BeerBorg

Maybe this will get some things going around here.

Since I will be moving in a couple of months and I will have a much better stove and possibly the ability to use a propane burner of some sort I have been considering doing BIAB batches. What equipment is required to do BIAB brewing and what equipment isn't required but is helpful? Any description of the equipment you use and what you like about it would be helpful. I am trying to sort out what is just preference and what is actual requirement from a lot of the equipment I see on other pages. For example I have seen people recommend that a bag should be a certain number of inches taller than the kettle but others say that as long as it fits in the kettle it's good or people that recommend the bag be conical shape vs cylindrical.

I will likely be making 2.5 and 5 gallon batches.

BIAB is likely the quickest way to get to AG brewing. You basically only need a big enough pot to hold ALL the water to mash and sparge in. Beersmith and other programs can help with that.
So, a nice size pot. To do 5 gallon AG batches that can run up to 1.065-1.070, you'll need at least aa 10 gallon pot and a bag big enough and strong enough to hold the 12-16 lbs of grain.
Other than that, a good thermometer to watch the mash temps, fermenting bucket and the usual brewing equipment.
A good strainer or two is very helpful as well.
You can get a custom grain bag to fit your pot or get 5 gallon paint strainers at Lowes/Home Depot.

I use a second-hand 20qt pressure cooker/canner as a kettle, a five gallon paint strainer, hydrometer, and thermometer. A 12qt ss pot does for a fermenter for 2.5 gallon batches. A scale is important too. I use two, one for pounds of grain, one for fractions of ounces of hops. Much can be bought cheaply from ebay or Amazon. The whole point of biab is simplicity.

I recently purchase the High Gravity BIAB System. This is more than is necessary to BIAB but I love it!

I've done 5 gal BIAB with a 5 gallon kettle and a 5 gallon bucket!

I use Beersmith for my mash volumes and then I sparge with enough water to make up my boil volume.
I also squeeze and mash the hell outta my grains to make my OG! Colander in the bottom of the bucket helps quite a bit!
Rinse lots too!
Not as fancy smanchy as the levitating brew pot but I get very good results!! :P

I love how that BIAB system suspends itself in midair! I love antigrav brews!

I guess I have most of the stuff covered then. I will just need to acquire a bag.

Believe it or not, I BIAB with a 16qt pot for 5 gal batches. I fill it 3/4 full of water, bring it to 174 deg, and then put the paint strainer bag with 8.5 lbs of grain, and it brings the water to almost the rim, so I have to stir carefully, and it settles right in at about 155 deg.

I sparge back up to almost top of pot, and start the boil. Cool down in sink bath, no ice to about 90 deg in 20 mins, pour into fermenter pail, and then bring up to 5 gal line with cold water using same pot to fill and pour. I get about 80%eff and hit 1.048-1.052 OG .... and after fermenting I'm averaging about 4.8% AG.

I can hit 1.06 OG or so adding some sugar, which many people wouldn't like, but it makes a nice ale. It's not too dry, considering it would have been 1.05 OG anyway. So, you can even do 6% ABV this way, just using well within ratio range of adjunct or even a pound of dme.

Not a sophisticated method, and I often use a little extra hops to get the same bittering and flavoring as a full volume boil, but this method works. I've done countless batches, love my ale, and brew INDOORS in my brew room. I just haven't been motivated to bring it outside on a burner. I'm brewing right by my slop sink.


This does not mean that people who say you should do full volume are wrong. That is the best. But I love my ales.

I also have never racked. Mash pot, boil in same pot, to fermenter pail .. to bottle or keg. They're usually clear.

Thanks Tabasco, I like it.
I'm in Rocky Point, where are you?

John Sand wrote:Thanks Tabasco, I like it.
I'm in Rocky Point, where are you?

John, I'm in West Babylon. If you want to go out for craft brews one night let me know I think we have PM in here. Or, my email should be in my profile.

Thursday, Frid, Sat and Sun the Great South Bay Brewery tasting room is open. I haven't been there in a long time ... it should all be remodeled by now. They are supposed to be in-house brewing now instead of using contract brewers, but I haven't checked that out yet.

I'll let you know when I go .... but it's close to me ... in Bayshore .... would be a ride for you. Beerlabelman Steve likes to go, too ... but it's a ride for him, too, so he has to "plan" ... I could just "run over".

I'd be very interested in what someone has as an electric turkey fryer BIAB setup.

jivex5k wrote:I'd be very interested in what someone has as an electric turkey fryer BIAB setup.

I would, too, thanks for posting the question.

RickBeer wrote:I love how that BIAB system suspends itself in midair! I love antigrav brews!

It wasn't suspended? I was using my invisible table...everyone has an invisible table, don't they?

Great Idea! Jane and I visited GSB in the spring. I used to live in N Babylon (85-93 maybe). My wife works a lot of evenings now. We could actually meet somewhere in the middle. Patchogue comes to mind, they have at least one brewpub, and Bobbique has an extensive beer list.

John Sand wrote:Great Idea! Jane and I visited GSB in the spring. I used to live in N Babylon (85-93 maybe). My wife works a lot of evenings now. We could actually meet somewhere in the middle. Patchogue comes to mind, they have at least one brewpub, and Bobbique has an extensive beer list.

Sounds good. We're tied up the next two weekends ... boat ride and then vacation, but after that ....