First all-grain help

[Cantaloupe]

This is my first all-grain batch and I was just hoping for a little confirmation on a couple things I am not 100% sure about.

1.My first unknown is that I got a kit for an 5 gallon batch of IPA that uses 13.5 lbs of grain. From what I've read it's about 1.1 qts per lbs which is 14.85 qts (3.71 gallons). Then the sparge is .5 gallons per lb which makes it 6.75 gallons giving me a total of over 10 gallons of water. I have read that about .1 gallons per pound is absorbed by the grain but it still seems to be significantly more wort than I want. Palmers books says just stop when the wort reads 1.008 or you collect enough wort whichever comes first. I guess I don't understand having all the extra water if I'm just going to stop it.

2. My tap water is ph 7.5, I know the minerals that I need to add to the Mash water, but do I need to bring the sparge water ph down?

3. Lastly, how close do I need to hit the mash volumes? Do I need to measure out 14.85 qts, or can you round up to nearest whole numbers if I adjust the brewing salts accordingly?

 

[maida7]

1 I recommend using anywhere from 1-2 qts/lb for the mash water. For the sparge just use enough to get your desired pre-boil volume in the brew pot.
2 Knowing your water's pH really does not give you enough info to treat the water. You'd need to at least know the alkalinity and hardness levels before you could treat the water. For your first AG I'd just go without treating the water at all. Unless you have really hard water you will probably be just fine. At the most I'd use some 5.2 in the mash and let the sparge be. Most brewers don't ever treat there sparge water. Those that do treat the sparge usually use a food grade acid (lactic or phosphoric).
3you can round up on the mash volume no problem. Just try to be acurate on the sparge volume so you nail the pre-boil volume.

 

[CPooley4]

Maida with good advice as always.

I would suggest downloading my Brew Chart below in my signature. It will calculate everything you need to know for you regarding mash volume, strike temp, sparge volume, etc... It's also set up with a brewday section that allows you to track your beer while you're brewing so that you know where you are and if you need to make any adjustments.

Good luck.

cp

 

[Cantaloupe]

I used Palmer's excel sheet to calculate the salts I would need to add based on my municipal water report. My water is actually very low in most minerals so some addition of calcium was needed based on his formulas. Are his formulas pretty reliable on salt additions?

 

[maida7]

I used Palmer's excel sheet to calculate the salts I would need to add based on my municipal water report. My water is actually very low in most minerals so some addition of calcium was needed based on his formulas. Are his formulas pretty reliable on salt additions?

I doubt there is anything wrong with Palmer's spreadsheet. I've found the EZ water calculator is by far the easiest to use. It's much more intuitive and includes info on treating the sparge water. LINKY

FYI the salts will not dissolve in the sparge water so you add those directly to the brew kettle when your finished with the sparge. If your having major pains with your sparge pH, acid is the way to go. But most people don't have that issue unless it's a really pale beer and/or they have highly alkaline water.

If you were low in Calcium then your water is not very hard. What is the alkalinity / bicarbonate level?

 

[Cantaloupe]

I think I switched topics on you without being clear. I was going to add the salts to the mash water because the kit results in a very low SRM and take your advice about the sparge water and just leave it alone. My water stats are Ca 25 ppm, Mg 6 ppm, total Alkalinity(CaCO3) 107 ppm, total hardness (CaCO3) 89 ppm, Sulfate 10.7 ppm, Chloride 19 ppm.

 

[maida7]

I think I switched topics on you without being clear. I was going to add the salts to the mash water because the kit results in a very low SRM and take your advice about the sparge water and just leave it alone. My water stats are Ca 25 ppm, Mg 6 ppm, total Alkalinity(CaCO3) 107 ppm, total hardness (CaCO3) 89 ppm, Sulfate 10.7 ppm, Chloride 19 ppm.

OK I'd go with 2 grams of gypsum in the mash and the add another 2 grams to the brew kettle after the sparge.

 

[CPooley4]

Love the EZ calculator and actually added it to my brew chart with water profile recommendations from ajdelange here on homebrewtalk.com.

There is a sticky under the brew science forum with ajdelange's recommendations for water treatment. I'd suggest reading that thread or downloading the brew chart to review there. He provides some great, simple to use info.

cp