Mine is about the same. Remember that the MLT -> BK runoff is gravity-fed and the pump outlet valve is partially closed to equalize flowrates.
If you think you may get stuck, use some rice hulls. The MLT braid works great for me though.
I love no sparge brewing...
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Mine is about the same. Remember that the MLT -> BK runoff is gravity-fed and the pump outlet valve is partially closed to equalize flowrates.
If you think you may get stuck, use some rice hulls. The MLT braid works great for me though.
I have the same braid in my MLT (retangular cooler). I've not yet experienced a stuck "sparge". Like Baron says, it's gravity fed from MLT to BK and the pump recirculates back to the MLT. You're not "pulling" from the MLT with the pump, just "pushing".
Sudz
Well-Known Member
Cool...
Thanks guys
Thanks guys
bigjoe
Well-Known Member
I'm going to be using the same setup essentially. I have the 50qt Igloo cube, gravity draining wort into direct fired BK, and pumping back to mash tun.
I had some false bottom material that I attemtped to use in my keggle MLT. I put it in the cooler mostly to keep my grain off the bottom. I'll be doing BIAB in the cooler with the false bottom.
I have yet to use it unfortuantely as the weather in KC, MO has been rather cold, or family obligations when it was warm enough. I did an experimental batch on the stove last weekend. I have yet to use my pump wifey bought me for x-mas though. I have did several trial runs with it to get comfrotable, but no beer as of yet.
I had some false bottom material that I attemtped to use in my keggle MLT. I put it in the cooler mostly to keep my grain off the bottom. I'll be doing BIAB in the cooler with the false bottom.
I have yet to use it unfortuantely as the weather in KC, MO has been rather cold, or family obligations when it was warm enough. I did an experimental batch on the stove last weekend. I have yet to use my pump wifey bought me for x-mas though. I have did several trial runs with it to get comfrotable, but no beer as of yet.
Agreed. This is why I'm converting to electric. Almost have all the parts together, then I just need to put it all together. Should be done right about the time for warm weather.
bigjoe
Well-Known Member
I'm defiantely leaning towards electric. I could brew on the counter top inside then.
Sudz
Well-Known Member
So let me see if I really understand this no sparge thing.
You place all your grain in your MLT. Heat your total water requirement in your BK (mash, sparge, and system losses water plus minerals, etc. to target your preboil pot volume).
Once strike temp is met, you dump or pump all the water into the MLT with the grain, stir well and check the temp for mash requirements (adj as req'd).
Then you immediately? start draining the MLT liquid into your BK, accumulate a few quarts? and begin pumping this back to the MLT. You monitor the temp going back to the MLT and adjust accordingly by adding heat as req'd to maintain mash temp.
You permit the circulation to continue until conversion is complete and simply permit everything to drain into the BK as the boiler begins the boil.
Have I got it?
You place all your grain in your MLT. Heat your total water requirement in your BK (mash, sparge, and system losses water plus minerals, etc. to target your preboil pot volume).
Once strike temp is met, you dump or pump all the water into the MLT with the grain, stir well and check the temp for mash requirements (adj as req'd).
Then you immediately? start draining the MLT liquid into your BK, accumulate a few quarts? and begin pumping this back to the MLT. You monitor the temp going back to the MLT and adjust accordingly by adding heat as req'd to maintain mash temp.
You permit the circulation to continue until conversion is complete and simply permit everything to drain into the BK as the boiler begins the boil.
Have I got it?
I empty my MLT before the sparge, then break the sparge up into two equal batches and even with high gravity beers I'm getting 72%ish
Yep, it's that simple. Jkarp doesn't start circulating until mash-out though, I think. I've kinda let my mash set 30-45 minutes, then recirculate for 30-45 minutes while I increase the temp for mash-out. I think it makes very good beer. And I say "phoof" to the efficiency decline, just add one or two extra lbs of grain and it's done.
I'm not sure I understand. Do you empty the 1st runnings into another container then pump fresh, heated water from your BK? If you are, then that is sparging. With no-sparge you are recirculating all of the boil volume, over and over and over.
It's only a matter of preference, but I pump my heated water over to my MLT first, then add grain and stir.
Yes, I don't do a mash out though per se... I 'turn the mash off' with the first batch sparge water attempting to get the grain bed up to 168... I vorlauf each time I empty of course until runnings are clear, with my setup that's about 1 qt until clear...
I add batch sparge water and run it through until I reach my boil volume which for me is about 8 gallons...
TBLbrewer
Well-Known Member
3.5 HR brewday today excluding clean up. No sparge is a God send.
30 minutes to heat strike water, 60 minute mash, sparge water heats during mash, 20 minute batch sparge, 30 minutes to bring to boil, 60 minute boil, 20 minutes to chill. That's 3.66 hours without clean-up with a sparge and 85% efficiency and my wort is chilled, pitched and in the fermentation cooler.
TBLbrewer
Well-Known Member
No mash out?
Once my mash hits 50 minutes I add 2-3 gallons of 185 degree water (depending on my grain bill), stir it and let it settle for 5 minutes then start my recirculation which covers my vorlauf (sp) and do that for 5 minutes. Then I transfer to my BK wide open which takes like 1 minute with a 5 gallon batch. When I add my sparge water it is usually at 180-185 now I then repeat the above.
