What the hell am I doing?

Okay, I am a noob, that's a good start. I started with extract brewing, I've now completed about 5 or 6 PM and I am very happy with the finished beer thus far. After my second PM, I decided to try AG mashing for the grain portion of the PM recipe. Things are going fine and I make beer.

That being said, I would like some help describing my mash technique. I built a MLT out of a 5 gal Igloo drink cooler and I have been practicing an AG mash. Here's the process:

• Add strike water
• add grains and stir
• mash for 1 hour or longer at 150 to 158
• drain MT
• add sparge water at 180
• drain sparge water (amount needed for boil)

After this process I proceed with a boil with a late extract addition, standard practice (I think). I thought this was called "batch sparging" but as I understand it now, batch sparging is adding the sparge water directly to the mash and then draining all this one time. What the hell is the right name for draining the mash, adding sparge water to grains and draining a second time?

The reason I would like an answer is to properly describe what I am doing in Beersmith for creating recipes. Just when I thought I was ready to go AG, I find out that I don't have a clue. That being said, my beer has turned out pretty good so, I do know I am making beer. BTW, I am drinking a homebrewing and brewing right now.

you're batch sparging. adding some sparge water to the mash before draining the first runnings is generally done as a mash-out, to raise the temp of the mash

You're adding the sparge water in two stage? Adding half, stirring, vorlaufing, draining, then adding the other half, stir, vorlauf, drain?

That's still batch sparging, just doing it it two stages. You can call it "double batch sparge" if you want. I usually just use the regular batch sparge with Beersmith, and divide the sparge water in half (that's one of the options in the settings).

Thank you very much for the confidence boost. I now feel better about working with Beersmith anyway. The temperatures seem to work out for me according to Beersmith but I was reading How TO Brew by J. Palmer. In the chapter describing sparging, he mentions something about an English method of draining the grains as and brewing from the 1st runnings and brewing a 2nd batch from the 2nd runnings. He goes on to describe batch sparging as adding the sparge water into the mash and draining just once.

I'm reading this and thinking, what exactly is this that I am doing. Anyway, it's a great hobby and I like the control over the beer. I mean, if the Egyptians can do this in a clay pot, I brew in a bucket. It certainly doesn't take an engineer to brew and that is my problem, I'm an engineer.

Yeah, you engineers tend to overthink everything, while we girlish types can kind of underthink things. I think my brewing technique is great, but my homemade sparge arm looks like a 5 year old made it. I didn't get any channelling, so I consider it a success. My "brew sculpture" in my kitchen involves a bar stool, the stove, a milk crate, and the kitchen island. I'm pretty relaxed and easy going compared to some types.

It's really great that even with all of our differences, we all make beer!

Just remember that while brewing is a science, it's also an art. You can make great beer in a bucket, and terrible beer in a $5000 sculpture. Because it's an art, there aren't really any "right" and "wrong" answers to some questions. That can be the perfect hobby for somebody like me, but it might be tougher for a more exacting person.

Don't get me wrong- I take my brewing very seriously! Just in a different way that others might. I'm glad there is room for all of us in here.

After this process I proceed with a boil with a late extract addition, standard practice (I think).

Click to expand...

I got the feeling you were talking about AG here, if this was in regard to PM disregard but usually you don't add extract to your boil in AG unless you undershot your estimated SG.
I made a wheat the other day and due to poor crush got like 53% efficiency(was betting on 75%), did not add any extract it still tastes great and will be great for parties etc where ppl can drink a lot of it.