Hello brewers all over the world,
Just writing about my first experience with BIAB. I have been brewing with friends (Brew Bros Charlie and Darran) for 3 years and 13 brews. We have gone from kits from a very dodgy (and sadly now closed) shop (it was like something out of Royston Vasey) to brewing extract and partial mashing. However after attending a local homebrew club and seeing the quality of their all grain brews it was time to take it to the next level.
We used the BIABacus and All American Amarillo recipe (keep it simple) using the Ace electric mash tun as the all in one mash vessel and kettle.
It was always great to get together with friends and brew but it was a long night. Strike water started heating at 1850, grains in at 1920, boil started 2115 and that was cut to 60 minutes (bloody work the following day). It was a lovely evening in the UK so this was done outside but as the sun went down and it got colder i was able to pull the "Here Charlie, you wear my Welsh rugby top" gag to my very English friend. However he didn't break his hydrometer and had a replacement to bring round so maybe that was harsh.
Chilled with an ice bath which was slow process (time for an immersion chiller), pitched yeast and cleaned up. Bed after midnight as i had to clean up (family don't appreciate used brewing equipment in the morning; unbelievable!)
Just a couple of questions from this brew;
Temp ranged from 66 - 68c at the beginning. FG was 1.052, short of the predicted 1.059 in BIABacus. Was this down the 60 min boil or was the temp fluctuations the reason?
In fact what's the difference apart from going to bed earlier between the 60 and 90 minute boils?
How do you work out your efficiency of the mash? It looked good, smelled good but i have no idea how efficient it was. I am not too unhappy by the missing by a few points but a way to work out the % would be helpful. I have looked on the site but not found what I am looking for yet.
Enjoyed the process and looking forward to brewing again. Its all learning (heat strike water earlier, start mash earlier, bros round later) and any answers or comments appreciated.
Re: First BIAB with my bros
Post #2 made 6 years ago
Brew Beo Kev, It's all good! 
Congratulations on a BIAB batch that will be fine in a couple of weeks. I made that beer and found that if "aged" for more than a month, it is considerably better than at week three. Waiting for beer is the hardest part.
Yes, a 60 min boil will leave you with more water and a lower Specific Gravity (OG) than a 90 min boil. Try the site search box for "efficiency" there are lots of posts. The BIABacus has a section that includes efficiency, but do not get hung up on that at this stage. You will gain experience with your equipment and with the process and remember, every recipe is different. Watch the efficiency numbers only for a sense of direction - getting better or getting worse. It's the beer, not the numbers you seek.
A full 90 min mash before heating to a boil is better, too. I have previously posted a graph that shows the difference in fermentable sugars (FS) afforded by 90 v. 60 min mashes - see leftmost graph, 2nd row @ http://bit.ly/2tRqwAa where the green line is FS going up during the 60 to 90 min timeframe.
Keep brewing.
Congratulations on a BIAB batch that will be fine in a couple of weeks. I made that beer and found that if "aged" for more than a month, it is considerably better than at week three. Waiting for beer is the hardest part.Yes, a 60 min boil will leave you with more water and a lower Specific Gravity (OG) than a 90 min boil. Try the site search box for "efficiency" there are lots of posts. The BIABacus has a section that includes efficiency, but do not get hung up on that at this stage. You will gain experience with your equipment and with the process and remember, every recipe is different. Watch the efficiency numbers only for a sense of direction - getting better or getting worse. It's the beer, not the numbers you seek.
A full 90 min mash before heating to a boil is better, too. I have previously posted a graph that shows the difference in fermentable sugars (FS) afforded by 90 v. 60 min mashes - see leftmost graph, 2nd row @ http://bit.ly/2tRqwAa where the green line is FS going up during the 60 to 90 min timeframe.
Keep brewing.
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- SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From United States of America
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Re: First BIAB with my bros
Post #3 made 6 years ago
Nice post Brew-Bro-Kev
Sugar doesn't leave the kettle during boil (unless you spill it) so you may have had a weaker wort, but more of it. Would need volume info to work that out though.
It is very international here so I don't think the Royston Vasey reference would mean much
Just don't ask for "the special"
Sugar doesn't leave the kettle during boil (unless you spill it) so you may have had a weaker wort, but more of it. Would need volume info to work that out though.
It is very international here so I don't think the Royston Vasey reference would mean much
Just don't ask for "the special"
G B
I spent lots of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered
I've stopped drinking, but only when I'm asleep
I ONCE gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life
I spent lots of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered
I've stopped drinking, but only when I'm asleep
I ONCE gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life
-
- SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From Great Britain
-
