Yea I suppose I’m not your typical BIABer. I only chose the bag as my filter because I felt it was better than a false bottom but I do use a false bottom under the bag when I want to recirculate or apply heat.
The whole system is on a rolling rig so it’s easy to setup etc and the HLT really requires no cleaning since all it does is boil water.
HLT on the right, MT/BK on left, plate chiller mounted on the right upper side of cart and pump mounted front and center behind my little hand made splash guard.
EDIT: You can barely see the little black rope in the left side of the pic. It’s tied off on a cleat on the wall and runs through the ratchet pulley above the MT/BK that I use to pull the bag with. Then I just let the bag hang above the BK to drain, drop a hose in the top of the bag and sparge. I’ll try to take a pic of the sparge next brew day.
Brew cat, I do read yer posts and appreciate yer insight. You are suppose to weigh in with yer point of view for the benefit fer the forum, as well as all others. Thats what is great about this forum, many points of view and you can choose what best fits what yer looking fer! Sneezles61
I like that idea of using a hoist to pick up and or hold yer bag suspended above yer kettle. I suspect then, while yer heating it up, you are sparging until you hit 170? I believe after that temp you will get unwanted tannin that will add an unwanted flavor…Sneezles61
At that point I’m sparging so there’s no grain in the kettle. no need to limit the heat. The water in the HLT is usually about 190 when i start pumping it over the grain.
I’m wondering how many people are switching to biab. With the genetically modified grains we can get now is a traditional mash really necessary. What I call traditional mashing is not even that traditional. Brewers used to have to do step mashes now they don’t need to anymore. So maybe the batch sparge will go the way of decoction mashing. Or maybe and probably likely is I don’t know what I’m talking about.
[quote=“brew_cat, post:26, topic:6858”] Or maybe and probably likely is I don’t know what I’m talking about.
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^^^. This.
Sparging and mashing are different things. With more modified malt I could see a shorter mash. But, I think there will be a need for even a short sparge when it comes to effeciency. For Homebrewers it isn’t as important but for commercial breweries that are brewing tens if not hundreds of bbls at a time efficiency is of the utmost importance.
I understand for large volumes it would make sense to get the most efficiency but I’m talking about home Brewers who are generally doing 15 gallon batches or less. I think I can make pretty much the same beer, and I have, using my mash tun or Biab. So why bother. I was looking at that grain father brewing system that looks tob be Basicaly a brew in a basket biab.I think some of the other systems use a similar method. I’m not that familiar with them.
I don’t think sparging will be eliminated from the mash process for the majority of brewers I think there too many that are focused on efficiency, and what they think makes good beer, regardless of the filter media they use to mash. I’m one of those.
Having said that lots of BIABers don’t sparge and some scoff at the idea. They crush hard and plan for their own target efficiency numbers.
There are also still a few diehard decoction brewers around.
Well now looking at this subject as a HOME BREWER, I can see where BIAB would simplify brewing. You could get down to one vessel, now thats simple economy fer a lot. Also, because you wouldn’t be transferring betwixt another kettle you would be of time economy too! It seems you could easily do a decoction too! I can see the debate as to sparge or not when mashing is complete… I will sparge just as some others do. I wouldn’t want to start wringing/squeezining a large sack of hot grain.
I just cut apart my gravity 3 tier to get a single burner, just a few more alterations and my new rig will get a test fire this W/E, and get my first BIAB under way! The last B will be a basket though… Sneezles61
Brew I hope you know I was saying that in jest. I agree that you can make the same beer doing a BIAB and am not knocking the technique. I actually do 2.05gal BIAB test batches as I use my stove. But I did notice a substantial gain in effeciency just by lifting the bag onto a rack over the BK and pouring some water over the grains. It essentially takes 2 mins so I look at it as a insignificant loss for a substantial gain. It also helps me with the understanding of how the beer will turn out once I scale it up to 5.25gals or 10.25gals.
Oh I knew it was a jest. I was poking this post to get a response. And I also do a pour over sparge when I do biab. I Basicaly set the basket with the bag of grains over the pot and pour some water in and stir and drain. Im not sure if it’s a sparge or more of a rinse because the water doesn’t really contact the grain long enough to change the temperature. I’m wondering what about pulling the bag after the mash and fire the burner while draining then when the wort gets to 170 or so drop the bag in for a few minuets then pull and rinse.
You’d probably have to shoot a little higher as the temp will drop a little after adding the grain bag back to the BK. If you can ensure that the bag isn’t on the bottom of the kettle then you can direct fire and stir while bag is in the BK.
With BIAB, even using a quick pseudo sparge, you wouldn’t really need a mash out step as the temp in the BK should rise quick enough to denature the enzymes.
the biggest advantage to batch sparging is the ability to hold steady mash temps in a cooler. many homebrewers brew outside in the winter and the cooler is much better at holding temps, unless the biab rig uses a recirculation pump, but that adds complexity and expense.
Ah yes, the pump adds cost, but removes some complexity as I don’t rely on my gravity 3 tier system, and by the time I switched to kegs the height get up to almost 7’! Think also as a faux RIMS as you could pump continuously, add heat to the bottom and step mashing could be achieved…. I still do have my mash-tuns and won’t take them out of the equation until I get many BIAB’s under me belt… Sneezles61
Brew cat, I am thinking of putting a short chunk of copper on the end of my discharge tubing so I could then recirc into the middle of the grain sack once its hanging over the kettle… I am just thinking it will rinse/vorlauf to the middle of the grain….Once 170 is reached it would stop and head right to the boil. Just brain storming…. Sneezles61
I don’t have a pump yet but with the strainer basket in or false bottom you can just add heat and sir to hold or raise mash temp. Easier to do a step mash than with a tun.
Why not recirculate the whole time you mash or is that your plan? Will you raise the wort temperature to 170 with the bag still submerged then pull the bag and rinse.
Aw, the reason I keep asking is from experienced BIABers like you! Do you start with yer full volume er add to it after you pull yer grains? Sneezles61
Whoa there partner. I have way more experience with batch sparging in a tun. I’m relatively new to biab I think dannyboy is the go to guy for ten gallon batches. I’m kind of trying to emulate a tower system like the grainfather"which is basically brew in a basket. Visit their site and read the user instructions.
