extract brewing.
 
camonick said:
I missed the Christmas special by a day also but no big deal... my bag was also shipped immediately the next day after I ordered it. I plan on using it for the first time this weekend and will probably post results of my first BIAB in that section later. Looking forward to see if I can distinguish any differences from all my years extract brewing.
Click to expand...
Oh, you will notice a difference for sure.
 
How are these bags for straining wort? To this point, I have always just poured everything from the kettle into the fermenter. I'd like to try straining out the trub to see if it makes a difference.

Can I line the fermenting bucket with a Wilser bag, spray with Star San, pour in the wort, then lift the bag out of the bucket? Or is the bag too fine, and it would strain out some things that I want to keep in the fermenter?
 
You'll get hop material, for sure, but the coagulationalistic bits will (A) seep through until they (B) clog the bag completely with the smaller hop dustishly bits.

I've tried exactly what you suggest. No worky for me. Not worth the horrid mess at the very end of the brew day. Same happens when I use a double strainer like theeees.

I just pour it all in to the bucket and go.
 
balrog said:
You'll get hop material, for sure, but the coagulationalistic bits will (A) seep through until they (B) clog the bag completely with the smaller hop dustishly bits.

I've tried exactly what you suggest. No worky for me. Not worth the horrid mess at the very end of the brew day. Same happens when I use a double strainer like theeees.

I just pour it all in to the bucket and go.
Click to expand...
I use a strainer like that at flameout to collect as much hop debris as possible. My kettle has a mesh covered drain manifold, similar to a mash tun, around the bottom perimeter. I do a spoon whirlpool to concentrate the remaining gunk in the center, then pump through a 50 ft cfc to my fermenter. I've never (yet) had a clog, and the beer is good.

Cleanup is easy for me, because I have five acres of mostly woods, and plenty of garden hose. I can see how it would be a much bigger problem in a city dwelling.
 
Carolina_Matt said:
How are these bags for straining wort? To this point, I have always just poured everything from the kettle into the fermenter. I'd like to try straining out the trub to see if it makes a difference.

Can I line the fermenting bucket with a Wilser bag, spray with Star San, pour in the wort, then lift the bag out of the bucket? Or is the bag too fine, and it would strain out some things that I want to keep in the fermenter?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I tried this recently also with a paint strainer bag. It plugged up with fine particles and then I had to try and figure out how to get past that obstacle without contaminating the wort. Squeezing the bag with my reasonably clean hands did not seem like a wise option but I was tempted.

I have done this successfully with smaller beers in the past and just pressed the stuck wort through the bag with a sanitized stir spoon putting the bag between the side of the bucket and the spoon. This time it was an imperial stout with a lot of fine suspended particles. The stuff that plugs it up and wont go through the bag is what ever separates out in the cold break. There was not a lot of hops in this brew. This time I had at least 2 gallons or wort from a three gallon batch stuck in the bag that would not drain through.
 
Next time I'm in the market for a bag, I'd definitely be interested in a Wilser. My only question would be with no handles, how can you use a pulley for draining big grain bills?
 
wilserbrewer said:
You say “big grain bills”?
What do you have in mind?
Perhaps ask this guy...@ 285 lbs :)
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/145-gallon-biab-yes-145-gallon.483965/

Kidding aside, several methods to attach to a hoist....
Simplest method is to attach to the draw cord, one attachment point vs four....pick the method that suits you very simple
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/biab-hoisting-with-a-ratchet-pulley-rev-1.623808/
Click to expand...
Gotcha. Thanks!
 
InspectorJon said:
Yeah, I tried this recently also with a paint strainer bag. It plugged up with fine particles and then I had to try and figure out how to get past that obstacle without contaminating the wort. Squeezing the bag with my reasonably clean hands did not seem like a wise option but I was tempted.

I have done this successfully with smaller beers in the past and just pressed the stuck wort through the bag with a sanitized stir spoon putting the bag between the side of the bucket and the spoon. This time it was an imperial stout with a lot of fine suspended particles. The stuff that plugs it up and wont go through the bag is what ever separates out in the cold break. There was not a lot of hops in this brew. This time I had at least 2 gallons or wort from a three gallon batch stuck in the bag that would not drain through.
Click to expand...
Squeeze away. I still pour chilled wort through a sanitized 5g paint strainer bag, then with clean hands I've dunked in starsan, squeeze all the sweet juices from the bag into my bucket fermenter. Sometimes it adds a half gallon or more. If nothing else, it aerates my wort. It's never caused ne an infection.

You can also squeeze the paint strainer bag against the inside of the fermenter with your sanitized brew spoon. I do this in my BMB due to the narrower neck.

Other times I just pour it all in, break material and all, especially if I do not plan on harvesting the yeast.
 

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