CTownBrewer
Well-Known Member
I'm gearing up to brew my first all grain batch in a couple weeks & feel like I have the process down, except for sparging. I've read about 3 different methods & I'm not sure which is most effective for my set up. I have my boil kettle doubling as a HLT during the mash/sparge, 10 gallon converted rubbermaid cooler for my mash tun, & an extra ale pail to collect my runnings in.
1) After draining first runnings leaving about 1" water over grain bed, gently pour sparge water a few quarts at a time on a lid to disperse evenly without compacting grain bed. Continue adding sparge water & draining slowly until you reach pre-boil volume leaving 1" water above grain bed at all times during process.
2) Add 1/2 sparge water slowly & mix gently. Let grain bed settle out. Vorlauf. Slowly drain first 1/2 sparge water into pail. Repeat with second 1/2 sparge water until pre-boil volume is reached.
3) Add all sparge water slowly & mix gently. Let grain bed settle out. Drain slowly until pre-boil volume is reached.
It seems like you'd need to continuously monitor the temp of the remaining sparge water constantly for methods 1 & 2 so you're always adding 170-180 F sparge water. Plus for method 1, you'd need a way to transfer the sparge water without disturbing the grain bed so you don't get a stuck sparge. I guess using a pitcher would be easiest. Method 3 seems simplest, but I'm guessing your efficiency suffers a bit.
What would you guys suggest?
1) After draining first runnings leaving about 1" water over grain bed, gently pour sparge water a few quarts at a time on a lid to disperse evenly without compacting grain bed. Continue adding sparge water & draining slowly until you reach pre-boil volume leaving 1" water above grain bed at all times during process.
2) Add 1/2 sparge water slowly & mix gently. Let grain bed settle out. Vorlauf. Slowly drain first 1/2 sparge water into pail. Repeat with second 1/2 sparge water until pre-boil volume is reached.
3) Add all sparge water slowly & mix gently. Let grain bed settle out. Drain slowly until pre-boil volume is reached.
It seems like you'd need to continuously monitor the temp of the remaining sparge water constantly for methods 1 & 2 so you're always adding 170-180 F sparge water. Plus for method 1, you'd need a way to transfer the sparge water without disturbing the grain bed so you don't get a stuck sparge. I guess using a pitcher would be easiest. Method 3 seems simplest, but I'm guessing your efficiency suffers a bit.
What would you guys suggest?