Where can I find the latest version of the BIABacus?

First post by BDP, 12 years ago

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Hi,

Is this the latest version of the BIABacus?

BIABacus PR1.3 - Blank.xls

Thanks,
Bryce

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Umm Rivvo,

You appear to be right, it seems to have been replaced by Google' s Quick office, not as easy to use as QuickOffice Pro HD, but it should work. I will have to make sure I don't accedently delete my installed version.

I was pinged by Microsoft a couple of weeks ago, MS office is finally coming to the iPad, soon, so that will help. But meanwhile check out QuickOffice.

I will keep checking

Yet Another Question About Grain Milling/Crushing

First post by milligan, 12 years ago

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Hey all, I know I have probably missed the answer to this question somewhere but I have been looking for some more information on the fine crush = astringency issue.

The best I have found thus far is peoples opinion on the matter that one may cause the other, and yet, I can't find an account of an experiment or practical experience with the issue.

So far what I do pick up is that excess tannins in your wort may be a result of time, temperature and or ph issues. I can't find any mention of...

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Milligan, accepting things as they are leads to very boring brews. My wife and I are both Virgos but she is of the it has to be black/white Ilk and I'm not . Though as an auto tech I am inclined to dig deep into the why it happened! But home brewing to me is more experimentation (which has lead to better brews) than actual book learning.

Loss of Temperature during fermentation

First post by listerthrawn, 12 years ago

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Hi guys,

I'm using an immersion heater to keep my fermenter to a constant temperature as it's in the garage. Unfortunately while I've been away with work a powercut has tripped the circuit breaker on it and the FV has gone cold. It went off on day 9 of the fermentation and I've switched it back on on day 11. The thermometer on my FV had it at 10C when I got to it.

What effect do you think this will have? I'm hoping it's not ruined it.

Chris

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Listerthrawn, Notty is a very versatile yeast. Don't stress , you should be fine. Notty temps off the top are from 50* -70 * F. If I remember. Worst case is fermentation might have slowed some but should be in the
clean up stages at 9 days. Notty usually is done in 3-7 days.

Calibrating Keggle Internal Height Question

First post by dkrolak, 12 years ago

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I am recalibrating my keggle volume after my first brew. I want to use the Biabacus Section V Headspace = Volume feature. After my first brew it seems easier to measure headspace. To accurately use the head space feature of Biabacus between which two points do I measure for the internal height to be inputted into Section B? I have a keg with a sunken (concave) bottom and a raised (convex)top. I referenced the following strand but I'm still unclear about internal height. Is Section B internal...

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Howdy dk ;),

In the BIABacus, you are always measuring, regardless of vessel, from the bottom centre.

As for height, one major reason the BIABacus wants height, is to throw a warning if you are filling your kettle too high or, worse still, over-flowing it. Keep things simple and regardless of where you cut the keg, measure your height up to where the top of the keg starts to turn inwards. You really don't want to be filling above that line anyway.

:peace:
PP

First biab & biabacus . Please Review Recipe.

First post by dkrolak, 12 years ago

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This is my first BIAB and I have deciding to brew a 5 gallon batch of LlodieP's Krispy Kolsch as explained in the the Master Guide. I downloaded the BIABACUS file and input my keggle dimensions and kettle shape volume and height adjustments.

Do I need to make any other adjustments to the Biabacus file?

I don't understand Section W the Full Volume Adjustment Section.

Thanks for your help

Equipment

Bayou Classic 55,000 btu
Boil Pot: Keggle w/ Height 48.5 Inner Diameter 39.5 Kettle Shape...

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Got to race (lucky for you guys :lol:) so I will hopefully be brief.

............

As Yettiman said, having a checklist can serve many brewers really well. I think the one here probably has about 80 lines in it from memory. (Needs revising as it has rehydrating yeast etc in it.) I definitely used a checklist (that one I linked actually) until things became innate/automatic for me. Getting things ready the day before also makes a real difference when you are starting out.

As a matter of...

2nd BIAB... but am I a BIABer?

