Beersmith vs Brewtarget for multi step Batch Sparging

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stratslinger

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I've been playing with Brewtarget for quite some time now, and over all I've been quite pleased with it. Its price point (free) keeps my frugal side happy, and it's been functional enough to do everything I've needed, up until now - though the interface can be a bit kludgy at times.

Anyway, I was trying to work out a 2 step batch sparge the other day, and for the life of me I cannot get it to split the batch sparge into two equal amounts - instead of two batches of 6 gallons, it's giving me something dumb like a first batch of 1.67 gallons and a second of 10.33. So of course I have no faith in the temperatures it's suggesting either.

So, I guess I have two questions:

1) Are there any BrewTarget experts out there that can tell me how the heck to get the Mash Wizard to cooperate with me and actually split the sparge evenly?

2) For those familiar with both tools, is this process any more simple and/or straighforward in BeerSmith?
 
I'm confused about what you are trying to do, so am not sure if Brewsmith can help you or not. When you say 'multi-step batch sparging' do you mean what is often called a 'step infusion'? Step infusion is actually about mashing, not sparging. Adding water to your grains in more than one single infusion, stepping up the mash temperature with each infusion. If that is what you are asking about, then yes, Beersmith can do that.

If you are asking about batch sparging, I guess I don't know what a multi step batch sparge would refer to. The sparge water is always the same, regardless of how many times you add sparge water to the tun. I can't think of the advantage of doing different sparge additions at different temperatures. I usually end up with three batch sparges on my system.
 
I don't know how brewtarget works but in BeerSmith you can set up your equipment profile and it bases all of your temps and water volumes against that. I have a 5 gal mash tun so just about all of the recipies i have loaded say to do a 2 - 2.07 gal sparges @ 168 F.
 
Pappers, I'll try to clarify...

I'm trying to batch sparge, but I want to split my sparge water in half. I figure that the first half of the sparge water should bring my grain bed to mash-out temperature, and the second should simply serve to maintain that temperature.

I _think_ I see what BrewTarget is trying to tell me to do: I think it's trying to tell me to do a step infusion of just under 2 gallons of HOT water (forget the exact temp off the top of my head) to bring the entire mash up to mash-out temp prior to lautering, and then to batch sparge with a single volume. Which I just might wind out doing at this point.

But what I'm trying to do is this:
- Mash for 60 minutes, then lauter
- Sparge with half my sparge volume, bringing grain bed up to mash-out temp, then lauter
- Sparge with remaining sparge volume, maintaining mash-out temp, then lauter

I suppose I could always go a hybrid route, and follow BrewTarget's wizard right up to its final sparge, but just split that one down the middle. I keep reading that people get better efficiency, in general, splitting their batch sparge in half like this, so it's what I've been doing all along. I could swear I've gotten BrewTarget to play along nicely before, but I think a recent update has changed the behavior of its mash wizard...
 
Have you tried using the Brewtarget Mash Designer? According to the manual: The mash designer is for more advanced users. It can be used to create pretty much any mash schedule you desire with however many sparges, and at whatever infusion temp or volume you desire.

I've played around a little with it, but have not tried using it.
 
I'm thinking of trying the mash designer for an equal-runnings mash schedule. if i warm my cooler with my strike water, should i set my mash tun temp in Brewtarget to my strike temp? I really have no idea what my mash tun temp actually will be. I notice the mash designer doesn't ask fire grain temp.

So what i want to design is a 2 step infusion to equal half my boil volume with a sparge to equal the other half. Btw i use as paint strainer bag fwiw

1) infuse with strike water at 1.6 qt/gallon. 60 minutes
2) top off to approximately 2 gallon run off factoring in loss to grain absorption
3) drain cooler
4) infuse with hotter water
5) vorlauf and drain 2nd equal running

Should i just manually set that up in the mash designer? If i leave the batchsparge box unchecked does the software assume I'm infusing additional water without dressing the tun?
 
I was playing around the other day and was using the mas wiz instead of the mash designer. When I set mash thickness to 1.50, the strike and sparge amounts came out almost exactly even. You might want to try that and see if you get the same results.
 
Will play around with it. I currently use an Excel spreadsheet I created that also factors in volume of extract and volume at boil, but I'd rather just have it in my recipe. Only on my third homebrew but I like doing things efficiently
 
I do a mash out in BrewTarget but i do it a little differently.

Creat your infusion step. Clear all values except your target and ending temps which would be your mash temp.

Create another step for mash out. Clear all values but enter your target temp and set your strike water temp to whatever your boiling temp is at your elevation.

Then use the mash wizard, enter your grain to liquor ratio and it should come out just right. I always prefer to go this route. Less in the first runnings and more in your sparge.
 
Pappers, I'll try to clarify...

I'm trying to batch sparge, but I want to split my sparge water in half. I figure that the first half of the sparge water should bring my grain bed to mash-out temperature, and the second should simply serve to maintain that temperature.

Are you sure that it isn't considering the water in the mash as part of the first sparge? I.E.

Total sparge volume = X

Sparge 1 = 0.5X - mash volume
Sparge 2 = 0.5X

Bryan
 
I do a mash out in BrewTarget but i do it a little differently.

Creat your infusion step. Clear all values except your target and ending temps which would be your mash temp.

Create another step for mash out. Clear all values but enter your target temp and set your strike water temp to whatever your boiling temp is at your elevation.

Then use the mash wizard, enter your grain to liquor ratio and it should come out just right. I always prefer to go this route. Less in the first runnings and more in your sparge.

When you do this, do you get two sparge steps?
 
If you're considering my mash out and draining of the first runnings a step, then yes...in brewTarget. But in actuality, there's three.

After first runnings (step 1), I typically have about 3-4 gallons left to go and will manually split that up into a double batch (steps 2 & 3). Since I'm already at my mash out temp i don't need the program to tell me how to split it out.
 
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