I'm just about to brew Graham Wheeler's Gales Festival Mild (my 2nd BIAB). I've been playing with the calculator but am getting confused over the grain bill entries. I assumed that I should enter the quantities from the original recipe into the "original recipe" section (obvious I suppose), but what are the scaled figures that are calculated? Are these the quantities I should actually use, and are they "scaled" to take account of the differences between traditional AG and BIAB methods? I suppose my real question is "why do the quantities have to be increased for BIAB"?
Bob
Post #2 made 13 years ago
After entering the original recipe info,go back into volumes and play with the red entry areas.By changing your brew length and or og the grains amounts required will change to suit your needs.P.S. if you happened to change some of the other numbers you may want to reopen The Calculator and start over.
AWOL
Post #3 made 13 years ago
But if I'm just trying to replicate the traditional recipe, why do the grain (and hop) quantities change?
Bob
Bob
Post #4 made 13 years ago
The function of The Calculator is to allow us to take someone elses recipe and adapt it to our equipment and process.If we know their grain bill we can make it match our gear. For example the original recipe won't have any idea of the size of your kettle so the water volumes are out of whack.Keep working on it,it works!
AWOL
Post #5 made 13 years ago
OK, so even though I am aiming for the same brew length as the original, the grain and hop quantities need adjusting. It was easy to see how the volumes would be different, just not the grain. As a general rule is it true that BIAB needs more grain than traditional AG methods?
Bob
Bob
Post #6 made 13 years ago
Good Day TractorBoy, From my brewing numbers, If you do a good Sparge, No. If you do Full Volume BAIB, MAYBE YES, you nay lose .008 S.G., But if you squeeze/extract the wort from the bag very well, you may only lose .002 S.G.
So depending on how you BIAB, the grain from any recipe is correct.
So depending on how you BIAB, the grain from any recipe is correct.
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Post #7 made 13 years ago
I am always impressed at how accurate The Calculator is!And yes I do squeeze.
AWOL
Post #8 made 13 years ago
Ah, it's starting to make sense now! The total grain bill is calculated from the volume figures and the required OG. The grain bill section then simply uses the original recipe to scale the individual grain requirements to meet the total bill required in the correct ratios. However that still leaves an anomally; I have entered the OG from the recipe, so does that mean that in fact the original recipe is actually incorrect? i.e it specified the wrong OG or had incorrect grain quantities?
Oh! Just spotted a spanner in the works -the recipe includes sugar; does sugar=grain weight for weight?
Bob
Oh! Just spotted a spanner in the works -the recipe includes sugar; does sugar=grain weight for weight?
Bob
Post #9 made 13 years ago
If you enter the original og as your target og it will give you the correct amount of grain to use for your system.You right tho that sugar thing is a bit of a spanner. 
I don't like to sweat it too much because I am usually trying to duplicate something that I have never tasted anyway.If the grains and proportions look interesting I just go for it and hope.Sometimes I can say that I really like it but maybe do it again using a different yeast or hops or whatever.I just want to make a decent beer,I don't really care if it tastes the same as someone elses.
However it looks like you have a handle on The Calculator now,that probably means the general release of Biabacus is looming so that you can learn another program.
I don't like to sweat it too much because I am usually trying to duplicate something that I have never tasted anyway.If the grains and proportions look interesting I just go for it and hope.Sometimes I can say that I really like it but maybe do it again using a different yeast or hops or whatever.I just want to make a decent beer,I don't really care if it tastes the same as someone elses.
However it looks like you have a handle on The Calculator now,that probably means the general release of Biabacus is looming so that you can learn another program.
AWOL
Post #10 made 13 years ago
tractorboy...One thing you might be missing here is the efficiency used for the original recipe and the efficiency being used by The Calculator. If you want to get a better handle on it, try to figure out what efficiency is being assumed by the original recipe. I imagine that value is different from the efficiency being used by The Calculator.
Post #11 made 13 years ago
Thanks folks, you've given me some confidence now. I'll just go with the calculator figures. Lylo, you're quite right, I'm not worried about exactly replicating a beer, I just want to brew a Mild that I'll enjoy 
It's actually in memory of a Mild-drinking friend who recently passed away suddenly; just a shame he won't be sharing one with me :(
Brew day tomorrow!
Bob
It's actually in memory of a Mild-drinking friend who recently passed away suddenly; just a shame he won't be sharing one with me :(Brew day tomorrow!
