i did a 3 gallon brew/mash in a bag brew session today. it was awesome. it was a simple pale ale with amarillo and centennial. i had a lot of fun and all my numbers were right on target. i actually was a point over on OG and hit 69% efficiency. i feel pretty good about the brew day as a whole. very simple. very easy.
i picked small b/miab for a couple of reasons. 1, i really like the idea of brewing more often and refining/experimenting. 2, i wanted a little quicker brew day. 3, i wanted to keep things easy and fun.
not saying i won’t build a mash tun at some point, but for me right now, this type of brewing is amazing!
i can’t thank you all enough for the answers, insight and information you have provided here. it is invaluable for any brewer!
i’m using a bag custom sewn by a very good friend’s wife. i went to a fabric store and got enough 100% polyester voile(found in the curtain area on bolts) material and gave her the dimensions i was looking for. it’s a bit bigger than i needed but plenty of room to do a 5 gallon batch i think. my friend’s wife actually uses similarly shaped bags she’s made in the past for making almond milk. this was just a much bigger version for her to sew.
also, to keep mash temps in check I bought 1" foam sheathing material and made a jacket for my kettle. it worked really well to hold the temperature right at 154. I’m not sure how to load a photo but will when I figure it out.
awesome job.
i use a very fine bag that is stretchy i got from a lhbs. i rinse and re use. i do a mash in a bag inside a cooler. then just lift it out when i am done. just makes it easier to clean out my tun. i use the grain then to make bread, dog treats etc.
excellent! BIAB seems like a very viable method for small batch stovetop brews where space is an issue.
just fyi. I saw a video on BrewingTV about BIAB and they talk about their experiences and what theyve found to help increase efficiency and such. May be worth checking out for ya.