nstorm1121

Recipes 

Can I drain as fast as I want then? Then this is much quicker than fly sparging, right?

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bspisak

Recipes 

The rate you drain the tun won't affect your efficiency. However, you may find that you still need to start slow and gradually open it up as you still need to set the grain bed for filtration. I find that about 2/3 open is where I typically end up. Vorlauf as usual.

Brian

trent

Recipes 

I just wanna say I do this too, I didn't even realize it. Works great, I always hit 80-85% with my HERMS setup.

millsware

Recipes 

I got really disappointing efficiency last night. I planned for six gallons of 1.064 and got 5 gallons of 1.057. That's a big difference. I was thinking that I oversparged, (4.5 gallons of mash, 4 of sparge, 15 lbs grain) but maybe I just didn't sparge well. I was still getting pretty dark wort out of the mashtun once I hit my volume. I'll have to try this in addition to paying more attention to the gravity readings at different points throughout the process.

scottland

Recipes 

So i've starting doing a true hybrid sparge. Employing this technique, and batch sparging.

I mash, then drain my 1st runnings.
I then split my sparge water into two amounts.
Pour in the first batch of sparge water, stir like crazy, vourlouf, then collect those runnings.

Here's when I start Fly Sparging, as i'm collecting my 2nd runnings, I start the method listed in this thread, keeping 1-2" of hot water over the grain bed..

Basically it's a double batch sparge, but I fly the 2nd batch. I started doing this out of laziness so I wouldn't have to re-set the grain bed, and re-vorlouf after my 2nd batch sparge, but now i'm finding a little higher efficiency, and clearer wort.

JayB240

Recipes 

At the risk of hi-jacking the thread....
What is the best method to determine mash completion ?

J

beergynt

Recipes 

+1... I used to use a false bottom but hated it so I built a manifold. Though I don't let the false bottom go to waste. I took the fitting off of it and now lay it atop the grain bed during my sparge. The curvature and perforation works nicely for even distribution of sparge water with no worries of channeling.

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JayB240

Recipes 

I use a copper manifold that I made.... I cover the manifold with a 5 gallon paint strainer bag prior to introducing the grain to the Mash Tun. Output from the Mash Tun is clear
from the beginning thus eliminate vorlauf all together.

I am currently looking for better ways to add sparge water without disturbing the grain bed.

J

CaseyHeartBeers

Recipes 

So is the overall opinion that you shouldn't use this method with a straight braid in a rectangle cooler?

BierMuncher

Recipes 

If you can find an identically sized rectangular container it should work. The main point is slowly drizzling water over the entire surface of the mash.

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