I mash inside in a turkey fryer that can hold 7.5 gal. I also have another pot that can only hold about 4 gallon. This has proven a major PITA on larger grain bills (think 12+ lbs) since I have to sparge once, heat up some more water, and sparge another time or just mash incredibly thin to get my boil volume. I have a glass stovetop and I don't want to shatter it using too much weight.
So I was thinking, could I just mash as usual (around 1.5 qt/lb) and use COLD WATER in an ale pail to sparge ? I usually have to sparge with upwards of 3 gallons to get my boil volume, so it would save me the cost of buying a new biggish pot (6+ gallons). I have read Kaiser's thread and his report on the lack of evidence in decreased efficiency from sparging with cold water providing you get proper conversion before sparging. What I'm worried about is his concerns with haze in the final product because of the break happening at this stage compared to after the boil where it can be left behind. Anyone else sparging with cold (55F) tap water in large amounts ?
So I was thinking, could I just mash as usual (around 1.5 qt/lb) and use COLD WATER in an ale pail to sparge ? I usually have to sparge with upwards of 3 gallons to get my boil volume, so it would save me the cost of buying a new biggish pot (6+ gallons). I have read Kaiser's thread and his report on the lack of evidence in decreased efficiency from sparging with cold water providing you get proper conversion before sparging. What I'm worried about is his concerns with haze in the final product because of the break happening at this stage compared to after the boil where it can be left behind. Anyone else sparging with cold (55F) tap water in large amounts ?