Sparge?

[mygar]

I brewed a couple all grain 1 gallon batches last weekend and have some questions on the mash/sparge.

Here was my process:

1. Mash for 60 min @ 153F (pot in warm oven - no stir)
2. Separate grain from water via strainer
3. Moved strainer/grains to another pot; take runnings from step 2 and slowly recirculate through grain bed
4. Sparge with 170F water, slowly pouring through another strainer to trickle water over grain bed

I tasted my grains afterwards and both batches had slightly sweet taste still.. so thinking my efficiency can be improved.

My next batch thinking of the following approaches:

1. Mash for 60 min @ 153F (pot kept in oven - no stir)
2. Mash out by transferring pot to stove, stirring till I hit 170F
3. Separate grain from water via strainer
4. Move strainer/grains to another pot
5. Take runnings from step 3 and slowly recirculate through grain bed
6. Sparge with 170F water, pouring over grain bed for good rinse

or

1. Mash for 60 min @ 153F (pot kept in oven - no stir)
2. Mash out by transferring pot to stove, stirring till I hit 170F
3. Separate grain from water via strainer
4. Move strainer/grains to another pot
5. Sparge with 170F water, pouring over grain bed for good rinse
6. Recirculate all water slowly through the grain bed

Thoughts?

 

[Velnerj]

What was your efficiency? What efficiency would you like to achieve? It's hard to aim for something without a target...

Usually efficiency can be easily increased by finely crushing the grains. To do that you'll need a brew bag not strainer (and a grain mill). Look into brew in a bag (BIAB) For more tips on improving efficiency.

 

[RM-MN]

Your grains have the same sugar composition as the wort you just separated from them. It won't really help to pour that wort over them again. You want just water. If your conversion of starches to sugars is not complete, the hot water sparge may pick up a little more sugars. Otherwise a cool water sparge is just as effective. To get more sugars you sparge a second time with fresh water.

 

[mygar]

What was your efficiency? What efficiency would you like to achieve? It's hard to aim for something without a target...

Usually efficiency can be easily increased by finely crushing the grains. To do that you'll need a brew bag not strainer (and a grain mill). Look into brew in a bag (BIAB) For more tips on improving efficiency.

Yes, this would be important to know. I attempted to take my first ever hydrometer reading but was having hard time taking the reading. The starsan used to disinfect tube caused a foam at surface... making a reading impossible. So gave up. Next time will disinfect prior to let dry and try again.

The strainer I used is pretty good though... a fine double mesh strainer. I may do biab in future but looking at this process first.

 

[mygar]

Your grains have the same sugar composition as the wort you just separated from them. It won't really help to pour that wort over them again. You want just water. If your conversion of starches to sugars is not complete, the hot water sparge may pick up a little more sugars. Otherwise a cool water sparge is just as effective. To get more sugars you sparge a second time with fresh water.

Yes, I figure that some are pouring the wort over the bed again as a vorlauf… help clear the wort. So, if one did this step it seems best to make it an intermediate step and not last as some folks suggest

 

[mygar]

It seems like a sparge as last step... would wash any particulates filtered by grain bed from vorlauf back into wort? Conversely, doing a vorlauf at end would introduce sugars back into grain bed.

 

[VikeMan]

Yes, I figure that some are pouring the wort over the bed again as a lauter… help clear the wort.

That would be a "vorlauf" step, rather than a "lauter." Lautering is the overall process of separating the wort from the grains.

 

[mygar]

That would be a "vorlauf" step, rather than a "lauter." Lautering is the overall process of separating the wort from the grains.

whoops … yes thank you. Updated my posts with that correction

 

[Spartan1979]

Yes, this would be important to know. I attempted to take my first ever hydrometer reading but was having hard time taking the reading. The starsan used to disinfect tube caused a foam at surface... making a reading impossible. So gave up. Next time will disinfect prior to let dry and try again.

The strainer I used is pretty good though... a fine double mesh strainer. I may do biab in future but looking at this process first.

Why bother sanitizing the tube? If you pour the wort back in the kettle it is going to be boiled anyway.

 

[mygar]

Why bother sanitizing the tube? If you pour the wort back in the kettle it is going to be boiled anyway.

