BIAB (Brew In a Bag) Mashing

[Usge]

I've recently been doing a a version of NCHooch's NC Bourbon mash recipe using a BIAB mashing method with good results. (consistent 1.063-1.065). So, I thought I'd post some pics of the method for those who might be interested. I have an 8 gal brewpot/mashtun with false bottom screen that I used for this. The bag is a medium 20x24 grain bag I got from a brewstore for a few bucks. It fits perfectly for the 8 gal mashtun. The real advantage of the bag is mainly that it allows you to lift the grain bed, as well as squeeze the heck out of it.....(I knead the bag against the bottom of the mashtun screen). And, it offers the option of brewing on or off the grain. You can just lift the bag out and put it in your fermenter. OR, as I do...strain all the liquid off while it's warm, and then turn the bag inside out to dump the grains. The grains are fairly dry after a good wringing out, and just fall right out. It leaves the BOP near pristine..in need of just a good rinse (no more scrubbing!!!! yea

But, I think the biggest thing that made a difference for me in this recipe using this method...was the use of "flaked" corn over DIY ground dent corn/cracked corn. It doesn't require long cooking time, and it pretty much disintegrates everything but shell bits. This leaves a "lot" of liquid....I get back "most" of the liquid volume I start with! When I've cooked cracked corn for several hours (steep/cook) you lose quite a bit of water. Since the flaked corn has already been dispersed, it basically just turns to snot as soon as you get the water hot enough. I typically, bring it up to a boil, let it roll for about 10mins..that's it. Total cooking time.

So, Here's the run down on how I do NChooch's bourbon mash as BIAB:

Ingredients:
6 gal of filtered water (treated with 1 tablespoon 5.2 stabilizer, and 1/4 teaspoon gypsum)
8lbs of flaked corn/maize
3.5lbs of 6-row barley malt (1/2lb is for pre-malt)
1 teaspoon Alpha enzyme
1 teaspoon Gluco enzyme
1/2 teaspoon wyeast yeast nutrient
1 packet EC-1118 yeast

Procedure:

I start with my BOP — 8 gal brewkettle/mashtun with false bottom screen

Place the brewbag in the pot, overlapping the top, and use binder clips to hold it in place and fill it with 6 gals of water

Heat water to 165F and stir in the 8lbs of flaked corn and 1/2lb of the 6-row for pre-malt. This should come to rest somewhere around 150-155F.

Keep stirring and bring it to a full boil. Boil for 10-15 mins..the pre-malt will keep it loose

Turn off heat. Keep it covered to steep, and stir frequently. It will thicken up. When it gets to 150F, add the 3 lbs of 6-row and 1 teaspoon of alpha enzyme

[Usge]

Stir every 15 mins until the temp drops below 140F. If your pot loses heat too fast...try wrapping in a blanket, or add more heat to keep it in the 140=150 range. This took about 3 hours for me. After it dropped below 140F, I let it sit covered for another hour. Then stuck in my wort chiller and cooled it down quickly to just under 100F. Your mash should be very liquid/watery and easy to stir. I kept stirring it to move it through the wort chiller coils.

After it cooled to just under 100F, I drained the liquid off, took off the clips, and squeezed the bag good. I put in 6 gals (22.7L), I got back 21.5L of pure strained, corn/barley juice. I aerated it for 30mins with aquarium pump/stone, then pitched yeast, gluco enzyme and wyeast yeast nutrient. Let it sit for about 10mins, then stirred it all in.

Viola! The SG was 1.063 (last one was 1.065). This will strip out a good gallon or so of AG low-wines. You dont' "have" to use the enzymes...but I find that they add a point or two to the SG and seem to help things along. If you need more premalt...add 1/4 teaspoon of the alpha when you do the 1/2 lbs of barley. The yeast nutrient and aeration is mainly to help make a good, strong, healthy ferment. Anyway, this method has been working really well for me, the yields are way better than what I get with cracked corn, it doesn't take as long, and clean up is a snap compared to scrubbing out a BOP that corn has been cooking in for a full day. If you haven't already, give it a shot.

[Samohon]

Nice method Usge...

I do something very similar. Those brew bags were a great addition to my mashing.
Used to get into a rare old pickle trying to strain the grains , I can tell ya.

Thanks man... Nice blow by blow...

