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I'm working on my first all grain recipe and hoping to brew this weekend. Just wondering what kind of efficiency I should expect from BAIB, I've researched and found anywhere from 60%-75%, Are there any tricks that can help achieve the higher end?

currently I'm putting together a bitter recipe, working with 65% eff. Seems like a lot of grain though (13-14 lbs, 5.4%alc) at $3.99 a kg it adds up.

For 5 gallon I was getting 72-75%. For 10 gallon I was getting around 65%. You will know after a few batches how your system performs.

As for the price of grain, you should buy it in bulk, either from noble grape or get in on the group buys.

Yeah, @ $3.99/kg, efficiency should be your second concern.

Sent from my Nexus S

You can't beat the group buy rates but I missed the last one. Just looking to get a brew in asap.
I guess I can go with 2 row instead of Marris Otter and bump my efficiency up to 70%. Should knock a few dollars off the grain cost.

mr x wrote:Yeah, @ $3.99/kg, efficiency should be your second concern.

what about at 4.99/kg for maris otter, NFLD prices?

CorneliusAlphonse wrote:

mr x wrote:Yeah, @ $3.99/kg, efficiency should be your second concern.

what about at 4.99/kg for maris otter, NFLD prices?

Do you need a sack from Noble Grape delivered here for the cost that it is in NS?
Just ask if you do.

Allow me to revive this thread. Do any of you BIABers double-mill your grains?

dean2k wrote:Allow me to revive this thread. Do any of you BIABers double-mill your grains?

I have, but already have a tight setting on my mill. I've never noticed a difference either way.

I only hit 56% over the weekend with a 1-gal batch. Trying to figure out if it's simply me still learning/tweaking methods, or an inherit risk of the lowered grain volumes. <-- Probably 9:1 at the moment.

Jimmy wrote:

dean2k wrote:Allow me to revive this thread. Do any of you BIABers double-mill your grains?

I have, but already have a tight setting on my mill. I've never noticed a difference either way.

This - I did a few with a double crush and notice no differences. I seem to sit at about 70%

You can gain a little bit of extra by pouring a litre or two of sparge-temp water over your bag after you've pulled it out. I set my bag on an upside down stainless bowl in a bucket, let it drain, then do a 'micro-sparge' with my tea kettle.
I get a bit of an efficiency spike, but I haven't done it enough or logged it well enough to recommend it or not. Your water volumes also need to be considered in advance.

I finer crush can get you better efficiency. I don't think double crushing is quite the same though, I had also tried that in the past and saw no noticable difference.

Stir your mash. I stir well on mash in, again about 15 minutes later, then again about 20 minutes after that.

If your mash is really thick because you can't fit any more water in your kettle you will get less efficiency. With my stove top setup I used to get 55-60% efficiency with a super thick mash. Now with my keggle I get 77-80%+ efficiency with my full volume of water.

Also, It helps to hit your strike tepurature right on.

RubberToe wrote:I finer crush can get you better efficiency. I don't think double crushing is quite the same though....

Good point. The interwebz are saying the same thing. However, I had NG crush my grains for me and I didn't specifically ask for a 'finer' grain. I'm obviously not an expert, but they do seems a bit corse, so I was going to ask Andy to re-crush my grain bill for my next brew. Not necessarily to pulverize it, but to crack it down a bit more.

I normally get 74% mash efficiency with grains ground at NG Burnside.

Jimmy wrote:

dean2k wrote:Allow me to revive this thread. Do any of you BIABers double-mill your grains?

I have, but already have a tight setting on my mill. I've never noticed a difference either way.

Any idea what distance your setting is?

bluenose wrote:

Jimmy wrote:

dean2k wrote:Allow me to revive this thread. Do any of you BIABers double-mill your grains?

I have, but already have a tight setting on my mill. I've never noticed a difference either way.

Any idea what distance your setting is?

I did the credit card method, but it wouldn't grab the grain..so I just started widening the gap until it would.

I think mine is set to .80 mm

Made some efficiency head way on Sunday with my modified cooler BIAB shenanigans. No change in the milled grains, but I put more effort into maintaining the mash temp with a tin foil cover and a jacket over the cooler. I think head space is the big culprit, but I planned for and hit 75% despite only using 2 of 5 gallons.

I'm attempting my third BIAB brew, and I was considering after draining and squeezing the grain bag re-submerging it in the additional water set aside in the kettle for the boil, giving it a good stir, drain and squeeze before adding the mash to the kettle I could extract even more of the sugars. My concern is with extracting additional tannins too. Has anybody tried this, or have any opinion on if this is a good or bad idea?

That would be pretty much like doing a batch sparge, so it shouldn't extract tannins.