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The Brew Bag Blog — sparging

To Brew A Beer reviews The Brew Bag for Coolers

• BIAB • brew in a bag • cooler mash tun • how to brew • no sparge • sparging • The Brew Bag • wort filter

Thanks Matt Del Fiacco for the time and effort to review our product. It can be found on Matt's site here.

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Brulosopher reviews The Brew Bag for Coolers - a fabric filter for ALL mash tuns!

• BIAB • brew in a bag • how to brew • mash tun • no sparge • sparge • sparging • The Brew Bag

I typically mash in converted cooler MLTs because I often make batches too large to fit the full volume in my kettle, though I absolutely see the value in BIAB and find myself utilizing the method on smaller batches with absolutely no ill-effects. 

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Brewing Process Logic - A Comparison of Methodology

• BIAB • brew in a bag • hop spider • how to brew • mash tun • no sparge • sparge • sparging • The Brew Bag • wort

When using a fabric filter and the full volume of mash water without sparging, the gravity is set when the mash is complete - unless adjusting for volume in the kettle or the fermenter - it is never diluted. In addition the pH is fixed in both the mash tun and the kettle. The entire sparge process can be eliminated, saving time, effort, equipment and energy expense. The use of one kettle, one burner, and one bag with no mash out produces comparable results to sparging.

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Tannins & Squeezing the Bag are Not Synonymous

• BIAB • brew in a bag • brew in a bag sparge • how to brew • mash tun • no sparge • sparge • sparging • The Brew Bag • wort

Squeezing the bag of grain and tannins are not synonymous. Excerpted and paraphrased from the books “Water - A Comprehensive Guide for Brewers” and “Malt - A Practical Guide From Field to Brewhouse” - Tannins, a subset of polyphenols, are present in grain husks and cell walls. They are released at mash temps and bind with proteins to form haze. In conjunction with a pH above 6, excess tannins are extracted and impart an astringent flavor - they can not be produced by pressure.

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To sparge or not to sparge - it is the question.

• brew in a bag sparge • how to brew • making beer • mash gravity • no sparge • sparging • thin mash • wort

Many of the sparge brewers I talk to about BIAB scratch their heads when they hear that the brew in a bag method is a no sparge method. Nearly all of them say "but what about all the sugars that get left behind in the grain, aren't you losing valuable fermetables?" At issue is not whether no sparge "loses" fermentable sugar, but how much is actually in the boil kettle. While it is true that the grain bag after lifting from the mash tun has sugars remaining, at what point is sparging a zero return effort? The concept of brew...

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