Sparge arm

voodoochild7 · Jul 21, 2006

I am going to get a large cooler as my 5 gallon will not let me get some of my higher gravity brews I want to do. It is going to be a rectangular one. I want to make a sparge arm assembly doesn't have to be rotating or anthing fancy but something I can just lay on top of the cooler let drip and directions or instructions or descriptions of what you guys use?

david_42 · Jul 21, 2006

I've seen people use foil turkey pans. Makes it easy to judge how much depth you have over the grain bed.

Brewpastor · Jul 21, 2006

The idea is to have the water run into the lauter tun in such a way as to not disturb the grain bed in any significant way. A plate breaks the flow and prevents the grain bed from getting churned up. I like to use a length of copper tubing that is capped on one end and perferated along its length. And no, it doesn't have to rotate.

voodoochild7 · Jul 21, 2006

How would I use a turkey pan? Also the cooler I want to get is 70 quarts. I'm only doing 5 gallon batches can I use this to make my regular lower gravity ale or will the grain bed be to thin.

david_42 · Jul 21, 2006

Find a foil pan (not a steel one) that fits in the cooler. Punch lots of holes with an ice pick or a fine knitting needle. This is best done by setting a folded towel on a hard floor and putting the pan on the towel. This controls the size of the holes by limiting penetration (no comment, cheesefood). Set on top of the grain bed, add sparge water. The more and finer holes you have, the less of a problem a thin grain bed will be.

Beer Snob · Jul 21, 2006

voodoochild7 said:
How would I use a turkey pan? Also the cooler I want to get is 70 quarts. I'm only doing 5 gallon batches can I use this to make my regular lower gravity ale or will the grain bed be to thin.

Thats a nice size cooler. How many pounds of grain are you talking about.... if your fly sparging you do have to consider grain depth.