Anyone Just "No Sparge"

[wilserbrewer]

I believe BIAB would be considered no sparge, would it not?

Yes, BIAB is traditionally a no sparge one pot brew. Lately, people have adapted the technique to enable the use of a smaller brewpot by the use of either a "dunk sparge" in another vessel (pot / bucket), or a "sprinkle sparge" of pouring sparge water through the grain bag while it is suspended above the pot.

Some even brew a concentrated boil BIAB style and top up like you would an extract batch.

The Biabbrewer.com website has a bunch of terms defining the different methods of BIAB...something like Maxi, Mini, and Midi, ah maybe that's skirts....cheers.

 

[mburnett274]

Is there a style of beer that benefits from the no sparge method?

 

[wilserbrewer]

Is there a style of beer that benefits from the no sparge method?

Well not really, but maybe sort of, lower gravity brews may take less of a hit on efficiency, where higher gravities may benefit a sparge.

 

[lockwom]

Well not really, but maybe sort of, lower gravity brews may take less of a hit on efficiency, where higher gravities may benefit a sparge.

I would disagree, parti-gyle can have a great first run-off (barleywine?) with a grainy second running acting as a separate batch... or starter wort as mentioned before. Some English breweries still operate this way.

 

[John1S]

How do you say no to sparge.

I would like to give it a shot. Do you put all the water in for the mash at the mash temp or do you wait and add all the sparge water at the end of the mash at the sparge temp? Or does it matter?

 

[Varmintman]

I put it all in at the beginning and let it mash for the hour or so then stir the crap out of it and drain into the boil kettle.

Works pretty good so far for me and I do not think I will go back to sparging

 

[stevehardt]

Hmmmmm...interesting.

I'd like to try not sparging. Should I increase the weight on all the grains by 10%,

Also, let's say after hour you drain the mash tun and your OG is not where it should be...what would happen if you just ran the entire volume of wort through the grain again?

I have a large enough tun to accomplish this, if it would work

 

[wyoast]

I just tried my hand at my first BIAB a week ago, usually do all grain. What I did was mash in pretty thin (2-2 1/2 q per g) then held for conversion @ 152 for an hour, then heated my sparge water and poured it in with it, bringing the total volume up to 165 and stirred the living crap out of it for 10 mins or so, pulled the bag and grains out and set it into a collander to drain..got 78% EFF. Doing it that way.

 

[jchudon]

I'm doing a no sparge BIAB on my stove top during winter.

I gest consistent 76-77 efficiency by doing a 10min mashout @ 167 degress for 10 minutes.

Why would I ever want to sparge or even use a mash tun!

 

[aceparadis]

I like to take the unsparged grains, sparge them and use it for a braggot base.

 

[mjohnson]

I do no sparge whenever possible. I only have a mash tun and a boil kettle. It makes it nice and easy. Mash with full volume and run into boil kettle. Shorter brew day and less transfer in and out of buckets.

I haven't really noticed much of a drop in efficiency. In fact, the thin mash makes it really easy to detect and avoid dough balls. Some people who don't stir enough might even get a efficiency bump!

 

[Nugent]

Most of the talk has been about maintaining efficiency (despite the change in method) and the saved time, rather than the view, whether real or perceived, that there is an improvement in malt flavour through this method.

What are your thoughts and experiences with this aspect of no sparge?

My thoughts are that this would be the very best reason, hands-down, for using it - if there is evidence to back up it up.

 

[Varmintman]

I have not noticed a change in the malt profile at all doing this. But I do have a bottle from before I was doing this that I could compare with a bottle no sparged. I have to wonder though how time has affected it and if that is what I would be tasting

 

[wobdee]

I no sparge BIAB and get 75-85% efficiency. The lower efficiencies are bigger beers with thicker mash, an average 1.050 Pale Ale I easily get 80%. It also cuts down my brew day time by about an hour.

 

[grimstuff]

I've done a couple no-sparge batches and I agree that it definitely yields a richer malt character. I didn't do it because I wanted to save time, but because I wanted to see if it made a difference in the quality of the wort. My results were so exciting that I started looking into a much larger mash tun so I can easily do full 5-10 gallon batches using this method. (My ten-gallon cooler was full to the brim and I got 4.75 gallons in the fermentor.)

