BIAB recipe ideas...

[tom_p87]

Hi all,

Planning on doing a couple of brews soon (IPA) and was hoping for some feedback on the following recipes (both will be 20-23L after diluting).

I'm doing BIAB with my 19L pot so I tend to mash in as much water as i can get away with then top up during the boil and add cold in the fermenter too if necessary.

Brew #1

- 4.5kg Marris otter w/ 700g flaked oats
- Mash at 68degC for 60 mins + a sparge to brim my 19L pot
- Boil for an hour
- 50g Magnum added very late boil (5mins)...previously did this recipe with 10g added at start of boil too and it was too bitter for my palate
- Chill, dilute down to 23L or approx. 5% ABV & pitch s05 yeast
- Dry hop on day 2 or 3 (with 110g simcoe & 110g galaxy) just after the high point of fermentation
- Bottle after about 10 days for 3 weeks

Brew #2

- 4.5kg Marris otter w/ 700g flaked oats
- Mash at 68degC for 60 mins + a sparge to brim my 19L pot
- Boil for an hour
- 80g simcoe added very late boil (5mins)
- Chill, dilute down to 23L or approx. 5% ABV & pitch s04 yeast
- Dry hop on day 2 or 3 (with 200g nelson) just after the high point of fermentation
- Bottle after about 10 days for 3 weeks

Any recommendations/tips would be really appreciated!

 

[samale]

I brew using biab. I would reduce the boil time. You are not adding any hops until very late. I would also add your bittering hop at the start of the boil. Work out your IBU if you want or work of experience. Adding 60g of magnum@5 mins is at bit of a waste, work out the equivalent for a 30min boil.
Reducing the boil time will save time and the amount that you have to dilute by.

 

[tom_p87]

thanks @samale . Any negative effect of reducing boil time? I always did wonder if the 60 mins was more rule of thumb than science. Would you say the same for the simcoe in the other brew? I've tended to like the aroma from late addition simcoe, but not sure if magnum gives much/any aroma at all? Makes sense to bring it forward in the boil if its only for bittering i agree

 

[An Ankoù]

Adding 60g of magnum@5 mins is at bit of a waste,

You say that, but whenever I open a fresh bag of Magnum, I'm quite taken by the smell and resolve to make a single hop beer with Magnum- which I never get round to. It's a great bittering hop and my goto bittering hop for any beer which is not traditionally English. I wonder what it's like as the only hop in a lager or pale ale.
Has anybody tried it?

 

[The Baron]

Hi Tom
this what happens when you boil the wort
Boiling ceases the remaining enzyme activity and fixes the carbohydrate composition of the wort, and hence the dextrin content of the final beer. Dextrins are complex carbohydrates. In the absence of enzyme activity to break them down into simpler sugars, brewers yeast cannot ferment them.
Now I tend to boil for 45 mins nowadays as a standard and do not find anything out of sorts but I know some boil for as little as 30 mins so its your choice but going too short will cause issues eventually.
Re the recipes using large amounts of oats can cause a stuck sparge but as you are BIAB it should not be a problem but I know some BIABers do stir the mash in the bag to help with mashing evenly and for a little more extraction.
Hops wise I do not use bittering hops anymore in a IPA as you are wanting to load it up with your flavour hops and you can get enough bittering from them alone if used as Flameout/Whirlpool hops. I tend whirlpool at say 90c or 80c and leave for 30/40 mins which if plugged into your Recipe Builder will work out your IBU,s for you and then you can adjust the time/temp to suit. I then dry hop as usual
This is my way and there are many different methods so no one is correct just find one that suits you.
Ps I have done many different methods but find this suits me to get loads of flavour and less IBU's also Magnum is a neutral hop so no flavour just bittering and was used to save on expensive hops initially by homebrewers but it will limit your flavour hop amounts if you do not like bitterness

 

[tom_p87]

thanks! Interesting points...some of my better IPAs were actually when I used to cool the wort in the bath as opposed to using a chiller. Obviously the slower cooling must have had an effect in terms of the bitterness "profile". A lot of the online tips seem to suggest cool as quick as possible...For my simcoe bittering addition would you say add this after chilling slightly to 80 and then leaving for 30 mins or so before cooling further? (As opposed to 5mins before end of boil)

So many variables at play that I can never work out what I did differently that improved/reduced the beer quality!

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

You say that, but whenever I open a fresh bag of Magnum, I'm quite taken by the smell and resolve to make a single hop beer with Magnum- which I never get round to. It's a great bittering hop and my goto bittering hop for any beer which is not traditionally English. I wonder what it's like as the only hop in a lager or pale ale.
Has anybody tried it?

https://brulosophy.com/2017/02/02/the-hop-chronicles-magnum/

 

[samale]

You say that, but whenever I open a fresh bag of Magnum, I'm quite taken by the smell and resolve to make a single hop beer with Magnum- which I never get round to. It's a great bittering hop and my goto bittering hop for any beer which is not traditionally English. I wonder what it's like as the only hop in a lager or pale ale.
Has anybody tried it?

Local Brewery have a Magnum IPA. I don't really like it that much. Magnum is my go to bittering hop when I need it.

 

[The Baron]

There are 2 methods, the cool it as quick as possible which is no good if you are whirlpooling unless you stop the cooling at the relevant temperature or you will son get below 75c which is approx where bittering extraction stops from the hops and you would fly through this and get hardly any bittering at all so if you are chilling stop chilling when you get to the whirlpool temp.
The other method is no chill which is my preferred method so I put the lid on at flameout to stop any nasties getting in and allow to cool to my preferred whirlpool temp usually 90c or 80c (takes about 20mins approx) then do my additions ( I also use a hop spider so that I can remove the hops after the allotted time)I then remove my hops and allow to cool to pitching temp. Again this is my method and suits me but there are some brewers who insist you must chill

 

[samale]

thanks! Interesting points...some of my better IPAs were actually when I used to cool the wort in the bath as opposed to using a chiller. Obviously the slower cooling must have had an effect in terms of the bitterness "profile". A lot of the online tips seem to suggest cool as quick as possible...For my simcoe bittering addition would you say add this after chilling slightly to 80 and then leaving for 30 mins or so before cooling further? (As opposed to 5mins before end of boil)

So many variables at play that I can never work out what I did differently that improved/reduced the beer quality!

The best advice I could give you is to experiment with your own system to get a feel for it. Also make adjustments to suit your own taste. I use biab with no chill. I have also made beer with no boil.
Currently working on my Neipa recipe, I need to make another adjustment. Reduce the temp before adding the hop stand. I seem to be getting too much bitterness from the hop stand probably down to temp and contact time. I normally leave the hops in the no chill container overnight I remove before pitching the yeast.
It's all a learning process but each system or method will be slightly different.

 

[tom_p87]

thanks all for the advice! Will try to remember to report back on how it turns out...

 

[The Baron]

https://brulosophy.com/2017/02/02/the-hop-chronicles-magnum/

I would go with the last paragraph on the Brulosophy Benfleet. My statement may be slightly incorrect as magnum must have some flavour but it is so that it does not effect the others hops flavours used in a brew.
I would think if you like spicy beers it may be one to have a go at though