RIS planning

[doublehaul]

I brewed an RIS a long time ago in a 10 gallon round cooler. I usually get 75% efficiency and got 65%. It was a 23.5lb grain bill, a tight squeeze. I always assumed the efficiency drop was from the thick grist. I use a 15.5 gallon keg for a mash tun now and do large bills for 10 gallon batches all the time with 75% efficiency for 1.065+ beers.

Should I still expect an efficiency drop with the large mash tun on a 5 gallon RIS batch? I should have plenty room. If so, why? If so I don't see why I just wouldnt go no sparge.

 

[mblanks2]

Chances are that the loss in efficiency came from the larger amounts of roasted grains. I have a 1.109 OG RIS that I brew and only get 60% when I can usually get 75%.

 

[doublehaul]

Chances are that the loss in efficiency came from the larger amounts of roasted grains. I have a 1.109 OG RIS that I brew and only get 60% when I can usually get 75%.

Maybe it was 82% 2 row though

 

[mrdauber64]

From what I understand the loss of efficiency has to do with less sparging since you use so much strike water. You hit your boil volume way before you are done sparging. When I do my RIS I typically collect 5 gallons from the first runnings so that would only give me 2 gallons of sparge water to reach my typically boil volume.

If you want to get higher efficiency you need to collect more wort from sparging and boil longer to reach your batch size. For example, in a normal beer I collect 7 gallons and boil down to 5.5 gallon and I typically get 78% efficiency. When I do my RIS I collect 10 gallons of wort and boil that down to 5.5 gallons to get 70% efficiency. The extra wort that I collect takes 3 hours to boil down.

 

[hottpeper13]

I like to do a parti gyle for my RIS. With 26-28 lbs I calculate the temp for a mashout of 170* and 8 gal first runnings that boil down to 6 in 120 min. and 1.090 or a little higher. then add some cap grains if you want, typically something to give some mouth feel because the second one will be thin, then sparge with 8 more gal. and boil that down to 6. There you go 2 beers for the price of ..............well not one, but you get my drift.

 

[doublehaul]

From what I understand the loss of efficiency has to do with less sparging since you use so much strike water. You hit your boil volume way before you are done sparging. When I do my RIS I typically collect 5 gallons from the first runnings so that would only give me 2 gallons of sparge water to reach my typically boil volume.

If you want to get higher efficiency you need to collect more wort from sparging and boil longer to reach your batch size. For example, in a normal beer I collect 7 gallons and boil down to 5.5 gallon and I typically get 78% efficiency. When I do my RIS I collect 10 gallons of wort and boil that down to 5.5 gallons to get 70% efficiency. The extra wort that I collect takes 3 hours to boil down.

that makes sense. thanks for helping me understand that.

 

[doublehaul]

I like to do a parti gyle for my RIS. With 26-28 lbs I calculate the temp for a mashout of 170* and 8 gal first runnings that boil down to 6 in 120 min. and 1.090 or a little higher. then add some cap grains if you want, typically something to give some mouth feel because the second one will be thin, then sparge with 8 more gal. and boil that down to 6. There you go 2 beers for the price of ..............well not one, but you get my drift.

I think I might plan for a no sparge batch - collect my entire pre-boil volume in the first runnings, and leave the second beer as an option. I've never done that before. It should be about the same efficiency right - like 65%? What do you think about this -

say 23.5 lb grain bill
90 min boil.
Say post boil 5.25 gallons, pre-boil 7 gallons.
Which according to an online calculator I'd need about 10.25 gallons strike to get 7 out? And I think that should fit.

 

[hottpeper13]

I don't know how to figure the second runnings,but I do know that after you add the sparge water you can get an accurate gravity reading and then adjust with sugar or dme. After you do the first one you'll know what to do to get to your goal for OG on both. On my 3rd one I got 1.099 and 1.040.

 

[doublehaul]

I don't know how well I would hold temp, but I wonder how my efficiency would be if I continuously recirculated with my pump through the whole mash

 

[shoshin]

Check out this article. There are tables linked in the article that allow you to estimate the OG of each gyle of a parti gyle given a planned OG for the entire grist. http://morebeer.com/brewingtechniques/library/backissues/issue2.2/mosher.html