So, given that I will soon have a brew pot with a valve, was wondering what you guys thought about using a grain bag instead of a lauter tun to sparge?
No problem. Look up ‘brew in a bag’. People do it all the time.
For BIAB that would be the best of both worlds. If you put a false bottom in the kettle to keep the bag off the bottom, you could mash in the kettle and be able to do step mashes pretty easily. Also you could batch sparge fairly efficiently I would think. The hardest thing for me doing BIAB was temp variances from the edge of the kettle to the center. That can present a challenge, but nothing that can’t be overcome once you learn the new system.
I plan on step mashing in the brew kettle, although I suppose I could just insulate the kettle and do it at one temp. I had considered putting in a false bottom but figured it more a luxury as to avoid a bag. Is it possible to do any of the above properly without a false bottom? I just assume constant mixing/stirring with a slow warming process. I am aware that temps tend to rise a bit even when the heat is off.
I am just trying to start all grain as simple a possible at this point.
Don’t forget that you can make a cheap lauter tun ala Charlie P known as the Zapap Lauter Tun. A 5-6 gallon bucket with lots of small holes drilled in the bottom IFIRC…it’s old school but, I’m sure it works just fine.
I have considered making that, Charlie’s book is my brew bible. For my partial mashes I was using a grain bag in my bottling bucket.
For me there were 2 reasons for a false bottom:
- to get the bag off of the bottom so as not to melt it.
- it creates a temp buffer that keeps you from overheating the bottom portion of the mash where it is closer to the heat source.
I recommend just making your own false bottom. A cake pan that roughly fits your kettle with a dozen or so holes drilled in it. Then create some feet to elevate it off of the bottom of the kettle. I used SS bolts through the pan. I found the cake pans work especially well because of the raised sides creating a sort of ‘cradle’ to hold the bag. Your less likely to have the bag mashed down in between the false bottom and side of the kettle. This worked well for me when I was a BIAB guy. 2 cake pans bottom to bottom work well also.
Having said all that… I almost never do step mashes so my all grain cooler tun has, for me made mashing easier with better temperature control. Once you learn your tuns specific heat and dead space, doughing in to your target mash temp is pretty easy. 
One club member uses a colander upside down in the kettle as his brew in a bag false bottom.
Dude, what a great idea! Thanks so much
Both of you guys that is!
If you want to start as simple as possible, skip the step mash. There’s so little to be gained that you won’t miss it and it will make your life much easier.
Take a look at dennybrew.com, too
The thing is - your sugars and enzymes are already dissolved in the liquid portion of the mash at that point. I don’t usually BIAB in my kettle (I use a separate cooler mash tun to help hold my temps), but when I have I always make sure to keep stirring my mash whenever the heat is on. Even with a clad bottom on my kettle, I’m still worried about hot spots.
Ok, perhaps I will just get/make a lauter tun and be done with it. After partial mashing for years, this is a big step. Just got my kettle and burner yesterday!
A false bottom with the bag will also probably help the drain to run freely. I’ve done some BIAB in an 8-gallon kettle with a bazooka filter and found the combination results in a poor drainage (I guess I thought the bag might simplify clean-up). Of course, if the batch isn’t too big you can just yank it out, set it on a colander and sparge over it. I like the pie tins - a great solution, or screw in a bazooka filter and skip the bag entirely. Works well for me. Have fun with the new kettle!
I like the idea its simple.