First post by vanislander, 12 years ago

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I did my first BIAB on the 24th. Everything went pretty well, the only downside is during the 3 hour process I drank some beers. Well I drank enough beer that I forgot to take an OG reading before I pitched the yeast.

I'm looking to do another brew in a couple days but I have a question about the biabacus math and how it applies to my system

I'm working out of a 34L turkey fryer, which means to get a full batch I have to add water (~10L) after the mash. As luck would it, the fryer kit came...

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Hey thanks for replying Yettiman :thumbs:. But, it was not your job to reply, it was vanislander's.

The funny thing Yetti, is that if you hadn't bumped the thread, I would have never noticed that vanis hadn't replied - lol. I write so much, I hardly ever get time to back-track. I think/hope most people reply (90-95%???, and most of them well) so why didn't vanis reply here? God knows how much time I spent on this thread :smoke:. (Brewers who care too much :lol:. Faaaaarkkkkkk!)

A note to...

Bazooka Screen?

First post by Phog98, 12 years ago

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Hi everyone, I'm prepping for my first BIAB day, hopefully within two weeks. I just ordered me a 15 gallon kettle from Spike brewing...I'm pretty excited :-) I did get BV bulkhead and I just ordered a Bayou Classic Steam Basket to help with the grain bag (still need to order). This may be a dumb question, but will a simple $8 bazooka screen work for filtering the wort to fermentor? I was thinking it would especially since there wouldn't be a grain bed on it. I have a friend who can TIG weld...

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I upgraded to a 16 gallon Bayou Classic pot a while back that came with a Bazooka screen. I found for BIAB or partial mash it was worthless. Better off installing an elbow with a piece of pipe that touches the bottom and very outside of the pot. Then simply whirlpool when the wort is cooled and let sit for 10-15 minutes before filling fermentor. The bazooka screen (at least with my pot) was useless because it left so much wort in the brew pot.

33 litre grain bag in 50 litre pot

First post by andyisavinit, 12 years ago

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Hi fellow brewers. This is my first post other than the introduce yourself post.

I'm looking forward to reading more info on this what looks to be a very good site. thx to everyone for the biab info so far. :clap:

I'm planning a batch this weekend and have invested in a 50ltr stock pot. My first attemp at biab was in a 18litre pot, which ended up being a partial mash. Obviously I needed a lager pot! I think I've done the right thing in going for the 50 as I want to do full boil volumes. I...

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Hi Andy,

Glad you found a work around, but I am a little confused. I used BIABacus on a Mac quite a lot and have not found any real difference (speed wise). I have Office 2010 installed on both machines and run Mountain Lion on the Mac.

I do have a reasonably fast Mac with maximum ram and SSD drive, maybe that is the difference.

Still, I am glad you have a work around, BIABacus is well worth the effort. It truly is a great tool

Quick easy question re VIK temp

First post by yetiboy, 12 years ago

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My VIK is 52L at 100C, should this be entered into BIABacus as 52L or should I allow for shrinkage and enter it as 50L?
Thanks

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Looks like your last question passe us by Yeti :sad:.

Unless you wanted to use DME and more hops, I think the only way around a problem like that is to keep boiling until you get down to your proper pre-boil gravity and then start the clock. The only thing you could do to speed up the evaporation rate miught be to put a fan on it or something.

Hope you got it all sorted in the end.

How Did You Find the Registration Process?

• 1
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• 4

First post by BIABrewer, 16 years ago

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BIABrewer is very interested to get your feedback on the registration process you have managed to wade your way through.

Please let us know your thoughts on things like the following...

1. Was the time it took to go through the process worthwhile?
2. Did you cheat? :)
3. Did you learn anything?
4. What impression did it leave you about the site culture?
5. Should we change anything?

The site can't run to an optimum level without your feedback so we really thank you for spending a bit more of...

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1. Was the time it took to go through the process worthwhile?

It was a little lengthy but it certainly reinforced the importance of the culture this site strives for.

2. Did you cheat? :)

Nope

3. Did you learn anything?

Not about brewing in particular. More about the site.

