No sparge brewing question

[rafaelpinto]

Hey fellow homebrewers,

I will do a no sparge brewing in a couple weeks and was wondering: does water have a "maximum solubility"? I mean, if I use x pounds of malt in a mash and 2x pounds in another mash, doing iodine test on both, will I get doubled initial gravity? Just theoretical questions.

I have a limited mash container, so my pre-boil volume has to be adjusted adding more water - what calls for more malt. Thats where my questions come from.

Thanks in forward, guys.

 

[RM-MN]

Yes it does. That's why sparges are used, to get you water that isn't saturated with sugars so you can rinse out more.

 

[rafaelpinto]

I dont get it... You say the sparge water will extract more sugar - I agree. But if there is a water saturationg, a limited solubility, howcome it will increase the amount of sugar per volume, all in all?

 

[corax]

There is certainly a saturating sugar concentration in water, but it's so high that it's not an issue for homebrewing.

Unless you sparge, adding twice the grain will not give you twice the gravity points, but that's because more liquid (along with dissolved sugar) is lost to absorption with the addition of more grain.

 

[rafaelpinto]

There is certainly a saturating sugar concentration in water, but it's so high that it's not an issue for homebrewing.

Unless you sparge, adding twice the grain will not give you twice the gravity points, but that's because more liquid (along with dissolved sugar) is lost to absorption with the addition of more grain.

Thanks for the answer, Corax! Im having a hard time figuring out how to have right pre-boil volume/OG. Since my mash is limited to 8.5gal, I guess I'll have to add water after the drain. My target is 7 gallons.

thanks again

 

[broadbill]

If it were me, I wouldn't do a no-sparge if I was limited on mash tun size that forced me to use a thicker-than-optimal mash.

I would go with BIAB so at least I could use the whole pre-boil volume to mash in.