I’m modifying my brew rig to Brew in a Basket, in a Keggle. I like the idea of doing everything on brew day with one container, not counting the basket and fermentation vessel. I have historically done all grain brewing with the usual mash and sparging process, but this basket thing is new to me. I think that instead of sparging with fresh hot water, you simply raise the wort temperature to sparge water temperature and lower the basket of grain back into it. Anyone who brews this way, please share your basic approach with me, or direct me to a good source? Thanks very much in advance. Cheers! Mike
There are as many approaches to BIAB(bag or basket) as there are brewers. I haven’t ever heard of anyone doing what you describe however. Dipping the bag/basket back into the wort probably wouldn’t net much better efficiency and would only serve as a mashout if you wanted one.
I use two vessels to BIAB because I like to do a sparge. I mash in the kettle with a bag and fairly typical water to grist ratios. When the mash is done I pull the bag and leave it suspended over the kettle I run mashout temp water over the grain bag until I get my preboil volume in the kettle. I tend to get great mash efficiency this way.
I think the majority or BIABers tend to do a full volume mash in one vessel, pull the bag/basket and boil. Your crush will play a big role in what kind of efficiency you get if that’s your process.
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I don’t BiAB, but a lot of them do not sparge at all. Full volume brewing. You can sparge if you choose to. It is not uncommon, but others who do will respond.
Thanks Dannyboy58. I currently have a two-vessel setup (two keggles shown in the attached, one of which is for heating sparge water. My current plan is to remove one of the keggles, but I like your method of sparging while bringing the preboil volume to spec. I might just change my plan to keep the second keggle. Seems to me sparging is an important step and would naturally lead to higher efficiency. That method of dipping the bag back into the wort, at a higher (sparge) temperature, was news to me too. Sounds like plan B compared to sparging with fresh hot water.
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I sparge now by pouring 170F water over the drained bag. I have tried dipping back in and it was too annoying for not as much gain as water from outside the pot
One kettle with a basket here… All my brews and designed grain bills are targeted at 80%. Mostly a stepped mash, circulating with a pump… In fact, my pump is seldom turned off.
When mash is complete, I raise my basket to just above the wort, turn up the heat to raise to a “mash out” temp. That for me is 170 or perhaps bit higher… I don’t worry about protein or tannin leaching as my pH is adjusted. I do run the hot wort over the grain a few more times… I’ve read it doesn’t help to rinse the sugars out with hot wort… but hey, this is my method… Sparging with just hot water, I suspect you’ll get a bit more sugar… I’m not keeping track of that…
Look in brew gear for electric build up… My currant system, and I’ll say, the final one is shown there… The pump and manifold is the icing on the cake! Sneezles61
You are most effectively mashing out when when you remove the grains from the wort with your basket. It’s 100% out 
You are correct… And the kettle is a mash-lauter-boil tun…? Sneezles61
