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Preparing for my first biab

Post #1 made 11 years ago
by bryamill
On Goulaigan's recommendation, I wanted to start a thread here and have somewhere to ask questions as I get closer to my first biab brew this weekend. I've downloaded the BIABacus and I also have BeerSmith. My biggest question is about the correct amount of water to start with. Do I need to put the actual recipe in or can I just put my kettle dimensions in and get that information?

Post #2 made 11 years ago
by joshua
Bryamill,

With BIABACUS, you will see, after entering the Volume into the Fermenter(VIF), and the Specific Gravity(SG) desired, and the Grain Bill Ingredients, The Spreadsheet, will give you the Total Water Needed(TWN), and the amount of grain(in Grams) to make the Desired SG, and VIF.
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Hops are another Step....
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BUT, Basically, Depending on the SG you want, your Kettle needs to hold approximately 180% to 200% of the Desired volume into Packaging(VIP), This is a "Rule of Thumb"
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YMMV
Last edited by joshua on 05 May 2015, 01:22, edited 1 time in total.
Honest Officer, I swear to Drunk, I am Not God.
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Post #3 made 11 years ago
by bryamill
Thanks for the response. My kettle is 15 gallons, so I should have plenty of room for a 5 gallon batch. How important is the grain bill? Do I just need to be accurate with the amount of grain? Or does the kind matter? The reason I ask is that the spreadsheet doesn't seem to have a list to choose from, so I'm assuming it is just calculating weight.

Post #4 made 11 years ago
by joshua
Bryamill,

The grain Bill depends on the Moisture Content, and the FGDB data entered in Section 'Y'.

As well, as the storage condition , and age/oxidation of the Grains.

Different Malters make their pale Grains differently, and depending on the year, and Country, there can be a large difference in the MC and FGDB.

That said, I round up to "easy to Measure" values (Ex. 512gr is 520gr), and enter what ever data I can find in Section 'Y'.

Then accept a +/- .002 difference in the Specific Gravity.

Brewing is more Technique, than Science.
Honest Officer, I swear to Drunk, I am Not God.
    • SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From United States of America

Post #5 made 11 years ago
by bryamill
I guess my question is, if I'm using Rahr American 2-row, do I just type Rahr American 2-row? I'm not sure what the spreadsheet will recognize. If that makes sense. Or am I totally overthinking this?

Post #6 made 11 years ago
by Rick
The spreadsheet will recognize anything you put in there, all of the name data is manual entry.
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Post #7 made 11 years ago
by goulaigan
The biabacus is amazingly good at predicting volumes, and everything you put in for grain and hops will affect these predictions. The name however doesn't. Biabacus uses an average for the sugar content in grain which works very very well. If you consider what Joshua said above about grain variables, this can even be with the same grain from the same maltster, so in the end if you do try and fill out section Y for every grain it probably won't make a whole lot of difference, and probably won't be any more of an accurate prediction of your gravities then if you left it at default.

You will see the total water needed change as you enter different amounts of hops, grain, if you will say 'y' to hop sock, how long you will boil for, etc etc. It is quite powerful and accurate. I would suggest entering your entire recipe into biabacus, weights, names etc., and look at the 'what you will use'. This is what you will use for the desired volume into fermentor, gravity, and IBUs on your equipment...
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Post #8 made 11 years ago
by Rick
Yeah, the defaults are pretty great for the homebrew level in most cases. If the BIABacus was being used to repeatedly make HUGE volumes of beer, the FGDB and MC would be fairly critical I would imagine. At that scale, the differences could really make a difference on the wallet over time.

I still like to use section y though, because I have a fundamental need for precision. :D
    • SVA Brewer With Over 20 Brews From United States of America

Post #10 made 11 years ago
by goulaigan
Oh and something many don't realize right away about volumes that I find really handy, and that I didn't discover until a few batches in, is that beside each volumes to the right, in section S and T, it tells you what depth your water should be to achieve this and what depth your headspace should be. (as long as your kettle dimensions are correct) This makes it incredibly easy to get the volume correct, just use a ruler and measure the headspace.

There is also a nice little calculator in section U and V, which allows you to enter any headspace or depth you measure and it will convert to volume for you. (I prefer headspace since you don't have to dip a ruler in your wort) This makes measuring the important volumes throughout the brew (mash volumen vol into boil, vol at flameout etc.) very simple to take. It is extremely valuable to take these measurements and record them in biabacus along the way, it will not only then calculate your efficiencies etc., it will also help you get a baseline of what to expect from your equipment after a few brews, and to make troubleshooting any issues much easier...
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