Batch Sparge Heating Question

[Sturg78]

Hello,

I am in process of upgrading all of my equipment but have hit a bit of a snag. I gave away all of my aluminum pots to new homebrewing friends and upgraded to a fancy triple clad mash tun and boil kettle. I realized too late that I no longer had anything to heat my sparge water in.

I add mash water, bring to temp using a burner, add malts and mash for a bit. I then empty my first runnings into my boil kettle. Now I have a partially full boil kettle and a dry grain bed waiting for my sparge water and no other pot/cooler to heat up/hold my sparge water addition.

Is there any issue with (or hints to) adding cool/room temp sparge water to my grain bed and heating it up to mash out temps using my burner while stirring like crazy?

*Note: I have a few brew days planned before payday when I will get a new HLT so I am basically looking for a good stop gap technique.

 

[doug293cz]

Cool sparge works fine. See this article. Just make sure you stir in the sparge water thoroughly (5+ minutes.)

Edit: Mash out is not necessary when doing a batch sparge. Just start heating your first runnings to a boil while you do the sparge. This will denature the amylase enzymes to prevent your sugar profile from progressing towards a more fermentable wort than you want.
Brew on

 

[ram5ey]

Heat sparge water in the BK then transfer it to a bucket right before your first runnings. Then just pour it on the mash. At least that's what I do.

 

[Yooper]

Hello,

I am in process of upgrading all of my equipment but have hit a bit of a snag. I gave away all of my aluminum pots to new homebrewing friends and upgraded to a fancy triple clad mash tun and boil kettle. I realized too late that I no longer had anything to heat my sparge water in.

I add mash water, bring to temp using a burner, add malts and mash for a bit. I then empty my first runnings into my boil kettle. Now I have a partially full boil kettle and a dry grain bed waiting for my sparge water and no other pot/cooler to heat up/hold my sparge water addition.

Is there any issue with (or hints to) adding cool/room temp sparge water to my grain bed and heating it up to mash out temps using my burner while stirring like crazy?

*Note: I have a few brew days planned before payday when I will get a new HLT so I am basically looking for a good stop gap technique.

You can sparge with cold water, no problem. Or, you can drain your mash to a bucket while you heat up your sparge water. It really doesn't matter either way.

 

[Sturg78]

Can these plastic fermentor buckets handle the higher heat without warping or leeching nastiness?

 

[ram5ey]

I think for relatively short contact time they can. I think the water in my HLT bucket is only in there for around 10 minutes...I just figured it's not much different than the plastic in a cooler MLT.

 

[Helloworld]

I brew all grain with one pot. I fill the kettle with my total mash and sparge water volume. After the mash I collect first runnings in a bucket, add my sparge water (I batch sparge, so it all goes in at once), then add the first runnings to the kettle. I collect my second runnings in a bucket and add them to the kettle and begin the boil. It is a bit of aerobics, but it works.