[Usge]

Thanks Samo. It's "still" a lot of work to do AG. But, this has really made it worthwhile for me compared to the other methods Ive tried. Using the flaked corn was a notable difference right off the bat. Almost feels like cheating compared to trying to cook out cracked/meal corn. And it strains out of the bag "real" easy.

[junkyard dawg]

Thats great that you found a way to do flaked corn. I never did get that stuff right. I always had low yields. Maybe it was the particular corn I used...

ANyway, good post.

[jake_leg]

+1 nice post

I think there must be different kinds of flaked maize. Is yours steam cooked already? I have had a few goes using micronized flaked maize for horse feed. I reckon it needs quite a bit more processing. The flakes kind of crumble, but don't turn to snot in hot water like porridge oats do. I have been milling, presouring, and then steam cooking with OK results. I do 4 kg at a time and aim for 4.5 litres of strip.

I prefer to put in a bit of alpha instead of premalting. It's only there to help liquefy and I want to avoid boiling the malt husks. I would use the thermostable enzyme if I had any because it remains active during the boil. I tend to throw in the glucoamylase at 50 oC while the mash is cooling to pitching temperature rather than adding it along with the yeast, which is what the instructions say that I got with the enzyme. Fungal glucoamylase should be stable below 50 oC and will work quicker at the higher temperature.

I haven't completely decided when the best time is to strain using the bag. I tend to do it after mashing while the grains are still hot, even though this makes squeezing less comfortable. I figure it is less liable to infection. But I might try straining cold like you do. I don't like fermenting on the grain as much. I think flaked maize goes rancid pretty fast so I like taking away the oily germ before fermenting. And this time of year straining then composting fermented grains give me problems with fruit flies. I have heard you get a better yield from fermenting on the grain but I haven't measured accurately enough to verify that.

[Usge]

jake-leg,
I get the maize from beer brew supply place. I've bought it from 2 different places and it was the same. But, I got it from northernbrewing.com. They have flat rate shipping 7.99...so order all you want. It's good quality (not feed grade) corn that has been steamed then flattened and flaked. Some people just do straight infusion with it (heat water to 165F and toss it in). I find bringing up to just a boil usually does a better job of making sure you get it to disperse. I usually boil for 5mins to 15 mins. That's it. Then straight cool down from there. The real advantage here is it doesn't absorb or use as much water. Like I said..I put in 6 gals and I get most of that back.
When using other corn (meal, cracked, etc), usually end up loosing a couple gallons before all is said and done.

Pre-malting with alpha instead of barley is easily doable with say 1/4 teaspoon. I find 1/2lb barley isn't a lot..ie., and it provides just the right amount of premalt without overdoing it. I think you'll find using alpha in pre-malt could over do things...and you end up converting most of your starch at higher temps. That's particularly true if you use the high-temp tolerant variety as it will continue to work all the way up to the boil (and back). The 1/2 lb barley works about right...it provides just enough pre-malt conversion to keep things loose for a good mash, and it "stops" at some point on the way to a boil. I've not found boiling 1/2 lb of barley to be a problem in regards to any off-flavors, etc. That obviously would be true for making beer...but I'm not so sure it applies here once distillation enters the picture.

I like to use the alpha during the mashing temp phase to supplement the barley. I've not tested it without it...but am afraid really to change what has been working so well for me. Perhaps one day I'll run out and find it mashes out just as well without it?

As to squeezing bag...I don't do it when it's "cold". I do it when it reaches 100F. It's still good and warm. I don't think it really matters though as it strains out like water. You could wait till it was completely room temp or do it early. By the time I aerate for 30mins in the fermenter...it's usually just about perfect for pitching the yeast. I haven't had any problems with infections, etc. (yet). I usually make sure to wash my hands good with good bacterial killing hand soap and/or I also keep a bowl full of Star Sans near by for soaking the therm probe or wash tools I might need. I rinse my hands with that too sometimes.

[jake_leg]

Thanks for the extra detail Usge, that's helpful.

[jake_leg]

By the way I forgot to complement you on your very nice looking mash tun.

For larger mashes, I've been thinking about using a big cheap strainer to remove part of the solids before using the bag.

[Usge]

Ha! That's funny. I get a lot of use out of that mashtun/brewpot. I use it for beer as well. Wish I'd sprung for the 10 gal version instead of 8 though. At the time, the price difference was "huge". But, the 8 gal will "just" hold everything in this recipe (ie., 10lbs of grain, 6 gals of water) with the screen in the bottom. It will hold a bit more without the screen.

