BREW IN THE BAG - AFFORDABLE ALL GRAIN BREW DAY | THE MALT MILLER

In this video we wanted to showcase how you an get started with all grain home brewing without the need to outlay a vast amount on equipment.
The gear we use here came in at well under £200 (April 2023 prices) and this also included the recipe kit we brewed!
Here’s links to the equipment we used:-
Electric Brewing Kettle - www.themaltmil...
Fermentation Starter Kit - www.themaltmil...
Spray Bottle - www.themaltmil...
Thermometer - www.themaltmil...
No-Chill Cube - www.themaltmil...
Silicone Tube - www.themaltmil...
True to Style Recipe Kits - www.themaltmil...
Browse the range here - www.themaltmil...
Be sure to check out our malts, hops, yeast, recipe kits and other products on our website. - www.themaltmiller.co.uk
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#homebrew #beer #homebrewing #homebrewbeer #homebrewery #hops #malt #barley #biab #allgrainbrewing #electricbrewing

[@alanmulryan]

Great vid, this is exactly how I started all grain brewing before moving on to a diy electric keggle system (I actually used parts from the version of this system I had to build my current system). Few things I picked up on along the way using this method...and this is in no way meant as a criticism of the video, just my own views on how to make it more efficient. If you havent hit your temps and you turn the element back on, you will scorch the bag and it will stick to the element unless you have a false bottom ( this does not need to be expensive, a stainless steel strainer upside down that keeps the bag off the element is all you need) or lift the bag off the element while it's on (again a cheap rope pulley and an A frame ladder are all you'll need). I learned this the hard way, I scorched a bag and it stuck to the element, the bag tore when I pulled it and the grain ended up in the system with no way to remove, batch ruined. You can also easily sparge with strainer with extendable arms designed for a kitchen sink and a kettle of boiled water or a pot or two of boiled water if you didnt want to go full volume...theres also a lot of studies about using room temp water for sparge, efficiency drops and hitting boil temp increases but not by much. Happy brewing

[@NigelTownshend]

Great video. Thoroughly covers all the basics. I've been successfully brewing like this for years (with a few refinements) so if you've never brewed and are tempted to have a go..... just go for it!

[@Tony-b1y5e]

You are absolutely an inspiration, the videos well explained and easy to try at home. keep posting cool thoughts and videos! Thanks, Tony

[@shacmh]

Always a pleasure and an education. Wish I had more time/energy/space to delve deeper into some of these brews!

[@paul.b1730]

I just cling wrap after boiling and leave overnight. The heat of the kettle helps keep the seal tight and no need for an extra container that is both heavy and unnecessary.

[@themaltmiller8438]

Interesting, not seen this before but I can see the benefits of this method.

[@NEWLearningSupport]

Love this, back to basics brewing

[@ckennington1]

Very good video - I have done 4 or 5 batches using this method, but the first few I had an issue where if I left the wort to boil without stirring it, it would stick to the element and burn. I'm not sure if the bag I was using did not have a fine enough mesh? Do you have any experience with this issue? I saw that you did not have to stir much during your video.

[@themaltmiller8438]

No scorching on the element BUT we do recommend that after each use this element is dismantled and cleaned thoroughly. The smallest bit of scorching or stuck on protein will then cause a bigger problem next time you brew with it

[@MariDerhohannesian]

Your demo videos are great. Would love a US version of your equipment

[@robbettington6799]

Great video… 🍺

[@imag777]

Good process but I’d add to either fill the no chill cube completely or to “burp” it to remove excess air before tightening the lid.

[@themaltmiller8438]

Good point! We usually go with the “full & don’t move it” approach! 👍🏻

[@chrisb5839]

Can you not pour the wort straight into the fermenter after the boil and just wait for the temperature to drop enough before adding the yeast? 🤔

[@themaltmiller8438]

You could, yes. The advantage of a no chill cube is that you can seal it with the hot wort in and the heat will sanitise it, plus there is little head room in them so less chance of something nasty being inside.

[@sagetx]

Couldn't you ferment in the kettle bucket? I don't see the difference or the need for another bucket.

[@themaltmiller8438]

Hey! I see your point and it's a good one to put forward but there are a few reasons that this might not be the best way to ferment, firstly the trub is still in there along with the hop matter from the boil, which ideally you want to separate from the wort when you decant to the FV Secondly, yeast activity may damage the element over prolonged exposure and then thirdly (the main one) is that you cant get another brew done if this is then taken up for a few weeks with fermenting wort inside. All of this aside, it's generally good practice to have separate equipment for both brewing and fermenting, mainly due to sanitising and prevention of carry over of yeast or bacteria from different batches.

