theowlman16
Well-Known Member
Many recipes I am reading do not include sparge temp. Is it always 170? I am batch sparking a hefe. Mash is 153.
You want the sparge water hot so that sugars are more readily dissolved. However, you don't want it so hot that astringent tannins are leached into your wort. Above 170 F and tannins are released, so that's why 170 is picked for sparging. So yes, generally all sparges are at 170 F.
Sugars are in suspension; all sparging does is allow them to drain.
You can sparge (as RM-NM says) with room temp water. I heat mine to 170 not because it ups the efficiency, but because the second runnings come out hot--and that reduces the time to bring the wort to boil.
So why not mash at room temp?
I was always under the impression that there was a chemical reaction occurring during sparge. You guys are basically saying it's just a rinse.
??
Mashing requires a certain temperature regime for the enzymes to work properly, generally from about 148-158 degrees, with most people aiming for 150-155.
You won't get conversion at room temp.
I've sparged @ room temp, with same results as 150
I was always under the impression that there was a chemical reaction occurring during sparge. You guys are basically saying it's just a rinse.
Sure, lots of people do. Braukaiser (Kai Troester) even had an experiment on his blog where he sparged with cold tap water. No issues at all.
You can't mash at room temperature, though. All you'd do is get the grain wet.
Explain, I brew indoors.
Explain, I brew indoors.
Not sure what you're asking?
If you want to sparge with cold/cool/warm/hot water, it's all good.
Just make sure your water is chlorine-free, of course. I use RO water for sparging.
But I cant sparge with room temp water?
Just looking for some advise, sorry if im confusing.
Water above a pH of 6 may extract tannins from the grain husks. I have been adjusting the pH of my sparge water to 5.6. This is for BIAB partial mash brewing. Temperature of the sparge water is about 165°F.
Is the pH adjustment necessary for the short amount of sparge time.
Think of it as a washing machine rinse. The water comes in to the already washed clothes, after it's spun to remove as much water as possible, just like with a draining of the mash. Then, water comes in and it's agitated (stirred) well, then drained again.
The enzymatic activity happens during mash when the water at an optimum temperature causes the Alpha and Beta Amylazses to convert the starches into sugars. When they are done, they are done. All of the sugars you are going to get are in there.
Sorry to say it but this is only partially true. It's been found that you get nearly the same results sparging with room temperature water as with hot water. Also, extracting the tannins is controlled by the pH primarily so you could sparge with boiling water as long as you don't sparge with so much water that you drive the pH high. That normally would only happen with fly sparging so if you batch sparge you can ignore the pH.
I do wonder how big the difference would be between room temp and say 150-170 water though.
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