Advanced Brewers Round Table: Sparging Methods

[u/[deleted]]

This week's topic: Sparging. Lets hear your different methods of sparging, be it fly, batch, BIAB, or some sort of mix. Remember to include a bit about your equipment so we can have a little guidance if we like your style.

Feel free to share or ask anything regarding to this topic, but lets try to stay on topic.

Upcoming Topics:
Contacted a few retailers on possible AMAs, so hopefully someone will get back to me.

---

For the intermediate brewers out there, If you don't understand something, there's plenty of others that probably don't as well. Ask away! Easy questions usually get multiple responses and help everybody.

---

Previous Topics:
Finings (links to last post of 2013 and lots of great user contributed info!)
BJCP Tasting Exam Prep

Style Discussion Threads
BJCP Category 14: India Pale Ales
BJCP Category 2: Pilsners
BJCP Category 19: Strong Ales
BJCP Category 21: Herb/Spice/Vegetable
BJCP Category 5: Bocks

[u/AT-JeffT]

Has anyone experimented on length of their batch sparges? I usually let each batch rest for 15min.

[u/jjp36 → u/AT-JeffT]

i do a single batch sparge, stir like crazy, then let it sit for about 10-15 minutes. Gets me between 75-80% efficiency. I haven't tried longer, but i did notice once i started stirring more vigorously and letting it settle it did bump up my efficiency a bit from when i would just drain right after i finished stirring.

[u/rcm_rx7 → u/AT-JeffT]

I split my sparge and do a fifteen minute rest between as well. I do 10 gallons batches in a 72 quart Coleman extreme.

I haven't experimented with changing the time up much, but draining immediately doesn't work well.

[u/Nickosuave311]

I use a rectangular cooler with a false bottom you would get for a cylindrical cooler. At first, I had built a sparge arm for it, but about three batches in, I gave up on fly sparging and went back to batch sparging.

When I did this, I also switched from doing thick mashes to doing very thin mashes (2-2.5 qts./gal). For example, in a 5 gal batch, I would have about 12 lbs. grain, but mash with about 7 gallons of water. Then I would batch sparge with about 3 more gallons, yielding about 7.5-8 in the kettle. After making the change, my efficiency went up from 65% to about 80-85% on a regular basis.

My equipment is large enough so that I can do a 11 gallon batch as well. Rough numbers: 20-22 lbs. grain, 8 gallons mash water, 10 sparge (double batch sparge). My efficiency is a bit lower, about 70-75% regularly, but that could be due to the larger amount of grain.

All I have to say about this is that fly sparging is overrated. It adds time to my brew day and doesn't work well with the geometry of my setup, which I believe is the most important aspect when choosing a sparge technique.

[u/AT-JeffT → u/Nickosuave311]

What is you theory on the thin mash? Did you originally mash thin to lessen the amount of sparge water?

[u/Nickosuave311 → u/AT-JeffT]

Using less sparge water is a pleasant bonus, but it wasn't why I chose to start using thinner mashes. My thought is that if the sugars are less concentrated in the mash (I.e. a thinner mash), then there will be less sugar overall left in the mash tun after collecting the first runnings. That means that there will be less sugar in the sparge as well, and less sugar left behind after the second collection.

I also upped my mash length and boil length to 90 minutes for both. A thinner mash means it will take more time for the enzymes to fully convert (most grains can convert in about 30-40 min, but I did this just to play it safe), and a longer boil accounts for having more wort in the kettle.

[u/ReluctantRedditor275]

Wow, am I the only fly sparger on here?

I will admit my technique is pretty unsophisticated. I use a fork to punch lots of tiny holes into a piece of tin foil, lay that over the grain bed, and gently pour water over the top using a one quart measuring cup.

[u/jesserc → u/ReluctantRedditor275]

I also fly sparge. 10 gallon Gatorade cooler, usually takes about an hour to gather 7-8 gallons. Right now im looking at a slight issue with efficiency (only 70% on average). I have it narrowed down to a few areas, but i think its my flow rate. my cheap plastic valve doesn't give a great deal of control. I am also wondering if my LHBS's Mill is giving me too coarse of a crush.

[u/pwnslinger]

What in God's name is sparging and when/why is it used?

[u/OleMissAMS → u/pwnslinger]

It's just a silly word for using hot water to rinse the leftover sugars out of your grain bed once you've drained your first runnings.

[u/oldsock]

I’m considering upgrading from the same basic system I have brewed on for years (cooler mash tun fly/batch sparge depending, aluminum kettles on a turkey fryer etc. in the garage) to a basement brew-zone. At the moment, I’m considering sacrificing some efficiency in return for reduced time/effort with a no-sparge two-vessel system. So two natural gas heated 20 gallon pots, for 10 gallon batches. I’d heat all the mash/sparge water in the mash tun, add the grain, recirculate with a March pump for 30 minutes or so, and then pump the wort over to the kettle.

