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Your erroneous information regarding sparging effecting gravity has already been disproved using the BeerSmith Dilution calculator in my previous posts. You've already admitted that by sparging he is going to dilute his batch twice - once at boil time and again to top off the fermenter. So why...

So you think it's better to let him go through all the effort to end up with a weak beer, rather than inform him of the issues he faces and help him fix it up front? Because that is what you are basically saying. He is going to be short on gravity because of the water additions (regardless how...

Really the main differences between the Brew Boss and High Gravity systems is the amount of future expandability that you want. If you want a single kit that will get you brewing beer and save you time in your brew day, and won't expand your system further in the future, the Brew Boss is the...

OMG. His recipe calls for mashing 8 pounds of grain. If you can't fit in an extra pound of 2-Row in a 5 gallon pot, at a whole $1.30, that would more than make up for what you'd get in a sparge, you have a problem. Plus this is partial mash, not all grain. The most important fermentables are the...

High OG is a good thing. It gives you some options. One, you can enjoy it as a higher ABV beer; two, you can water down and bottle more beer; and/or three, you know you can now cut back on costs by ordering less fermentables for your next batch. On the other hand, post-boil, there is not a lot...

I agree, an investment in larger equipment is the way to go towards better beer. But it's a mistake to think sparging is a cure-all for an undersized equipment issue, without recognizing you'll affect your final gravity. There is just better ways to achieving the required volume and keep your...

By all means, please bow out, because I am not advocating anything different than John Palmer does in "How to Brew". I offered up three different way to achieve pre-fermenter volume using under-sized equipment. Best is a concentrated mash/wort (just like extract kits do - boil 3 gallons, top off...

No, I am arguing that the method advocated misses two key aspects to growing a brewer's skills. Proper grain potential calculation for a given pre-fermenter volume, and how to adjust a volume of a batch (when limited by equipment) WITHOUT losing gravity. Sparging fixes a volume issue with the...

And I should add that this is only necessary if the original gravity of the mash was not correct for the intended gravity of the beer going into the fermenter. Given that the OP's pre-boil gravity is only 1.049, I am assuming his gravity is lower than intended. Because the beer will likely...

That's only if you ignore the point that you can reach the same volume AND keep the gravity the same by adding fermentables to the boil and adding straight water to the fermenter. Which is preferred, because you can then add ice water, therefore reducing temperature to pitching temps faster...

Using my example, here is the calculation from Beer Smith on what a sparge would do to your gravity:

You cannot sparge to a higher gravity. That's a myth, and one pretty easy to debunk if you are actually measuring gravity. Say the initial drain from the mash is 1.06 gravity and then you sparge with a gallon of water and the runnings from the sparge are 1.02 gravity. The total isn't 1.08...

A lot of people commenting here are ignoring a key fact - measuring the gravity of the mash wort should be the #1 factor of how much water is being used. Yes, you need a baseline to start off at, so whether you use a calculator or use the 1.5 qt/lb ratio as your starting point is subjective. To...

That's what I am thinking. I think the coiling issue could be overcome by using the same clips they use in subfloor heating, so I am not worried about that. Plus stainless steel and copper don't coil that well either. You always see people using wire ties to keep their coils together. I think I...

The safe ratio used in John Palmer's How to Brew book is 1.5 quarts of water per pound of grain in the mash. Reference: John Palmer - How to Brew (http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter14-6.html)

What I am in the planning stages of building is a little more involved than your typical jockey box, but without going into a lot of detail, the cooling aspect for the beer taps will be jockey box like. The common cooling devices would seem to be either SS/Copper coils or cold plates. Based...

Thanks Spike Brewing!

That's a "Is a Ferrari worth $200k to do 65 MPH on the highway" kind of question. If you have to ask, it's probably not for you. Once you understand/appreciate the finer details, if it's something you want, you will just buy it. Assume that statement applies to all homebrewing hardware. If...

The lid gasket issue is really a non-issue. It's not supposed to be air tight, it's just supposed to keep dust, bugs, and other stuff out of the fermenter. Has no one here heard of open fermentation? I'm not saying this is the equivalent to that, but the point is a loose gasket or stopper seal...

Two biggest things when it comes to head is brewing ingredients and proper dispensing equipment. To get good head, you have to start back in your brewing process. Adding wheat, either grain or dry extract will add the proteins needed to create the chemical structure in your beer that will enable...