No-Sparge Mashing Process

[Bullbythehorns]

I am going to do a no-sparge brew after reading posts by JKHarp, ChefChris and Sacchryomes. I am setting up similar to JKHarp's countertop system with the MLT gravity draining into the BK/HLT and will be direct firing the BK/HLT to maintain temp and pumping into the MLT .I will be hooking my pump up to recirculate, but my question is will I have better efficiency by recirculating the full-boil volume during the entire mash, or would I be better mashing thick and then recirculating the full-boil volume after conversion?

 

[Reelale]

Good question. Subscribed. I just did a brown ale last weekend by recirculating the entire mash volume with a brewhouse efficiency of 60%. It seems that Palmer's article in BYO mashed out with about 2 quarts/lbs of grain BEFORE recirculating. I would like to know the best approach too.

 

[Bullbythehorns]

I just did a brown ale last weekend by recirculating the entire mash volume with a brewhouse efficiency of 60%.

How does the 60% compare to your efficiency if you batch or fly sparge? When I batch sparge I typically get 80% efficiency.

 

[Reelale]

Can't compare, this was my first AG batch. I liked the simplicity of the no-sparge set-up and most everything I read said it works fine, once you factor in the lower efficiency to your grain bill. Just wondering about the mash portion now and if I should mash prior to recirculating or just recirculate with the entire volume.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but why are you wasting good beer?

By not sparging aren't you just making what's called a "big beer" and if you grabbed another pot and sparged the grains you would be making a "small beer"???

Isn't that what some people do to get 2 batches from the same grain?

 

[Reelale]

Yeah, I guess that is the process for partigyle. But I ain't there yet. I'm doing a souped-up version of BIAB I guess. Just without the bag.

 

[Bullbythehorns]

I don't think we will be wasting beer with this process. As Tundra05 said, this is similar to brew in a bag, except at some point we will be recirculating the entire boil volume of 6.5 gallons through the grains at some point during the mash, for a 5 gallon batch. My understanding of the partigyle process is that you collect the first runnings in a pot for a "big" beer then collect the second runnings for a smaller beer.

I am doing this for the time savings that it offers and I will gladly sacrifice a pound or two of grain for a shorter brewday. Just seeing what others experience is on when to begin the full volume recirculation.

 

[bigjoe]

I know this thread is a little old, but...

I haven't found a need to use any extra grain. I get 75-80% efficiency with a fine crush. I'm not talking flour either, but crushed a little more aggressively than LHBS would do. I don't buy the extracting tannins arguement with higher mash pH either. I've monitored my pH on many batches of beer this year and my pH on a full volume mash is always around 5.2. If there is a problem with mash pH adjust it, just as you would with a "traditional" mash.

I don't get any more attenuation than normal either. Looking back at my notes I get the high end of what White Labs advertises for the particular strain of yeast I'm using.

As far as wasting beer. I know plenty of traditopnal mashers who will sparge until they reach a certain SG or they have thier volume. There is "good beer" left in the grains that they don't ever do anything with. I know one guy who will use it for starter if the SG is high enough. The others just dump it, and I know this is the method used by many. I hit my pre-boil gravity everytime without extraordianry efforts or any extra grain.

So far the biggest beer I have done with this method is only 1.070. I've read that it doesn't lend itself to big beers unless using more grain. The first attempt I make at a big beer I wll use extra grain. My prediction is that my mash efficiency will be higher than I expected.

 

[ScubaSteve]

You could always just add some DME or maltodextrin...which is what a lot of breweries do anyway. FWIW, I have oversparged when trying to do a partigyle. I was doing a RIS, and I oversparged the second runnings because it was black and I really didn't have an "eye" for how thin it was getting. The brown ale sucked, but the RIS was awesome. YMMV.....