The Brew Bag Blog — water to grain ratio

Brew In A Bag vs.The Dreaded Stuck Sparge

December 31, 2016 • BIAB • brew in a bag • cooler mash tun • double mill grain • fly sparging • grain crush • home brewing • how to brew • no sparge • Paint strainer • PVC manifiold • sparging • stuck sparge • The Brew Bag • thick mash • thin mash • water to grain ratio • wort • wort filter

We read a lot of articles on the brewing process, and lately we came across two that addressed the issue of the dreaded stuck sparge. The sparge is post mash washing of the sugars from the grains and is accomplished by methodically adding just enough water to the mash tun to "float" the top portion of the grain bed. To allow outflow some sort of manifold with approximately 1/16" holes is inserted in the bottom of the tun. This lets gravity and pressure work together to provide an outlet for the heavier sugar laden wort. The manifold is connected to...

Brew In A Bag Video Series by The Brew Bag founder Rex Slagel

September 24, 2016 • BIAB • brew in a bag • fabric for a brew bag • grain crush • hop spider • how to brew • Insulation • lost temperature brew in a bag • making a brew bag • making beer • mash • no sparge • sparge • sparging • stuck sparge • The Brew Bag • voile • water to grain ratio • wort filter

We've seen a good many videos showing how to use a fabric filter to brew in a bag, but there aren't any that detail why this works so well. Here you'll find a bit of science along with some practical information to make great beer in about 3.5 hours using minimal equipment.

Brew In A Bag Process and Tips - video

June 27, 2016 • BIAB • brew in a bag • cooler mash tun • filter beer • grain crush • how to brew • mash • mash gravity • no sparge • sparge • sparging • stuck sparge • The Brew Bag • water to grain ratio

We've added a series to YouTube so you can see the step-by-step process of brewing using a fabric filter. This VIDEO outlines the processes and briefly explains the advantages of using true filter instead of relying on the grain bed and a bottom pick up.

Brew in 90 Minutes - Modified Parti-gyle

February 12, 2015 • BIAB • brew in a bag • parti-gyle • The Brew Bag • thick mash • voile • water to grain ratio • wort

So, you're into your brew day, and as usual you think "what if I could transfer ALL the sugars left in the grain to the boil kettle, there's beer waiting to be born!" And then you brew, clean up, have a brew, and realize you made 5 or 10 gallons in 3.5 hours (BIAB), or 6 hours (non BIAB), so you have another brew and forget about it.

Mash - thin or thick?

February 06, 2015 • BIAB • brew in a bag • mash • The Brew Bag • thick mash • voile • water to grain ratio

I wrote this in response to an article written by Brad Smith in which he stated that one of the "cons" to brew in a bag was a high water to grain ratio. He didn't respond. "You mention that a high WTG ratio produces less beta-amalyse. In my research the higher WTG ratio impacts conversion positively. The enzymatic conversion of starch to maltose for B-Amaylase is activated in the temperature range of 143.6 to 152.6. See the following from Kai Trauser with references to Dr. Ludwig Narziss and Dennis E. Briggs." The results for mash thickness were somewhat surprising....