brewboy

Recipes 

Does any in the forums batch sparge? What are the pros and cons? Is it better to use a sparge arm, or similar device to sparge the grains? Thanks.

Janx

Recipes 

I think it's easier to use a sparge arm than to batch sparge because I can leave it more unattended. It's what I have always done. Just do it nice and slow and you'll get good extraction.

Batch sparging is especially helpful if you want to make higher gravity beers. The thicker the mash, the higher gravity you can get. I'll probably mess with it a bit when I start making some big Belgians soon.

I actually do a pseudo-batch sparge at the end of my sparge. I collect about 75% of my volume using the regular slow sparge method with a sparge arm, maintaining an inch of water on the grain bed the whole time. By that time the runnings taste a lot less sweet.

Then I cut off the sparge water and the sparge flow, leaving about an inch of water on top of the grain bed. I turn on the heat on my kettle to get it to a boil. It usually takes 30 minutes or so. Once the temp of my kettle hits 90 degrees Celcius, I drain the mash tun of the water that has now been sitting in there for a half hour into the kettle. It has a big burst of sugar and then after a few minutes is running pretty clear again. Once the mash tun is pretty much drained, I have my total volume in the brew pot and it's almost boiling.

I think it's a good method. Convenient and it seems pretty darn efficient. It's definitely advantageous to stop the mash for a while when the running get thin, wait a little while, and then run again. You can get greater extraction for sure.

__________________
Oh don't give me none more of that Old Janx Spirit
No, don't you give me none more of that Old Janx Spirit
For my head will fly, my tongue will lie, my eyes will fry and I may die
Won't you pour me one more of that sinful Old Janx Spirit

brewboy

Recipes 

I use a 5-gallon round cooler for my mash/lauter tun. In the method you described, could you boil water and then add it, because of course my equipment is not able to be heated. Thanks

Janx

Recipes 

Yes I never apply heat to my mash tun. I actually never boil my sparge water either. I add it at about 170. So our situations sound very similar.

When I talk about turning on the heat, I mean I am heating the kettle while some hot water is sitting in the mash tun. Because it takes a half hour or so to heat the kettle to 10 degrees C from boiling, that gives the hot water in the mash tun time to extract more sugars. Also, I think the sugars settle to the bottom of the tun.

__________________
Oh don't give me none more of that Old Janx Spirit
No, don't you give me none more of that Old Janx Spirit
For my head will fly, my tongue will lie, my eyes will fry and I may die
Won't you pour me one more of that sinful Old Janx Spirit

brewboy

Recipes 

Ok, I get it, must have had a bonafide brain fart. You are starting your wort kettle boiling, your not heating the mash in the tun. Thanks for your advise, very helpful.

rightwingnut

Recipes 

So for an all-grain setup, you only need two burners...right?

Janx

Recipes 

I only have two. Some people get a lower BTU heater for their mash tun, but it's not necessary, and I don't like to apply direct heat to the mash. I just stick to infusions. Works for me

__________________
Oh don't give me none more of that Old Janx Spirit
No, don't you give me none more of that Old Janx Spirit
For my head will fly, my tongue will lie, my eyes will fry and I may die
Won't you pour me one more of that sinful Old Janx Spirit

rightwingnut

Recipes 

OK, I though I remembered you saying not to heat the mash. I only ordered two.
The guy at morebeer told me to get a false bottom....that he heard manifolds don't work as well. False bottoms are expensive, and you say manifolds work, so I'm going with a manifold.

Janx

Recipes 

I bought a false bottom when I built my current setup...from morebeer no less...and it sits on the shelf in my brew shed doing nothing at all. I made a manifold out of CPVC for waaaay less that I paid for that perforated stainless disk.

I have made a number of perforated-loop style manifold false bottoms, and they have always worked really well for me. YMMV.

Cheers!

__________________
Oh don't give me none more of that Old Janx Spirit
No, don't you give me none more of that Old Janx Spirit
For my head will fly, my tongue will lie, my eyes will fry and I may die
Won't you pour me one more of that sinful Old Janx Spirit

Tony

Recipes 

Okay, Im just starting to learn about all grain and am so darn confused about sparging, running off and collecting wort. I follow the methods of mashing with no problem, but I guess Im hitting a wall about sparging.

Okay, my mashing is done, and its time to sparge.

No matter how or what vessel you sparge in, I see you have to have the grain settle with an inch of wort above the grain.

Now I see some instructions say drain the liquid off until it runs clear...put the liquid drained out back in and continue doing that until it comes out clear...

Now with that done...the sparging begins right? Okay, now someone please go step by step from here.

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