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First BIAB attempt using Beersmith

Grady

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Apr 16, 2012
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Hello All,

I have been brewing since Nov 2011, and have about 15 batches under my belt. This weekend I made the jump from mash/extract to BIAB AG. I decided to make an English Ale yesterday. I predicted a few bumps in the road, and indeed I hit some.

The basics of the recipe were
4KG Maris Otter
2KG Vienna Dark
Fuggles/EKG hops
Windsor Yeast

Problem: It would appear Beersmith undershot my pre boil water vol by about 6L. Im pretty sure I must not be using the software correctly. I set up my equiptment properly, as far as I know. I entered in my 15gal\58L brew pot etc. Then I entered my final batch as 23L. It stated that I needed to have 29.4L of water before starting my steep. After the steep I should have 25.4L left for a 60 min boil. I squeezed the heck out of the bag too and got everything out. This all sounded about right for me.

However I ended up with about 17L of wort at I think 1070. After watering down to the 23L mark it hit the desired gravity of 1043.

Is there any tips anyone can pass onto me regarding BIAB water vols and Beersmith?

In my case it appears the amount of water absorbed by the grain may have been greater than the software anticipated due to me mucking something up.

EDIT: I think I may see the error of my ways.

Question: I went with the "TOTAL WATER NEEDED" value which was 29.4. However there is also a  "MASH VOLUME NEEDED" which is 34L.  The difference here is pretty much the exact amount of water I was off by.  So, when doing BIAB which water value should I use for my initial water vol??

Cheers!

 
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