Welcome to the forum, Brian!
I have a 16 gallon Bayou Classic boil pot and can brew up to 8 gallon batches, depending upon size of pot, etc. 5.5 gallons into fermenter is no problem. Use propane and works well. Electric can work too. Just depends. Electric solves some problems and may cause others. Some love it.
Let us know what questions you have, and for sure download the BIABacus file.
Post #7752 made 9 years ago
Hello All,
I'm an East Coast (USA) novice brewer. I've done 5 batches in total that have spanned the spectrum (one great, one pretty good, one not so great, one undrinkable and one currently carbing). I came across the website while looking for advice on a recent batch I put together as I was sent an all grain kit as a gift but lacked more than a kettle (and didn't want to strain out the grains). We'll see how it turns out, bottled it on Monday after guessing at things while boiling (though I did hit the recipe's pre-boil gravity on the nose).
The BIAB method makes a ton of sense, looking forward to putting it to use again and again.
I'm an East Coast (USA) novice brewer. I've done 5 batches in total that have spanned the spectrum (one great, one pretty good, one not so great, one undrinkable and one currently carbing). I came across the website while looking for advice on a recent batch I put together as I was sent an all grain kit as a gift but lacked more than a kettle (and didn't want to strain out the grains). We'll see how it turns out, bottled it on Monday after guessing at things while boiling (though I did hit the recipe's pre-boil gravity on the nose).
The BIAB method makes a ton of sense, looking forward to putting it to use again and again.
Post #7753 made 9 years ago
Hello All I have been brewing beer a little over 2 years,and wine and mead making a little over 7 . I am from the United States , the state of Missouri to be exact. I recently bought a 15.5 keggle and a home kegging setup. Before i was extract and partial mash brewing. I do machine shop for a living and am pretty impressed with the site so far

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- SVA Brewer With Over 5 Brews From United States of America
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Post #7754 made 9 years ago
Hi there
I'm from NZ and having been brewing extract for a year and a half but am keen to branch out. Found out about this site from http://brulosophy.com
I'm an IT consultant and am looking forward to progressing my brewing capabilities!
Ryan
I'm from NZ and having been brewing extract for a year and a half but am keen to branch out. Found out about this site from http://brulosophy.com
I'm an IT consultant and am looking forward to progressing my brewing capabilities!
Ryan
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- Under 5 Brews From New Zealand
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Post #7755 made 9 years ago
Good evening from amongst the wildfires of Western NC. I've been extract brewing for a year & after 6 brews (all drinkable), have contemplated moving to all grain. Space is a consideration along with the addl investment required of a 3 vessel system, so I'm going to try BIAB. I'm brewing with a gas fired 10 gallon kettle currently and will be using this initially, with thoughts of going electric at some future point so I can move the brewery into the garage. I intend to start with either an IPA or Irish Red, intent on keeping the OG within 1.045-1.055.
Of the many questions I am sure to have, one is in regard to brewing BIAB high gravity beers. With a large grain bill that might require a pre-boil volume of 8 gal or more, will a 10 gal kettle be sufficient to handle that type of recipe? Another is whether there is a consensus as to whether recirculation is needed in the BIAB process.
I'm looking forward to taking a look at the forums for various topics of interest and to help me with the learning curve of BIAB.
Cheers!
Of the many questions I am sure to have, one is in regard to brewing BIAB high gravity beers. With a large grain bill that might require a pre-boil volume of 8 gal or more, will a 10 gal kettle be sufficient to handle that type of recipe? Another is whether there is a consensus as to whether recirculation is needed in the BIAB process.
I'm looking forward to taking a look at the forums for various topics of interest and to help me with the learning curve of BIAB.
Cheers!
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- Over 5 Brews From United States of America
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Post #7756 made 9 years ago
BrewRun05, davemo, brewnzRB, Tomas - welcome to the site. Looks like you each bring different experiences to the site. That is great and it is one of the cool things about the site - different experiences and knowledge.
Make sure you search the site - a lot of good threads to answer your questions. If you need help or have a question don't hesitate to post for help.
Lots to learn on this site - look forward to reading about your brew days!
