Fly vs Batch and Benefits of false bottoms?

[Baron von BeeGee]

I've done a couple of 10g batches with the 36qt Extreme and it worked, but required two batch sparges. High-gravity 10g batches would be difficult, but normal gravity stuff is okay.

 

[67coupe390]

How deep is your grain bed for a typical 5 gal batch? I was looking at the Xtreme series, but thought the 36 might be a little small if I ever wanted to do a 10 gal batch and the 52 might be a little big for 5's.

Sounds like the cooler is pretty good quality.

I'm guessing, but I'm pretty sure it was about 4 -5" deep with my first 5 gal batch(13 lbs. of grain). I think it will work well with a ten gal batch too!!:rockin: My eff. was 68% for my first batch. I was happy with that but I know I will do better the next time.
I like the extreme cooler. It looks like pretty good quality. I put a blanket over it and it held the heat in good!

 

[Brew-boy]

I have the square blue igloo cooler.

 

[Beer Snob]

As you have heard from many here the answer is... it depends. Batching is REAL easy. How easy... man.... it can't get much easier. I have enjoyed each method and I am completely shocked that one did not come up.... could be lost somewhere in the 4 pages.... I am talking about Decoction. I have only done this once, but man..... this beer is incredible! Thinking of my next brew and I'm running out of wheat....

At any rate... the bucks lost with the batch sparging is pretty neglagable.... we're only talking a couple of pounds...... $3 or so....

 

[dcarter]

I have only done one AG so far but I built a manifold for a 48 qt igloo and decided to fly sparge. I had very good luck with it the first time and it didnt seem to take as long as most people say. I had all of my wort in the brew pot within 2 hours of dough in (which seems comparable to two batch sparges if Im not mistaken). I hit very close to my target OG for the brew that I made and I figure that with a little attention to flow rates on the next batch I should do much better.

One thing that I like about fly sparging is that I only have to vorlouf once, then I set my drain rates and leave it alone while I do other things (rdwhahb). I am very happy with the fly sparge so I say, go for it and look at it as just another neat part of the art of brewing.

 

[Craig5_12]

This is my first post into the actual forums other than the intro one. I've just finished a 3 tier gravity, 15.5gal keg system. I have a homemade false bottom (cut a thin sheet of SS from a road sign and used a hole saw to cut big holes as often as possible then covered with SS window screen) that was very cheap. I fly sparge as well....sorta.
My method is to drain all the wort from my mash (recirculating the 1st runnings of course), close valve, fill mash up with sparge water from HLT then open valve when sparge water is barely over the grain bed and commence sparging at about a quart a minute. My efficiency has been at about 80% for every batch but one that I've done on the new system.
The extra time to fly sparge gives me time to have another homebrew sanitize the fermentor and prepare for the boil etc....

I've not tried batch sparging but my goal is to have the best tasting homebrew I can possibly make and the method of fly sparging seems to have the greatest possibility of allowing me that possibility.

 

[Lil' Sparky]

I'm relatively new to brewing - about 15 brews or so. The guy who introduced me to the craft was an AG-er who fly sparged, so that's what I've always done. I've been using a converted keg w/ a false bottom as a MLT, but try as I might, I can't get over 70% efficiency, no matter how slow I sparge.

I'm going to try batch sparging with my next brew. If it's as simple as it sounds and gets me > 70%, I won't look back!

 

[KopyKat]

try as I might, I can't get over 70% efficiency, no matter how slow I sparge.

Possibly your grain crush is not fine enough. If you buy your grains already crushed from an HBS, you are probably not getting the crush you will need to increase your efficiency over that 70% mark.

I wouldn't sweat that though, I get 65% with grains crushed from my LHBS and don't expect more until I get a grain mill when my budget allows.

 

[cweston]

Possibly your grain crush is not fine enough. If you buy your grains already crushed from an HBS, you are probably not getting the crush you will need to increase your efficiency over that 70% mark.

I wouldn't sweat that though, I get 65% with grains crushed from my LHBS and don't expect more until I get a grain mill when my budget allows.

Right: there doesn't seem to be any evidence that fly sparging produces ghigher efficiency than batch sparging.

Efficiency is really one of those RDWHAHB things. Once you establish your efficiency, if it is reasonably consistent, there's no reason to worry about it.

I usually run about 72% with pre-crushed grains. If I could somehow increase that by five points up to 77%, that would mean that I could brew a 1.055 beer with about .7 lb less grain (9.6 lbs instead of 10.3 lbs). That's a savings of about a dollar or less. BFD.