Sparge query

[welshbrewer]

This could be a silly question but I have never sparged before and expect to be doing so over the next week or so and still have some research to carry out before I take the plunge..
My question is: when sparging is the water draining through the grains clear or coloured. I have the idea that it will be coloured initially and as the sparge continues, it will become clearer. Is that correct?
Any advice on potential pitfalls will be appreciated.
Happy brewing!

 

[dhoge]

Yes you are correct. By the end of the sparge the wort coming out is going to lack color. Take it slow and leave about an inch of water above the grain bed, as you are sparging. Also, of you are using wheat in your grain bill. Do yourself a favor and add some rice hulls to prevent a stuck sparge.

 

[kh54s10]

Are you going to batch sparge or fly sparge? Either way start by "setting the bed". Do a vorlauf, open the valve just a little and drain some into a pitcher until it runs without bits of sediment. Then you can start draining into you boil kettle.

If you are batch sparging, you don't have to worry about the color that comes out, just that you collect the right amount before the boil.

 

[Redtab78]

but don't continue to add sparge water until the liquid coming out is completely clear...you will end up with entirely too much water in your kettle....the trick here is to use a calculator for your stike quantity (1.25-up to 2 qts per pound of grain) and then what water you will need to reach your determined starting level.

In other words...If your making a 5 gallon batch, and you need 5 gallons to go into the fermenter , and you have a boil off (evaporation rate) of 1.5 gallons per hour....if your recipie says to boil for 60 min, then you will need 6.5 gallons in your boil kettle to start...

Now if your recipe uses a total of 10# worth of grain, and you are mashing in at the 1.25qt per pound, then you will need approximately 12.5 quarts of strike water (this is the water your mash will be sitting in for the 60 min duration of conversion....then when you drain that into your boil kettle, only add enough water for the sparge to get you to the 6.5 gal total needed in your boil kettle.

so 12.5qt = 3.25 gal for mash (assume that the grain will absorb some of this)

so you will need 4 gallons of sparge water (does not HAVE to be a specific temp as there has been many experiments sparging with cold vs hot)


Hope this helps, and I didn't confuse you.

 

[brewstergalVT]

I think the 2 biggest pitfalls for those new to all-grain are sparging too fast (assuming you're fly sparging - obviously not an issue if you're doing no sparge) and over sparging.

When you're sparging, stop when the wort doesn't have any sweetness left, or stop at 1.010. If you check both the sweetness and the SG the first time then you'll be able to just go by sweetness in your next brews to know when to stop sparging. Yes, you may waste some water as your grain bed will still have water in it but it's better than having an astringent batch of beer because you over sparged. You'll figure out all the little things with your system as you continue to brew.

If you're doing continuous sparge, take at least an hour to collect your wort for a 5 gallon batch. Many sparge more quickly, it all depends on your priorities. Many don't have the time, I'd rather take the time (usually 1.5-2 hours) to sparge and get everything out of the grain. It's your hobby. Just be careful when you start to sparge that you don't go really fast and collapse the grain bed leading to a stuck sparge.

 

[welshbrewer]

WOW! Thanks a lot for all your replies. Much to consider and much to ponder in them. Thank you very much for your time and your advice. Best regards.

 

[kh54s10]

For batch sparging this is one of the videos that got me started:

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

Yikes! So much information.

 

[brewstergalVT]

Yikes! I'll be honest here. I've been brewing for 10 years and worked at a local brewery. And after reading through these responses, I'm completely confused. [emoji15]

Specifically, what is confusing?