I've got a question about the theory behind fly sparging. I've always been taught to match the inflow rate of the sparge with the outflow rate of the wort to the kettle. (Slow, so you don't collapse the grain bed or create channeling).
Here is my theory question - if you have a slow outflow or drain to the BK, you are not collapsing the grain bed. If you sparge in a way that does not create channeling - ie, not just dumping a ton of liquor on the top of the grain bed....why would it matter to match the inflow and outflow rate? So, essentially, once I have a few inches of sparge water on top of the grain bed, what would be the harm of adding the remainder of the sparge water as long as it doesn't channel?
Here is my theory question - if you have a slow outflow or drain to the BK, you are not collapsing the grain bed. If you sparge in a way that does not create channeling - ie, not just dumping a ton of liquor on the top of the grain bed....why would it matter to match the inflow and outflow rate? So, essentially, once I have a few inches of sparge water on top of the grain bed, what would be the harm of adding the remainder of the sparge water as long as it doesn't channel?