First all grain need help!!

[miafunk2003]

So... ive been extract brewing for about a year but i finally got all the equipment i need to move to all grain!! Woohoo!!.. I ordered a kit from NB and will be brewing it today using the batch sparge method but im all confused because everyone does it so different. I put the recipe into beersmith and it says for a 10 lbs grain bill to mash with approximately 3.1 gallons of water for 60 mins and hold mash at 154 degrees then i get confused because beersmith says batch sparge round 1: sparge with 1.47 gal of 168 degree water and batch sparge round 2: 3.33 gal of 168 degree water and then to add water to achieve 6.41 gal pre boil volume.

So lets see if im understanding this correctly and if not please correct me. After i get my first running i add 1.47 gallons of water, stir and let sit for 5 mins then drain then add 3.33 gallons of water stir and let sit for 5 mins and drain again. And if pre boil volume is not at 6.41 gallons add water?

I was also wondering if it would just be better to combine the volume of both sparges (1.47+3.33=4.8 gallons) and just do one sparge?

Im sorry if this was too long ...thanks for the help in advance!!

 

[BigB]

There is a check box in beersmith that says something about batch sparging with equal batches. But I ignore beersmith all together and after I measure my first runnnings, then I figure out what I want total in the boil and split that number by 2 for each of my batches. For example, if I get 2.5 gallons out of the mash and I want 6.5 gallons for boil, then I need another 4 gallons. So I do two equal sparges of 2 gallons each.

 

[miafunk2003]

Am i right about the stirring then waiting for grain bed to settle then draining or just add water wait 5 min and drain without stirring?

 

[BigB]

I always stir. But yes, you have to wait for the grain bed to settle. I personally wait 10 minutes, vorlauf (gently pouring it back on top), then drain.

 

[KAMMEE]

You are correct about the stirring and waiting. If you were fly sparging, there would be no stirring but in batch sparge stirring is fine after you add the sparge water as long as you let it settle. The key is to make sure that whether you're using a braid or a manifold made from copper or cpvc is that you don't knock the manifold loose while stirring. If you have a false bottom or are using a bag like a paint strainer bag, that won't be a problem.

 

[miafunk2003]

im using a bazooka tube. now would it be more efficient to do 2 equal sparges or add the volume of the two sparges and do one larger volume sparge?

 

[badmajon]

I think the consensus is that two sparges is more efficient, but if you're lazy, doing one will be 90% as good.

 

[KAMMEE]

I usually just do one sparge instead of the double sparge as its easier. Just add the two volumes together. It makes it faster. In theory, two sparges will allow for slightly better extraction of sugars, but the difference is so minimal that it really shouldn't impact your numbers significantly enough to worry about. I would say since this is your first batch to just drain your first runnings, add the entire volume of sparge water, stir stir stir, let sit for ten minutes, then vorlof and drain. Remember to open the valve slowly, don't open it all the way right out of the shoot or you'll get more compacting of the grain bed. I usually open my valve a quarter turn for the first minute, then open it half way for a minute, then after I've vorloffed I can open full bore. But your system may be different.

 

[Yooper]

im using a bazooka tube. now would it be more efficient to do 2 equal sparges or add the volume of the two sparges and do one larger volume sparge?

It's probably a wee bit more efficient to do two equal batch sparges. Denny Conn says it's not (and I respect Denny very much) while Bobby_M says his experiments show it is (and I respect Bobby very much also!).

For me, it's a matter of how much sparge water there is, and how much grain. What I mean is this- if you have 10 pounds of grain, a gallon of sparge water isn't even going to cover it! So, if all you have is a gallon or two, I'd do one sparge. Generally, though, you have 4 or so gallons of sparge water in a typical 5 gallon batch, and that's easily divided into 2 two gallon batch sparges.

For the first AG, I'd do the mash and measure the runnings. If you get out, say, 2.5 gallons, then you know you need 4 gallons if your boil volume is 6.5 gallons. It's really nice to try to make all of the runnings sort of "equal"- about 2 gallons out of each. It's also easy to adjust the amounts if you find that your volumes are over or under- and then subtract it or add it on that last sparging round.

Once you know your system, the volumes will be second nature. But the first few times on a new system, I found that I was either way over or way under on volumes, so I went back to measuring the runnings each time until I knew my system again!

 

[SamuraiSquirrel]

I second what everyone else is saying about ignoring beersmith on the sparge part altogether. It is good at helping you calculate strike temp and volume. Then just subtract your initial runnings from your desired preboil volume and that is the volume you need to sparge with.

Whether you divide the sparge volume into two equal sparges or just add it all at once is personal preference. It's not a bad idea to do two if it's your first all grain as technically two sparges will yield better efficiency than one.

I did two sparges for the longest time and then one day (a year or so later) tried just adding all the sparge water at once one time and found that I only lost a point or two of efficiency. All systems are different some may lost more or less by eliminating the second sparge. I think it's worth experimenting at some point and just doing one sparge with the total volume. Just to see if splitting it up and doing two batches is worth your time and effort (not that it's much extra time, but hey it's a few extra steps).

I haven't seen any efficiency gains or losses from this "waiting time" between sparge rounds in my experience. I add sparge water, give it a generous stirring, wait a minute and start vorlaufing.

I guess that answer is it all works ...... one batch, two batch, three batch ........ no waiting time, waiting ten minutes, etc...... I have only seen modest (a point or two) fluctuations in efficiency from these factors.

Things that have a huge impact on efficiency....... grain crush (#1 culprit of poor efficiency IMO), making sure you dig up that compacted grain bed and stir well for each sparge round (vorlauf again for every sparge round as well).

 

[flabyboy]

Will you mash tun hold a 4-5 gallon sparge with 10 lbs of grain? If not 2 batches would be the answer

 

[miafunk2003]

Well first all grain went great besides a stuck mash which was fixed pretty quick... hit all my temps on the money ended up doing one sparge with 4.8 gallons of water and hit my SG !! Woohooo thamx for the help guys!!!

 

[Yooper]

thamx for the help guys!!!

And me, too, I hope!

 

[miafunk2003]

of course you too yoop!!!

 

[miafunk2003]

Just wanted to let you know i got 80.77% efficiency on my first all grain!! thanx to your help!!