Pete
Make sure you search the site - a lot of good threads to answer your questions. If you need help or have a question don't hesitate to post for help.
Lots to learn on this site - look forward to reading about your brew days!
Pete
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- SVA Brewer With Over 20 Brews From United States of America
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Post #7757 made 9 years ago
Tomas wrote:Good evening from amongst the wildfires of Western NC. I've been extract brewing for a year & after 6 brews (all drinkable), have contemplated moving to all grain. Space is a consideration along with the addl investment required of a 3 vessel system, so I'm going to try BIAB. I'm brewing with a gas fired 10 gallon kettle currently and will be using this initially, with thoughts of going electric at some future point so I can move the brewery into the garage. I intend to start with either an IPA or Irish Red, intent on keeping the OG within 1.045-1.055.
Of the many questions I am sure to have, one is in regard to brewing BIAB high gravity beers. With a large grain bill that might require a pre-boil volume of 8 gal or more, will a 10 gal kettle be sufficient to handle that type of recipe? Another is whether there is a consensus as to whether recirculation is needed in the BIAB process.
I'm looking forward to taking a look at the forums for various topics of interest and to help me with the learning curve of BIAB.
Cheers!
Download the BIABacus and how to use it. If you have your 10 gal kettle, plugin it's dimensions and a high grain recipe - the spreadsheet will calculate the total volume needed. If not, you can plug in the dimensions of a kettle which you are looking to buy. If you aren't sure, you can post the file and members can help.
While some BIABers vary from the basic method, from what I can tell, the consensus is that there is no need to do anything special, like recirculation. Bring your water to strike temperature, add your grains into the bag, stir, cover and wait (occasionally stirring) remove bag and start the boil.
Last edited by LI Mike D on 17 Nov 2016, 22:19, edited 11 times in total.
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- SVA Brewer With Over 20 Brews From United States of America
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Post #7758 made 9 years ago
LI Mike D - Thanks for the response. I downloaded BIABacus a couple of days ago, plugged in my kettle dimensions and the All Amarillo APA recipe to work with and can see how it modifies the recipe quantities in order to fit the kettle, although I do get the "red flag" about approaching the kettle limits. More exploring to do with recipe formulation before doing the first BIAB brew.
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- Over 5 Brews From United States of America
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Post #7759 made 9 years ago
Hello everybody,
I was going to swear I had already introduced myself, but truth is I can't find that post anywhere, so I'll just do it again
My name is Tiago, and I'm Portuguese. I currently live in the Netherlands and I've started with some liquid beer kits a couple of years ago.
To be honest, beer kits are great to start, but I never felt like I was brewing real beer.
Been tinkering about all-grain and since I found the BIAB method, that's where I focused my energy. This forum has been a huge help so far.
After a lot of reading and postponing, I finally managed to brew using this method!
I still didn't quite figure out how to use the biabacus, but I'm sure I'll find the answers in the forum.
Cheers,
Tiago
I was going to swear I had already introduced myself, but truth is I can't find that post anywhere, so I'll just do it again
My name is Tiago, and I'm Portuguese. I currently live in the Netherlands and I've started with some liquid beer kits a couple of years ago.
To be honest, beer kits are great to start, but I never felt like I was brewing real beer.
Been tinkering about all-grain and since I found the BIAB method, that's where I focused my energy. This forum has been a huge help so far.
After a lot of reading and postponing, I finally managed to brew using this method!
I still didn't quite figure out how to use the biabacus, but I'm sure I'll find the answers in the forum.
Cheers,
Tiago
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- Under 5 Brews From Portugal
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Post #7760 made 9 years ago
Tiago - welcome to the forum. As far as the BIABacus is concerned, take it one step at a time... instructions are there, and after reviewing what's there...let us know if anything else needs needs clarifying.
Tomas - you will probably need to lower your Volume Into Fermenter if your pot isn't large enough. Either that or get a larger pot...
Tomas - you will probably need to lower your Volume Into Fermenter if your pot isn't large enough. Either that or get a larger pot...
