Sparge Water Volume

[40oz]

I've read some threads here and thought I would ask it more direct, because it's always confused me being new the all grain process.

I've been fly-sparging (Gravity Feed), 5 gallon and most recently 10 gallon batches.

See if I can word this right.

No matter what volume batches I'm doing when it comes to the hot liquor tank, do I need to calculate the amount of water in the HLT when sparging and transferring into the Brew Kettle?

Say for a 5.5 gal batch size...do I try and guesstimate what volume in the HLT to hit say 6.5 gallons into the Brew Kettle or does that not matter?

Does it matter if I heat up say 20 gallons to 170F but only use 8 gallons of that keeping a few inches above the grain bed of the Mash tank, or am I supposed to drain the grain bed towards the end into the brew kettle?

My thinking is it doesn't matter on the HLT volume gal mark or not but as long as I keep a few inches off the grain bed and get 6.5 gal into the kettle.

In the past I've always tried to calc for the kettle by putting a few extra gallons in the HLT, but some times I fall short in the Mash and I'm draining the mash tun and I try to put more water in the HLT at the end to make up volume loss in the kettle but I'm not able to heat up that water to the target of 170F in time.

So I started to think about over shooting the HLT volume to avoid this

 

[doug293cz]

Most brewers do not completely drain the MLT into the BK at the end of sparging. You could do that, but your efficiency would be a little lower.

The easiest thing to do is put your full target pre-boil volume in the HLT. You might drain a gallon or two from your MLT to get your liquid level down to 1" - 2" above the grain bed before you start sparging, but after that the volume into your BK is one for one with volume out of the HLT. At the end of sparging, your HLT should be left with the volume you ran off into the BK before you started sparging.

Brew on

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

Go to Basicbrewing.com
http://basicbrewingshop.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=7

Get the "Step Into All grain."
James Spencer walks you through every calculation, measurement, and reason for when and why to do things.
It's easy to follow.

My wife got me his video when I began all grain brewing in 2007. And I still watch it before every brew day just for a refresher.

 

[40oz]

Thanks guys, I'll have to get that video and check it out!

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

Basic Brewing also does a weekly podcast. Family friendly and interviews all the big names in the industry. Also collaborates with the former BYO editor Chris Colby on a helpful homebrew website call www.beerandwinejournal.com