Batch Sparge or No Sparge?

I'm brewing a stout tomorrow (Ó Flannagáin Standard)

I was planning on doing a 2 step batch sparge.

However, I was listening to the brewstrong webcast on sparging, and they talked a bit about no sparging, and just mashing the full boil. They said it would give a little richer beer.

I have a 10gallon igloo MLT, should I go with the Batch sparge or no sparge?

Thanks!

What's your efficiency like with the double batch sparge? A no sparge will work, but will probably decrease your efficiency by quite a bit.

I don't know how much of a difference you'll find in wort quality between no-sparge and a batch sparge. You may not notice any difference in all.

This will be my first All Grain brew. So, i'm not sure what my efficiency is!

Never saw a two step in CA I liked.

That looks like a nice stout recipe, if I were you I'd go with what you know now and sparge as you have in the past.

*edit* ok..first AG. i vote sparge.

i've made that stout (it's very good) and i usually double batch sparge. It really doesn't take much longer than a no sparge would, i don't think.

I agree - eff would go down and you would need to compensate with more grain.

For kicks and giggles, if you do sparge, measure your volume and your OG from the first runnings to give you an idea of where you would end up with no sparge. There's no sense in not using it as a learning experience.

My vote would be for sparge.

Thanks for the advice! I'll probably just stick with my batch sparge!

I completed my first AG this past Sunday, and I opted for the double batch sparge. Having said that, it was a smaller grain bill (8.0 lbs). However, I overshot my preboil SG and my OG by 1.001. I couldn't complain, FWIW my brewhouse efficiency came out to ~81% (80.78% to be exact).

I say Sparge, better yet I say sparge twice with two equal volumes, Kaiser here on HBT has an article on batch sparging, if I read his info right it will increase your efficiency by about 2%, then it gets techincal about wort quality, but I think that is negligeable.