Don't get me wrong, I would love to "no sparge" (personally I think you are sparging the whole time, but it needs a name
) but for me, it's not worth the effort to change my system as my time is very close.I used to try and shave my time and be more efficient with each batch trying to "beat my last time" to see how "efficiently" I could get it. Then my wife reminded me I do this for fun and relaxation "so what does it matter if it takes all day?" Man I sure love her, even after 23 years!!
Man I sure love her, even after 23 years!!
but I'm going on 25 years and I feel the same way. She is my assistant brewer since the last brew (she is always my bottle assistant), and now she is encouraging me to get better equipment... she pays my tickets when I speed! Rock on understanding SOWMBO's ! (SO=signification others - so as not to exclude anyone).:rockin:
bakins
Well-Known Member
Get rid of the chill and you'll be golden
Sudz
Well-Known Member
...Then I transfer to my BK wide open which takes like 1 minute with a 5 gallon batch.
What kind of manifold or strainer do you use to keep from getting stuck at this flow rate?
I use one of JayBirds false bottoms. I have had luck with a stainless braid in the past. That's what I used before switching to the FB. I use a March pump for transferring with 1/2" ball valves on it and the kettles.
Here's the link to the FB's
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f41/jaybirds-stainless-false-bottoms-146056/
Cyan
Well-Known Member
interesting thread!
subscribed!
subscribed!
I love this method. I just finished building a No Sparge Electric RIMS system. I am using a sanke keg with a false bottom and a 1/2" coupler welded on the bottom. I really like the bottom draining mashtun. I got 83% efficiency yesterday. No sparge seems to cut out quite a bit of time. I went form 7 to 4 hours with cleanup.
bigjoe
Well-Known Member
Beside the fact that its just easier over all (I don't like sparging, and I don't like messing with pre-heating mash tun) its nice having an easier process finished in much less time.
ReverseMonk
Well-Known Member
Sorry to dig up am old thread, but I am looking at no sparge and have one question (and this seems to be the consummate no-sparge thread).
How fast are folks running off your "no-sparge" sparge? Do you run off fast (batch style) or slow (fly style). I would think that a slowish run off would benefit efficiency. I'll be utilizing a two-keggle system (MLT and HLT/BK) with 15" false bottom. Just curious as I did not see any references to run off rate.
How fast are folks running off your "no-sparge" sparge? Do you run off fast (batch style) or slow (fly style). I would think that a slowish run off would benefit efficiency. I'll be utilizing a two-keggle system (MLT and HLT/BK) with 15" false bottom. Just curious as I did not see any references to run off rate.
I'm not sure I understand your question. No-sparge relies on a constant recirculation of the wort throughout the mash. There really is no sparge! Once the mash is done, the process is done. I can tell you that my recirculation is totally dependent on the mash-tun draining back into the BK. In other words, I can only pump at the rate that the MLT drains. You have to have a pump unless you are doing BIAB. If I've misunderstood your question, my apologies.
bigjoe
Well-Known Member
I don't understand it either unless he's talking about draining the MLT into the BK. When I used a cooler with this method I let it drain as fast as it could go. It shouldn't matter how fast you drain it.
I actually do BIAB 95% of the time. I'm still doing BIAB with no sparge and reciculating the whole time in a single vessel. So I never actually have to drain the MLT. I just pulled the grain out of the BK and start to ramp up for the boil.
I actually do BIAB 95% of the time. I'm still doing BIAB with no sparge and reciculating the whole time in a single vessel. So I never actually have to drain the MLT. I just pulled the grain out of the BK and start to ramp up for the boil.
ReverseMonk
Well-Known Member
Ok...Maybe I should have use the Lautering term. I understand no-sparge, I guess I just used the wrong term. After sparging, you have to run-off to the BK. How fast does everyone lauter from the MLT to the BK?
After recirculating ( I guess that can be thought of as a continuous sparge), I drain the MLT into the BK with the valve wide-open as I'm heating to boil. I don't think that after a 60-minute mash w/recirculation you are going to extract any more sugars with a slow run-off than you would with a fast run-off
No sparge would not benefit from a slow lautering unless fast lautering results in a stuck runoff. Run it off as fast as you can without getting things gummed up.
Nice system! So, can this be done safely with a single vessel- a stainless MLT with a false bottom? I have a 15 gallon stainless MLT, and this thread made me think- why not heat the water on the stove top, add grain, then keep the burner running on low? I could hook up the March pump to the MLT outlet and just continually recirc to the top of the tun (although I don't have a sparge arm, it would just be a tube running in there)? Wouldn't this prevent scorching and at the same time give better conversion?
My questions are:
1) is using a march pump on a no sparge large volume mash going to cause it to compact on the false bottom, thus making this not work?
2) is recirculating enough to get decent conversion efficiency (especially with no sparge arm to distribute the heated water evenly) as compared with just stirring?
Sounds like a great way to brew!
Klaus
My questions are:
1) is using a march pump on a no sparge large volume mash going to cause it to compact on the false bottom, thus making this not work?
2) is recirculating enough to get decent conversion efficiency (especially with no sparge arm to distribute the heated water evenly) as compared with just stirring?
Sounds like a great way to brew!
Klaus
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