First BIAB

[belfastjacko]

Put it off long enough. So this afternoon I took the plunge and started the BIAB pack I bought from get er brewed.
Was the Hoppy American Ale. Loads of learning to do. The boil was 28ltrs but it kinda boiled over so the wort in the fermenter was a mere 16ltrs so that's a bit disappointing, however the OG is bang on.


Cleaning up is a pain in the ass.

[Slev]

Well done on popping your biab cherry. You'll never look at the world the same again!
Depending on your set up, kettle loss, grain bill, etc, 16l from 28l doesn't sound very far off.
Eg, for my own set up, aiming got 15l,  and using a 3.5kg grain bill, i would start off with about 26l. Lose 2.5 to the kettle, boil off 5-6 during 90mins and about 2l loss to absorption.
What size a kettle are you using?

[Roo]

Let the journey begin! Best of luck and make sure and save a bottle for the club meet.

[belfastjacko]

This one is destined for the keg. I've loaned out my bottles to a mate who got a basic kit for Christmas. So what would I need to add to go to proper all grain? (Waaaaay down the road like)

[Roo]

A grainfather?

[belfastjacko]

Aye and a sugar momma too lol

[Davey_c]

Well done on takin the plunge and once you taste the rewards there will be no going back... hopin to do a BIAB setup too this year so i'll be watchin your progress carefully

[belfastjacko]

I hit the OG perfectly from what it says on the pack. A small thing but one that has left me smiling all day.

I followed advice of people on here and other places, and took notes of everything that happened, good bad indifferent. Time stamped everything as well. 

[belfastjacko]

Checked it earlier today sitting at 1020, the instructions reckon it should get to 1011 so it's back under wraps for another couple of days. Thermometer is holding steady at 18 so I'm happy enough fermentation will continue. Keep yous posted.

[belfastjacko]

Fired it into the corny there on Monday. Set the pressure and leaving it chilling for a few weeks. (Eurovision party coming up )

[DEMPSEY]

What was your starting gravity. The 1020 might be from underpitching of yeast.

[belfastjacko]

So my old man came over for a BBQ last night and had a half pint of my brew, the first one of mine he'd ever had. He's a lager drinker through and through but made some positive noises.

For me, it was very malty, strong biscuit taste, and not Hoppy as hell like I'm used to drinking. Was brewed for a party I'm having this weekend so I'll update then. I was a bit worried that it wasn't as accessible to non snobs as some of my other beers but my da seemed to like it.

Next up is "get er brewed massy red." I love red ales they generally are my favourite, and Hilltown Massy Red is easy enough to get for compare and contrast. Had planned to get that on as a second keg for the party, but well the sun came out and suddenly I had a BBQ to build, grass to cut, weeds to kill etc etc.

[darren996]

Had a party myself at the weekend, and I had the exact concerns as yourself, the audience was not a craft audience, had a Belgian Blonde, a Weiss and a helles and some bottles of heino as back up. Surprisingly the blonde and Weiss won out and am happy to say no one had the backup.

Best of luck with yer next batch

[belfastjacko]

Cheers, from the two glasses I've had it's world apart from anything I've done from kits. Maybe not as Hoppy as I would have been used to but good all the same.

I have one friend coming this weekend who has been my guinea pig from the start, I'm sure between the two of us we can drink the keg dry in any case :-)

[Roo]

Honestly lads get to the next brew meet....it's not as scary as it seems. We are all like minded and varying degrees of expertise