Just want to pick peoples brains with sparge ?

[Brewser_]

I just had a thought today, would it be possible to up your efficiency by using a hybrid sparge method using both batch and fly sparging? Basically I was thinking for an hour long mash, to let the mash sit for 30 min or an hour and fly sparge half or a little more of your preboil volume. Then stir up your mash and let sit for the same amount of time and fly sparge again to your preboil volume.

My main idea would be that the second fly sparge would have a high efficiency because the water in the mash would have a lower concentration of sugars therefore it would be able to extract more sugars.......

Thoughts and concerns?

 

[acidrain]

Well... you're really describing batch sparging, except a slow drawn out version of it.
Are you an experienced all-grain brewer, or just arm chair quarterbacking this?
I think you should try both, then maybe your hybrid idea and see what works for you.
That's the thing about home brewing... there are many ways to accomplish a goal. It's what works for you that counts.
Personally, I like batch sparging because it's faster. Most everything I do, or the way my equipment is purposed is for ease or speed of brew day. Grain is cheap.

 

[Brewser_]

I can assure you that this is not coming from experience, going to do my first all grain here in a week or so. Just trying to learn more about the mash process

 

[Teromous]

Two key elements of fly sparging:
1) You develop a tight grainbed to act as a filter
2) As you rinse the grains, they migrate towards the bottom of the mash tun

By doing as you say, you would be working against yourself.
1) After the first sparge, mixing up the grainbed would force you to re-develop that tight compact mash
2) By mixing up the grainbed, you are taking sugar-rich grains from the bottom and mixing them with the "clean" grains at the top essentially evening everything back out again...just at a lower gravity point...

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

If your going to do it just for the sake of doing it i suppose it could work...

If your doing it to jump from 75 to 80% efficiency save yourself the time, propane, and money setting up this rig and buy another dollar in grain to hit the gravity your aiming for.

A brewer who hits 50% efficiency every damn time will end up with far better and consistent beer than someone who has some convoluted mash process that jumps between 65-80% efficiency...keep it simple and repeatable.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Fly sparging is a continuous rinse of the sugars from the top of the tun to the bottom. Mixing the tun halfway through the sparge would in theory bring more sugar rich mash to the top of the tun and theoretically reduce your efficiency.

There is a popular sticky detailing a batch / fly hybrid sparge technique whereby you finish with a small fly sparge after batch sparging.

 

[Dakota21601]

I have discussed these kinds of things extensively w a buddy. Our final thought was not to stir up the mash halfway or thru sparge. Why? Because the goal is to pull the water bed through as a whole unit and extract sugar in the process to maximum efficiency hence the reason too of keeping an inch or so above the grain bed. So we think if u mix it up you bring the pulled sugars on bottom back up and they may not make it out. I hav experimented w sparging from full flow to a trickle and there is about a 2% differential on a 9-10% brew. The last three 10 gallon batches I have hit 80% solid. I would be hesitant to change now. Another thing I noticed is the sweetness of the grain afterwards. A good 80% sparge seems to yield a nonsweet taste whereas the one I full flowed had a mild sweetness to it. Not sure if that was coincidental but makes sense.


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