Brew in a Bag (BIAB) is a simple and relatively cost effective method of getting into all grain brewing.

This
method is excellent for brewers who are wishing to convert from extract brewing to all grain, because it
requires a minimum of extra equipment. It can also save an all grain brewer 1½ - 2½ hours on a typical brew
day.
For a typical 23 litre batch, you will need:

 30 litre to 40 litre Pot and a stove or gas burner OR

an Electric Boiler of the same capacity.
 Cake Cooling Rack.
 Long-handled stirring spoon.
 Large grain bag.
 Thermometer.
 A recipe and Ingredients.

Sample Recipes:
German Kölsch British Bitter Bohemian Pils Ribald Wheat
Grain Bill Grain Bill Grain Bill Grain Bill
2.5kg Pale 3.25kg Pale 4kg Bohemian Pilsener 2.5kg Wheat
2.5kg Pils 250g Biscuit 500g Carapils 1.5kg Pale
250g Crystal 300g Rye
250g Golden Naked Oats 150g Victory

Mash for 60 min. at 68°C Mash for 60 min. at 68°C Mash for 60 min. at 65°C Mash for 60 min. at 68°C

Hop/Boil Schedule Hop/Boil Schedule Hop/Boil Schedule Hop/Boil Schedule

10g Galaxy for 60 min. 20g Pride of Ringwood for 20g Sticklebract for 60 min. 8g Target for 60 min.
10g Galaxy for 15 min. 60 min. 20g Saaz for 15 min. 14g Tettnanger for 15 min.
10g Galaxy finish 15g Goldings for 15 min. 20g Hersbrucker finish 14g Amarillo finish
15g Goldings finish

Boil for 60 min. Boil for 60 min. Boil for 60 min. Boil for 60 min.

Yeast/Fermentation Yeast/Fermentation Yeast/Fermentation Yeast/Fermentation

Safale S-04 or Mauri 514 or Saflager S-23 or Safale US-05 or
Wyeast 2565 Kölsch Wyeast 1968 London ESB Wyeast 2124 Bohemian Wyeast 1010 American
(Temp. 13°C-16°C) Ale Lager Wheat
(Temp. 21°C-23°C) (Temp. 8°C-12°C) (Temp. 14°C-23°C)

The MASH:-
1) Assemble the Grain, Hops and other items so you don’t have to go looking for them in the middle of the
boil.

2) Place the cake rack on the bottom of the pot or boiler and put the bag into the pot, looping the top edge
over the side, pegs or bulldog clips may be needed to hold it in place.
 3) Heat up 7 litres of water per kilogram of grain to between 69°C and 72°C. This will drop about 2-3°C
settling out between 66°C and 70°C. Note: Beers mashed at the lower end of this scale will be dryer and
lighter bodied and those at the upper end will be fuller bodied and a little sweeter.

4) Slowly add the grain to the water, stirring constantly to prevent clumps and ensuring that there are no dry
spots in the mash.

5) Check the temperature to ensure that it is in the 66°C-70°C temperature range. You may need to add a little
boiling water to bring it up to the correct temperature.

6) Put a lid on the pot and leave the mash for 60-90 minutes, checking the temperature occasionally to ensure
that it stays in the correct range. Note: This volume of mash should keep a fairly stable temperature but if
you are brewing outside or in a cooler area you may wish to wrap a large towel or blanket around the pot
to insulate it. If the temperature drops you can also use the burner or stove to bring it up, remembering to
stir the mash while you are heating.

The BOIL:-

At the end of the mash, gently lift the bag out of the pot and hang it so the bottom of the bag is just touching the surface
of the liquid. You can now apply heat to the pot to bring it to a boil.

1) Leave the bag to hang until all the water has drained out and give it a good squeeze to get the last of the
moisture out of it then discard the spent grain. (it makes great compost and chooks love it).
2) As the malt reaches boiling, add bittering hops and reduce the heat to produce a slow simmer. Continue to
simmer for 60 minutes while stirring regularly.

3) 15 minutes from the end of the boil, add the finishing hops and Whirlfloc tablets or Irish Moss.

4) At the end of the 60 minutes, you must cool the wort as quickly as possible to an acceptable yeast pitching
range (between 20°C to 25°C). There are a couple of ways to do this (we won’t go into immersion chillers or
counter-flow chillers here):
a. Transfer the wort to a large container or pot with a lid and stand in a container half filled with cold
water and ice. Leave to stand until the wort temperature drops, ensuring that it remains covered so as to
keep the wort from infection during a longer cooling period.
b. Transfer the hot wort to a cooling cube or food grade jerry, seal it immediately and store it in a fridge
until it reaches the required pitching temperature (fresh wort kits are manufactured via this method).

The FERMENTATION:-
1) Thoroughly clean and sterilise your fermenting vessel and any other equipment that is likely to come into
contact with the brew.
2) Pour the contents of the pot or boiler into the fermenting vessel.
3) Check the temperature of the brew (wort) to ensure it is not too hot to add the yeast (acceptable pitching
temperature would be 20°C to 26°C). Allow it to cool further if it is too warm. Pitching the yeast at too
high a temperature will stress or even kill the yeast.
4) Take a hydrometer reading and note it down so that you can check the progress of fermentation, taste it as
it matures and provide a finished alcohol content reading for the beer.
5) Pitch the yeast by sprinkling it evenly across the surface of the brew (or pouring it if using a liquid culture)
and stir through.
6) Place the lid on the fermenter and attach the airlock.
7) Fermentation will begin within 24 hours.

Note: fermentation time can vary dramatically depending on the temperature maintained. The ideal fermentation
temperature is 20°C – 22°C for Ales and 12°C – 16°C degrees for lagers. (NB: Different strains of yeast have
different optimum fermentation temperature ranges. Check the information on your yeast for its preferred range).

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