[jake_leg]

Yes, it looks very versatile.

Looking again at your procedure, mine is not so different. Once I have soured the corn for 24 hours it only needs cooking briefly to bring it up to 180F for a few minutes. The milling is optional too, really, it just helps the yield slightly.

The sparge is my least favourite bit. There must be some way of getting the bag to drain more quickly. The squeezing drives me crazy.

[blind drunk]

There must be some way of getting the bag to drain more quickly. The squeezing drives me crazy.

Some kinda press, like the ones for wine. I've used one a couple of times but didn't like the way the corn sludge was squirting through the press staves. A brew bag could solve that problem nicely. Or some other make shift press.

[WhiskeyJeremy]

I know this is an older thread, but I had a question on the 6-row. Do you crush it first, or just throw it in?

[blind drunk]

I know this is an older thread, but I had a question on the 6-row. Do you crush it first, or just throw it in?

Yes, crush the malt.

[Usge]

Thanks bd....yes...I crush the malt in a "Barley Crusher™" set to factory spec.

[Barney Fife]

Just a quick note to say that we can crush or grind a good bit finer when we do the BIAB method, since we're not relying on the intact hulls for sparging anymore. Nets us a better yield, since there is more exposed surface area.

Though I haven't gone this far yet(but getting close to trying it), some BIAB all-grain beer brewers have even used flour and report that it worked! Now, THAT would open up all sorts of possibilities!

[Usge]

Thanks Barney. Yes...that makes sense and would certainly be something to try. Not sure about flour though...my bag is a coarse weave. I thought about running my flaked corn through grinder to bust the flakes up even more... just to see if it made any difference — although it seems to break down pretty readily as it is just by bringing it to a boil and stirring. I may give that a try and if I do, I'll report back on it. Since the malt is mainly used just to convert the corn starch...I'm not so sure grinding it any finer would add much to the party. But, might be worth a try to see. My Barley Crusher has adjustment range. But, the default setting seems to break it up pretty good.

[Barney Fife]

Not sure about flour though...my bag is a coarse weave

Ah yes, of course! Our bags' weave will determine how fine we can go. In my case, I use a cheap corona-type mill that I've motorized, and I adjust it to produce a slightly finer grind with each batch(I'll make, and grind, about 30-40 lbs of malt at a time, store it in tight Rubbermaid containers, and put the mill and motor and all back in storage) , and haven't yet found where "too fine" is, hence, I'm almost ready to try mashing some flour. My "bag" is a fine mesh "window sheer" polyester material. For an idea of how fine it is, it's about twice as tight a weave as a 5 gallon paint strainer, which was my previous bag(and worked very well, too!). I'm thinking that if we can mash flour without it becoming a sticky mess, we can just skip the whole malting process and just use enzyme powder to convert. Wishful thinking, maybe, but worth a try...!

[Dnderhead]

Why go threw all the squeezing ,pressing?

[Usge]

Dnder...I don't distill on the grain.... I've always had to strain the liquid off the grain after mashing (or fermenting if I'm fermenting on the grain). The bag makes it easier (works for me). Whether that's lifiting it out of the pot and squeezing out the last bit of liquid...or lifting it out of the fermenter. It also makes clean up a lot quicker as my BOP only requires a quick rinse...instead of a soak and scrubbing to get clean. It also helps particularly in this regard because of the use of flaked maize which tends to drain slower through the grain itself.

Without the bag...I used to just let the wort drain off the grain through the false screen bottom of my BOP. This worked fine..but I still had to squeeze/press the grains to get the juice out of it. After that...you've got a pot full of dry grains to clean up as well, not to mention blowing it out of the screen, etc. With the bag....and using flaked maize...my start to finish clean up time to 5.5 gals of 1.065 all grain...is about half the time it takes me for any other method I've tried. I don't know...it's working for me. To each their own.

[Dnderhead]

I under stand the bag,but after draining ,add hot water to kettle and rinse the grains.
then use this for another conversion.then if you cook/converted below 160f/72c you add sugars as well as enzymes
to the next.your 6% ferment will become a 8%.

[Usge]

Ah...yes...I remember the sparge/recycle method Dnder. I'm sure it would add some to it. I'm already getting 8% using this method...which I'm happy with. And I usually don't do more than one mash at a go...just would have to save the sparged water in a bucket for next round. But ...i'd be interested to see how much it adds. Still have to squeeze the bag after the sparge though to get all the water out...flaked stuff don't run through as good as cracked grains.

