should i ideally be sparging for an amount of time (i.e. 60 minute sparge) or taking gravity readings and sparging to a specific gravity? if the recipe does not specify what gravity should i be shooting for? thanx!
sparge for time or gravity?
- Thread starter itsratso
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LovesIPA
Well-Known Member
The time is a guideline. As in, it usually takes about 60 minutes to sparge. If you're done in 10 minutes, you did something wrong.
I sparge until I have enough wort in the kettle to start boiling. I try to shoot for around 0.5 gallons left over in the tun.
I sparge until I have enough wort in the kettle to start boiling. I try to shoot for around 0.5 gallons left over in the tun.
certaut
Well-Known Member
I mash for sometimes 90-120 minutes*. Sparge takes a hour or longer*.
been doing 70-80% brewhouse efficiency with OG's in the .070's. turns out good and some kegs don't last a week.
*good beer makes nap time a anytime moment
pete
been doing 70-80% brewhouse efficiency with OG's in the .070's. turns out good and some kegs don't last a week.
*good beer makes nap time a anytime moment
pete
I'm not really sure time is a factor in sparging. If you can sparge in 5 minutes and hit your preboil gravity and volume, why would you ever slow it down. In such a case, you could be leaving a lot of sugar behind and might raise your mash efficiency when formulating recipes.
I myself sparge in about 20 minutes and have no troubles hitting my preboil gravity. I suppose it depends what kind of sparge arm you're using as some really don't allow for quick flow. Your crush would factor in as well as too fine of a crush could leave you with a stuck sparge. That's never fun.
Moral of the story is that your sparge time will depend on your system and your process. Just like all other parts of brewing, there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer.
I myself sparge in about 20 minutes and have no troubles hitting my preboil gravity. I suppose it depends what kind of sparge arm you're using as some really don't allow for quick flow. Your crush would factor in as well as too fine of a crush could leave you with a stuck sparge. That's never fun.
Moral of the story is that your sparge time will depend on your system and your process. Just like all other parts of brewing, there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer.
gwcr
Active Member
Agree with the mgohring above. Depends on your methods. Batch sparging can take significantly less time than with a traditional sparge arm. I have hit 80-85% efficiency with my last few brews with batch sparging. Seems to work for me. Do what works best for you. If it takes a little longer then so be it. In the end we're all after good beer, just many ways to get there.
Hex23
Well-Known Member
My experience has been that if sparge time seems to be affecting your efficiency, it's not about the sparge itself, but rather an incomplete conversion that is getting more time to complete due to the longer sparge. I agree with the above posts. For batch sparging, just let-er-rip!
Hex23
Well-Known Member
Do you mean the recipe does not state an OG? I guess that would not be too surprising as it would need to be stated with an assumed efficiency. The recipe author cannot tell you what efficiency you should expect to get. But often with an AG recipe an expected OG is stated with a presumed efficiency. E.g. in BCS, all recipes assume 70%. It would be a good idea to record your pre-boil gravity and volume, then calculate what efficiency you get so that you can dial-in your process over time. Anywhere between 70% to 80% efficiency is pretty decent.
actually being new to this i don't really know if there is a difference between the pre-boil gravity and the OG. so are they the same? most recipes i have seen have the OG listed. so if i have a similar assumed efficiency then the OG is the target gravity (if not just using the time method)?
itsratso said:
Preboil gravity will always be lower than your final gravity. The total amount of sugar in your wort will be the same, but more concentrated after your boil due to evaporation. That is, unless you add sugar, honey or some other kind of sucrose to the boil. Until you know what the evaporation rate of your system is, it's harder to know how your preboil gravity will compare to your original gravity. Strength of your boil and the surface area of your boiling wort will all play a factor in your evaporation rate. It's something that you'll figure out the more you brew if you take good notes. I like to measure my gravity as soon as I've hit my preboil gravity and mark the volume I'm at. Do the same once you're in the fermenter and you'll have your gravity difference due to evaporation as well as your evaporation rate.
Hex23
Well-Known Member
You also meant to say that "Preboil gravity will always be lower than your original gravity"
Hex23
Well-Known Member
Correct. The OG listed for a recipe is a target. By definition it's what you'll get if you have the right volume and hit the efficiency target. But often efficiency can be hard to predict, until you monitor your process a few times. predictable efficiency is much more important than high efficiency, but you should easily be able to get at least 70% efficiency with good process.
Also your target OG has nothing to do directly with which sparge method you use. Although, sparge method can affect efficiency. Also, stopping the runnings at a certain gravity is most often associated with fly sparging where the running gravity is changing continuously over time. The reason to stop at somthing like 1.010 is that it's an indication that mash pH could be getting high which can lead to tannin extraction. With batch sparging the runnings for a given batch should be about the same. And if you have relative few, but large batches your runnings won't go to a low gravity. Keeping the runnings at a slow rate is also associated with fly sparging where a fast runoff can lead to channeling and a reduction in efficiency.
certaut
Well-Known Member
mash till the iodine test is good,,, (screw time)
sparge till you get what you want in the boil kettle
and f%@k the numbers
sparge till you get what you want in the boil kettle
and f%@k the numbers
well that is certainly a new take on things. i like the simplicity of it... hmm...
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