The more I read the more confused I get

OHIOSTEVE · 02-08-2010, 04:09 PM

Ok I am trying to get a system figured out for my stove top Ag full boil ( or as close as I can get) I understand the mash and according to the calculators I need my water ( 1.25 qts per pound of grain) at 170 degrees to get the mash temp at 152. I have an old coleman ( one of the good ones) cooler fixed as a mash tun so I assume I will lose very little heat. Now I need to figure my sparge water temp but the calculators are talking about "MASH OUT"with boiling water....I do not understand that? Is that the same as my sparge water? with ten pounds of grain the calculator said I need ( if I remember right) like 3 quarts of boiling water to get to 170 degrees? Wouldn't I just try to get the 6.5 gallon volume total ( my mash volume minus the absorption of the grains plus the sparge volume) or am I missing a step somewhere?

**AZ_IPA** · 02-08-2010, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OHIOSTEVE

Ok I am trying to get a system figured out for my stove top Ag full boil ( or as close as I can get) I understand the mash and according to the calculators I need my water ( 1.25 qts per pound of grain) at 170 degrees to get the mash temp at 152. I have an old coleman ( one of the good ones) cooler fixed as a mash tun so I assume I will lose very little heat. Now I need to figure my sparge water temp but the calculators are talking about "MASH OUT"with boiling water....I do not understand that? Is that the same as my sparge water? with ten pounds of grain the calculator said I need ( if I remember right) like 3 quarts of boiling water to get to 170 degrees? Wouldn't I just try to get the 6.5 gallon volume total ( my mash volume minus the absorption of the grains plus the sparge volume) or am I missing a step somewhere?

mash out with boiling water = getting your mash to ~170 ASAP.

many don't bother with a mash out; we just increase our sparge water temp to get the grain bed to ~170.

So, if you mash out with boiling water, your sparge water temp will be lower (~170). If you don't mash out, your sparge water temp will be higher (~185)

broadbill · 02-08-2010, 04:17 PM

Mash out is where you raise the temperature of the grain bed to deactivate the enzymes working during the mash process. Then, during the sparge you try and maintain that temp.

So in practice, you can do it as two distinct steps (mash out, then sparge) or try to get the temp of the mash high enough during your first sparge step. This would be opposed to doing a cooler sparge where the temp of the grain bed doesn't rise/rises very little.

Hope this helps.

**Bobby_M** · 02-08-2010, 06:36 PM

If you intend to batch sparge, you can just skip the mash out infusion. If you go that way, drain the first runnings and sparge with 185F water in a volume required to hit your desired preboil volume. The math is (desired preboil volume) - (first runnings volume) = (sparge water volume)

**IrregularPulse** · 02-08-2010, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobby_M

If you intend to batch sparge, you can just skip the mash out infusion. If you go that way, drain the first runnings and sparge with 185F water in a volume required to hit your desired preboil volume. The math is (desired preboil volume) - (first runnings volume) = (sparge water volume)

+1
Very easy