Sparge Temperature

[FlatFenBrew]

My understanding is that sparge water temperature is required to be around 76 degrees C.
For a couple of years I have been heating my sparge water to 76 degrees however, I have just realised that it loses temperature by the time it enters the mash tun so my question is should I be heating to a higher temperature to compensate for this?
Thoughts welcome. Thanks.

 

[uDicko]

Short answer yes if you are aiming to sparge at certain temperature.

Many people do well with no heated sparge water. When I used to sparge (I'm lazy now and adjust recipe to not bother and no sparge) cold water was perfectly fine. Just means you are taking a little bit longer to reach the boil

 

[Dutto]

My understanding of the sparging process is that you wish to do two things:

1. Stop the Mash process so that no more sugars are produced.
2. Rinse the produced sugar out of the grain-bed.

Raising the grain-bed to a temperature higher than 75*C will stop the Mash process (1.) and ensuring that the grain-bed is well agitated and the sparge water is properly distributed with ensure that the grain bed is fully rinsed (2.).

I generally sparge at a minimum of 80*C.

 

[Drunkula]

Agree with uDicko. One day I totally forgot to put on sparge water and just did it cold from the barrel I use to collect water and there was zero difference in efficiency.

And here it comes!
http://brulosophy.com/2016/04/11/sparge-temperature-pt-1-standard-vs-cool-exbeeriment-results/

 

[Slid]

My understanding of the sparging process is that you wish to do two things:

1. Stop the Mash process so that no more sugars are produced.
2. Rinse the produced sugar out of the grain-bed.

Raising the grain-bed to a temperature higher than 75*C will stop the Mash process (1.) and ensuring that the grain-bed is well agitated and the sparge water is properly distributed with ensure that the grain bed is fully rinsed (2.).

I generally sparge at a minimum of 80*C.

I suppose a slightly different perspective might be that:

• Raising the temps of the mash to ~ 75C will arrest the mashing process - this is called the "mash out". This will help protect the "body" of the beer.
• The main purpose of a sparge is to extract more sugars from the grain - the process was first developed in Scotland, as I understand.
• Water will dissolve sugar more easily at higher temperatures ("Kinetic Theory" and our simplistic model of a water - H2O molecule explain this very well, here).
• There is a theory that water at too high a temperature may extract tannins rather than rinse off sugars. Never come across this issue myself or seen any evidence or even complaints from homebrewers anywhere.

 

[geigercntr]

• There is a theory that water at too high a temperature may extract tannins rather than rinse off sugars. Never come across this issue myself or seen any evidence or even complaints from homebrewers anywhere.

In the deep recesses of my brain, I believe that this is linked to pH. If you keep your pH low enough, tannin extraction is minimised.

IIRC, that's why nobody talks about tannin issues with step mashing (where you're boiling batches of mash at well over 80C)

 

[Cwrw666]

Hot sparge / cold sparge
Chill / no chill
Long boil / short boil / no boil
and loads of other things.

When you think about it there's an awful lot of what we do that we swear by, but we only do it because we read somewhere that that was what we are meant to do.

 

[Drunkula]

Did a cold sparge last night. Efficiency difference - eff all.

 

[Slid]

Hot sparge / cold sparge
Chill / no chill
Long boil / short boil / no boil
and loads of other things.

When you think about it there's an awful lot of what we do that we swear by, but we only do it because we read somewhere that that was what we are meant to do.

There is a lot of truth in that, mate!