sparging

[Mark1964]

when sparging or rinsing the grains etc do you use the liquor in your mash tun or clean hot water at the same temp as your brew

 

[Brewmarc]

Clean hot water preferably treated to at least remove chlorine with 1/2 a crushed Campden tablet/23lts at @ about 78 degrees C

 

[Mark1964]

thats great thanks thought it was hot water just have to check thanks again

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

I sparge at 75c with water treated with CRS, campden and gypsum, I also pour a pint of sweet wort in from the early runnings, think I read somewhere it helps lower the ph :wha: :wha:

BB

 

[Aleman]

I also pour a pint of sweet wort in from the early runnings, think I read somewhere it helps lower the ph :wha: :wha:

That's correct. . . If you have a liquor with a low alkalinity (like you've just treated it with CRS) then adding wort or a couple of spoons of malt extract will lower the pH of the sparge liquor

 

That's correct. . . If you have a liquor with a low alkalinity (like you've just treated it with CRS) then adding wort or a couple of spoons of malt extract will lower the pH of the sparge liquor

If the mash is finished, why would you want to increase the acidity :wha:

 

[prolix]

high ph's leach taqnins from the grain, thats why you should stop at 1008 so as not to drop increase the ph. making the spagre more acidic reduces the tanin extraction.

 

Thanks Prolix :thumb:
I've just looked at my water report and the average pH is 7.7, fairly neutral.
Many other members have also said not to sparge beyong a certain SG.
I sparge to a volume with tap water, the final runnings often being near 1.000.
The concept that beats me is, how can you taste a bit of Tannin when you use such a strong bitter flavour as hops.
I add Tannin to Cider, and Red wine would be anaemic without it :wha:

 

[Aleman]

Suck on a used T Bag . . . that is the sort of effect you get, it is a harsh astringent dryness . . . similar to chewing black grape skins.

Basically as you sparge and the gravity falls . . . all of a sudden you get a sharp rise in pH (Normally when the gravity of the runnings is around 1.008-1.010) which causes the extraction of tannins, prototannoids and polyphenols (and lipids as well) from the grain husks . . . and these contribute to a harsh astringency . . . as well as creating an additional load for the copper finings to deal with . . . which if not dealt with effectively gives the potential for forming chill haze.

Acidifying the sparge liquor is one way to prevent this . . . as is not sparging above 76-78C . . . Batch sparging doesn't have the dramatic fall in gravity, so is less likely to show it . . . deliberately being inefficient during sparging and leaving lots of sugar behind helps as well . . . I will often stop sparging with the runnings around 1.016-1.020 . . . Grain is cheap I'm happy with 70-75% efficiency

 

Suck on a used T Bag . . .

I don't doubt a word of what you and other members say about sparging.
It's probably that my taste buds are so dulled that I've never noticed the tanin taste. :shock:
I will need to get an independant appraisal.

 

[Mark1964]

I sparge at 75c with water treated with CRS, campden and gypsum, I also pour a pint of sweet wort in from the early runnings, think I read somewhere it helps lower the ph :wha: :wha:

BB

Ok thanks for the tip :

 

[highwayman]

pour a pint of sweet wort in from the early runnings

Ok thanks for the tip :

Never done this before..but certainly going to in next brew..Thanks BB..:thumb:

 

[Brewmarc]

pour a pint of sweet wort in from the early runnings

Ok thanks for the tip :

Never done this before..but certainly going to in next brew..Thanks BB..:thumb:

I understand the need to keep the PH relatively low to avoid the extraction of tannins by over sparging :thumb: But I fail to see the relevence in "putting back" what we are trying to get out :wha: Surly this will lower brewhouse efficiency,& lower the potential final SG would it not be far better to monitor the PH of the runnings with testing strips & stop when there is a marked increase in PH? :wha:

 

[Aleman]

I understand the need to keep the PH relatively low to avoid the extraction of tannins by over sparging :thumb: But I fail to see the relevence in "putting back" what we are trying to get out :wha: Surly this will lower brewhouse efficiency,& lower the potential final SG would it not be far better to monitor the PH of the runnings with testing strips & stop when there is a marked increase in PH? :wha:

As I said, Grain is cheap just add another 500g . . . yes there is a drop in efficiency . . . you don't need to add back a pint, as little as 250ml is sufficient . . . pH testing strips are not accurate or quick enough to really monitor the required change in pH . . . You cold use a pH meter, but they are expensive . . . It is easier to monitor the gravity with a refractometer, and stop when it drops below 1.012

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

Suck on a used T Bag . . . that is the sort of effect you get, it is a harsh astringent dryness . . . similar to chewing black grape skins.

I know the taste well :sick:
When I first started brewing AG I sparged to much, being tight and all that
I now do like you sugest, less sparge or more grain.....Been great since. :thumb:

BB

 

similar to chewing black grape skins.

Would that be how grape tanin is produced, by boiling up black grape skins?