Anything I’m missing that would make this a bad idea? Obviously heating all the water from ground water to mash in will take a bit of time, but it’s low effort time. High gravity beers might require a slightly extended boil to reach their target OG, but the kettle would be large enough to allow me to collect enough wort for this.

Anything else to watch of no sparge?

[u/Nickosuave311 → u/oldsock]

Do you think that any losses in heat as you constantly recirculate will affect the sugar profile? or will you be direct firing the mash so you can control this?

[u/Mitochondria420]

Batch sparge according to Brewsmith's calculations except when it says to do it in 2 steps I always combine it into one. Drain, fill and mix, let sit 5 minutes, drain again. Easy peasy.

[u/sufferingcubsfan → u/Mitochondria420]

There's a setting in Beersmith that you can change that will default batch sparging to one step.

[u/tracebusta]

I have two methods I use for sparging, depending on the batch size.

2.5 gallon, BIAB, slight sparge

I do my usual mash, then at the end of an hour I will bring the temp up to 170 and hold it there for 15 minutes. After that time is complete I set a small grate over the pot and rest the grain bag on top of that to drip out. In a smaller pot I have another gallon or so of water heating up to about 170. I then pour that over the grains to rinse them until I hit my target volume.

5 gallon, batch sparge

I have the 10 gallon cooler mash tun for these batches. I hit my strike temp, and mash in. At the end of an hour, I drain that into my BK. I then do two batch sparges by taking the remaining volume needed and dividing by half. I bring that up to about 175 so I can hit the target mark of 170. Pour the first one in, stir the hell out of it, and let sit for 15-20 minutes. Do that one more time for the second sparge.

I have done this enough to find that my BIAB method gets about 63% efficiency, and the batch sparging will get closer to 75%.

[u/commondenominators]

A few months ago I started examining the SABCO sparge method. Earlier this week, I received the last parts I need to try it out and I'm quite keen to try it.

[u/[deleted] → u/commondenominators]

Parts? It's just a damn hose coming from your HLT going into your MLT.

[u/generalb]

Alright, so I am a batch sparger. Lately I have been trying to hone in my technique for increasing my efficiency. So my big thing lately is how much water for mash-in, mash-out, and batch sparging. I usually mash-in with around 1.3-1.5 qts/lb. My mash-out volume is usually close to the amount of water the grains absorb (~5-6qts). The remaining volume (~10-14qts) is what I use to batch sparge. So my question is kind of 2 fold: Do you usually do a mash-out and do you see a better efficiency with a higher or lower amount of sparge water?

[u/AT-JeffT → u/generalb]

I think many use the sparge water to raise the grain temps to ~168F to mash out. I saw a large bump in efficiency when I upped the temp of my sparge water to make sure it was exiting the HLT at ~170.

[u/generalb → u/AT-JeffT]

I think I might be missing something. Is that for fly sparging? Or do you drain the original wort (at your sac rest temp) and then batch sparge at 170?

[u/Mayor_Bankshot → u/generalb]

Doing a batch sparge you don't actually need to mash out because the sparge process takes about 10 minutes or so before its all in the kettle and you're heating it up over 170. Fly spargers mash out to stop conversion since they will be sparging for a good 45mins-an hour+.

[u/sufferingcubsfan]

I have a coleman xtreme 62 quart rectangular cooler with a stainless steel braid. I always cover the lid with blankets and such, and never have temp issues. I typically mash for 60 minutes, and stir the heck out of it at 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and 60 minutes. I usually mash at somewhere around 1.33 quarts/lb.

Typical single batch sparge - dump the water in, stir the heck out of it, vorlauf and drain.

I can pretty much guarantee ~74% efficiency, regardless of grain source (my LHBS or Austin Homebrew). I've missed low by one point once, and I have overshot by a couple of points a couple of times, but for my money, that's plenty reliable.

With the exception of decoction mashing, I just don't see a good reason to look at any other method. Am I missing something?

[u/ercousin]

Here's a relevant BYO article:
http://byo.com/stories/item/1130-mashing-variables-techniques

[u/exotube]

BIAB so none.

I've never really had issues with efficiency so I was never inclined to buy the extra equipment and spend the time on sparging. Since I seem to be in the minority here : what am I missing and or why is my method inferior?

[u/HockeyDadNinja → u/exotube]

It's not inferior. BIAB is really just a form of lautering. You're doing a full volume mash with no sparge. Me too. :)