More Sparging Questions - Batch Sparging

[markp]

Hi folks,

I've had a trawl through a search, but can't really find the answers to my quandries.

In an attempt to save a bit of time on brewday I've been looking at batch sparging.
I also worry a little about over-sparging and this sort of eliminates that too.

I've got my head round the maths bit and the topping up of the liquor to obtain two equal batches.
What I can't find any reference to though is the speed of run off......once I've recirculated the first running sto get clear wort.....can I then just wack open the tap at full bore and drain the whole lot quickly??

Just to confirm as well......after topping up the liquor for the second batch, you give a good stir, wait 10/15 mins and then re-circulate again before draining??

Thanks in advance.

 

[tubby_shaw]

You can run off quite quickly but I wouldn't recommend "full bore" as that may cause the grain to pack tightly around the false bottom/grain strainer and lead to a stuck mash :-(
For the second sparge, yes, stir then re circulate and drain :thumb:

 

[markp]

Never thought of the possibility of the grain bed compacting and getting stuck.
Good spot tubby, thank you :thumb:

 

[gurtpint]

Another question about batch sparging... Could you in theory get a better yield from the grain if you added 50% of the water to begin with and then, after the 90 minute mash + draining, added the rest of the remaining water in two parts, stirring and waiting for 10-15 minutes each time? 50%-25%-25%, that is.

 

[Tony]

I've tried doing this - taking the sparge water, halving it and doing two separate sparges. I never noticed any improvement in efficiency, only a lengthening of the process. Beersmith does all my calculations these days and there are several mash settings which use a two part sparge but I'm not at home atthe moment and can't remember what it is!

 

[markp]

Some pointers for using Beersmith for this would be great Tony :thumb:

 

[Tony]

Hi Mark
To be honest beersmith doesn't do very much at all for this - the adjustment in settings is via the details in the mash profile - just untick 'sparge using equal size batches' if you select
'Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge'

If you select:
'Single Infusion, Full Body, No Mash Out' it will give you an automatic single sparge ... I think what I'm trying to say here is that beersmith doesn't give you any improved efficiency or rise in ABV (for instance) no matter what you select. More worryingly, it doesn't make any differentiation for temperature of mash either!

I may have talked myself into a corner here!
:whistle:

 

[markp]

:lol: Don't worry Tony.

Because I've always fly sparged, I've never really paid much attention to any of those settings on Beersmith.
I'll have a play around tonight :thumb:

 

[MikeB]

Bit of a thread resurrection but better than starting a new one

My AG kit is coming together and this morning, just as I was about to buy an Ebay-sourced cooler for conversion to mash tun I had a bit of a brainwave. Stuck at the back of my garden shed is a large, wheeled, plastic container that I use in the summer as an outdoor cooler, for people to dump their cans and bottles of beer during a party. From memory it even has a deepish channel at the bottom with a drain plug, so by fitting a ball valve tap and using this channel as false bottom, it could be an absolutely brilliant tun.

It's also big - I reckon at least 100 litres. So my question is: this is clearly big enough for a single infusion, but do you lose efficiency with this method of mashing? It is very attractive in terms of time, but if the end result is poor it's clearly not worth it.

Also, is a tun of this size just plain daft for 23l brew lengths? I know that head space isn't really relevant as this doesn't make much difference, but are there any other factors to take into account?

Cheers all! :thumb:

 

[pjbiker]

Also, is a tun of this size just plan daft for 23l brew lengths? I know that head space isn't really relevant as this doesn't make much difference, but are there any other factors to take into account?

Cheers all! :thumb:

Yes it's big but I wouldn't say 'plain daft'. Consider the height:diameter ratio of the grain bed. There must be limits but if you still get reasonable efficiency I shouldn't worry. In fact, I think the height:diameter ratio is probably more of an issue when fly sparging, ie. if it gets too low, the sparge water has less distance of grain to filter through and may result in less extraction, theoretically :geek: . You will need to insulate it though.

 

[MikeB]

It will need some insulation, indeed. The lid is just a thin piece of plastic, whilst the body is kind of semi insulated. I'm planning on making a proper lid with ply, polystyrene, insulation and shiny camping material and then also wrapping the whole thing up with more insulation. I think I'll be able to make it very efficient in terms of temperature retention.

The main question is about single infusion though - it seems to make perfect sense to me but I have read some stuff that says it isn't the best way of mashing...