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- SVA Brewer With Over 50 Brews From United States of America
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Post #7761 made 9 years ago
Thanks Scott,
I actually took one step ahead
I was delaying the project for so long that just decided to buy some ingredients without following any particular recipe.
It's unlikely to be any award winning beer, but I am hoping that it is at least drinkable.
Anyway, now I'm trying to "reverse engineer" and create the BIABacus for my beer, see if I get the hang of it. Hopefully next time I'll do it a bit less impulsively and I'll confidently expect a decent beer.
cheers
I actually took one step ahead
I was delaying the project for so long that just decided to buy some ingredients without following any particular recipe.
It's unlikely to be any award winning beer, but I am hoping that it is at least drinkable.
Anyway, now I'm trying to "reverse engineer" and create the BIABacus for my beer, see if I get the hang of it. Hopefully next time I'll do it a bit less impulsively and I'll confidently expect a decent beer.
cheers
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- Under 5 Brews From Portugal
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Post #7762 made 9 years ago
Scott, I'm still experimenting with BIABacus regarding the effect of changes in certain cells on the values in other cells, such as your suggestion of changing Volume Into Fermenter which will lower the strike water in kettle. Is there a section on the website other than through the various forum threads that has an attachment relative to the instructions for BIABacus (how to maximize it's potential). I want to make sure I understand it's full capabilities, and if there's a way to do that other than searching threads, I'd like to know where to look. Thanks.
Cheers!
Cheers!
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- Over 5 Brews From United States of America
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Post #7763 made 9 years ago
Hey Tiago - following actual recipes is normally easier than guessing, and normally works better. The BCS book, Brewing Classic Styles, is great and easy to copy recipes. For beer you've already brewed...it's beer and you will likely drink it anyhow.
But then follow some recipes until you get the hang of it better. Then start adjusting if you want. That's my advice.
Tomas, let me give some links that will help getting you going down the trail a little better... I'm sorry, but I'm having a heck of a time finding exactly perfect information to cover this right now... If you read these and have more questions, post a question (with clear title please), and we will respond. Post this as a new topic under BIAB for new members. Review the below posts if you could, as I think these will cover most of your questions. (Even the file with the Terminology page for explanation...). Then post questions and we will connect the dots.
Clear Brewing Terminology - understand the terms we use...
http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2685
How much beer can I get from my kettle? A great read!!!! (Almost everything written by PistolPatch is top shelf!):
http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php?f=89&t=3533
Full Volume Variations - a section should have some interesting reads...
http://www.biabrewer.info/viewforum.php?f=89
Low Integrity Recipes (aka "not good", impossible to reliably duplicate) - a good read:
http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2647
Help on Malt Calculations, using BIABacus - help I asked for and received earlier on...:
http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3387
Dilutions and using more of BIABacus - some help I gave on the topic that should be pretty good:
http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php ... git#p54559
Beyond that, nothing wrong with opening up BIABacus file and playing with it... Hopefully with copy of the Terminology page open as an interpreter.
Tomas, let me give some links that will help getting you going down the trail a little better... I'm sorry, but I'm having a heck of a time finding exactly perfect information to cover this right now... If you read these and have more questions, post a question (with clear title please), and we will respond. Post this as a new topic under BIAB for new members. Review the below posts if you could, as I think these will cover most of your questions. (Even the file with the Terminology page for explanation...). Then post questions and we will connect the dots.
Clear Brewing Terminology - understand the terms we use...
http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2685
How much beer can I get from my kettle? A great read!!!! (Almost everything written by PistolPatch is top shelf!):
http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php?f=89&t=3533
Full Volume Variations - a section should have some interesting reads...
http://www.biabrewer.info/viewforum.php?f=89
Low Integrity Recipes (aka "not good", impossible to reliably duplicate) - a good read:
http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2647
Help on Malt Calculations, using BIABacus - help I asked for and received earlier on...:
http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3387
Dilutions and using more of BIABacus - some help I gave on the topic that should be pretty good:
http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php ... git#p54559
Beyond that, nothing wrong with opening up BIABacus file and playing with it... Hopefully with copy of the Terminology page open as an interpreter.
