So after many an extract and grain batch, I finally took the plunge and did my first BIAB last weekend. I did a mildly modified NRB's All Amarillo APA, and thanks to all the good info on this site, all went swimmingly.
Well, I say "all", but there was one thing. When I was cooling the batch with my immersion cooler I was "whirlpooling" the wart as I thought this is what I had to do. I then siphoned out while the wort was moving, which means the stuff in my fermenter looks like a nice, thick, pea and ham soup. Minus the ham.
It tastes bloody fantastic though! Anyhow, it's had four days in the fermenter and, as of last night, it was down to 1.020 (from 1.060). I really want this beer to work, so I was wondering what people's thoughts were on racking it. Could I rack now, and maybe rack again a bit later? Maybe a double dose of finings? I did add a whirlfloc in the last bit of the boil, but...
Anyhow, any help much appreciated. I'm hoping this can still be one of my best beers to date.
HP
Post #2 made 11 years ago
Firstly congrats on your first BIAB!!
Do you use a hop sock for your boil editions of hops? if so you probably don't need to whirlpool .. if you don't have one then it is something you can look at using, for me it makes for an easy cleanup after the brew.
I would recommend (I am by no means an expert but have 15 BIABs done now) leaving it in primary for 10 days and chilling it in the primary, the only time I rack to a secondary fermentor is if I have a monster trub which is over my fermentor tap and I want to the beer to clarify.
Personally I don't use and clearing agents such as finnings as I find a week fermenting plus a week chilled works for me and the beer comes out pretty clear.
If you do rack to secondary make sure your careful with sanitisation as you don't want your delicious brew getting any nasties!
Do you use a hop sock for your boil editions of hops? if so you probably don't need to whirlpool .. if you don't have one then it is something you can look at using, for me it makes for an easy cleanup after the brew.
I would recommend (I am by no means an expert but have 15 BIABs done now) leaving it in primary for 10 days and chilling it in the primary, the only time I rack to a secondary fermentor is if I have a monster trub which is over my fermentor tap and I want to the beer to clarify.
Personally I don't use and clearing agents such as finnings as I find a week fermenting plus a week chilled works for me and the beer comes out pretty clear.
If you do rack to secondary make sure your careful with sanitisation as you don't want your delicious brew getting any nasties!
Post #3 made 11 years ago
Thanks BungBrew!
Yep, I used a hop sock. The reason I thought I had to whirlpool was that the boiled wort was pretty gritty. I know when you are doing a three vessel brew you drain off the wort from the mash tun and recirculate it through the grain bed to help filter it.
Anyhow, there is a stack of trub in the bottom of the fermenter. Definitely over the tap level. I believe it's not a good thing to leave your beer sitting on a lot of trub. Is this correct?
Yep, I used a hop sock. The reason I thought I had to whirlpool was that the boiled wort was pretty gritty. I know when you are doing a three vessel brew you drain off the wort from the mash tun and recirculate it through the grain bed to help filter it.
Anyhow, there is a stack of trub in the bottom of the fermenter. Definitely over the tap level. I believe it's not a good thing to leave your beer sitting on a lot of trub. Is this correct?
Post #4 made 11 years ago
I would let it go 10 days like the recipe says, then decide what to do... and of course check the gravity once again...
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Post #5 made 11 years ago
But he has won three gold medalsBungBrew wrote:I would recommend (I am by no means an expert but have 15 BIABs done now) leaving it in primary for 10 days and chilling it in the primary...
.A couple of fast things...
I think we have forgotten to ask you whether you are bottling or kegging and whether you do have the ability to 'crash-chill'. I reckon if you are bottling that in a situation such as this, racking to secondary will be more practical. Now would be the time to rack though while there is still some way to go in fermentation.
If kegging and have the ability to crash-chill, you can leave it as MS said and then crash chill before kegging. Hope all that makes sense.
...
Before your next brew, check the porosity of your bag (could be too coarse), forget whirlpooling and just use your BIAB bag as the hop sock as suggested above. You can't whirlpool with an immersion chiller unless you remove the chiller but following the above practice gives the same result if not better.
Congratulations btw
Last edited by PistolPatch on 23 Jul 2014, 19:02, edited 1 time in total.
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Post #6 made 11 years ago
Triple gold? Nice...
I am bottling this lot. I can crash chill it too. I think I'm going to have to rack this one just for the sheer amount of trub in the fermenter. Maybe then, after some time in the secondary, I crash chill it before bottling.
I think the bag is ok. It was just the muppet on the end of it
Next time I am going to try letting the kettle settle after I've cooled it with the immersion chiller, and leave the whirlpooling to the professionals.
Thanks for your advice guys!
I am bottling this lot. I can crash chill it too. I think I'm going to have to rack this one just for the sheer amount of trub in the fermenter. Maybe then, after some time in the secondary, I crash chill it before bottling.
I think the bag is ok. It was just the muppet on the end of it
Next time I am going to try letting the kettle settle after I've cooled it with the immersion chiller, and leave the whirlpooling to the professionals.Thanks for your advice guys!
