BeerBorg

I have done a few BIAB versions of extract brews from the past. Since I'm fairly new at BIAB, my last couple of beers have been really good, but not as good as my best extract ones. It seems as though, my BIAB versions take more conditioning time in the keg. Other factors that probably contributed were inconsistent mash temps, as well as where I got the grains from.

As we speak right now, I'm drinking a Zombie Dust clone. It is a great brew, but I can immediately see where I went wrong. Had I mashed a little lower, the beer would have attenuated slightly better. Case in point, a Zythos IPA I just did, was mashed at 152 had an attenuation rate of 82%.

Anyways, after getting over the learning curve, I'm still making better beer in the process.

Many of my BIABs are actually PMs, but I do some full BIABs too. I've never noticed that conditioning takes longer for them then a pure extract brew. But then I don't keg, so that's a variable I can't account for. Even in extract brews I don't tend to have attenuation problems, but I always pitch a good amount of yeast and I always use fresh extract as much as is possible. I also use some dextrose in extract brews I want to attenuate higher. Sugar isn't evil if used correctly in this regards. And yeast choice matters too here.

I look at full BIAB or BIAB PMs as a way to make beer I can't make with extracts, but not so much as a way to make "better" beer. Just different or more specialized beer. This of course if using fresh high quality extracts - not stuff sitting in a can for a year.

I just tasted my Citra Double IPA that I entered in a home brew contest (2nd overall). This ,was my last extract brew that I have done, and kind of old in the bottle. I tasted it, and it was amazing. I'd really like to try a BIAB version of this and mash it a little lower to see if can attenuate more. For other BIABs where I mashed lower, the yeast went past "the suggested attenuation rate." I'm impressed by DanStar's Bry-97 yeast. Granted, I haven't kegged it yet. IMO, it seems like a dry yeast version of the SD Super-yeast. Also, I think that rehydrating yeast is more than a PITA than doing a starter with liquid yeast. If I could find White Labs-WLP-001 on the east coast a little more easily, I'd probably just stick with that.

mashani wrote:Many of my BIABs are actually PMs, but I do some full BIABs too. I've never noticed that conditioning takes longer for them then a pure extract brew. But then I don't keg, so that's a variable I can't account for. Even in extract brews I don't tend to have attenuation problems, but I always pitch a good amount of yeast and I always use fresh extract as much as is possible. I also use some dextrose in extract brews I want to attenuate higher. Sugar isn't evil if used correctly in this regards. And yeast choice matters too here.

I look at full BIAB or BIAB PMs as a way to make beer I can't make with extracts, but not so much as a way to make "better" beer. Just different or more specialized beer. This of course if using fresh high quality extracts - not stuff sitting in a can for a year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... sJQxbQ#t=3

losman26 wrote:Also, I think that rehydrating yeast is more than a PITA than doing a starter with liquid yeast.

This I don't understand. I do starters and rehydrate dry yeast. Rehydrating is easy, here's how I do it.

I normally start this an hour before I pitch.
Fill a 1/2 pint mason jar about 3/4 full with water. Put in microwave with the lid off and bring to a boil(all microwaves are different, mine takes about a minute and a half).

Remove from microwave (using protection) put on the lid and seal ring and shake to sanitize lid, set aside.

Check the temperature about every 15 minutes as you pass by with your sanitized thermometer of choice.
When it hits 90-95 degrees pour your dry yeast of choice in, put lid on and go do something brewy.
No need to stir at this time, most of the yeast will just sit on top of the water, that's ok.
After another 10-15 minutes shake the jar until the yeast is saturated and shake every so often for the next 15 minutes.

Depending on time frame I may just leave it on the counter till it reaches room/wort temperature or set the jar in the sink with some water to chill it quicker.
Just swirl it up in the jar and pitch into wort.

Starters aren't much harder, but that's for another post.