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- SVA Brewer With Over 50 Brews From United States of America
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Post #7764 made 9 years ago
Hi Scott,
I figured out what was my problem with BIABacus.. I was putting the expected gravity 1050 instead of 1.050. This was giving my negative numbers for the ingredients and it was driving me crazy.
Anyway, I was happy to see my fermentation bucket bubbling this morning!
I'll create a new topic on the brew stories to catch some advice's!
Cheers
I figured out what was my problem with BIABacus.. I was putting the expected gravity 1050 instead of 1.050. This was giving my negative numbers for the ingredients and it was driving me crazy.
Anyway, I was happy to see my fermentation bucket bubbling this morning!
I'll create a new topic on the brew stories to catch some advice's!
Cheers
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- Under 5 Brews From Portugal
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Post #7765 made 9 years ago
Scott, Thanks for the links. I'll take a look at each and continue to play around with a BIABacus file to improve my understanding of the effect of changes to specific cells.
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- Over 5 Brews From United States of America
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Post #7766 made 9 years ago
Good day all
Another newbie joining the ranks.
I am from South Africa (Durban
)
I am going to be moving from kits to AG in the new year. I can wait.
I have been reading posts and going through this site so much lately, that my wife thinks i'm having an affair with biabrewer.
Any ways, i am looking forward to the advise and knowledge on this site.
Another newbie joining the ranks.
I am from South Africa (Durban
I am going to be moving from kits to AG in the new year. I can wait.
I have been reading posts and going through this site so much lately, that my wife thinks i'm having an affair with biabrewer.
Any ways, i am looking forward to the advise and knowledge on this site.
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- SVA Brewer With Over 20 Brews From South Africa
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Post #7767 made 9 years ago
Welcome HomebreJp, glad you are finding the site useful so far. Tons of info to get you started here and lots of helpful brewers around to answer any questions.
Happy Brewing!
Happy Brewing!
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- SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From Canada
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Post #7768 made 9 years ago
Thank you very much.goulaigan wrote:Welcome HomebreJp, glad you are finding the site useful so far. Tons of info to get you started here and lots of helpful brewers around to answer any questions.
Happy Brewing!
I am very much looking forward to my first AG homebrew.
I first got to get through a few aged bottles of my previous kit brews before i can start.
Last edited by HomebrewJp on 22 Nov 2016, 22:33, edited 11 times in total.
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- SVA Brewer With Over 20 Brews From South Africa
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Post #7769 made 9 years ago
Well hello,
Happy to find this site! I'll be doing my first BIAB tomorrow. Thought I'd look around a bit more. I'm here in Eugene, OR USA. Lots of great brews around here but I enjoy making my own.
I have a 15 gallon kettle and a brew bag that fits the entire volume. I'm hoping to do a 9 gallon IPA receipe with 27lbs of grain
. I'm petty sure I'll need to sparge a bit, but I'll use the calculator to figure that out.
Wish me luck
,
-Wombat
Happy to find this site! I'll be doing my first BIAB tomorrow. Thought I'd look around a bit more. I'm here in Eugene, OR USA. Lots of great brews around here but I enjoy making my own.
I have a 15 gallon kettle and a brew bag that fits the entire volume. I'm hoping to do a 9 gallon IPA receipe with 27lbs of grain
Wish me luck
-Wombat
Post #7770 made 9 years ago
Hey Wombat,
Welcome to the BIAB forum, from another Oregonian!
Yeah, we have lots of great breweries but it's fun to make your own as well.
Let us know if there's any questions.
Welcome to the BIAB forum, from another Oregonian!
Let us know if there's any questions.
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- SVA Brewer With Over 50 Brews From United States of America
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Post #7771 made 9 years ago
Hi Scott,
Thanks for the welcome. So, I took a look at the calculator and it is a bit over my head at this point. I've been doing extract brews for a couple years now (have had a BIAB bag for over a year but our 3 year old boy has been keeping me a bit too busy to dive into this until now) and I've never been scientific about it at all. I know that will have to change sooner than later....
But for tomorrows brew, can I do a 9 gallon batch in a 15 gallon kettle with 27lbs of grain without a sparge? All I should need is about 23 lbs for the recipe but I've added 4lbs 2-row to make up for some efficiency.