4. What impression did it leave you about the site culture?

I got the impression that this site takes the provision of high quality BIAB information very seriously. It also left me wondering if I would have fun in the...

Brew Kettle and batch size

First post by nevets, 12 years ago

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OK, new BIAB here. After many years as a extract and partial mash brewer, time to step up to BIAB. My goal is to brew 10 gallon batches and split into two 5 gallon no-chill cubes. I have a 48 gallon kettle 20 ID and 36 tall. I was thinking on using a stainless chugger pump for transfer and to circulate mash water to help maintain uniform mash temperature. I don't think heating will be a problem but will try with water first. lifting the grain bag I can do too. Now before we even consider...

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Mally, thanks for the tip on the handles, I certainly will consider it. first big test is to see if I can reach boil. 5 gallons has not been a problem but it is a different kettle. we'll see this weekend and I will get some pics and post them here.
Thanks
Steven

Head space in fermenter

First post by no-more-peroni, 12 years ago

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Hello,

First brew this afternoon, really excited only done extract brews before. I have all the ingredients, the equipment the recipe. But I also have one question. I am brewing an ale with safale 04 and I have a 5L fermenter it is sort of bottle shaped. (Picture attached, I hope) My question is how much head space should I leave to be safe?

Any help would be really appreciated.

Graham

20140223_114254.jpg

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Hi NMP

Another option is a blow off tube. Goes into more detail and even has helpful diagrams. The rest of the site is worth reading to.

question on prolonged mash time

First post by schlitz, 12 years ago

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Morning all,
Looking to brew my first heavy this weekend. The Bob's Black Bear IPA sounded really good and I think I'm ready to tackle something with a little umph to it that I can let sit in the back of the basement and age. My question is regarding mash time. I normally do a 90 minute mash but I've got an idea on how I can save some time this weekend. I'm committed to attending a middle of the day birthday party on both Sat and Sun which will make it too hard to start a batch in the...

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I've given up on overnight mashes as I found they resulted in thinner beer, fine for some styles but not others. Now I always mash out before bed, pull bag and start boil in the morning. Did a mash last night and was pitching yeast at 9:30 this morning.

Sent from my XT890 using Tapatalk

Best kettle size?

First post by Shovel, 12 years ago

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I am getting ready to change over from extract to BIAB and it's apparent I need to upgrade my kettle to a larger size. ( i have a 5 and a 6 gallon now). Is fifteen gallons the optimum size or will a ten gallon kettle work good enough? I will mostly be brewing mid level beers with an occasional big belgian or barlywine thrown in to keep things interesting. I understand go big or go home but Fifteen gallons just seems like it might be too big or a hassle to work with on normal recipes plus its...

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Shovel,

I use the burner below. It has removable legs so that I can drain the pot into a no-chill cube. The added height makes it easier for me. It sounds like a jet taking off but it boils water quickly. I use a 15.5 gallon keggel but normally I just brew 5 gallon batches because I like variety. beeeeeerman You have to drink more and faster if you want variety, not smaller batches? Get your head on straight! :lol:

And still another first BIAB brew day

First post by schlitz, 12 years ago

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Hello all. Finally got the time to do my first AG BIAB batch over the weekend :pray:
The recipe was an 5 gallon AG kit from brewmasters warehouse (anonymous blond ale aka Centennial blonde ale). Seemed like a good straight forward kit to try as my first attempt at BIAB. I've been doing extract kits for a few years and generally liked the end product but they seemed to be lacking something. Also noticed that I couldn't seem to make lighter colored brews with the extracts and I wanted to have a...

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This has been a very entertaining post Schlitz.
Thanks for running it.
When I told a couple of Mates in Oklahoma this last September, that I was going to research out, and Brew my own Beer....
The first thing out of their mouths was Do you think you can make Bud Light ?
After looking upon them with disdain and explaining my plan, they left muttering something about Damn Yuppie Beer .
This is not a problem though, as they can pick-up their 6-Packs of swill from the Gas station before they come...