[Barney Fife]

Why go threw all the squeezing ,pressing?

Simple, we don't have to. Some do, some don't. When I make beer, I suspend the bag and run spraging water through it a few times to get the last wee bits of goodness from it. For stillin', I'll just let it drip, right into the boiler if I'm not in a hurry, or into a pail for the next wash. Yeah, sometimes I'd give it a squeeze, but got I me a bad case of "tennis elbow" since last fall that won't quit, and haven't squeezed anything since. The squeeze never gained more than a few cups of liquid anyhow.

Bottom line, Dnder, BIAB is a LOT simpler, quicker, with better yield.

[Usge]

I don't know how much the bag/process is adding to the efficiency of this particular recipe/method...but I do know it makes mashing with flaked maize easier and clean up afterwards quick. For me, personally, the switch to flaked maize is what made the bigger difference — in both yield and taste/smell.

I know for a fact that Dnder's recycle/sparge method works. It just might be a bit tricky using this flaked maize as it tends to "gel" or collapse into glop and water don't go through it the same way as regular cracked/ground grains..which forms little channels for run off, etc. The maize tends to suspend/hold a lot of water so squeezing is absolutely necessary for this particular recipe (I get about 2 gals out of it from squeezing). It comes out pretty easy...(ie., it's watery) but requires folding the bag over on itself and pushing (like kneading dough).
I do this against the screen false bottom of the pot using the bag. Works great. You could just let it drip off...but it would take a long time.

[Barney Fife]

I see...

I don't do much of anything with corn, other than an occasional UJSM. When I'm doing all-grain, it's barley, which doesn't get all gel-like and stuff.

I wonder if you could use some heavy weight(s) placed on the bag, which is resting on your false bottom, to slowly "squeeze" out the final bits?" I'm thinking some barbell weights; maybe a couple of 10 or 25 lbs weights would fit in your tun? That way, you could just place them on top of the bag overnight and the next day you'd have your next starter water!

Just tossin' out some ideas....

[Rachiu]

I thing the boiling on grains takes a lot of tannins out of the husks. I don't say it is bad but is different in the final result.

You can let the wort to drain out of the grains and then squeeze them well. But when it's hot it brings a lot of troubles. Look for some ideas:

[Usge]

Ha!! Like that clamp/board. Barley very different animal than flaked maize in terms of husks/tannins from this process.

[Usge]

I see...

I don't do much of anything with corn, other than an occasional UJSM. When I'm doing all-grain, it's barley, which doesn't get all gel-like and stuff.

I wonder if you could use some heavy weight(s) placed on the bag, which is resting on your false bottom, to slowly "squeeze" out the final bits?" I'm thinking some barbell weights; maybe a couple of 10 or 25 lbs weights would fit in your tun? That way, you could just place them on top of the bag overnight and the next day you'd have your next starter water!

Just tossin' out some ideas....

And good ones at that! I dont' have any problem squeezing my grains out currently. I'm happy with the process as it is using my mashtun/BOP with screen and pressing against the bottom. I put in 6 gals of water to start. I'm getting back 5.5 (avg) gals back at 1.065 (avg). Don't know how I'd do much better than that. I know Dnder's recycle/sparge method works cause I've used it before on 1lb per gal cracked corn experiments. After getting the 5.5 gals of wort off..I could then sparge the squeezed out grains with some "additional" couple gallons of hot water...just to get all the last bit of juice, etc., out of it and use that to start next round. Im interested to see just how much this might add to the current process in terms of SG. (and I know it's cummulative as well). Think I can just sparge it off into a bucket and save it for the following week to start next batch. Even if it gets funky...the boil will kill any germs in it.

[Dnderhead]

if you put it in a clean jug ,place it in a cool location it will keep several weeks.
i never found "squeezing" effective. after squeezing you still can wash out sugars.
i used to put it back into the pot after dumping the grains,cover and its all ready for
the next mash..this whould sit about a week.

[Usge]

I never used to squeeze/press my crushed grains either. But, the flaked maize is different (think "gel"). The wort hangs on to it. To give you some idea...I've gotten 2 gals of wort out of squeezing/pressing the flaked stuff against the bottom. Trying to rinse/vorlouff or sparge it out doesn't work. Still have to press it out to get the rest of the sugars/liquid out of the grains. But, to your point...after that...I could save that water and use it to start the next round. I'll try it and see what it does to the SG.