As far as brewhouse efficiency, on my last no-sparge I got 78%, which is 5 points higher than my typical batch sparging method. Granted, my fermentor volume was low at 4.75 gallons for an OG of 1.067. But the same efficiency could have also yielded a 1.057 beer at 5.5 gallons, which is actually more in line with my recipe!

 

[Mike37]

My last few batches (an extra stout, a mild, and a dubbel) were all no sparge. It seemed like the malt flavors jumped out more clearly in the finished beers, especially the stout. I have made the stout and the mild recipes prevously. I got 65% efficiency on all three with no sparge. I typically get 70-75% with a sparge.

 

[Iceman6409]

So a few questions. First is should I or should I not bump up all grains by, say, 10%. Also let's say my recipe calls for 10lbs grain. Normally I use 1.5qt/gal mash so I would initially add 3.75 gallons water expecting to draw about 2.25 gallons on the first draw. So if I want a boil measurement of 6.5 to finish with 5.25 I would simply use 8 gallons of water all at once at the given mash temp, say 152, for an hour then stir it up real good and drain to boil kettle to begin boil?

 

[1MadScientist]

With BIAB, it's called a passive sparge. BIAB is not a no-sparge, however.

All the water (liquor) required for the brew is added at once, instead of in stages.

It's a lautering (rinsing) process, went you are ready for the bag pulling.

It's how I brew.

Cheers

 

[grimstuff]

So a few questions. First is should I or should I not bump up all grains by, say, 10%. Also let's say my recipe calls for 10lbs grain. Normally I use 1.5qt/gal mash so I would initially add 3.75 gallons water expecting to draw about 2.25 gallons on the first draw. So if I want a boil measurement of 6.5 to finish with 5.25 I would simply use 8 gallons of water all at once at the given mash temp, say 152, for an hour then stir it up real good and drain to boil kettle to begin boil?

Yes, I would bump at least the base grain by 10% to start, since most people seem to have a bit lower efficiency. You would not use your typical mash thickness ratio. You would add all the water you need for your brew in the first addition. On my last no-sparge, this ended up being 2.67 qts/lb.

To see how it works, use this: http://www.brew365.com/mash_sparge_water_calculator.php
Keeping all the default values, start increasing the Mash Thickness value for a thinner mash, and see how it drops your Sparge Water Needed value. When it gets to zero, that's the thickness you'd need for a no-sparge. Now change all the other values according to your recipe and do the same thing. But keep in mind, if it says you need say 9 gallons of water, make sure that will fit in your tun along with the grains. Go here: http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml And use Can I Mash It? If you can't then, you'll need to lower your end volume, or get a bigger tun.

 

[wyoast]

Personally, I have been getting in the 80's with the BIAB technique.. I mash in at 2qpp, stir the living crap out of it..let er sit for 30mins then add the remaining water needed to bring the total volume up to around 165 Stir the crap out of it again then pull the bag, Set it in a collender to drain, squeeze out then start the boil.. I never got better than low 70's with my all grain setup.

 

[kappclark]

I've done a couple no-sparge batches and I agree that it definitely yields a richer malt character. I didn't do it because I wanted to save time, but because I wanted to see if it made a difference in the quality of the wort. My results were so exciting that I started looking into a much larger mash tun so I can easily do full 5-10 gallon batches using this method. (My ten-gallon cooler was full to the brim and I got 4.75 gallons in the fermentor.)!

I have thought of trying no sparge with a 12 lb grain bill ... I have a 10 Gal Rubbermaid ... are you saying I need a bigger cooler ??

http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml says I only need 4 gallons of cooler space -- I must be missing something, because I would need at least 6 gallons of liquid, before calculating grain absorption ...

Is there a no-sparge calculator ?

 

[kappclark]

For a 10 lb recipe, this website



says I will need 10 gallons of water and 12 lbs of grain (assuming a 6.5 gal in the BK) ..

Going to try tomorrow ..

 

[mjohnson]

I have thought of trying no sparge with a 12 lb grain bill ... I have a 10 Gal Rubbermaid ... are you saying I need a bigger cooler ??

http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml says I only need 4 gallons of cooler space -- I must be missing something, because I would need at least 6 gallons of liquid, before calculating grain absorption ...

