My lazy sparge strategy

[beauvafr]

What do you think of this strategy for a 5 gallons / 14 lbs of grains brew. I am aiming 75% efficiency.

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• Strike grains in my 8 gallons kettle with 4.5 gal of water (at 170 °F.)
• Mash at about 155 °F for 60 min
• Warm the sparge water (at 168 °F) in my 4 gallons kettle
• Close and lift the bag, let is rest in a big pasta strainer over the kettle for 5 min (no lid, no squeeze)
• Dump the closed bag in a plastic bucket, let it rest 5 min with a lid on the bucket
• Start warming the wort in the 8 gal kettle
• Open the lid of the plastic bucket, reopen the bag and put the upper part of the bag around the top of the bucket
• Dump the 3 gallons sparge water in one big swoop
• Put the lid over the bucket for 5 min
• Remove the bag. Put the wort back in the 8 gal kettle
• Boil

 

[gingerdawg]

I don't like hot water in plastic buckets.

I do similar, except i dump 1/2 the 170+ sparge water through the bag while it is sitting on the strainer. I then dunk the bag into the 1/2 full pot (mine is 5 gallons), stir, tea bag and squeese the bag. then dump the liquid into the pot and boil.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Just guessing you need more water with all that grain to end up with 5 gallons of finished beer.

Stir or mix the sparge water with the grain to provide rinsing...or dunk the bag repeatedly to rinse.

The bag is porous, no need to open and pour sparge water. Stir or mix the sparge well, anyway you like for a good rinsing.

 

[beauvafr]

I don't like hot water in plastic buckets.

I do similar, except i dump 1/2 the 170+ sparge water through the bag while it is sitting on the strainer. I then dunk the bag into the 1/2 full pot (mine is 5 gallons), stir, tea bag and squeese the bag. then dump the liquid into the pot and boil.

I like your way! What about efficiency?

How long do you keep the bag in the 5 gallons pot? Do you stir the grain in the bag?

 

[gingerdawg]

Effeceince is in the mid 70s.
Yes I stir and tea bag in the sparge.
The sparge is effectively just rinsing the sugars out of the grains. Think of that big ol grain bag as a sponge, filled with sugary goodness, that needs to be rinsed into the boil pot.
I agree with wilser that your water total seems about a gallon low, depending on grain bill and boil off amounts. I am typically using 8 1/2 to 9 gallons for a typical batch.

 

[Yooper]

Instead of doing this in the bucket, why not dunk the sparge water/grain right in the boil kettle before you add the mash runnings to it? Or, if that is where the mash is sitting, why not sparge in the other kettle? You can dunk sparge, or simply hold up the grainbag with something and pour the hot water over it into the boil kettle as well, which would probably be much easier to do rather than putting hot water into plastic and then transferring again.

 

[beauvafr]

Instead of doing this in the bucket, why not dunk the sparge water/grain right in the boil kettle before you add the mash runnings to it? Or, if that is where the mash is sitting, why not sparge in the other kettle? You can dunk sparge, or simply hold up the grainbag with something and pour the hot water over it into the boil kettle as well, which would probably be much easier to do rather than putting hot water into plastic and then transferring again.

You are right, but I'll probably do the gingerdawg way!

 

[beauvafr]

Effeceince is in the mid 70s.
Yes I stir and tea bag in the sparge.
The sparge is effectively just rinsing the sugars out of the grains. Think of that big ol grain bag as a sponge, filled with sugary goodness, that needs to be rinsed into the boil pot.
I agree with wilser that your water total seems about a gallon low, depending on grain bill and boil off amounts. I am typically using 8 1/2 to 9 gallons for a typical batch.

Thanks for clarifying gingerdawg! 75% is not bad. I may not have been clear when asking my question tough.

1. Stirring : do you stir the grain directly with the bag open, while it's steeping in the sparge water?
2. Tea bag : I guess you are talking about letting the bag infusing in sparge water, lid closed. For how long?

Cheers!