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BIAC User Manual Brewing
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if it contains a lot of minerals, metals or chlorine (anything that might contribute
off-flavor) then bottled or Reverse Osmosis (RO) water should be used. (Softened
water should not be used, as it often contributes too much sodium. Some
minerals are necessary, so distilled water is not generally recommended unless
one understands water chemistry and can modify).
Water volume (‘strike volume’) can be calculated based on the full boil volume.
While each recipe will differ, this volume is approximately 1.25–1.75 times the
final amount of beer you are making, so for a 10gal/38L batch of beer, the
initial volume will be approx 45–64L/12–17gal (grain absorbs approximately it’s
own weight in water and about 10% of final volume is boiled off so if you want
38L/10gal of beer and start with 10kg/22lbs of grain, you need to start with
approx 56L/15gal of water.
If one wants to rinse (called ‘sparging’) the grain as the sugar water (called ‘wort’)
drains from the grain at the end of the mash period, a portion of the total water
amount can be withheld and added as rinse or sparge water once the Mash
Colander is being lifted out of the fermenter. While this step is not absolutely
necessary, it can increase the recovery of sugar from the grain. As a general
guideline, the sparge volume is about 10–20% of the full boil volume.
Brewing software programs can help you
calculate exactly what is needed, as well as
help build recipes for given styles of beer.
Beersmith is one such program, and the
BIAC equipment and mash profiles for use
in Beersmith can be downloaded on the
BREWHA website: https://brewhaequipment.
com/blogs/howtobrewbeer/15892825-biac-
profiles-for-beersmith.
2. Mashing: 60–90 minutes
Once the water is at your strike temperature, the Mash Colander is inserted
in the fermenter and minerals are stirred in (if your recipe calls for them). The
temperature is then adjusted to your mash temperature and crushed grain is
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Tip: Before adding grain, open the bottom valve to let water
into the recirculation hose (and release air bubbles) and tap
the bottom of the Colander with a stir stick to release any air
bubbles that might be trapped under the Colander. Air under
the Colander can trap wort above it and cause a stuck mash.
Figure 55
Summary of Contents for BIAC
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