I was thinking post boil .. but after reading online .. mash efficiency is preboil reading. I have some reading up to do lol. All grain is all new to me of course

 

[VikeMan]

I was thinking post boil .. but after reading online .. mash efficiency is preboil reading. I have some reading up to do lol.

You can measure mash efficiency pre-boil or post-boil. The volume will change due to boil off, but so will the sugar/dextrin concentration, inverse proportionally. Mash efficiency is just a measure of the percent of total theoretically possible sugars/dextrins that reach the kettle.

 

[mygar]

You can measure mash efficiency pre-boil or post-boil. The volume will change due to boil off, but so will the sugar/dextrin concentration, inverse proportionally. Mash efficiency is just a measure of the percent of total theoretically possible sugars/dextrins that reach the kettle.

Thank you. After all the comments and further reading, I have been learning on this. I have intentionally ignored gravity readings on my previous brewing sessions... as all of this was totally new and just trying to take things a step at a time. So I am taking baby steps. :/

And I take it that the original gravity (OG) reading on a recipes instructions is what is theoretically possible. I have read how to calc mash efficiency … so will do all this next time!

 

[VikeMan]

And I take it that the original gravity (OG) reading on a recipes instructions is what is theoretically possible.

The OG listed in recipes always assumes some particular mash efficiency, even if it's not explicitly stated. For example, recipes in Brew Your Own (BYO) magazine assume 65% mash efficiency.

Here's a link to presentation on mash efficiency and brewhouse efficiency.
http://sonsofalchemy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Mash_Efficiency_and_Brewhouse_Efficiency.pdf

 

[mygar]

The OG listed in recipes always assumes some particular mash efficiency, even if it's not explicitly stated. For example, recipes in Brew Your Own (BYO) magazine assume 65% mash efficiency.

Here's a link to presentation on mash efficiency and brewhouse efficiency.
http://sonsofalchemy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Mash_Efficiency_and_Brewhouse_Efficiency.pdf

Ok thanks. Will take a look

 

[RM-MN]

And I take it that the original gravity (OG) reading on a recipes instructions is what is theoretically possible. I have read how to calc mash efficiency … so will do all this next time!

A recipe is a record of what someone did. It does not tell what is theoretically possible, it tells what actually happened. You will find that you need to make adjustments to a recipe based on what happened to you.

 

[Spartan1979]

I was thinking post boil .. but after reading online .. mash efficiency is preboil reading. I have some reading up to do lol. All grain is all new to me of course

Post boil, I always have enough extra that I dump the sample.

 

[mygar]

Post boil, I always have enough extra that I dump the sample.

Well this is 1 gal batch so every bit is precious. But I hear ya

 

[Mtrhdltd]

Well this is 1 gal batch so every bit is precious. But I hear ya

Refractometers only need a couple of drops and are great for the readings you want. If you use one after fermentation a correction factor is needed due to alcohol changing their accuracy.

 

[RM-MN]

Refractometers only need a couple of drops and are great for the readings you want. If you use one after fermentation a correction factor is needed due to alcohol changing their accuracy.

If you don't care about the exact FG and are only concerned that the fermentation has completed a refractometer would make sense for the small batch. Taking multiple samples with the hydrometer, even with the bare minimum of sample size, would use a fairly high percentage of the small batch. The correction calculations can get you close to the correct reading but the hydrometer is probably more accurate.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

For those who wish to minimize the beer lost due to fermentation and packaging, check out "1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!" (start scanning in the year 2018).

An alternative approach would be to decide on a desired outcome (6 pack, 12 pack, 24 pack), then scale batch size and equipment to achieve the desired outcome.

 

[mygar]

For those who wish to minimize the beer lost due to fermentation and packaging, check out "1-Gallon Brewers UNITE!" (start scanning in the year 2018).

An alternative approach would be to decide on a desired outcome (6 pack, 12 pack, 24 pack), then scale batch size and equipment to achieve the desired outcome.

Will take a look. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[bracconiere]

if you're doing a 1 gallon batch like that, i'd probably do a batch sparge....instead of trying to do a 1 gallon fly sparge, do a batch sparge.....

and if you're really worried about effec., i'd say boil it down more, wouldn't need that big a pot to boil off 1 gallon down to 1 gallon total.....i don't think it'd take too long to do either....