How long does the sparging process take?

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hiphops

hiphops

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I'm not totally certain on the sparging process. I understand that, after mashing the grains at about 150 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour, the next step is the sparging process, which involving pouring 170 degree water into the grains.

My question is how long do you let the 170 degree water sit in the mash tun as part of that sparging process? I've been doing about 10 minutes. Does that sound right?

As well, should I recirculate the wort through the mash tun again? If so, how long should I let that recirculated wort sit in the mash tun? Another 10 minutes?

Thanks.
 
What you are doing is called a mashout. Some people do it ( 10 minutes seems to the norm ). It is used to raise the temperature of the grain bed to allow the wort to drain easier and also denature the enzymes that are working in the mash.

I have never found any use for a mashout so when the mash is done, I vorlauf ( drain about 2 quarts and add it back in ) then drain the first runnings. I batch sparge so I add my sparge water at about 180-185F, stir, vorlauf, and drain.

Also, just a note on your mash temp...it will vary depending on recipe and what you want to get. Lower mash temps will give you a more fermentable wort and higher ones will result in more unfermentable sugars, giving more body. ( I apologize if I'm stating stuff you already know ).
 
hmmm I'm no expert and I wouldn't be surprised if I am totally wrong but I fly sparge and I take up to about 30-45 minutes to get that done. When the mash has sat for 60 minutes, I usually vorlaugh for 15 min. Then I begin emptying the wort into the brew kettle at the same rate I am emptying sparge water into the mash tun. This process is pretty slow and I usually give it atleast 30 minutes to get to my 6-6.5 gallons of preboil wort. I was taught that slower is better but that certainly doens't mean it's the right way to do it.

My efficiency can be a little sporadic but it's usually from 75% to 83%
 
It also depends on whether you are fly sparging or batch sparging - I batch sparge and what works for me is mashing 60-75 minutes at the desired temp - usually with 3.5-4 gallons of water based on a 10 lb grain bill in a 5 gallon round cooler - and then adding another 2-3 gallons of water at about 8-10 degrees higher than the mash temp and letting it settle about 10 minutes and draining it off, and then doing another round of the same to get about 7.5 gallons for a 6 gallon batch. I lose approx 1 gallon to the boil and .5 gallons of hot break and hop remnants when I rack to the fermenter. The conversion is basically done after you drain the first runnings - I let it set after adding more water just to allow the grain bed to set up again though I do vorlauf until it runs clear for each sparge. I usually hit right around 75% efficiency.
 
cclloyd said:
It also depends on whether you are fly sparging or batch sparging - I batch sparge and what works for me is mashing 60-75 minutes at the desired temp - usually with 3.5-4 gallons of water based on a 10 lb grain bill in a 5 gallon round cooler - and then adding another 2-3 gallons of water at about 8-10 degrees higher than the mash temp and letting it settle about 10 minutes and draining it off, and then doing another round of the same to get about 7.5 gallons for a 6 gallon batch. I lose approx 1 gallon to the boil and .5 gallons of hot break and hop remnants when I rack to the fermenter. The conversion is basically done after you drain the first runnings - I let it set after adding more water just to allow the grain bed to set up again though I do vorlauf until it runs clear for each sparge. I usually hit right around 75% efficiency.
Click to expand...

This is pretty much exactly what I do and I hit 83% effeciency Sunday. I don't know if letting the grain bed settle again help or not but I do it anyway.
 

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