BIAB here I come!

A big thanks to rpt for pointing us in the direction of Nesbitts Ebay clearance presence, a cut price 30 litre Buffalo boiler is on its way to me as soon as funds clear. They didn't have a 40 litre one on there unfortunately so to do my 5 gallon brews I'm envisaging a bit of jiggery-pokery is going to be required?

So with that in mind, could anyone help with the following questions please?

1) So for the first stage, I'll put the full grain bill (in the bag) into as much water (at the correct strike temperature) as I can without it dribbling over the edge... does anyone know the displacement of 5kg of grain plus bag so I know how much water to get up to the necessary temp?

2) When it comes to the rolling boil, there will be evaporation during the 60 (or is it a 90 min boil?), so I know I'll need more than the 22.5 litres in there... but how much is a safe amount without it going everywhere? I expect that once the boil is finished, I'll need to add some cold water to dilute it to the final volume.

3) At the moment I can't afford a chiller (seen one on the homebrew company for £45) and I'm not even vaguely adept at DIY to consider making one and there is obviously a danger with infection leaving my wort to chill naturally... is there anything I can do to help this? My initial plan was to let it cool for a bit in the boiler, then open the tap into the sterilised fermenter and then wack it outside (with the lid on) and pray it cools down quickly?

4) I've seen on rpt's other thread about hop strainer and all that, and altering taps etc... as mentioned previously, I'm rubbish at that sort of thing, is all hope lost or would passing the boiled wort through a sieve be OK?

Thanks for any help you give us, truly is appreciated :thumb:

Hey Andy - there's a link to a spreadsheet in the BIAB how to in my sig. Have a tinker with that and you should be able to figure out your starting volume.

You'll boil off a fair bit but it's pretty dependent on things like how good a boil you get, your surface area etc etc. I always boil off more than I bargain for!

Don't let it cool too long in the boiler - if you're cooling slowly get it hot into FV and seal it. It stays nicely sterile that way.

You probably do want a hop stopper of some kind, you run the risk of blocking your tap otherwise. Also when running off hot, there is a suggestion that you should avoid oxygen - haven't read too deeply on the subject but if true that would rule out the sieve...

3. A few people on here allow the wort to cool overnight, either in the boiler or in the FV. I'm planning on using a no-chill cube - basically it's a 25L HDPE water container with a screw lid. Because it's sealed the wort can be left for days or weeks before putting in the FV and pitching the yeast.

4. If my plans work then I'll be posting how to add a hop strainer and tap with no need to make any holes - just unscrew the existing tap and then screw together a few other bits.

What you are trying to do is called maxi-BIAB. There's an Australian forum dedicated to BIAB - it's worth reading their guides.

You may be able to use something like this (or the smaller 5.5" one) with this. I'm not sure on the sizes, i'll have a check when I get in tonight however in the long run you will be better off replacing the tap with a ball valve.

I already have a buffalo 40l boiler and I am keeping my eye on the Nisbets ebay store for another one to use as a HLT, but there hasn't been any on there for a while

That's the same hop strainer I am planning to use but with a ball valve.

i pop the bag back in the boiler weight it down, then add the hops.. :thumb:

I like to chuck them in with reckless abandon!! :lol:

artyb said:

i pop the bag back in the boiler weight it down, then add the hops.. :thumb:

Click to expand...

What's your bag made of? I'd be worried mine will burn or melt.

rpt said:

artyb said:

i pop the bag back in the boiler weight it down, then add the hops.. :thumb:

Click to expand...

What's your bag made of? I'd be worried mine will burn or melt.

Click to expand...

its voile ,
i put it in but only around 3/4 of it back in, i hold it in place with the bungy cord around the pot,[see it in the pic]

here it is hanging on the side, tied off onto the handle of the pot dripping with the used hops in it,

andylanc1975 said:

Nesbitts Ebay clearance

Click to expand...

What's the sellers name for these?

Will12283 said:

andylanc1975 said:

Nesbitts Ebay clearance

Click to expand...

What's the sellers name for these?

Click to expand...

clearancecatering

joey1002 said:

You may be able to use something like this (or the smaller 5.5" one) with this. I'm not sure on the sizes, i'll have a check when I get in tonight however in the long run you will be better off replacing the tap with a ball valve.

I already have a buffalo 40l boiler and I am keeping my eye on the Nisbets ebay store for another one to use as a HLT, but there hasn't been any on there for a while

Click to expand...

Unfortunately the coupler is too big for the tap thread

artyb said:

rpt said:

artyb said:

i pop the bag back in the boiler weight it down, then add the hops.. :thumb:

Click to expand...

What's your bag made of? I'd be worried mine will burn or melt.

Click to expand...

its voile ,

Click to expand...

But is it cotton or polyester or something else?

rpt said:

But is it cotton or polyester or something else?

Click to expand...

Sometimes pure cotton, sometimes a mix of both. As long as it's not sitting directly on the element it'll be fine - you can use a cheap strainer or a more expensive false bottom at the bottom of your boiler to keep it clear.

Or you could try heating your liquor to strike temperature and turning off the boiler before putting the bag in (maybe wait a few mins for the elements to cool slightly). The downside is that you can't switch the boiler back on during the mash to adjust for heat loss, or to do a mashout.

My voile is polyester so I'm hoping if I can keep it off the bottom of the boiler it will be fine.

Get one of these,
Ikea sell them too £3.50ish

http://www.tradesparq.com/products/3652 ... ufacturers

My bag is 100% cotton.

I'm not sure on the logic of melty/burny bags though. To scorch or burn you need oxygen and there isn't a lot of that in your wort. To melt you need to directly apply a higher temp than the melting point of the material.

Shouldn't the wort dissipate the heat very quickly preventing melting?

Not if it's in direct contact it won't.
You would have to make sure the bag was suspended at just the right height so as not to come into direct contact with the heat source.

Just one more advantage to gas...