[@dennisgreenwood92]

The five gallon volume of initial water will obviously be reduced due to 'boil off.' Can I use more pale malt than the recipe calls for in the mash to up the OG then after the boil, top up with cold water back to 5 gallons at a lower OG? I'm not one for beers with a high ABV.

[@themaltmiller8438]

Yes, you can. Just make sure to use dechlorinated water that you know is sanitary.

[@dennisgreenwood92]

@@themaltmiller8438 Thanks

[@jefftow1]

Great help for BIAB. How much water did you start with before adding grains ty

[@themaltmiller8438]

For this brew I think it was around 28? It will differ with each brew you do, there are some resources on our website to help you work out the total volume of water you need www.themaltmiller.co.uk/help-centre/brewing-calculators/

[@jefftow1]

Also do you sell a bigger no chill cube as one listed is only 36 pints @@themaltmiller8438

[@Pocketpatriot]

I’ve done a few small 5 litre batches and now I’m taking the plunge with my malt miller kit used in the video ,I’m nervous but going for it.if I want to brew 20 litres I’m guessing I can top up the water before the boil ?

[@themaltmiller8438]

Yeah, as long as you factor this into your recipe design.

[@Pocketpatriot]

@@themaltmiller8438 thank you very much 👍

[@DemetYT]

What is the smallest batch size that can be carried out on this setup? Also, are there volume markings?

[@themaltmiller8438]

Yes we have volume markings on the side and in terms of batch size, probably 10l would be ok but we haven't tested it down to that size

[@crh3401]

Just so I'm not going crazy, did you boil in a plastic bucket?

[@themaltmiller8438]

Yep

[@crh3401]

@@themaltmiller8438 love it. We need something like that here.

[@mickarcher1952]

Great vid. I have been all grain brewing for a number of years now but always have one problem. Whether i use a hop spider or not and using protofloc, when its time to draw the wort off, the trub always seems to get roused even after doing a wirlpool. A lot of the trub gets left behind but a fair bit gets transferred across. Any suggestions but if its mostly proteins getting transferred, should I stop worrying? The beers always seem to clear ok in the end?

[@themaltmiller8438]

Hey! Generally we don't use a hop spice on any of our brewing unless there is LOTS in the boil. Protofloc too is something that depends on the style of beer, if it's a hazy IPS or Pale then less likely to worry about it. In terms of some of the true making its way into the FV, there are mixed views on this, we would say do what's right for you and if you're beer is ending up clear and tasing great then its all good!

[@mickarcher1952]

Cheers!

[@phukyuandahorseyourodeinon]

Interested in this as no chill would be a big time saver. I've only ever done small batch all grain though. If it's a 30Ltr kettle being used as per link, how much liquor is required at the start? Cheers!

[@themaltmiller8438]

For this recipe, we had 32l to start. There is head space in the kettle to allow for this

[@richmottershaw9720]

Any idea when the electric boiler used in the video will be in stock guys ? Cheers.

[@themaltmiller8438]

Now!

[@paul4693]

With the full volume mash method do you consider it necessary to up the grain ratio to hit the OG targets or is the mash efficiency not really effected. Cheers Paul 🍺🍺

[@themaltmiller8438]

When we have trialed, it's always been fine. We do suggest using the fine crush option on our website when ordering for brew in the bag and full volume

[@ravilshirodkar1901]

Fantastic option for value brewers. Quick question: can a real dial thermo be fitted into the vessel? May be where the thermometer diagram is?

[@themaltmiller8438]

Probably, you’ll need to get a good seal though. You’ll risk snagging the probe on the bag and could cause a failure on the fit. Having brewed a few batches for this video, I’d be looking to use a digital thermometer with a probe wire that can sit deeper in the mash

[@davec4955]

You could fit a thermowell to the lid of the bucket so it's in the mash .

[@keithcharman4133]

Excellent film. I think even I can do that. The website links aren’t working though. And I need brewing equipment 😊

[@themaltmiller8438]

Nice one! Glad it helped!

[@keithcharman4133]

Do I need to order fine crush or just crush on the beer kit. I was looking at kit 12 . Summer hazy pale

[@paul4693]

Hi great vid as always guys not sure if I missed it or not but how many litres of water did you start with. Big thanks Paul.

