What's the right way to sparge?

beernut said:

I'm getting ready to do my first all grain batch. I've read differing views on sparging. It seems all that is required is to rinse the grain bed, but one author says you should have 1", 2", or even more water standing on top of the bed. That seems more like a bath than a rinse. I envision sprinkling water on the bed at a rate slow enough it doesn't stand on the grain bed. Or is proper sparging somewhere in the middle?

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strat40 said:

You'll want to maintain 1-2" of water on top. This will help the mash "float", and help prevent a stuck runoff. This will also help your yield as well. If the mash is allowed to sink down, it will tend to compact. Then you'll have a wonderful opportunity to think up long and creative bunches of colorful swear words. This is especially important in infusion mashes. (floating, not swearing)
Hope this helps you..
Tom

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