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BIAB #1- a cautionary tale

Post #1 made 15 years ago
by big dave
Well the cherry is popped. BIAB number one is in the fermenter.... :cool: Golden Ale :thumbs:

I had just got all the gear together, and unexpectedly found a day with the middle free.... So without any preparation, I decided it was time to brew.

I forgot to add the caramalt to the mash until 55 minutes in. :o So had to frantically run from the shed to the house to get it, weigh it, plastic bag it and smash it up with a rolling pin and mash it in. Then, when I went to pull the bag, I found that it is a bit too big to pull easily through the opening in the keggle, so I had to suspend and squeeze it then pull it up a bit more, and repeat a few times. Fortunately I had a rope rigged to hoist from. Then I found the mash temp had dropped off to 63 degrees, and I did manage to run a fair amount of sweet liquor down the outside of the keggle and partly blocked the outer burners of the 3-ring burner, which made the time to boil blow out a little. So I had to shorten the boil time so I could go and pick up the kids from school on time. :blush:

But at the end, where I was aiming for 24 litres into the cube at 1.047, I had 25 and a bit, at 1.044, so I am happy enough with that. It left enough to run into a sterile 700ml jar to make a starter with. So, while it was not at all a relaxing experience, I know it will be easier next time, because I will remember to print out the check-list the day before and get ready before the clock is running.... ;)

Salut

BD
Drinking: last K&B & extract brews, BIAB #1- Golden Ale, #2- Pale Ale, #3- Galaxy Single-hop Ale
In the Pipeline: ESB, Landlord

Post #2 made 15 years ago
by Silo Ted
Mate, firstly congratulations on getting so close to your target. You might want to work out what the efficiency was, then in future brews you might just find that its always going to be the same. Maximum efficiency is less important that consistent, repeatable efficiency.

Disorganised brewdays, I hate them!. In the past, being so eager to brew, but my spare room often being a pigsty, having to run around looking for the 'cocaine' scales, spare batteries, the refractometer calibration driver, the silicone hose to run off the hot wort, misplace my iodophor sprayer, and whatever else. It makes for an unpleasant experience I have found. Now I make sure that I spend 10 minutes calmly pulling out everything I could possibly need, lay it out at the brewstation, and the day goes so smoothly, it basically looks after itself, and gives me time in between to relax and put my feet up, play some guitar or surf the net.

I also find that drinking even a single beer pust me in shutdown lazy mode, and if I have a cold one during brewing, the wash up at the end gets put off, and is much worse to deal with the next day.

Post #3 made 15 years ago
by Ralph
Hey dave, don't worry, we're not remembered by just our first ever BIAB... no, there's a cumulative effect from all the bolloxed ones we happen to mention thereafter! :argh:
Seriously, no biggie with the Caramalt, it should be quite soluble as is and shouldn't need long in the mash anyway.
The mechanics of moving things around your brewery is not something to leave to chance, as you've found, but we do have to take a plunge and do a production run at some point. However, most of us have found out sooner or later that there's indeed a fly in the ointment with our particular gear, you'll learn to adapt and you've probably put some thought into that already.
AG and BIAB are both fairly forgiving as far as processes go and a few fails/ red crosses in a batch can still yield quite an acceptable end result, sometimes it isn't what was expected but is nevertheless quite OK- its beer and it is certainly drinkable- I've only tipped out a batch on account of infection, not by brewing fault. In many respects the bigger challenge is manipulating processes for a particular effect reliably, that's how your batch- by- batch feedback will help to educate you. With such a long turnaround though, that feedback loop is only closed by keeping notes, so keep copious notes is my advice, and learn from any mistakes.
So, congratulations on chalking up your first BIAB, keep it up and in no time at all you'll be knocking out this stuff to suit your own expectations and tastes to a tee, one after another. :drink:
[center]Give me a beer and I will move the world. Archimedes[/center]

Post #4 made 15 years ago
by BobBrews
Dave,
The first step was the hardest one. Getting started. The rest of the trip is going to be much easier. The group of men and women on this site will be there for you. Remember not to go overboard on anything except maybe sanitation. Hitting numbers, clear beer and perfect color and nice. But.... I have never had any of my beers dumped because the color or clarity wasn't right. I have had a beer refused because someone didn't like the taste (darn wife). That's all that matters with that forgiving grain. Taste.
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tap 4 Triple IPA 11% ABV
Pipeline: Mulled Cider 10% ABV

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Post #5 made 15 years ago
by big dave
Thanks for the support chaps. This is a terrific support for the uninformed neophyte. :?

I had a sample taste last night out of the hydrometer tube. It tastes terrific, even after just four days in primary. Can't wait to get this one into the bottle and carbed.... Only about 24 sleeps to go.... :drink: :yum:

Already I can't wait to have another go, and am madly reading and checking recipes. I have kept a full list of volumes, temps, efficiency (72.4% @ end of boil, as given by the calculator) and the like, so I can measure and compare the next one. And definitely I will be prepared for the next brew-day, and not have to rush it to hit a deadline....
Drinking: last K&B & extract brews, BIAB #1- Golden Ale, #2- Pale Ale, #3- Galaxy Single-hop Ale
In the Pipeline: ESB, Landlord

Post #6 made 15 years ago
by PistolPatch
Great thread Dave. Love these sort of posts so keep keeping us updated :P. Can't wait to hear how it tastes - I think you'll be pleased :drink:.
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