My first BIAB tomorrow - any advice?

[john_drummer]

lid on, airlock filled from the kettle

[john_drummer]

so, anyway, that wasn't too difficult

does anyone have a BIAB lager recipe? Time I put on a lager for mrs_d, or perhaps just another Coopers euro lager kit?

[john_drummer]

wort is now at 18deg and the yeast is in

[RdeV]

Nice one john, well done and sounds like it went just famously!

A minor issue- at the end of the boil you're draining the kettle while its hot I take it? If so, traditionally that's a no- no at commercial scale, the theory being that it causes Hot Side Aeration which has negative effects on long- term storage. I myself am not concerned about HSA as I feel it is a non- event at the home brewing scale, however it is something to bear in mind. Aeration of cool wort is fine though, highly desirable for yeast growth in the initial 24- 48 hours.

When working out the dilution, its a straight concentration problem and this formula usually works for me:
SGa/SGb=Va/Vb
Notes. SG is expressed as such: 1.070 as 70
Example for your situation: 70/58=15/x
x=18.1 , therefore add 18.1-15 = 3.1L

Now, any lager recipe can be attempted with BIAB, there's no need to distinguish or adapt in any way. My own favourite which has earned a few gongs too is a very simple Munich Helles with 100% Weyermann floor- malted Bohemian Pilsner, 25 IBU Hallertau (bittering/FWH, a small flavour addition can also be included), a choice Eurolager yeast such as 2042 is good but Wyeast's current PC range has 2487PC Hella Bock which is just divine in the malty Helles. I do a single decoction step though with the Helles, if you're not wanting to do that just add a small amount of Melanoidin, but be very sparing with it as it can easily overpower. Mash for dryness, so around 64C, that posh malt will have sufficient sweetness and body when mashed at that temperature, higher is not advised IMO. Ferment cool, so 10- 12C, transfer to secondary and give it a brief diacetyl rest at room temperature for a couple of days as it approaches FG, then add PVPP and lager for at least a month, then package.
If spousie isn't impressed by that resulting beer then you will need to re-educate her palate! It is quite a bit of time and effort though, particularly when contemplating smaller batches, so when I do lagers I always step the volume up to 24 or 25L to ensure I've got a cornie keg full as well as a handful of comp entries in PET bottles.

HTH, good luck with it- onwards and upwards!

[john_drummer]

cheers RdeV, I'll bear that in mind - no chiller at present so I had the choice of draining it there & then, or leaving it sitting on the hops & stuff overnight...

[john_drummer]

well blow me sideways, it's done already

I have a stick-on thermometer on the side of the FV, when I pitched the yeast on Sunday the temperature was showing 20deg (and yes, I did check it with a real thermometer) and an OG of 1052. Temperature now showing 16deg & the krauzen has died right down, only a few bubbles on the surface, so I thought I'd take a gravity reading. 1012. Bang on target!

so, not wanting to put the sample back into the FV, I thought I'd try it.

fan-bloody-tastic

liquorice, chocolate, spicy. lovely. and that's just from the FV

next conundrum - the recipe says to dry hop with a few cones of styrian golding, but I don't have any to hand. Cascade, Fuggles, Goldings, Challenger & Saaz, yes, but no Styrian Goldings. Could I use any of the above instead, or do I need to go the LHBS for some SG?

<edit> scratch that, I bought some Styrian Goldings (Bobek) </edit>

[john_drummer]

very nice it is too. Been in the bottles a week, had three already!

Still some carbonation needed, it's more like draught than bottled OP but I'll definitely be doing this one again