Batch sparge with mash out

[ph0ngwh0ng]

Hi!

Long time no brewin!

On all of my latest batches, I have faced overattenuation. While I don't mind the extra ABV, the taste has been taking a hit, IMHO.

I have narrowed it down to not stopping conversion before draining my mash tun(cooler) before my first sparge addition (which raises the grain bed's temp at a comfortable 170F). Vorlauf and drain takes approx. 10-15 min., depending on the volume of strike water. I am facing a two options here I think:

1) Include vorlauf/drain in the mash-in time.

Is the iodine test any good to insure I have conversion before doing it? Palmer says yes, I've read otherwise (I think?).​

2) Do a mash-out.

I'd like not to, but if I must, do I need to include the mash-out water volume in the mash-in volume? It seems to me that if I do, I'll have a really low water/grain ratio during mash-in, which I don't know if it's bad. If I don't, then I'll be adding 8 quarts and am afraid I'll destroy my efficiency by thinning the wort too much. Of course I'd have to adjust the sparge water volume...​

Help! Please.

Alex B

 

[niquejim]

10-15 minutes is not long enough to cause this problem. What is your mash temp and is your thermometer calibrated. This sounds like too low of a mash temp

 

[ph0ngwh0ng]

Mash temps have not been a problem, always spot on and thermometer is calibrated. Should have mentioned that I don't readily heat the first runnings, which maybe could be the cause, after all...?

EDIT:

Ok, as I said, long time no brewin, which leadsto long time no readin... I checked the "overattenuation" thread I started a while ago after my last brew "overattenuated". Seems like I already had it figured out by then.... Sorry about that. Here is the link to the thread:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/over-attenuation-440520/#post5633918