First shot at batch sparging

[surfbrewer]

I have always been a fly sparger and I have been happy with the results. I consistently achieve 75% efficiency, I am comfortable with my system, and I never had a reason to switch the way that I do things.

But, lately I have been curious about the time saving aspects of batch sparging since time is what I always seem to be the most short on. So, on my last brewing session the other day I bit the bullet and gave it shot. First, the time that I saved was negligible but only because it was the first time that I did it and I was not familiar with the steps. As I refine the technique and my setup I am sure that this will decrease. What I was not prepared for was how spot on my SG would be and what kind of efficiency I would achieve.

I did a three step sparge, first draining the runnings from the mash and then doing two batch sparges. I collected the exact amount of liquid into my kettle that I needed and when the boil was complete, the wort that went into my carboys was spot on for my SG. With fly sparging it took me a while to dial in my system and be able to hit my numbers. Is this beginner's luck? We'll see next time. The really awesome thing though is that I hit 87% and 93% efficiency on the two batches that I made. I have been brewing for quite a few of years and I have never had numbers like that. 75% was great but if I can around 90% I'll take it.

I'm sold on batch sparging and I look forward to refining the process to reap the time saving benefits. Cheers!

 

[Bobby_M]

Very cool. I think that fly sparging is great when it's done PERFECTLY. Unfortunately, I don't think most homebrewers get it right and stand to save a little time and money by converting to batch.

 

[paulthenurse]

I agree with Bobby and Surfbrewer. Like Surfbrewer, I fly sparged for years and was very happy with the results. But after talking about it for a long time with friends at the LHBS I decided to give batch sparging a try, just to try something new. I haven't done a fly sparge since. Although my numbers are occasionally a few points up or down from my target numbers, they are never further off than that. I can live with that sort of consistancy. And it's easy. You aren't tied to the MLT. You can add your sparge water to the MLT and then hop in the car and drive downtown to run an errand. Back in 20 minutes and pick right up without missing a beat. I wish I had made the switch years ago.

 

[Orfy]

I've never felt the need to do anything other than Batch Sparge.

Single infusion mash, batch sparge, no secondary........

KISS BABY.

 

[drayman86]

Hey Bobby M:

Please check private messages. Thanks.

 

[eurc51]

I too want to try batch sparging this weekend. I'd just have a few questions. First, just to confirm - my mash doesn't change - same volume, temp, and time for the mash, correct? For the spage - how much water do I use? What temp should it be? And, how long should it sit before draining?

Thanks,

EU

 

[Denny]

Yes, you mash as you always do. The easiest way to determine your sparge volume is to measure your mash runoff, and subtract that from your total boil volume. The answer you get is how much sparge water to use. Use water hot enough to get close to 168 in the grianbed. For me, that's 185-190F water. And you don't need to let it sit at all. Just stir it in, vorlauf, and runoff. See dennybrew for details.

 

[CaptYesterday]

Give this a shot eurc, its never steered me wrong. You just adjust the inputs like grain weight, grain temp, target temp, etc and it tells you the amount of mash water and sparge water you need.

Mash and Sparge Water Calculator ::: Brew365 - Homebrewing Recipes and Articles