Bob
Post #12 made 13 years ago
Good luck and have fun with that brew session tomorrow. I'm hoisting a glass of my house stout right now in respect to your recent loss.........Cheers!tractorboy wrote:Thanks folks, you've given me some confidence now. I'll just go with the calculator figures. Lylo, you're quite right, I'm not worried about exactly replicating a beer, I just want to brew a Mild that I'll enjoy
Brew day tomorrow!
Bob
---Todd
Last edited by thughes on 22 Jan 2012, 08:42, edited 3 times in total.
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Post #13 made 13 years ago
Most likely the difference is because the calculator is allowing more left overs in the kettle. In essence, its going to have you make more rather than too little.tractorboy wrote:OK, so even though I am aiming for the same brew length as the original, the grain and hop quantities need adjusting. It was easy to see how the volumes would be different, just not the grain. As a general rule is it true that BIAB needs more grain than traditional AG methods?
Bob
Its the "efficiency" which dictates how much grain you need to get a certain amount of wort at end-of-boil at a certain og. If your efficiency is the same as the recipe, then you will need the same amount of grain, for the same end-of-boil volume. Then you transfer some of that volume to your fermenter, and then you leave some of that behind in the fermenter.
The calculator allows you to specify how much beer you want to end up with to drink, and then it will tell you how much hops, grain and water to use.
Essentially it *always* scales the source recipe to your desired amount of packaged beer. Which is nice.
Last edited by stux on 22 Jan 2012, 11:54, edited 3 times in total.
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Cubed: -
Stirplate: -
On Tap: NS Summer Ale III (WY1272), Landlord III (WY1469), Fighter's 70/- II (WY1272), Roast Porter (WY1028), Cider, Soda
Next: Munich Helles III
5/7/12
Post #14 made 13 years ago
Well, job done and it worked out OK (I think). Had pretty much the right volume at the end and an OG of 1056 against a recipe figure of 1054. Now the waiting begins...
Bob
Bob
Post #15 made 13 years ago
Hi Tractorboy
Sorry I missed your post over the weekend. Looks like things went ok though..
I've been looking into GW's book alot recently and converting a recipe in this thread Here. I have worked on some figures along with the calculator, here are my finding which will help when doing your next recipe.
GW's recipes are based on an efficiency of 75% and his quoted volumes are End of Boil Volume.
The gravity calculations in the book use an extract potential figure of 300 L/Kg the Biab calculator uses a figure of 307 L/Kg hence the difference in grain bill even if you set the efficiency to 75%. There may also be a slight difference due to rounding up or down of the Gravity figure.
As to the sugar addition, if you calculate the gravity points the sugar will add to the beer, subtract this from the recipe's OG and use this figure in the calculator the brew will correct.
So working on GW's 23L values you need 270g of sugar. Assuming 370 points for 1Kg in 1 litre of water you have..
0.270 x 370/23 = 4.34 gravity points
54 - 4.34 = 49.66
So you put 1.050 into the calculator (rounded up) and use the grain bill calculated. Then when you add your sugar it will bring your OG back to the required value.
Hope this helps.
Yeasty
Sorry I missed your post over the weekend. Looks like things went ok though..
I've been looking into GW's book alot recently and converting a recipe in this thread Here. I have worked on some figures along with the calculator, here are my finding which will help when doing your next recipe.
GW's recipes are based on an efficiency of 75% and his quoted volumes are End of Boil Volume.
The gravity calculations in the book use an extract potential figure of 300 L/Kg the Biab calculator uses a figure of 307 L/Kg hence the difference in grain bill even if you set the efficiency to 75%. There may also be a slight difference due to rounding up or down of the Gravity figure.
As to the sugar addition, if you calculate the gravity points the sugar will add to the beer, subtract this from the recipe's OG and use this figure in the calculator the brew will correct.
So working on GW's 23L values you need 270g of sugar. Assuming 370 points for 1Kg in 1 litre of water you have..
0.270 x 370/23 = 4.34 gravity points
54 - 4.34 = 49.66
So you put 1.050 into the calculator (rounded up) and use the grain bill calculated. Then when you add your sugar it will bring your OG back to the required value.
Hope this helps.
Yeasty
Last edited by Yeasty on 23 Jan 2012, 22:47, edited 3 times in total.
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