All Grain - Miserable Failure!

[the75]

So after 8 extract batches, I decided to make the switch to all grain. After saving up some money & buying a beautiful new system, I was short on just one piece of equipment. Unfortunately, I half assed a sparge arm out of a piece of silicone tubing. The holes I poked in it were far too small & turned into spray jets even at my pumps lowest setting. As I stood over my MT trying to get the flow right, I was sprayed down with nice sticky wort! Fun! Some last minute holes were cut & it ended up working a bit better, but then came a faulty thermometer.... After being stuck at 140, my temp finally registered correct...at over 200 degrees, lol. Maybe I can salvage the spent grains on some dog treats, but I decided there was no way I was going to waste hops & yeast on the garbage wort I produced. To be honest, it was kind of fun failing so miserably...at least I had a chance to practice a sparge after I got it working! Now what the hell am I going to do with the 5 gallons of this crap? Now it's time to build a sparge arm that works & try all grain again.

 

[brewkinger]

IMHO, a sparge arm is more trouble than it is worth, as it seems you have already learned.

Batch sparging works almost as well for only a small loss of efficiency.

Just my $0.02

 

[the75]

Yesterday, it was certainly more trouble than it was worth! I concur. I'm a mule though, so I'll continue on my trek to build my HERMS system with a new & improved sparge arm, lol.

 

[helibrewer]

Yesterday, it was certainly more trouble than it was worth! I concur. I'm a mule though, so I'll continue on my trek to build my HERMS system with a new & improved sparge arm, lol.

You really don't need a fancy sparge arm, just a way to deliver the water without blasting a hole in the grain bed. Blichmann just uses silicon tubing: http://www.blichmannengineering.com/auto_sparge/auto_sparge.html

 

[b-boy]

Why don't you batch sparge till you get your processes down, then switch to fly sparging? Might simplify things until you're more comfortable with your other equipment.

 

[Doongie]

IMHO, a sparge arm is more trouble than it is worth, as it seems you have already learned.

Batch sparging works almost as well for only a small loss of efficiency.

Just my $0.02

I'm not sure it's safe to assume batch sparging will for sure result in lower efficiency.
I did my first ag beer a month and a half ago, and all my gravities were higher than expected, and the recipe assumed 70% efficiency. I also missed my volume on the high side, and i measured at about 85 instead of 60. Given all those variables being off from expected, and all readings high, my efficiency was logically higher than 70%. When I plugged the numbers into ibrewmaster, it calculates my efficiency at 87%. higher than what I would have guessed, and maybe my reading, or temp adjustment weren't perfect, but I doubt they were off by enough to account for 17% increase in efficiency. The FG was bang on, so the only effect is maybe it's just a hare drier than it should be, and the ABV is slightly higher, but all in all, a successful run on my new ag system, including batch sparge with a full open valve, and more than acceptable efficiency.

 

[lockwom]

Given all those variables being off from expected, and all readings high, my efficiency was logically higher than 70%. When I plugged the numbers into ibrewmaster, it calculates my efficiency at 87%.

This has been my experience as well. For normal gravity beers (up to 1.060ish), I design a recipe assuming 85% efficiency after overshooting so dramatically with batch sparging. For much higher gravity beers, or ones with a lot of adjuncts (torrified wheat, I'm looking at you), I veer toward 70%, which is still respectable.

My fly sparge efficiencies were all over the place; I probably accidentally channeled, or drained too fast, etc. Reducing variables and achieving an expectable efficiency has been very welcome for me.

 

[inhousebrew]

Sorry but I couldn't help but laugh out loud a little bit. Been there. Done that. Why in fact just the other week I was trying to recirculate a mash for a BIAB so I could better maintain heat. Well, long story short the stove was on, but the bag got stuck in the diptube which blocked the flow and my temp shot up like crazy once I realized it and started mixing it back up. We live and we learn.

 

[derrickaubin]

I never even bothered with fly sparging. Went batch sparging from the start. You have a slightly lower efficiency but who cares at homebrew volumes.

 

[the75]

It was actually a fun experience failing so miserably. Water shooting all over, getting sticky and frustrated. I can't explain it, but I was thinking about how funny it would have been for my neighbors to see. I'll be sticking to fly sparging. I like the concept of recirculation, easy as that. I'm almost done with a copper manifold build, so I'll be testing soon. Can't wait to tackle it again!

 

[lockwom]

It was actually a fun experience failing so miserably. Water shooting all over, getting sticky and frustrated. I can't explain it, but I was thinking about how funny it would have been for my neighbors to see. I'll be sticking to fly sparging. I like the concept of recirculation, easy as that. I'm almost done with a copper manifold build, so I'll be testing soon. Can't wait to tackle it again!

In the end, this is why we have this obsession! Besides the potable rewards patience brings.

 

[Jayhem]

I batch sparge every batch and always get 75-80% efficiency. Mash temp control and grain crush are the most crucial parts of mashing.

 

[kblankenship11]

Spend money on your own grain mill rather than a sparge setup. I tried sparging the first few times and said screw this!! I batch sparge every time now. I used to get 70% consistently when I got pre-milled grain online or from LHBS. Bought a cereal killer and mill my own grain--I get 85-89% without even trying.

 

[m_stodd]

(repeat what everyone else says about batch sparging)

The cause of a lot of problem is that people do complicated things without knowing why they're doing them. The purpose of sparging is to get sugars dissolved in water. That's it!

What two things increase the amount of sugar dissolved into the solution?
An increase in temperature
An increase in the amount of water the sugar comes in contact with

The first one is constant, just go as high as you can without going too high (releasing tannins)
The second one is just mixing it with a big spoon or whatever like a madman

 

[the75]

Fly





Sparge




Or





Die




LOL!