Can I get some ideas about how to convert my system from BIAB

[bootlegnjack]

Hi,

I'm still fairly new to brewing (5 BIAB all grains down, and a couple of those down the drain!) but I saw the post on reddit and haven't been able to stop thinking about the idea of Lodo. Firstly, thanks for writing up the report, great effort. It just makes sense, pro brewers generally do everything they can to minimise oxygen so why shouldn't we?

It might take me a while but I think I want to rejig my gear to go Lodo if I can. I'm sold on the idea just not sure how to convert my current BIAB kit over to Lodo. Can I get a few ideas from you about ways to go? I'm trying for the best but least expensive way to go to get me where I need to be. I have 2 little kids and saving for a house so cash is a precious resource.

At the moment I've got a 40 L crown urn that I'm currently using

This is my urn:






I also have a copper immersion chiller - might have to stay for now and I'll soak for a day in Star san prior to using to minimise oxides, I'll go stainless down the track. Also 2 Corny Kegs, temp fridge etc, and a keg king pump:




I'm thinking of doing smaller batches, fermenting in one of the kegs with a spunding and mashing in a cooler.

[mpietropaoli]

You probably don't need much other than another kettle to preboil strike water, and then later lauter into (mash in your urn, drain slowly into bottom valve of a kettle). This becomes easier if you have pump capability. You could even set up a recirc in your urn this way for your mash.

I currently don't have the ability to recirc my mash on my smaller system, but I do have a custom BIAB made for my kettle that has a very fine weave. The only thing I'm trying to figure out is how I could possibly squeeze the bag to get some additional wort out (in the past, I've twisted the bag like wringing out a washcloth, so maybe I could do this while its still submerged)

I have a busy couple of weekends, but am looking forward to trying LODO out on my BIAB, again just for smaller batches.

[Bryan R]

Please don't squeeze the bag, gently lift it up and out.

[mpietropaoli]

[Bryan R]

Oh, I didn't know you were lautering into another vessel. I would not put any kind of compaction on the grain bed if at all possible. Funny stuff starts to happen, when squeezing is done.

[wobdee]

I'm not really sure on the squeeze/no squeeze debate. Some say it matters while others say it doesn't. I know there are commercial mash presses out there that squeeze the living chit out of the mash and then if you think of the emense weight of a large commercial mash pressing down all by itself I don't think we could even come close to that by our squeezing methods. The thing I most worry about squeezing now is splashing and causing O2 pickup. Maybe it's best to just to just let the bag drain naturally, let gravity do its thing and add that wort later on in the boil.

[Bryan R]

Commercial practice mash filtering, I am sure has much stricter standards than a bag. I tried 10 or so attempts at BIAB with squeezing and crushing to flour, they were subpar from no sparge/normal process to say the least, but as always YMMV.

[Brody]

[bootlegnjack]

[mpietropaoli]

Well, I have done this all of once, with unclear results, so I'm obviously an expert

When we tried this on our larger system, we did not need to make a whole lot of major changes, but I have yet to try it on my BIAB. The simplest explanation I have heard so far is you want to treat O2 like lava at all points, particularly on the hot side. Being aware of it will hopefully trigger the engineer side of you(me) and get us thinking about ways to mitigate. One of the biggest issues with BIAB is the lifting of the bag, but it sounds like you don't do that anyway until the wort is drained.

You could make a mash cap pretty easily and inexpensively with your mash tun.