Sparge Water Issues

[jvend]

John Palmer says that you should sparge with 1.5 times more than your mash and that you should have 1 pound for every 0.5gallons of beer. Correct me if Im wrong please, this is how I would do it (and how I've done it):

I want to make 4 gallons of beer with a 1.052 of OG.

So I place 4 gallons of beer and like 7.5 pounds of grains (2-Row, Wheat and Oats) on a grain bag at 150F - 155F for one hour.

I read my gravity and is at approximately 1.060. But now I have like 2.5 gallons of wort because of grain suction and evaporation.

So I take the grain bag out I place it in top of the kettle (someone holding it) and I began fly sparging (this is where I think 1.5 times of sparge Water is too much, it will be 6 gallons of water in this case!!!) so I neglect to think Palmer is right and I just take 1.5 gallons of sparge to complete the water in the kettle to achieve 4 gallons of wort again checking gravity oftenly and not letting it go under 1.040.

So I hit my 1.052 or close and began the boiling with hops. At the end of it I will have evaporated like half a gallon so I have like 1.058 of gravity,replace it with water , after all, its just replacing water that was originally there and I achieve my 1.052 or so.

Then I'll just place yeast.

What am I doing wrong????? I get a watery flavored beer which frustrates me. Where is my fault??? Please help!!! Im begging!!

 

[NewWestBrewer]

John Palmer says that you should sparge with 1.5 times more than your mash and that you should have 1 pound for every 0.5gallons of beer. Correct me if Im wrong please, this is how I would do it (and how I've done it):

I want to make 4 gallons of beer with a 1.052 of OG.

So I place 4 gallons of beer and like 7.5 pounds of grains (2-Row, Wheat and Oats) on a grain bag at 150F - 155F for one hour.

I read my gravity and is at approximately 1.060. But now I have like 2.5 gallons of wort because of grain suction and evaporation.

So I take the grain bag out I place it in top of the kettle (someone holding it) and I began fly sparging (this is where I think 1.5 times of sparge Water is too much, it will be 6 gallons of water in this case!!!) so I neglect to think Palmer is right and I just take 1.5 gallons of sparge to complete the water in the kettle to achieve 4 gallons of wort again checking gravity oftenly and not letting it go under 1.040.

So I hit my 1.052 or close and began the boiling with hops. At the end of it I will have evaporated like half a gallon so I have like 1.058 of gravity,replace it with water , after all, its just replacing water that was originally there and I achieve my 1.052 or so.

Then I'll just place yeast.

What am I doing wrong????? I get a watery flavored beer which frustrates me. Where is my fault??? Please help!!! Im begging!!

I am an newb AG brewer but I think you are mashing in too much water. Your mash should be between 1.25-2qts per pound of grain with most people falling between 1.33 and 1.5qt per pound. So with 7.5 lbs @ 1.33qt you should be mashing with @ 10 qts and not the 4 gallons you mention.

Keep in mind there are so many people on here with WAY more knowledge than me but that would be my first guess.

Colin

 

[mabrungard]

I agree with Colin, 10 to 12 quarts of mashing water creates an appropriate water/grist ratio in this case. 16 quarts is a bit higher than typical, but its not outrageous. Its approaching a 'no-sparge' brewing method. There are plenty of guides on the web and in software to assist you in better defining what water volumes you should use for typical mashing with sparging.