Fly Sparge - Run Dry or Keep Fluid?

[Bobby_M]

As far as I'm aware there are two different ways to fly sparge. Both start with adding enough sparge (or mashout) water to get about 1-2" of liquid over the grainbed. At that point you start running wort out and adding sparge back in to keep the level constant. Where the difference occurs is the following:

1. You specifically measure out your sparge volume so that when the tun runs completely dry, you have your preboil volume exactly. I'd call this a type of hybrid fly/batch sparge.

2. You continue adding sparge water all the way through and just stop collecting when you hit your desired preboil volume (or you hit 2-3 brix on the runoff whichever comes first). I THINK this is the more traditional, "true" way to fly sparge.

Anyway... hit up the poll, let's see what's what.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

Hmmm, I run it dry and have gotten up to 92% brewhouse efficiency but I have deliberately lowered my efficiency to 78%-80% (I just kept reducing the amount of sparge water until I was at ~78%-80%). So I get less than 80% but it's because I'm trying to get less than 80%.

Clarifier: with my new Blichmann I never tried getting efficiency that high, the 92% was with a Zapap bucket-in-a-bucket lauter tun and lading everything with a saucepot.

 

[ajf]

I usually get down to 2 - 3 brix before I have collected the required volume. I just make up the volume with the unused sparge water. When this happens, I keep the water above the grain bed. Occasionally, this doesn't happen, and I allow the grain bed to dry out a bit after I know I have enough water in the MLT to reach the required volume.
I haven't noticed any difference in efficiency or taste.

-a.

 

[JOHN51277]

I run it dry, and usually run right around 80%. I will calculate to have about 6.5-6.75 gallons preboil volume. I was thinking about building a 3 tier stand and run a sparge arm, which I am sure will change my efficiency%. I would vote, but there are two answers that are correct.

 

[humann_brewing]

run it dry and get between 85-90% with Jaybirds false bottom.

 

[PT Ray]

I use a 5 gallon beverage cooler with a copper manifold, so there's not a large surface area. I'll let the water get a little below the grain bed and then add about a gallon of sparge water above the grain. I do that with a 3/8" hose from the HLT, no sprayer or any type of diffuser. Put the cover back on and when I've collect a gallon of wort, I'll add another gallon back into the mash tun. That gets me 85-92%, depending on the type of mash.

 

[SourHopHead]

I do not run it dry but have only hit 85% or better once. I am questioning my preboil volume measurements and I want to run-off to around 1-2 Plato. I either forget to check or rush it.

 

[menschmaschine]

The reason I like continuous sparging is so I don't have to worry so much about sparge volumes (and I have a way to do it as quick as a double batch sparge with no loss in efficiency). I just heat up more water than I need and sparge until I hit my preboil volume. I usually stop the sparge water flow when my volume is getting close and it takes the wort/water in the mash tun below the top of the grain bed, but it doesn't go completely dry.

I typically get 88 to 91% efficiency depending on the beer. One issue I have had is that my attenuation is sometimes a percent or two lower than I would like it. I've adjusted my mash temps lower to compensate for this and have had some success, but one of my suspicions was that I was getting a less fermentable wort by doing a direct-heat mash-out, i.e., heating the mash [relatively] slowly through the alpha-amylase range.

After doing a hot water infusion to mash-out on my last batch (to test the theory), I got my worst efficiency ever (83%) and the attenuation was around the same (or slightly worse) than when I did a direct-heat mash-out. So, I'm going to go back to direct-heat mash-outs.

 

[willynilly]

Always run it dry

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I do the same as Mensch but target my efficiency at 80%.

 

[ibrewit]

I specifically measure the sparge volume and run it dry. For beers with OG in the 1.040 to 1.060 range I consistently get 82 to 84% efficiency.