I have a mash tun that could easily handle a 10 gallon batch. Also have a HLT cooler that could hold sparge water. However, how could I easily, yet relatively evenly, split the wort to two kettles. I do not have a kettle large enough to handle 10 gallons. I do have 2 8 gallon kettles. I've heard of the parti gyle, but wondering if anyone has any tips for keeping the gravties a little closer. Thank you.
Splitting a 10 gallon batch
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Simple, store your runnings in 3 buckets, then mix whichever you want into your kettle.
To keep the gravity even, add half a bucket of each to your kettle. Use a marked dipstick (dowel) to measure volume by wort height.
If you're worried about enzymatic activity changing your wort profile, do a 10' mashout. This is not easy to do in a cooler mash tun, taking a huge amount of boiling water, leaving little for sparging. So lauter each of your runnings to your kettle, bring to 170F, hold for 10' then fill the bucket(s). This uses the batch sparge technique, the easiest of all.
To keep the gravity even, add half a bucket of each to your kettle. Use a marked dipstick (dowel) to measure volume by wort height.
If you're worried about enzymatic activity changing your wort profile, do a 10' mashout. This is not easy to do in a cooler mash tun, taking a huge amount of boiling water, leaving little for sparging. So lauter each of your runnings to your kettle, bring to 170F, hold for 10' then fill the bucket(s). This uses the batch sparge technique, the easiest of all.
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Jtk78
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Thank you. I knew there was something easy I hadn't thought of yet.
I do batch sparge. Do you think the enzymatic activity changing you mentioned is something I should be concerned about. My initial thoughts are to just collect my first runnings and batch sparge in the buckets, split it all amongst the two kettles, and go. Due to only having 1 chiller, one of the kettles may sit a little bit for staggering purposes, but I could always heat that one to 170 and hold it there for the 10 mins.
I do batch sparge. Do you think the enzymatic activity changing you mentioned is something I should be concerned about. My initial thoughts are to just collect my first runnings and batch sparge in the buckets, split it all amongst the two kettles, and go. Due to only having 1 chiller, one of the kettles may sit a little bit for staggering purposes, but I could always heat that one to 170 and hold it there for the 10 mins.
If you can't boil both batches at the same time, the wort sitting in those buckets for an hour will become a bit more fermentable. Beta-amylase keeps gnawing the ends of the dextrins while it remains active in the 130-158F range. Usually some extra fermentability is not a problem. If you suffer enough heat loss while lautering and the wort drops below 130F you don't have to worry about it.
When you have 2 kettles it's easy to perform a mashout on the batch that's going to sit around, to keep that wort profile full-bodied. IMO, it suffices to denature the 1st and 2nd runnings, since the third runnings don't have all that much sugar left. My 2nd runnings are typically in the 1.040 range, mashing with a 1.5 water to grain ratio, and splitting the sparge into 2 equal volumes. There's a checkbox for that in BeerSmith.
Alternatively, you could sparge with cold or lukewarm water, temporarily halting enzyme activity.
Just a word of caution when lifting full or even half full kettles, I stopped doing that after springing a small hernia.
Staggering the boils by say 10' allows you to chill one to 180-170F, while the other one finished up the boil. If you do whirlpool hops, staggering is even better since you'll be very busy suddenly.
When you have 2 kettles it's easy to perform a mashout on the batch that's going to sit around, to keep that wort profile full-bodied. IMO, it suffices to denature the 1st and 2nd runnings, since the third runnings don't have all that much sugar left. My 2nd runnings are typically in the 1.040 range, mashing with a 1.5 water to grain ratio, and splitting the sparge into 2 equal volumes. There's a checkbox for that in BeerSmith.
Alternatively, you could sparge with cold or lukewarm water, temporarily halting enzyme activity.
Just a word of caution when lifting full or even half full kettles, I stopped doing that after springing a small hernia.
Staggering the boils by say 10' allows you to chill one to 180-170F, while the other one finished up the boil. If you do whirlpool hops, staggering is even better since you'll be very busy suddenly.
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Jtk78
I'm here for the beer!
Thanks again. I don't move my kettles to much. Typically only when the boil is done and they're going near the sink for chilling. Hover, I put it on a flat cart and gently wheel it around.
I think my plan would be to get the wort separated, fire one burner up to get it to a boil, and just get the other over the 170 mark and hold it for a bit. So essentially mash out in the kettle. At 45mins left in the first boil, fire up the second to get in in a boil.
I think my plan would be to get the wort separated, fire one burner up to get it to a boil, and just get the other over the 170 mark and hold it for a bit. So essentially mash out in the kettle. At 45mins left in the first boil, fire up the second to get in in a boil.
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