So how does this sparge work? I am doing fly sparge but my numbers are not very good. Do you just keep running water through the grain until it is completely clear and then boil off the excess water? I used a set amount and I don't think I got much of the sugars out of the grain as I could have.
Sparging!!
- Thread starter dokken5
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Read this and subsequent sections in detail. In fact it's a good website (and book) that answers all the basic and intermediate topics.
http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/index.html
http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/index.html
sboyajian
Well-Known Member
Depends on your setup. For me, I have a 5 gallon cooler for my mash tun, so I have to fly sparge due to space limitations. To get good efficiency (75%), it takes me about an 1:45. If I push it to 2 hours, I usually get 85-90%. This will usually give me about 6.5 gallons of preboil.
I use this to get my numbers (sparge volume): http://www.brew365.com/mash_sparge_water_calculator.php
I use this to get my numbers (sparge volume): http://www.brew365.com/mash_sparge_water_calculator.php
sboyajian
Well-Known Member
I generally lose ~1 gallon over a 60 minute boil, so I always try to start with 6.5g. I do 5.5 into my primary fermenter as it allows me to put a full 5 gallons into secondary if I use one, while leaving as much yeast cake and trub, as I can, behind.
Your sparge volume should be close to your batch size. You can determine your mash efficiency by comparing your mash gravity to this chart:
You should be between 90-100% of the chart value. And yes, since water evaporates during the boil you are going to boil off excess water.
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