Brewing Experiment #2: Harvesting Commerical Yeast For Brewing

I grew up in Michigan, and when I was of age I grew to love the beers of Kalamazoo-based Bell's Brewery. Their American wheat ale, Oberon (originally called Solsun), was a particular summertime treat. I'm now living in Maryland, and Bell's beer is available all around us -- but not in Maryland:

So unfair! (Map excerpted from http://bellsbeer.com/brands/brand-finder/)

So I could drive to PA, WV, NC, OH, KY or DC when I want a Bell's. Or I could make my own. According to brewers on the internets, one of the keys to Oberon's unique flavor is the yeast they use.

Six Things To Know About BIAB (Brew In A Bag) If You're An Extract Brewer

I've been a longtime extract brewer who has recently been experimenting with all-grain brewing using the BIAB method. There are many great resources to learn about Brew in a Bag on the interwebs, so I'm not going to rehash that. But are some tips and things I learned while experimenting that may not be obvious until you've done it. Cheers!

"A" is my first BIAB beer. "1" is a traditional all-grain brewing of
the same recipe. We were doing a blind taste test. They tied.

1. It takes longer

Using the BIAB method takes longer than brewing with extracts:

• You're heating up more water (the full volume + some extra that will evaporate off or be absorbed by the grains), which takes more time to get to temp.
• Mashing takes time. Many BIAB brewers recommend mashing for 90 minutes plus a ten minute mash out (which requires more the ten minutes to bring it to the proper temperature.)

So it can easily add a couple of hours to your brew day. My first two BIAB attempts took between five and six hours total.