Sparging Questions

[dchalladay]

Hey There!

This is my 2nd batch of beer and my 1st one using all grain. The directions I have, although detailed, are a little confusing since it is my first time doing it this way. Below I have put the directions that I have on how to sparge it but but my question is the last one (in red). What is the proper way to do this? Do I simply keep my mash/grain in the strainer and pour my wort over it and strain into the pot again?

Heat additional 4 quarts (3.8 liters) of water to 170°F (77°C).
• Set up your “lauter tun” (a strainer over a pot).
• Carefully add the hot grain mash to the strainer, collecting the liquid that
passes through.
• This liquid is called “wort” (pronounced “wert”). It will be your beer.
• Slowly and evenly pour 170°F (77°C) water over the mash to extract the
grain’s sugars.
• You want to collect 5 quarts (4.75 liters) of wort. You will lose about 20%
to evaporation later on, so you want to start with a bit more than you’ll end
with.
• Re-circulate wort through grain once.

 

[theonetrueruss]

Looks like that is what they want you to do. The first pass through should set the grain in the strainer and the second pass through will filter out many more particles that are best kept out of your beer.

 

[dchalladay]

Thanks trueruss! Ill let you know how it goes.

 

[doug293cz]

Sounds like Brooklyn Brew Shop instructions. Am I right?

What those instructions recommend is not sparging, and will actually lower your mash efficiency vs. a true sparge. This method causes the wort retained in the grain to have the same sugar concentration as the recovered wort. If you pour the sparge water over the grain, then the wort retained in the grain will have a much lower sugar concentration, meaning that you get more of the sugar in your boil pot.

Here's what you want to do:

1. Stir the mash well after alloted mash time.
2. Pour the mash into a strainer over a pot large enough to hold the mash volume.
3. Wait for the mash to drain.
4. [Optional] Slowly pour the collected wort back thru the strainer. This will filter the wort. Clearer wort looks nicer, but doesn't actually produce clearer beer.
5. Now, slowly pour the hot sparge water over the mash in the strainer, taking care to distribute the water as evenly as possible across the grain. This will rinse residual sugar from the grain.
6. Proceed with boil.

You will still get beer if you follow the original directions, so choice is up to you.

Brew on