AG: Need help (now)

[jlc767]

Hey, guys, I'm brewing AG right now. Need help!

It's a clone from Austin Home Brew. I did the math according to their recipe... and when I started my sparge I already had a good 1"-1.5" on top of the mash... that never happens. Usually the top of the grain isn't submerged. It's like I had too much water? But my math was perfect.

SO... I need help.

Do I continue to sparge as usual... or should I take some of that mash water off the top, so that I can collect some of the hotter water from the HLT?

THANKS!!!!!

 

[devilishprune]

If you did the calculations right then you should be fine. The thing to think about is that grain isn't the same density as water: if you have a couple pounds more malt then you usually do then you're going to use more water than you usually do and it could cover the grain differently.

What was the recipe and what volumes did you use?

Remember, sparging is just to get your preboil volume. Do you have a way of measuring your first runnings?

 

[ajf]

You continue to sparge as usual. The top of the grain should be submerged, or at least level with the top of the water. Sounds like you are using a slightly thinner mash than usual.
RDWHAHB

-a.

 

[jlc767]

Sinebrychoff Porter, 5-gallon recipe.

15.2 lb grain bill. Directions said 1.25qt per pound :: 19 quarts :: 4 gallons, 3 quarts for mash... strike water was at 175 > mash @ 150.

Used 5 gallons @ 175 for sparge.

 

[jlc767]

Ok, will continue as usual and continue to check this thread... was just panicking.

 

[jlc767]

Just wanted to update this post by saying that I think I figured out the problem. Yesterday, my girlfriend and I brewed another AHB clone, the Franziskaner Hefeweizen. The math involved in the calculations created another scenario where the mash was submerged after the 60 minutes had elapsed. However, with this brew we recirculated the wort for a rock-solid 15-minutes (6 or 7 wort dumps) before sparging and that seemed to bring the water level down significantly!

 

[Starderup]

If the grain is not supposed to be under the top of the sparge water, then my math is way off as well.
I have two to three inches of sparge water covering my grain bed. Every time. I am not going to change it because I have been consistently hitting my gravity according to BeerTarget, so RDWHAHB.

 

[richkev]

+1 with Starderup. Almost always have 1-2" of water on top of my grain prior to sparge. Haven't had any problems with my efficiency, either.