Questions on water volumes

[Gonefishing]

Working on a recipe in the Brewer's Friend calculator. The recipe, a Smash, uses 12 pounds of malt. The calculator says "Quarts of water per lb= 1.25" Then it says quarts needed for the mash is 9.2....why is that not 15? It also says boil volume should be 7.5 gallons, so would that mean the sparge should also be 15 quarts?
I know these should be things I know, but it has been a while since I spent any time brewing, especially AG.
Thanks, guys and gals!

 

[Gravity]

Whats your intended batch size? and are you doing a step mash? Batch sparge? Whats your target? Everybody's equipment is different, so the calculator is probably doing the most common set up, which you may not have

The total volume of water is not always what you will end up with post boil.

If anything, follow the recipe as is and add water to top off to the intended boiling volume, as 7.5 gal sounds about right for 12# of grains.

At 1.25Q/# the 9.2 quarts is for about 7.5# of grains, which means 5.6 quarts should be your sparge water for the total 12#. if you're still short of your preboil volume, add water to 7.5 knowing that you'll lose about 1 gallon or so to boil off and another gallon or so to trub etc.

It sounds like there is a number off somewhere.

 

[C-Rider]

I do full vol BIAB...but I made a spread sheet and kept records of water vol at various stages and grain weight. After 77 brews all I do is look up grain weight and the check my chart to see how much water I need. Simple huh? LOL

 

[Gravity]

I do full vol BIAB...but I made a spread sheet and kept records of water vol at various stages and grain weight. After 77 brews all I do is look up grain weight and the check my chart to see how much water I need. Simple huh? LOL

Its been a long while since I've done BIAB, however, I can see how something like that can be helpful. A similar method can be used for AG, after a while, one can eyeball the ratio of water to grain if one tends to brew similar beers at a similar OG and batch size

Nowadays, I plug numbers into beersmith and it churns out numbers, before that I relied on math, lovely, wonderful math.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Working on a recipe in the Brewer's Friend calculator. The recipe, a Smash, uses 12 pounds of malt. The calculator says "Quarts of water per lb= 1.25" Then it says quarts needed for the mash is 9.2....why is that not 15?

Are you sure it says 9.2 quarts needed for the mash, and not 9.2 quarts of wort run-off from the mash? If you use 15 quarts for 12lbs of malt, you'd expect to collect about 9.2 quarts after accounting for grain absorption, which would mean a bit over 5 gal for the sparge.

 

[chickypad]

Are you sure it says 9.2 quarts needed for the mash, and not 9.2 quarts of wort run-off from the mash? If you use 15 quarts for 12lbs of malt, you'd expect to collect about 9.2 quarts after accounting for grain absorption, which would mean a bit over 5 gal for the sparge.

^ This sounds like the explanation. Why don't you post a screenshot of your calculations? Also, remember that with all these calculators you still have to adjust to your own system. For example it may say the boil volume needs to be 7.5 gals, but that may or may not match your actual losses - boil off, etc. That would be too high for me for 5 gals finished, but your process/system may be different. Also you can adjust the mash ratio as you see fit. If you're only getting 9 qts first runnings and have to sparge 5 gals I'd probably up the mash water a bit.

 

[Gonefishing]

This is what it says
Mash Guidelines
Starting Mash Thickness:
1.25 qt/lb
Temp: 154F
Time: 60min
Amount: 9.2 qts

Type: Desc:
Just seems very low to me, but I guess using 5 gallons to sparge would make it a large enough quantity for the boil.
I know also that different systems boil off different amounts, but I have not yet used my system so I haven't calculated the boil off rate.

 

[Gonefishing]

The recipe is for 5 gallons, by the way. I will be using a batch sparge.

 

[kh54s10]

I can't get to the volume numbers without signing in to Brewer's Friend. So I can't see what is happening.

12 pounds of malt, 15 quarts for the mash. 1/2 qt per pound grain absorption = give approximately 6 quarts or 1.5 gallons of wort. I need 7.3 gallons preboil so I would need 5.8 gallons of sparge to end up with just over 5 gallons into the fermenter.

Mash with the 15 quarts. Measure what you get out of the mash, then sparge with what you need for your preboil amount. I don't calculate after the mash, I just measure the collected wort.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

12 pounds of malt, 15 quarts for the mash. 1/2 qt per pound grain absorption = give approximately 6 quarts or 1.5 gallons of wort.

A bit of a math error here.....1/2 qt per pound grain absorption = 6 quarts absorbed, which will give 9 quarts of wort run off into the kettle.

 

[C-Rider]

Its been a long while since I've done BIAB, however, I can see how something like that can be helpful. A similar method can be used for AG, after a while, one can eyeball the ratio of water to grain if one tends to brew similar beers at a similar OG and batch size

Nowadays, I plug numbers into beersmith and it churns out numbers, before that I relied on math, lovely, wonderful math.

I use BeerSmith but it always wants to use more water than I want to. LOL Maybe I have to adjust some equipment settings. But what the heck I have my spreadsheet now. LOL

 

[kh54s10]

A bit of a math error here.....1/2 qt per pound grain absorption = 6 quarts absorbed, which will give 9 quarts of wort run off into the kettle.

No, it is right just not worded totally clearly. 1/2 quart per pound grain absorption in the 12 pounds of grain will allow drawing off the 6 quarts of wort after the mash.

 

[doug293cz]

This is what it says
Mash Guidelines
Starting Mash Thickness:
1.25 qt/lb
Temp: 154F
Time: 60min
Amount: 9.2 qts

Type: Desc:
Just seems very low to me, but I guess using 5 gallons to sparge would make it a large enough quantity for the boil.
I know also that different systems boil off different amounts, but I have not yet used my system so I haven't calculated the boil off rate.

The recipe is for 5 gallons, by the way. I will be using a batch sparge.

If you are batch sparging, forget about the 1.25 qt/lb strike water "convention." Optimal efficiency is achieved when the first runnings volume and sparged wort volume are equal. They don't have to be exactly equal, just anywhere close makes little difference in efficiency. The easiest way to meet the "equal" running volume criteria is to use 60% of your total brewing water for strike, and 40% for sparge.

Total brewing water is equal to target pre-boil volume minus grain absorption, which is about 0.12 - 0.125 gal/lb for a traditional MLT. So, the formal equation is:

Total Brewing Water = Pre-Boil Target Volume + Grain Weight * 0.12 gal/lb​

Brew on

 

[Gonefishing]

Thanks for all the responses... I think I've got it now.

 

[Gravity]

Thanks for all the responses... I think I've got it now.

What did you wind up doing? Sounds like you were getting a bunch of different advice; all good, just different takes on the same thing

Personally, I would have followed the advice I gave originally...lol... : - )

 

[Gonefishing]

What did you wind up doing? Sounds like you were getting a bunch of different advice; all good, just different takes on the same thing

Personally, I would have followed the advice I gave originally...lol... : - )

I haven't done anything yet. Just got the ingredients a couple of days ago, but I'm waiting on a couple more parts for my ebrewery which will be here Monday. I did like your advice, and may well end up doing it that way.

 

[Gravity]

I haven't done anything yet. Just got the ingredients a couple of days ago, but I'm waiting on a couple more parts for my ebrewery which will be here Monday. I did like your advice, and may well end up doing it that way.

Cool
Good luck!

 

[Gonefishing]

Thanks!