First Runnings Beer...How to calculate mash size.

[formula2fast]

I am going to take a stab at brewing a clone of Bourbon County Stout. I know that this is a first runnings beer, so I want to try to do the same.

I am using Beer Tools Pro, and can not find a way to enter that I will be doing a first running collection only, so it is not calculating the proper size of my mash. It calculates assuming I am going to sparge.

Is there an easy way to make this happen, or am I left to experiment on my experiment?

 

[ba-brewer]

You can use the spreadsheet found at this site, it is for doing a Party Gyle batch sparge but it will calculate the gravity of the first running too.


http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=Batch_Sparge_and_Party_Gyle_Simulator

 

[pricelessbrewing]

Can't help with specific software advice, but in my calculator you would have to set the sparge volume to zero, and/or change the batch size to lower the total water used. Otherwise it's going to assume full volume no sparge instead of first runnings no sparge.

 

[formula2fast]

Thanks for the tips and links...I will play around with both options and see what I come up with.

 

[doug293cz]

...
Otherwise it's going to assume full volume no sparge instead of first runnings no sparge.

What's the difference between these? In a no sparge beer, you only have first runnings.

Brew on

 

[kh54s10]

I don't know off the top of my head what the % is for grain absorption. But you need that amount + the amount you need for boil off.

I don't know the term of first runnings beer or if it is any different from no sparge, but it seems that you just need to collect your preboil amount......

 

[doug293cz]

"First runnings beer" would be applicable if you were making two beers from the same mash with the partigyle method (making the first beer from the first runnings, and the second beer from the sparge runnings.) So for all intents and purposes, a "first runnings beer" is a no-sparge beer. (Of course you could blend the first and sparge runnings in different ratios to get different OG's than the straight partigyle would give you.) A first runnings beer would normally be a high gravity beer, otherwise the second beer would be ridiculously low gravity. A high gravity, first runnings beer will also generally have quite low mash efficiency (in the 60's%) due to the limitations of physics, and that is why there is enough sugar left in the mash to make a reasonable beer just from the sparge runnings.

Brew on

 

[pricelessbrewing]

"First runnings beer" would be applicable if you were making two beers from the same mash with the partigyle method (making the first beer from the first runnings, and the second beer from the sparge runnings.) So for all intents and purposes, a "first runnings beer" is a no-sparge beer. (Of course you could blend the first and sparge runnings in different ratios to get different OG's than the straight partigyle would give you.) A first runnings beer would normally be a high gravity beer, otherwise the second beer would be ridiculously low gravity. A high gravity, first runnings beer will also generally have quite low mash efficiency (in the 60's%) due to the limitations of physics, and that is why there is enough sugar left in the mash to make a reasonable beer just from the sparge runnings.

Brew on

Poor phrasing on my part above. Above I was trying to differentiate between a full volume. Mash where the strike water would put the thickness well above 2 qt/lb and the historic first runnings no sparge where the mash thickness is still defined in the 1.25-1.75 qt/lb and no additional strike water is used.