What do you think? And thank you!
Thanks for the welcome. So, I took a look at the calculator and it is a bit over my head at this point. I've been doing extract brews for a couple years now (have had a BIAB bag for over a year but our 3 year old boy has been keeping me a bit too busy to dive into this until now) and I've never been scientific about it at all. I know that will have to change sooner than later....
But for tomorrows brew, can I do a 9 gallon batch in a 15 gallon kettle with 27lbs of grain without a sparge? All I should need is about 23 lbs for the recipe but I've added 4lbs 2-row to make up for some efficiency.
What do you think? And thank you!
Post #7772 made 9 years ago
Hi Wombat,
Sure, I'll help you out on this... For questions like this, in the future post a new email in the BIAB for New Brewers page with a clear title (so that it is easy to understand what you are looking for, and you get help quicker). Someone will be along to help. We try to keep the "First Post" page for first posts...but I understand you're reaching crisis mode and need help quick.
The BIABacus file is super helpful!!! I know, the first time I looked at it, it seemed really confusing. The more you get to know the file, the easier it gets and the more sense everything actually is. And then the file gets SUPER HELPFUL!!! So try to get to know it.
I'll post a link back to post #7764 on this page where I gave some links to someone else to help with the BIABacus... viewtopic.php?f=5&t=119&start=7750#p56860
I am going to PM you my BIABacus file from last weekend, so you can hopefully get the hang of what we're doing... Maybe this will help connect the dots. Feel free to change it, put in different OG, change the Volume Into Fermenter, etc.
15 gallon pot - sounds similar to mine. Actually mine winds up being 16.61 gallons to the top (Bayou Classic), but it was sold as a 15 gallon pot. If you have my equipment - and for the sake of this I will assume you do, you CAN brew a 9 gallon batch, Volume Into Fermenter (VIF), depending on the Gravity of the beer - how "big" do you want to make it? For beers in the 1.050 OG range (I brew lots in this range) - you will be at your limits with the pot you have. 9 gallons VIF of 1.050 beer is about max without withholding water. (One of the links I post above deals with this).
What is your planned OG? 27 Pounds of Grain seems like A LOT of grain...too much grain. Hopefully you have not purchased the grain yet... I put 1.065 OG into my BIABacus and it looks like I can get just under 8 gallons (30 Liters). And it would use about 20.5 pounds of grain... Really want to design the beer first before deciding on the quantity of ingredients you want... This would be a beer similar to Hop Valley's Citrus Mistress in body, I think... Well maybe just a tad less body. Bumping it up to 1.070 OG (bigger than Citrus Mistress), without approaching kettle limits could do 7.74 gallons (29.3 Liters), and it would use just over 22 pounds of grain. You're about at your limits here... I would not use 27 pounds of grain with this.
And we should be asking questions on what kind of equipment you have to help with your brew session... VERY IMPORTANT!
Hopefully you have a potato masher because during the mash, you will need to agitate the grain a couple times. Or a very sturdy spoon or other tool. And really must have a pulley. It's very heavy to pull this bag out with 20-22 pounds of grain when wet.
Having to withhold water and sparge is honestly a pain... So I would suggest trying to do max size you can do safely with existing equipment. It will help keep your sanity a lot better...
I will PM you. (EDIT - My PM is sitting in the Outbox; apparently you need to go to your message area to get my message...) And really this deserves its own post. Good luck, and let me / us know if there are questions.
Sure, I'll help you out on this... For questions like this, in the future post a new email in the BIAB for New Brewers page with a clear title (so that it is easy to understand what you are looking for, and you get help quicker). Someone will be along to help. We try to keep the "First Post" page for first posts...but I understand you're reaching crisis mode and need help quick.
The BIABacus file is super helpful!!! I know, the first time I looked at it, it seemed really confusing. The more you get to know the file, the easier it gets and the more sense everything actually is. And then the file gets SUPER HELPFUL!!! So try to get to know it.
