Sparging help.

Hello folks,

Alright, I'm 3 batches in to my all grain set up, so far I'm getting pretty terrible efficiency and I'm convinced its my spagring method. I have been using a very economical fly sparse method by wimpy pouring over perforated aluminum foil over the top of the grain bed. Some recipes call for a 75 min sparge and I don't have the patience to pour small amounts for that length of time. I've yet to try a batch sparge method. What's my best bet for a beginner all grain brewer? Any good links for a cheap sparge arm?

Thanks!

Batch sparge maybe the easiest while getting to know your equipment and nailing down the ag process.
I have been mashing with 3 gallons, 2 gallons for sparge 1 at 170, leave for 10 minutes, drain, sparge with 3 gallons at 170, leave for 10 minutes, drain, boil.
Pretty much hitting my BS numbers.

Batch sparging would be way easier and way more efficient in this case.

Gary

wags13 said:

Hello folks,

Alright, I'm 3 batches in to my all grain set up, so far I'm getting pretty terrible efficiency and I'm convinced its my spagring method. I have been using a very economical fly sparse method by wimpy pouring over perforated aluminum foil over the top of the grain bed. Some recipes call for a 75 min sparge and I don't have the patience to pour small amounts for that length of time. I've yet to try a batch sparge method. What's my best bet for a beginner all grain brewer? Any good links for a cheap sparge arm?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

How long are you actually taking to runoff? Your sparge method is perfectly valid. What are you using for a lauter tun? Do you have a manifold or a false bottom? Who is crushing your grain? Batch sparging as the other have mentioned works fine, of course, but I don't think your sparge method itself is the problem.

If your lauter tun is big enough, you don't have to do a continuous 'fly sparge' (gads I hate that term LOL). Once you get your runoff going, begin as you have been and then once there is a bed of a few inches above the mash, you can speed up the addition of water and let it do it's thing. I get all of my sparge water in the lauter tun in about the first 10 minutes of the runoff (no sparge arm, just pour it over a wooden spoon) and then let the runoff proceed another 50 - 60 minutes or so.

Grain crush, mash time and mash temp are critical. Grain should be crushed to .035 mm, don't misread the feeler gauge. Mash for 1 hour before you start your sparge. Your target temp should be between 152* and 155*. Too high and you kill off the enzymes, too low and they don't get activated to break down the starches. I've been doing 10 gallon batches since my 4th all grain beer. I had a problem with my mash efficiency for the last few batches and hadn't set my crush right. The difference between 0.080 mm and 0.035 mm is between 70% efficiency and 85% efficiency with my setup and methods.

wags13 said:

Hello folks,

Alright, I'm 3 batches in to my all grain set up, so far I'm getting pretty terrible efficiency and I'm convinced its my spagring method. I have been using a very economical fly sparse method by wimpy pouring over perforated aluminum foil over the top of the grain bed. Some recipes call for a 75 min sparge and I don't have the patience to pour small amounts for that length of time. I've yet to try a batch sparge method. What's my best bet for a beginner all grain brewer? Any good links for a cheap sparge arm?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

questions
- what is your efficiency with your current method?
- what is the size and type of your mash tun?
- what is the size of your brewpot?

I use the auto sparge. Not all that impressed with it by the way, other than the ease of delivering the sparge water to the top. The ball float thing mostly get in my way. I think it's supposed to help make it easier to match run off rate to sparge rate, anyway, I digress. I used the perforated pizza pan before. I don't think the delivery of water is a huge issue as long as you are not pouring in a large volume and disturbing greatly the grain bed. The top inch or so of grain probably not critical if you disturb anyway, and I know some advocate slicing through the teig and top few inches of grain bed. Anyway I digress again.

I think you need a dose of patience if you want to continue fly sparging. Batch sparging does require trying to match the sparge volume (as opposed to rate) to the runoff volume, and also recirculating until wort is clear a few more times with each batch you do. If you end up doing 5 gal batches with only one batch sparge, that will def save time. I'm not sure so you are saving a lot of time if you end up doing two or more batch sparges, but since I don't do batch sparges, I will concede this point to other more experienced with batch sparging. I usually start my run off and aim for rate of 1 quart per minute, which is pretty slow. With a pre boil volume of close to 13 gal (or more if doing a 90 min boil ) this gets close to about an hour. sometimes i go a little faster, but usually not. Once the wort level starts to get low and I can see the top of the grain bed, I will start adding the sparge water to the top. While it is true, that once you get a few inches of water over the wort level, it should float on top of the greater density wort, that you can continue to add the remainder of your sparge water all in at once. However, if you do not have an insulated lauter tun, that layer of top sparge water might cool below 168-170 so I like to try and match sparge water and runoff rate with intermittent heat on the sparge kettle to keep to temp. i used to store it in a 5 gal insualted cooler and gravity feed on my old setup. It takes me about an hour to collect my wort and sparge. I usually brew 11 gal batches with target finished volume of 10 gallons. Once the boil kettle hits about 3-4 gallons full, I will light the burner to save time bringing to a boil. I also usually do single infusion mashes with a mash out (direct heated tun). I usually don't mash for an hour anymore. I have been getting good conversion in as little as 15-20 minutes. So I save some time in these steps rather than in the sparge.

TD

I agree with most everyone bout Batch sparging. Honestly I use a cooler that I fit with three copper pipes fit to size and cut with slits facing down. After filling with grain I add the water at 155 degrees and let sit for an hour. About every 10 minutes I add more water closing the lid In between. After an hour I run off about 2 gallons and add back in to mash tin cooler. I actually stir each time I add water disrupting the grain bed. The cooper pipe filters for me. I continue to run off two more times and add back to mash run letting it sit for ten minutes to settle grain bed. Any way that seems to work at the efficiency level with the batch sparge method. I try not to over think it! Have fun with it! Cheers!!

I batch sparge in a 10 gallon Igloo water cooler mash tun and I regularly get between 75% and 85% efficiency depending on the OG (probably averaging 80% with a normal 1.050 beer). I do a single batch sparge sometimes with a mashout, sometimes not depending on the math. I tried a double batch sparge once and didn't notice a real increase in efficiency, but I did notice an increase in time.

I would definitely advise doing a batch sparge rather than a jerrybuilt fly sparge that doesn't seem to be working. Granted I've never done a fly sparge, but batch sparging just seems so much easier to me (no offense to all you fly-spargers out there) and I don't think I could get much better than 80% efficiency from a fly sparge.

This is a pretty good article on batch sparging: http://www.brew365.com/technique_batch_sparge.php
I aslo use http://www.brewersfriend.com/ for my mash and sparge calculations (as well as pretty much everything else).

As others have said though, I would also look into your crush because that can greatly affect your efficiency as well.

I've been getting about an 80% efficiency fly sparging. Use a JSP fixed width malt mill. I'm happy with the 80%.

I had done a few batches using batch sparge before I built my brew rig. Back then was mash in cooler single infusion, and I got 75-80 efficiency with a single batch sparge as well I recall. Hated recirculation business. I would put a small muslin sack on end of the run off tube to try and filter any small husks that made it through after recirculation which worked well.

If you don't wanna waste an hour sparging, do batch sparge(s).

TD