BIAB equipment check / advice & comments

First post by aridhol, 12 years ago

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Morning everyone, I am extremely new to brewing at home, having only done the boil part of the process at a you-brew store (they get the wort boiling, you add specialty grains, hops, moss, etc..)
I was inspired to start at home from tasting a friends home brew beer that was one of the best I've ever had.
I am seeking advice on equipment, batch sizes and a couple starting recipes.

My equipment:
-40L primary bucket (no lid, came in a kit and has a plastic sheet as a cap which my LHBS said should...

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Good catch JackRussel, that definitely is supposed to be 17c and 10 minutes for mashout. I corrected the EBC as well as they were all off.
The fermentation length I copied from the APA recipe linked in the forum here. No issues going longer if recommended.

at this point I think I only have a questions about a potential cheap fermentation vessel but probably not appropriate here.

Thanks to you and PP for the responses, I will try this on Thursday and let you know how it goes :)

Ball-Valves, Taps, Syphons, Pumps, Mills etc - Series

First post by PistolPatch, 12 years ago

When I was growing up, I often heard the phrase, And, it only has x moving parts!!!

I think, in brewing, we need to re-member (make whole) this most basic of principles. We have done it with BIAB (three vessels 're-membered' into one) but BIAB is just another method of making sweet liquor. There is much more to brewing.

Adding moving parts is often admired because it looks good and it looks sophisticated and it looks like fun. I have no problem with that at all. In fact, I love stuff like...

Single hop recipe recommendation and BIABacus question.

First post by schlitz, 12 years ago

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Howdy guys,
First the BIABacus question. In section M there is a pre-lauter gravity (PLG) efficiency input that I'm confused with . For this brew I just guessed and used the same gravity as GIK. (Just so I'm clear and perhaps actually learning something the GIK is the measure of how much of the theoretical sugars were actually extracted from the grains during the mash/ mashout process measured before the boil). This time around I made a conscious effort to keep notes and take measurements,,,,I...

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I can't wait to hear how it all turns out! I love reading about these sorts of experiments.

Calculations - What's the big deal ?

First post by Silo Ted, 15 years ago

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Calculations - What's the big deal ?

First up, I should say that I am now an exclusive BIAB/Electric Urn brewer because the simplicity cannot be beaten. Have done about 20 brews using BIAB (50+ more brews before BIAB), and hit the same efficiency figures time and time again. The disclaimer should be that I only ever design a brew to fall between 4 % & 6%. Attempts at a big beer have not, and will not be done strictly as BIAB, on the rare occasion that I want to do something huge, I will...

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Lylo-
I have not only read all of the posts in this thread, I have come back and read it three times.
EXCELLENT!! and thank you to all that have made contributions :clap: .
For a New Brewer such as myself, finding BIABrewer has been a God send.
Plus it has saved me lots of cash to find out I do not have to get tons of expensive equipment to make good Beer.
I can not wait to get home and try all of this out.
V/r
Mike

Boiling with the lid on or off?

First post by listerthrawn, 12 years ago

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Hi all,

I think I know the answer you're all going to give, and that's lid off, but I'm struggling to find the reason for this?

I've got by first BIAB in the FV at the moment and I did boil with the lid on so I hope it's no great detriment.

Let me know guys! :)

Chris

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stm,

No problems in the last 6 years or so. Never had a problem with cracking. The Winpak can take boiling wort but will have concave sides when cooled. They spring back and work well enough to be continuously used by me. The tight cap makes it air tight. Occasionally I just add yeast to the Winpak and ferment right in there? I use a extra cap I bought for a airlock. I drilled it out and fixed a cheap airlock in the hole. It works but if I have too much wort in the Winpak the krausen clogs the...

Looking for some recipe help on first BIAB brew

First post by desmosteve, 12 years ago

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Hi Folks, I signed up here recently and have been soaking up info from a lot of useful posts, but there comes a point when you can read so much and get overwhelmed with info, so I've decided to get underway and need some help!