Is there a no-sparge calculator ?

In beersmith(or other programs) treat it like boil in a bag.

 

[Rich_S]

I just do the simplest form of batch sparge.

1) Heat my water based upon my calculated pre-boil volume, grain absorption, evaporation (so I have exactly how much I need).
2) Mash in based on 1.5 qt/lb of grain. Stir. Let sit for an hour. Stir again.
3) Vorlauf once or twice, then drain to my BK.
4) Heat my remaining water to 165-170 (simulatenous with step 3).
5) Dump all the remaining water into the MT. Stir. Wait 5-10 minutes. Drain to BK.

Done.

 

[grimstuff]

I have thought of trying no sparge with a 12 lb grain bill ... I have a 10 Gal Rubbermaid ... are you saying I need a bigger cooler ??

http://www.rackers.org/calcs.shtml says I only need 4 gallons of cooler space -- I must be missing something, because I would need at least 6 gallons of liquid, before calculating grain absorption ...

Is there a no-sparge calculator ?

Because you're not inputting the higher mash thickness number you would have with a no-sparge. Use this:
http://www.brew365.com/mash_sparge_water_calculator.php

And keep adjusting your "mash thickness" upward until the "sparge water needed" field gets to zero. That's when you know your mash thickness without sparging because all of that water will be added at once. If I put 12 lbs of grain into the brew365 calculator and adjust the mash thickness like I'm telling you, I wind up with about 3 qts/lb. I then go to the Can-I-Mash-It calculator, insert 12 lbs and 3 qts/lb, and it says the mash will take up about 10 gallons of space. With a ten gallon cooler, you can do it, but it will be filled to the brim.

Also, keep in mind that you will not likely get a full 5.5 gallon batch in the fermentor after the boil and everything (you might get 4.5 gallons), because your pre-boil wort amount will not be the same as with sparging. The solution to this is to get a bigger mash tun, or to just deal with a slightly smaller batch size. The last time I did this, I got about 4.3 gallons in the fermentor using a 10 gallon cooler for the mash.

 

[mjohnson]

If your efficiency is good and you overshoot your target gravity, you can also top up pre-boil (or post boil) to make up any lost volume due to mash tun limitations. I've done this.

Supposedly, grain absorption is .2gal/lb. So if my math is correct, for 12lbs, thats 2.4 gallons. So subtract that plus any dead space from the water that the calc says you'll get and thats how much pre-boil volume you'll have.

If all of this is a pain in the butt, beersmith will tell you how big of a tun you'll need in the mash tab.

 

[kappclark]

I have the water heating now on the porch -- looks like the rain/cloud situation in S VT has gone away ..good day to brew

I am going to test the cooler today with the 12 lbs, and no mashout - just a straight no-sparge..

thank you all for your guidance on this ...looks like the cooler is going to be tested today ,I will ddef let u know how it went (ED Wort's Pale Ale, with a few extra pounds of 2-row)

this will let me know for sure that I need bigger equipment (I have already started a blichmann fund )

 

[kappclark]

Lucky day - Wound up there was 11 pouinds instead of 12. (new person at the HB shop .? No plm...I did a no sparge with 9 gallons (had room for a bit more .. got a little over 6 in the BK ... and a little under 5 at the end of boil ... I added 1/2 gal makeup water and have 5.5 in the Better bottle...gravity around 1.054 (before adding the half gal and pint of starter, so I am really pleased with my first no-sparge... next time I will do 9.5 gal in the cooler ..

 

[grimstuff]

Lucky day - Wound up there was 11 pouinds instead of 12. (new person at the HB shop .? No plm...I did a no sparge with 9 gallons (had room for a bit more .. got a little over 6 in the BK ... and a little under 5 at the end of boil ... I added 1/2 gal makeup water and have 5.5 in the Better bottle...gravity around 1.054 (before adding the half gal and pint of starter, so I am really pleased with my first no-sparge... next time I will do 9.5 gal in the cooler ..

nice... what did you brew?

 

[IZS]

Triple decoction BIAB 84% consistently, won't go back to any other method. Considering adding parti-gyle second running to get a real monster in the fermentor. .5 gal starters of course.