First AG Maxi BIAB 19L Pot

[alexlark]

As the title says, this is my first all grain brew. Based entirely on PhilB's highly detailed thread: http://www.brewuk.co.uk/forums/viewtopi ... 689077f403

London Pride Clone (Original)
Pale Malt 5 EBC 3750g
Crystal Malt 130 EBC 370g

Target Whole 11.4% 90mins 13g
Challenger Whole 7.8% 90mins 7g
Northdown Whole 8.3% 90mins 7g
Golding Whole 5.7% 10mins 9g
Golding Whole 5.7% 0mins 10g (Dry hopped after initial fermentation)

Final Volume: 23 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.040
Final Gravity: 1.010
Alcohol Content: 3.9% ABV
Mash Efficiency: 75 %
Bitterness: 32.7 EBU

London Pride Clone (My 19L pot)
Pale Malt 5 EBC 3651g
Crystal Malt 130 EBC 360g

Target Pellet 11.41% 90mins 16.5g
Challenger Pellet 8.1% 90mins 8.5g
Northdown Whole 9.2% 90mins 8.8g
Golding Pellet 6.9% 10mins 9.4g
Golding Pellet 6.9% 0mins 10.5g (Dry hopped after initial fermentation)

Final Volume: 23 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.040
Final Gravity: 1.010
Alcohol Content: 3.9% ABV
Mash Efficiency: 75 %
Bitterness: 32.7 EBU


I have been brewing kits for 2 years and have always wanted to dip my toes in all grain brewing. Using my equipment from making kits I only had to buy a 19L stock pot and a sparge/mash bag.

These are the ones I bought:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160901418854
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350301041699

Photos below of these. I've got my order from the Malt Miller coming on Monday so that will be brew day and I will have more photos to follow.
So for just an outlay of just £36 I can have a go at AG!! It doesn't have to be expensive

[jaberry]

Did you do as I do and put the pot into a preheated oven to keep mash temp? Saves mucking about with towels, coats and blankets etc

[alexlark]

I haven't done a brew with the pot yet but that was something I was thinking about. What do you recommend? Im not sure if the pot will hold the temp for 90mins covered in a blanket. Is the oven a reliable method?

[jaberry]

Using coats and towels does keep the temperature surprisingly constant but using the oven is a Damn site easier. I set the temp to around 70 and mash for 90 mins (note 90 not 60) and temp is kept well. See vid for how I do it (have bought new bag since, the one in the vid is a bit small)
ABP Top Dog Stout Mini-BIAB Stove top Shortened S…: http://youtu.be/u7_nhV769Z4

A good forum to belong to as well as Jims is www.biabrewer.info which has a very good spreadsheet specifically for BIAB and allows for Maxi-BIAB calcs

[alexlark]

Cheers! ! Thanks for the info. I've also got that spreadsheet off biabrewer, very helpful. I think I'll have a play with my oven and see where 70 is. The sparge bag I bought is actually a very good fit for my pot.

Cracking video by the way! Makes the process look even simpler. You got the same pot as me.

[Clibit]

Wrapping the pot is actually incredibly easy. And effective. Two days ago I made two brews, one I draped a blanket over, it lost 1 degree in an hour, the other I just plonked a cushion on top and it lost 3 degrees in an hour. Oven seems like a waste of gas/ elec to me and how do you know the temp is stable?

[alexlark]

I've got a thermometer with a wire and probe at the end. I was going to put this in the oven (electric) and close the door on it. Or put it in the mash and wrap the pot up.

What is the threshold here for temp drop for an effective mash? 1 degree seems miniscule.

[Clibit]

You want the mash temp to stay in the 63 - 70 C range.ideally to stay at the same temp throughout, as this gives you control over sugar conversion. High 60s gives you more unfermentable sugars, if you want more sweetness, low 60s gives you less. Wrap your pot up and you shouldn't lose more than 1 degree. Large amounts of liquid cool very slowly. As you find when trying to cool the wort to pitching temperature!

[alexlark]

I think I'll cover my pot and use the probe to monitor the temp. I can always apply more heat to bring the temp back up if need be. The recipe calls for a 66°c mash so bang in the middle of your quoted figures.

I've got a really thick old jacket that I can convert into a BIAB pot warmer!!

[Clibit]

Sounds good. My blanket covered pot started at 67C and dropped to 66. The cushion-only pot started at 69C and dropped to 66. I wanted it to drop cos it started high. I could and should've added some cold water really, was in a relaxed kind of mood! I actually prefer a drier beer, so why I am mashing high I don't really know. Next time I will mash at maybe 64.

[alexlark]

Thanks for all the info. It's been very helpful.

One more thing, all my hops are pellets. Do I just use a muslin bag? I plan on pouring the wort into the FV using a sieve also.

[RdeV]

I wouldn't bother putting hops in a bag of any kind but lots of folks do that as it helps keep hops debris out of the plumbing (eg. pickup, tap, hose etc)- that probably isn't going be an issue for you. TBH, a sieve won't really trap much kettle trub unless you use whole/ leaf hops, that forms a neat filter matrix which captures break material. I wouldn't get too concerned by some break material entering the fermenter as it won't do any great harm, I'd just cool it well (overnight is great) and just gently pour it straight in to the fermenter until major hops debris coming out, hopefully leaving a litre or so of the worst of the muck. (Strain that muck through a tea towel or cloth to recover the wort for yeast starters if you're into that sort of thing.)

Oh yeah, adequate passive insulation does make the whole process so easy, can save a lot of farting about and bother during the mash, making the whole thing an enjoyable and relaxing experience.

Hope that helps!

[alexlark]

Thats what I was considering, throwing the hop pellets in loose. I've got 2 muslin bags that I use to dry hop that are not very fine and I thought as they will move around in the pot a lot of hop material will fall out anyway!

I've got some blocks of ice ready in the freezer, I'm planning on chilling the pot in the sink. Depending on how long this takes I will change my process next time.

I want to do this brew as best I can but ultimately use it as a learning experience on timings, processes and just getting use to using my kit. Thanks for all the tips.

As soon as DPD turn up today I start brewing!!

[PhilB]

Hi Alex

I want to do this brew as best I can but ultimately use it as a learning experience on timings, processes and just getting use to using my kit. Thanks for all the tips.

... that's probably the best attitude ... but we can be confident you will make beer while you're experimenting/learning in that way, too

If there's anything in that thread that you don't understand, or you think could be clearer, or even is just plain wrong ... let me know and I'll try to update it for others. It looks like there's some good tips above which I might work into it, actually. , the one I would add, that I've given several times around the forums but never got around to updating into that thread, is to scout around your kitchen (or wherever you keep your barbecue stuff, maybe) and see if you can find a wire rack (like a wire cooling rack, the bottom of the grill pan or barbecue or oven shelf), make sure its clean and will sit across the top of your pot; when you pull your grain bag sit that across the top of the pot with the grain bag sat on it and then you can leave it to drain, while you get on with the other stuff you need to do rather than standing there holding up a heavy bag that's feeling like it's getting heavier and heavier

Have a good brewday
Cheers, PhilB

[alexlark]

Thanks Phil, I just been going over that thread again to make sure I haven't missed something. I had to adjust the hop utilisation to 110% as I'm using pellets and I need to plug in my hop AA's.

I've got a wire rack I can use so I'll definitely do that. Brewing about 2pm so I should get some photos up this evening.