I'll post a link back to post #7764 on this page where I gave some links to someone else to help with the BIABacus... viewtopic.php?f=5&t=119&start=7750#p56860
I am going to PM you my BIABacus file from last weekend, so you can hopefully get the hang of what we're doing... Maybe this will help connect the dots. Feel free to change it, put in different OG, change the Volume Into Fermenter, etc.
15 gallon pot - sounds similar to mine. Actually mine winds up being 16.61 gallons to the top (Bayou Classic), but it was sold as a 15 gallon pot. If you have my equipment - and for the sake of this I will assume you do, you CAN brew a 9 gallon batch, Volume Into Fermenter (VIF), depending on the Gravity of the beer - how "big" do you want to make it? For beers in the 1.050 OG range (I brew lots in this range) - you will be at your limits with the pot you have. 9 gallons VIF of 1.050 beer is about max without withholding water. (One of the links I post above deals with this).
What is your planned OG? 27 Pounds of Grain seems like A LOT of grain...too much grain. Hopefully you have not purchased the grain yet... I put 1.065 OG into my BIABacus and it looks like I can get just under 8 gallons (30 Liters). And it would use about 20.5 pounds of grain... Really want to design the beer first before deciding on the quantity of ingredients you want... This would be a beer similar to Hop Valley's Citrus Mistress in body, I think... Well maybe just a tad less body. Bumping it up to 1.070 OG (bigger than Citrus Mistress), without approaching kettle limits could do 7.74 gallons (29.3 Liters), and it would use just over 22 pounds of grain. You're about at your limits here... I would not use 27 pounds of grain with this.
And we should be asking questions on what kind of equipment you have to help with your brew session... VERY IMPORTANT!
Having to withhold water and sparge is honestly a pain... So I would suggest trying to do max size you can do safely with existing equipment. It will help keep your sanity a lot better...
I will PM you. (EDIT - My PM is sitting in the Outbox; apparently you need to go to your message area to get my message...) And really this deserves its own post. Good luck, and let me / us know if there are questions.
Last edited by Scott on 23 Nov 2016, 07:47, edited 11 times in total.
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- SVA Brewer With Over 50 Brews From United States of America
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Post #7773 made 9 years ago
Hey all,
Wow! What an overwhelmingly enormous stash of quality information! I wish I had come across BIABrewer sooner!
I'm new to the homebrew game, being a young lady and all, although I'm certainly not new to the beer game. Having worked in the craft beer industry for so many years, it's nice to finally be able to say that I am starting to make them too!
Through BIABrewer, I hope to make contacts in my area (Fremantle, WA) of a similar age, who are just as into beer and brewing as myself.
Thanks again for sharing all this knowledge with me
Wow! What an overwhelmingly enormous stash of quality information! I wish I had come across BIABrewer sooner!
I'm new to the homebrew game, being a young lady and all, although I'm certainly not new to the beer game. Having worked in the craft beer industry for so many years, it's nice to finally be able to say that I am starting to make them too!
Through BIABrewer, I hope to make contacts in my area (Fremantle, WA) of a similar age, who are just as into beer and brewing as myself.
Thanks again for sharing all this knowledge with me
Last edited by Sarah on 23 Jan 2017, 16:27, edited 2 times in total.
~ S.W. 
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- Over 100 Brews From Australia
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Post #7774 made 9 years ago
Hi All,
just signed up and am now doing the obligatory first post. I'm on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia. I've signed up so I can learn more about the brew in a bag brewing process. I've been brewing with extract for a little while with some mixed results at the begining, and some very enjoyable results lately. I'm looking forward to learning more and upping my game some more
just signed up and am now doing the obligatory first post. I'm on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia. I've signed up so I can learn more about the brew in a bag brewing process. I've been brewing with extract for a little while with some mixed results at the begining, and some very enjoyable results lately. I'm looking forward to learning more and upping my game some more
Post #7775 made 9 years ago
Welcome VIBrewer! You have come to the right place to learn more about BIAB for sure. If you're enjoying your latest extract results, I have no doubt you will enjoy the results of all-grain with biab even more... Lots of Game upping info around here and many helpful brewers if you can't find an answer.
Happy Brewing!
Happy Brewing!
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- SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From Canada
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