Sparging partial mash

[Cos]

Beersmith program has me sparging with 3 gallons for a 4 lb. partial mash, 5q mash-in, no mash-out.

I just read in a book tonight, that you should not sparge with more than 2q/lb grain to avoid getting any tannins. That would be 2 gallons of sparge.


Also, the book says that over milling the grains can cause tannins, is that correct?

 

[TheJadedDog]

I sparge my partial mash with 2 times the amount of water I used to mash with.

 

[Cos]

What's the total amount of water you pass through the grain (mash-in, mash-out, sparge)?

Beersmith has me doing 18 quarts for 4 lb of grain.

 

[FlyGuy]

Yeah, that's a bit much. IIRC Beersmith doesn't actually compute sparge water from your mash size, but rather from your equipment profile. I.e., if you need to make up water for your brew, it will ask you to sparge whatever is necessary to make up your boil volume. I think the assumption here is that you will stop sparging when you hit an SG of 1.008 or your pH starts to become too high.