tamoore
Well-Known Member
Background: I'm batch sparging in a 48qt cooler with a manifold setup.
I'm using the iPhone app "Brew Pal" to come up with my water calculations.
I've set it up so that my efficiency is a modest 65%.
I'm doing some tests this morning, to make sure I have my equipment dialed in correctly in the software.
I checked the container I was using to measure my water, and It seems like I might have been getting a bit too much water through the system. Not a crazy amount, but probably off by +1 quart.
I'm running a boil off test on 3 gallons of water to see what my boil loss percentage is.
I've tested my thermometers in ice water, and they're all within an acceptable tolerance - however yesterday, my remote probe thermometer was reading way higher in the mash than the stick thermometers were reading. I had 2 stick thermometers that I stuck in several places, each read right around my target of 152. The remote probe thermometer was reading 164. I'm thinking this is suspect.
I researched thermometers a bit, and I notice that some remote probe thermometers have probes that aren't water proof, and this can cause issues when they get wet. I know that on this batch, the probe was under the water.
I've also researched batch sparging technique, and realize that I might have been messing up a bit on my sparge. I have read never to hit the grains with more than 170 degree water, but Brew Pal was wanting 186 degree sparge water. I would hit it with 168.
I've also read that you want to stir the sparge/grist well, but not to let it foam. I got some pretty serious foam, not sure if that's a problem or not.
I've read some advice that leads me to believe I may want to split the sparge into two smaller runnings of equal size.
The recipe I brewed yesterday was 6.2 gallons into the brew pot, and it was supposed to have an O.G. after boil of 1.064. I ended up with an O.G. of 1.052 - even with a grain bill set up for only 65%, so it's a pretty serious problem.
Sorry if I'm rambling, but I'm really racking my brain trying to figure out what the failure is...
Any insights you might share, questions about my process you might ask, or pictures of my equipment you may need to help me figure out what's going on here?
I'm using the iPhone app "Brew Pal" to come up with my water calculations.
I've set it up so that my efficiency is a modest 65%.
I'm doing some tests this morning, to make sure I have my equipment dialed in correctly in the software.
I checked the container I was using to measure my water, and It seems like I might have been getting a bit too much water through the system. Not a crazy amount, but probably off by +1 quart.
I'm running a boil off test on 3 gallons of water to see what my boil loss percentage is.
I've tested my thermometers in ice water, and they're all within an acceptable tolerance - however yesterday, my remote probe thermometer was reading way higher in the mash than the stick thermometers were reading. I had 2 stick thermometers that I stuck in several places, each read right around my target of 152. The remote probe thermometer was reading 164. I'm thinking this is suspect.
I researched thermometers a bit, and I notice that some remote probe thermometers have probes that aren't water proof, and this can cause issues when they get wet. I know that on this batch, the probe was under the water.
I've also researched batch sparging technique, and realize that I might have been messing up a bit on my sparge. I have read never to hit the grains with more than 170 degree water, but Brew Pal was wanting 186 degree sparge water. I would hit it with 168.
I've also read that you want to stir the sparge/grist well, but not to let it foam. I got some pretty serious foam, not sure if that's a problem or not.
I've read some advice that leads me to believe I may want to split the sparge into two smaller runnings of equal size.
The recipe I brewed yesterday was 6.2 gallons into the brew pot, and it was supposed to have an O.G. after boil of 1.064. I ended up with an O.G. of 1.052 - even with a grain bill set up for only 65%, so it's a pretty serious problem.
Sorry if I'm rambling, but I'm really racking my brain trying to figure out what the failure is...
Any insights you might share, questions about my process you might ask, or pictures of my equipment you may need to help me figure out what's going on here?