[@themaltmiller8438]

32 mate

[@paul4693]

Hi thanks for the reply but the link in the description is for a 30l electric mash tun how’s 32l fit into 30l ? 👍

[@waynedeacon1704]

​@@paul4693 also the water level will rise with the adding of the grain and it will over flow. The bucket is a bit small for 19 litre corny keg batches.

[@jimpoole814]

This is like a classier version of my Heath Robinson equivalent. Wouldn't mind a nice new, better set!

[@chrisb5839]

When are these electric boilers coming back in stock?

[@themaltmiller8438]

We're due the elements in the next week or so, if you sign up tot he waitlist on the site you'll get and email as soon as we have them back in stock

[@robertzmigrodski3155]

​@@themaltmiller8438how much for the plastic brew buckets

[@kenken-ss7jn]

How do you control the temperture/2,4 kW element?

[@themaltmiller8438]

You can't add a temperature controller (off the shelf) to this as most will only run on 10amps max. So with the 2.4kw elements we control this manually

[@ianedmonds2711]

What about boil off? Just followed your oil for the neck recipe and lost loads of water so a lot less beer than planned

[@themaltmiller8438]

Everyones system and conditions for boil off will vary, you'll need to make note of your boil off rate and plan future brews with that in mind, luckily though if you come up short you can just back liquor too the correct volume.

[@Pocketpatriot]

So one thing I didn’t get was how much water to put in at the beginning?

[@themaltmiller8438]

It will depend on your system and recipe. This was a full immersion brew, so no sparge. I think we added around 28L but there are some great calculators you can use to tell you how much you will need, such as Brewers Friend or Brewfather

[@Pocketpatriot]

@@themaltmiller8438 thank you

[@andysinclair1161]

I brewed this kit a while back & started with 32 l....

[@Pocketpatriot]

@@andysinclair1161 how did the Abv turn out ? As I stated with 25 litres and then stupidly added water after the boil(one of my first brews)to make it up to 20 litres,my abv was only 2.58%. At least now I know not to do that again,I also wasn’t very efficient with mashing and didn’t sparge, lessons learned.

[@andysinclair1161]

@1nodmonkey ABV was 4.4% @ 21 litres. Definitely helps having the malt finely crushed to increase efficiency - takes it around the 70% mark....

[@bobgodytube]

Can you use a standard tea urn ?

[@themaltmiller8438]

You can but you'll need to make sure it is big enough and can boil the required amount of liquid for an hour, which can be a challenge or require electrical bypass work to be done.

[@jackkellett2057]

Yes you can. I use a 30 liter burco

[@richmottershaw9720]

How much water did you start with in the kettle ?

[@themaltmiller8438]

32l

[@richmottershaw9720]

I thought the boiler featured was 30 litres ?

[@themaltmiller8438]

@@richmottershaw9720 There is head space at the top 👍🏻

[@richmottershaw9720]

@@themaltmiller8438 Thank you for clarifying

[@jackkellett2057]

Great video and load so great tips and tricks but if that's 20 liters I'm a monkeys uncle. He lost so much to evaporation. Only half a bucket worth of wort. No follow up on squeezing or sparking the bag

[@themaltmiller8438]

Glad you enjoyed the video, it's not very clear as you can't see the volume markings, but after the boil there was 23L in the boiler. Good spot on the bag, we let it stand in the other bucket and gently squeeze, then just before we hit the boil we pour the runnings form the bag back into the boiler.

[@31Slimis]

19l only?

[@themaltmiller8438]

No, we've been able to get 23L batches from this system and method

[@themaltmiller8438]

You might be limited if you went for bigger ABV/Starting Gravity beers though.

[@TheOlderandwiser]

doughballs sink to bottom ?????

[@themaltmiller8438]

yes they can do but gradually adding the grain and stirring allowed us to ensure there are non, also not all the doughing in is shown on camera

[@TheOlderandwiser]

how would you know that a doughball sank to the bottom, I thought it was the air in a doughball that made them float, I see them and attack with a whisk and they stay at the surface. But nice clear video - I use 2 Burcos with electronic voltage control incidentally - thanks@@themaltmiller8438

[@RonvirBilkhu]

Why can’t u just chill it in the kettle? Or in the fermenter bucket for that matter…

[@themaltmiller8438]

You can chill in the kettle with an immersion chiller, in this video we wanted to show the most affordable set up and the no chill cubes are far cheaper than an immersion chiller.