How to figure out sparge water quantity?

dmbnpj · 09-22-2009, 02:58 AM

When doing an all grain recipe? I have done 2 all grains brews so far. Each one, I always make up too much sparge water, which I think hurts my efficiency a little bit. I always mash with 1.5 quarts of water per pound of grain. But, during the sparge I dont know how much water to add. So far, the recipes have called for an hour boil. But, the recipes also have different amounts of grain which I am sure affects how much water you should add to the sparge. I always shoot for about 7 gallons preboil. Is there a way to know how much water to add to the sparge to achieve about 7 gallons in the preboil, or is it always a guessing game?

dontman · 09-22-2009, 03:01 AM

BeerSmith will tell you exactly how much water to add. I assume the other packages will too I just don't use them so I can't attest to it.

jescholler · 09-22-2009, 03:16 AM

I think the key is to assume that the grain will absorb some amount of wort, and you will have some amount of wort that isn't absorbed in grain, but you can't get out of your vessel. For me the total of those two is about 0.15 gallons per pound of grain. I've heard other people get about 0.1 to 0.2. Subtract that amount from your mash and sparge water and you've got your number. Or PM me and I have a spreadsheet I use that I can e-mail you. I think it's pretty sweet. It incorporates Palmer's brewing water mineral calculations and his mash temperature calculations (e.g. how hot to heat your mash water prior to adding grain, how hot to heat your sparge water, etc.).

dmbnpj · 09-22-2009, 11:02 PM

Ive been using beersmith but it has been telling me some weird things. For example, I just entered a pretty simple Pale Ale recipe. I batch sparge, so under the mash profile I selected "Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge." When I click on the Brewsheet, it tells me to prepare 6.98 gallons of water for brewing. For the mash, it tells me add 13.13 qt. of water at 163.7 degrees F. Then for the sparge it tells me for Round 1 to sparge with 3.70 gallons of 168 degree F water. For Round 2, sparge with 1.91 gallons of 168 degree F water. Then, it says add water to achieve boil volume of 5.72 gallons.

If you do the math on those numbers it doesnt make sense? It tells me to prepare 6.98 gallons for brewing but if you add up all the numbers for the mash and sparge you get 8.9 gallons?

And what is the deal with Round 1 and 2 of sparges? I would only like to do one batch sparge since I have a converted keg that is big enough to hold the whole batch. I have that selected in my profile in Beersmith but it is still telling me to do a round 1 and 2?

**Malticulous** · 09-23-2009, 04:07 AM

You need math, not software. It's easy to to by hand. It's just what you need to reach your desired boil volume after the first runnings. You could measure it with a spoon marked out in gallons. I prefer to sit down and do the math. Basically it's your boil volume minus the watter you put in the mash plus .12 gallons per pound of grain for absorption and whatever dead space you have. I no longer use beersmith and am a better brewer with out it.

dutch-brew · 09-23-2009, 02:55 PM

I agree, for some reason beersmith is off on temps and volumes sometimes.. i use another program (forgot the name, mashwater pro?) which works great for me, and cross-check it with beersmith.

And some of it is a little experience with prior batches and common sense.

**springer** · 09-23-2009, 04:19 PM

I use 1.25 qts per pound of grain . I measure the first running and subtract that from my desired total pre boil volume. The number of gallons is my sparge water amount . Don't need software for it. I batch sparge so it will be different than fly

**AZ_IPA** · 09-23-2009, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Conroe

You need math, not software. It's easy to to by hand. It's just what you need to reach your desired boil volume after the first runnings. You could measure it with a spoon marked out in gallons. I prefer to sit down and do the math. Basically it's your boil volume minus the watter you put in the mash plus .12 gallons per pound of grain for absorption and whatever dead space you have. I no longer use beersmith and am a better brewer with out it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by springer

I use 1.25 qts per pound of grain . I measure the first running and subtract that from my desired total pre boil volume. The number of gallons is my sparge water amount . Don't need software for it. I batch sparge so it will be different than fly

+1 - it doesn't matter if I do 1.25 qt/lb or 2 qt/lb; I take 7 - mash runnings = sparge/2

I always heat up 6 gallons of sparge water; that way I'll have enough no matter what my mash runnings are, and when I have left over hot water in the HLT I can use it to clean stuff.

GOOCHY · 09-23-2009, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZ_IPA

+1 - it doesn't matter if I do 1.25 qt/lb or 2 qt/lb; I take 7 - mash runnings = sparge/2

I always heat up 6 gallons of sparge water; that way I'll have enough no matter what my mash runnings are, and when I have left over hot water in the HLT I can use it to clean stuff.

Forgive me, but where does the "7" come from in your equation?

**AZ_IPA** · 09-23-2009, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GOOCHY

Forgive me, but where does the "7" come from in your equation?

that's my pre-boil volume in gallons. I get about 1.25 gallons of boil off, and about .25 lost in the kettle, so I get about 5.5 gallons into the fermenter.