I want to get a first, simple brew on the go, BIAB style
I have a gas burner and a st/st pot of 70 litre capacity, 43cm wide by 43 cm high, along with the bags, FV, keg, cooling bath etc

I have 5000 grms of Maris Otter 5 EBC, 1000 grms of Munich malt 25 EBC, 100 grms of...

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Just closing the loop on this, it turned out well and I'm happy

Taking Ricks feedback into account I added 3o gms of Cascade over the last 3 days in the FV and that added back some of what was lost out of the airlock

It drinks really well and isn't weak at all, not the smack in the face hoppiness of a big APA but really nice hoppy bitter
FG came out at 1008 from an OG of 1040. Took 2.5 weeks to get there at a steady 19 deg C

A few lessons learned, and took delivery of more grain and hops etc...

No-chill in fermenter?

First post by Dski, 12 years ago

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Hi there, first time BIABer here...

I'm planning my first BIAB no-chill, which will be a 20L batch, and I'm curious about the success of chilling directly into the fermenter. I have had a look around the site re. the subject but was after some clarification.

I imagine the advantages are 1. I already have two 30L plastic fermenter barrels, and 2. I'm minimising the chance of infection by not transferring the cooled wort to a second vessel.

The potential disadvantages as I understand are 1....

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Dski,

Evidence seems to be showing oxidation to be less of a problem than we used to think however - so maybe it's of no concern?

I am starting to think that way myself. We have always looked to professional brewers in the past to learn. But they deal with different problems than we do. Example... we can cool our beer rather quickly because of volume. It takes a lot longer to cool 300 gallons than 5. We cannot use their late hopping and whirlpooling methods. We have to devise our own...

First BIAB brew, Kolsch! Sugestions needed.

First post by swrandall70, 12 years ago

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This is my 1st BIAB recipe. I have is as sort of a hybrid BIAB/all grain and extract. Mashing 4lbs Kolsch grain in 7.5 gal and then adding 5lbs of extra light DME at the last 15 minutes (was told elsewhere that adding it at the end will allow the color to stay correct). Also the hops additions, I was wondering about the addition times as far as the style is concerned if anyone is familiar with a Kolsch. I wanted opinions on the recipe as well as the process. Here is a screen shot of my recipe...

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No worries sw. You may have already started your brew and if so, I hope all is going or has gone well :peace:

It's very hard when we start with an external recipe on a first brew especially one that contains extract and dilutions so I'm not sure if much of the below will be of any use. Furthermore... I unfortunately was given all the ingredients as a gift already This makes things harder again to explain :). I've attached a file below though and to handle this last bit, what I basically have...

Best BIAB Method for 33L Pot

First post by Pinchy, 12 years ago

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Hi Everyone,

I'm completely new to this other than doing a few beer kits and reading up alot on BIAB & all grain.
I have ordered myself a 33L stock pot. I would have gone bigger but my kitchen and hob wouldnt be able to take any more so i will have to make due.

Basically i would like to know how i should go about it? As i understand there are a few different methods.
Ideally i would like to be able to make 23L of beer. But from what i understand realistically i would only be able to make...

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Here it is PP. I moved the 10 L sparge over to Water Added Before the Boil , as I am just guessing that is where you want to see it. Thanks a heap Richard. I have taken half today off and am trying to take the rest of the week off to try and structure and write all this Maxi-BIAB stuff out clearly. Not much fun losing, again, so much money and another weekend but I'm a bit over writing the same stuff in slightly different ways each and every week and the poor new guys having no way of finding...

Could use some help with BIAbacus

First post by Saffa, 12 years ago

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Hi anyone who can help.

How come when I put my recipe BIABacus PR1.3 - Brown.xls into BIAbacus it doesn't show TWN in section K?

I am sure it is something really simple I am missing but I can't for the life of me see what it is. :scratch: :?

All suggestions and help much appreciated. :)

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On your first line of Section C, you have 1050 written twice. As suggested above, change the first one to 1.050 but also delete the second one and your TWN will appear as 25.04 L. You could also change the second one to 1.050 but you really don't need any number in that field at all.

[ Please note that Hints does not reply to direct questions. ]