can you get satisfactory results doing 5 gl all grain using that BIAB method? I don’t see a difference from the 3 gl if your kettle/bags are big enough. Anyone tried it???
Yep, I’ve been doing 5 gallon BIAB for over a year now and I’ve been very satisfied with it. Really the Process is very easy. If you have been doing 3 gallons it will simply be scaling up your recipes which is easy now as I am drawing up my own recipes anyway.
5 gallon paint strainer bags from Home Depot are perfect for five gallon batches.
I use a 10 gallon brew kettle and use 2 or even 3 bags depending on the grainbill. My LHBS has bags purposed for this but paint strainer bags work also. Learned the hard way that one bag is too heavy with bigger beers. Some of the brewers on this site use hoists to lift the bag out of the brew kettle.
I too have a 10 gl kettle, and two or three 5 gl paint bags. just did the JP’s elevenses PM kit from our host, and I don’t think I’m going to do any more extract. The 11s just turned out too good. Looks like ima get some grain/ hops and brew for real. :lol:
My kettle is a little larger 60qt so invested in a bag from http://www.brewinabag.com/ and glad I did. I use the paint strainer bags for hop additions. Not sure why NB does 3G kits unless its a safety weight thing or to hit a larger audience.
Most kitchen stoves can easily boil a 3-gallon batch. Mine is one of those flat-top, sealed ranges and I can boil 4-gallons no problem. It’s also never too hot or too cold to brew indoors. Raining out? So what? I don’t need the turkey frier on my driveway, or a spare propane tank.
My brew pot for 3-gal batches is a fairly high-end, but still standard, 20qt stock pot, when you move to the 7+ gallon sizes there’s a bit of a premium because it’s more of a niche market. So cheaper cookware is another advantage.
Yeast starter? I won’t say there’s no need, but definitely much less.
Finally, I found that my brewing frequency was being limited by my consumption rate. I don’t like having 6+ cases stockpiled. 3-gallons lets me keep some variety on hand, while still limiting to 3-4 cases in the house AND brewing monthly or so.
I’m actually continually surprised/dissapointed that they don’t offer MORE variety in the 3-gallon kits. Since they assemble the grain at order time, I’m not sure how it impacts their costs. I get my grains and hops in bulk now, but the kits I like are pretty convenient.
I do 5 gal and 10 gal batches with BIAB in a 16 gal kettle. I have a pulley and ratchet system set up to lift the bag on the 10 gal batches as it’s pretty heavy and awkward to deal with. BIAB works great for me.
