Sparging

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tjs3

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Attempted a second brew this weekend - this time following the advice I got from the home brew supply shop nearby. Instead of steeping the specialty grains in a grain bag I got the water temp up to 150 lowered the heat and added all of the grains. I then monitored the temp keeping it at or slightly below 150 for 30 minutes.

Next, I strained the mess into my larger brew pot... this was tricky as the giant strainer was still not large enough to handle all of the grains at once...i made a giant mess and ended up having to restraining it due to some grain overflow into my brew pot.

The grain bag was so much easier... any techniques you guys have for the specialty grains would be super helpful...

The other thing that confused me slightly was once I got it strained they said to take another gallon of 150 degree water and sparge. Do you guys generally wait and heat more water up then sparge..or just use hot water from the tap?(thats what i did)

So, some tips on sparging would be greatly appreciated as well!

Thanks! You guys are awesome.
 
First, you will need to mash for a longer period to be safe, 60 min rather than 30min. Although some home brewers get away with 45 min, 60 is a good safe efficient number. 152*F is considered an optimal temperature for most ales.

Second, sparge water should be around 170-180* F

I’m assuming you brewed on your stove top take a look at this thread, a really good tutorial by DeathBrewer.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/easy-stovetop-all-grain-brewing-pics-90132/

Cheers,
 
tjs3 said:
Attempted a second brew this weekend - this time following the advice I got from the home brew supply shop nearby. Instead of steeping the specialty grains in a grain bag I got the water temp up to 150 lowered the heat and added all of the grains. I then monitored the temp keeping it at or slightly below 150 for 30 minutes.

Next, I strained the mess into my larger brew pot... this was tricky as the giant strainer was still not large enough to handle all of the grains at once...i made a giant mess and ended up having to restraining it due to some grain overflow into my brew pot.

The grain bag was so much easier... any techniques you guys have for the specialty grains would be super helpful...

The other thing that confused me slightly was once I got it strained they said to take another gallon of 150 degree water and sparge. Do you guys generally wait and heat more water up then sparge..or just use hot water from the tap?(thats what i did)

So, some tips on sparging would be greatly appreciated as well!

Thanks! You guys are awesome.
Click to expand...

Yes, grain bags are SO much easier! I'd recommend always using one (or two or however many you need to have the grains loosely in the bag, and not packed).

To sparge, you generally lift out the grain bags and either put them in another pot or just in a strainer over the liquid (now called "liquor") you just made. I always used my big metal spaghetti strainer, lifted up the grain bags into it and poured 170 degree water (from another pot on the stove) over it. That's probably the easiest way.

Check out the partial mashing sticky thread to see pictures of how many of us do it. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/easy-partial-mash-brewing-pics-75231/
 
Thanks for the tips guys. This was an extract brew that I was attempting. I have not ventured into partial mashing yet.

Looks like I deviated from proper procedure on this brew. We shall see how it turns out. Its fermenting nicely now.
 
Hey. A quick follow up question. I came home tonight to find out that the a/c had gone off in the room that the fermentor was in. It was 81 degrees in there. Probably for a good 5 hours. Cooling the room down now. Is this going to be a big deal?
 
Might be...yes.

More importantly, what temperature did the wort/beer get to?

Yeast activity raises the internal temp of the fermenter a good 5 to 10F, so regardless of ambient temps, it may be significantly warmer in your bucket.

Best move I ever made was to get fermentation temps under control. A water bath is more efficient, in that if the water bath is 62F, the internal temp in the fermenter is likely to stay much closer to that number. In an air-mass system (refrigerator-style), you'll need it to be 55F or so during the first few days of active fermentation to keep your beer in the 60-65 range.

Check out the specs of your yeast. You need to keep your temps under control for best results. You can even get an ice chest or a large tub and fill it with water, set the fermenter in it, and swap out frozen water bottles to keep things regulated....


oh, and +1 for grain bags - until you go all grain and you just dump them all together in the mash, grain bags all the way!
good luck!
 
Thanks. I will check on the internal temp and look into some better temp control....thankfully come winter time It shouldn't an issue...I live in an old drafty house. Sometimes can't get it above 65 in some rooms. If the wort is in the high to mid 70s...safe to assume it's not gonna turn out?
 
tjs3 said:
If the wort is in the high to mid 70s...safe to assume it's not gonna turn out?
Click to expand...

No. It will be fine. It's only your second batch. Forget what happened for now and try not to do it again. All your beer needs is time and a little love.
 
Cool. Thanks much. Ill keep it cool and let it do it's thing! Thanks.
 
You did all the work of a PM but didn't reap the benefits. Go for it! It's not hard. Sparging is tough with a grain bag. One thing I've tried is to let the bag drip and pour over hot water to rinse the grains. The thing I like the most about pm is the greater depth if malt flavors
 
Here is a good way to keep your Mash Temps stable without having to check it constantly:
1. Preheat oven to 170F
2.Heat your water to 160ish
3.add grains and put the cover on your brewpot.
4 TURN OFF oven and put your brewpot in the oven for your mash time

This way you will keep a consistant temp in the 150s and not have to fuss over it
 

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