Hi folks, I'm gonna give AG BIAB a go, but what's confusing me is the fact you can get extract kits that come with malt extract and whole grains, so when I do my BIAB what malt should I be getting? Whole malt or crushed? And as far as the other grains go, what am I looking for to make say an American IPA? Or a an English pale ale? I understand the hops side of things, just not the grain and malt bit. Thanks!
What should I buy for first BIAB??
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I'm only 4 brews in to AG, so I'll let others help on the more experienced issues.
As to the malts, unless you have your own miller, you'll want it crushed.
A good place to work out what you need would be "Brewing Classic Styles' by Zainasheff and Palmer or the BYO recipe archives here,http://byo.com/stories/recipeindex
I'm sure someone will be more useful, but I hope that helps in the mean time.
As to the malts, unless you have your own miller, you'll want it crushed.
A good place to work out what you need would be "Brewing Classic Styles' by Zainasheff and Palmer or the BYO recipe archives here,http://byo.com/stories/recipeindex
I'm sure someone will be more useful, but I hope that helps in the mean time.
Adam are you planning on doing a full 23L lenght brew?
if so why not look at the pre made mashkits from the home brew company or Geterbrewed.. all the ingredients are measured out for you and its a very good recipe.. just got to put in according to schedule.. Get used to the process without worrying about this and that and I know the HBC from my own expereince are the dogs!!!
if so why not look at the pre made mashkits from the home brew company or Geterbrewed.. all the ingredients are measured out for you and its a very good recipe.. just got to put in according to schedule.. Get used to the process without worrying about this and that and I know the HBC from my own expereince are the dogs!!!
Thanks. That link doesn't work for me though.
No just 4.5ltr demijohns for now. I've seen those kits on geterbrewed, but I would rather put together my own recipies, that's why I'm having a go at AG so I can experiment, I just wasn't sure what malt I would need to buy.
chuffer
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I'm not sure why you'd be looking at extract kits when you're going to give AG BIAB a go?
You can do an extract brew and steep some grains in if that's what you mean? Otherwise for BIAB I'd probably swerve the extract section of the shop and get order the necessary amount of grain.
Either way I'd go with crushed (unless you have a crusher?)
I'd go for predominantly light malt for the brew style you're contemplating
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Get crushed. Have a look in the recipe thread for ideas. You can use just pale malt or you can add extras depending on what you like.
to start just use maris otter for your pale malt, get it crushed .. later on you can start crushing yourself.
wfr42
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http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=51779
Have a read of the above. It is where alot of us started.
Have a read of the above. It is where alot of us started.
+1
11 AG brews in and I'm still predominantly using Maris Otter. You can buy it in 1kg bags crushed, just get a few of those to get you going, you can buy in bulk later.
+1 again
Maris Otter and Cascade would get my vote, aim for 1047 OG and 60 IBUs and you'll have a lovely brew.
MickDundee
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When I bought my equipment second hand, it came with a big bag of lager malt. All I did was get some cheap yeast and hops (I used cascade as I like citrusy beers) and played around in the Brewers Friend phone app until I had a beer that "matched" the "style" for an IPA.
No, I was just wondering why you can get extract kits with liquid malt and grain in the same kit, when it appears to be so easy to do everything yourself.
But thanks for the info folks, gonna place an order tonight and hopefully do a brew on saturday :thumb:
wfr42
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Extract is deemed to be a middle step to ag and allows for more customisation than kits.
I believe it is more expensive than ag but more time efficient as there is no mashing/sparge step.
Yes Irish moss or whirlfoc tablets.. not a disater if you forget but yes include them..:thumb:
Thanks. One more thing, do I actually need a bag? Or can I just use a sieve?
This seems a little expensive for what it is...
http://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.uk/ritchies-large-mashing-and-sparging-bag-p-974.html
A base malt like marris otter is all you really need but you could also get a bag of crystal malt too. You can use this as 3-10% of your grain bill to add a little sweetness, caramel flavour and colour to your brews.
A bag will certainly make things easier for you. You will be shocked at quite how much space a kilo of soggy grain takes up. Much more than your average kitchen sieve. Also you don't need a large bag if you are just doing 5L batches. The small one is half the price.
A bag will certainly make things easier for you. You will be shocked at quite how much space a kilo of soggy grain takes up. Much more than your average kitchen sieve. Also you don't need a large bag if you are just doing 5L batches. The small one is half the price.
MickDundee
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You would need a big sieve that was cylindrical which I would assume is a bit more expensive than the bag you've linked (which I might buy next time as my bags are a bit past it and my boiler is Ritchie's branded). You need something that will allow the gains to move about naturally in the boiler/pan, otherwise your mash won't be very efficient!
The small ones say for straining, would they be ok? And would I need a fine one or corse one?
MickDundee
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Probably OK for a small batch but a bit of a fanny-on if you pardon my language.
When I replied, I had forgotten you were only going to be doing a small batch - you could probably pick up a cheap mesh bag of the right size in somewhere like Dunelm Mill or Home Bargains, you'll need something a bit finer than a laundry bag (you know the type women put their bras in to stop the underwire sticking in the drum).
