Stop sparge at 1.010 or 1.028 when its 158f?

[Brew_Meister_General]

At 158f the gravity of my sparge (according to Brewer's Friend) will appear as 1.028 rather than 1.010.

So do I stop at 1.028 or 1.010 to avoid tannin extraction?

 

[303Dan]

If you're going to measure the gravity of your runnings to determine when to stop sparging, I'd chill a sample to closer to room temperature before measuring as the temperature corrections on a hydrometer reading can be unreliable/inaccurate. Even easier if you're using a refractometer since the sample is tiny and will cool quickly.

With that being said, my advice would be to invest in a pH meter and start acidifying your sparge water to somewhere just under 6 and then you won't have to worry extracting tannins anymore. That's what I did and I've been a lot happier with the "worry free" fly sparge.

Dan

 

[Brew_Meister_General]

With that being said, my advice would be to invest in a pH meter and start acidifying your sparge water to somewhere just under 6 and then you won't have to worry extracting tannins anymore. That's what I did and I've been a lot happier with the "worry free" fly sparge.

Dan

Is that true!? I always bring it down to 5.2 like most people I believe but I haven't heard that before. That would amazing if it were indeed true although I need to triple check that just to be sure. Do you have any reference like BYO say?

Thanks.

 

[doug293cz]

Is that true!? I always bring it down to 5.2 like most people I believe but I haven't heard that before. That would amazing if it were indeed true although I need to triple check that just to be sure. Do you have any reference like BYO say?

Thanks.

I wouldn't use BYO as the ultimate authority on anything. I have seen some incorrect information from them (sorry, can't remember exactly what, but I made a note to wear my skeptic's hat when reading their stuff.)

The standard "avoid tannins" pH value is 6, but I like to have have some margin vs. the limit, so recommend 5.8 as a sparge water pH.

Brew on

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

You need high pH (>6) and high temp (>170F) to extract tannins. Keep either one in line and you're OK. I keep them both in line (I acidify my sparge water) just for insurance.

 

[Brew_Meister_General]

I wouldn't use BYO as the ultimate authority on anything. I have seen some incorrect information from them (sorry, can't remember exactly what, but I made a note to wear my skeptic's hat when reading their stuff.)

The standard "avoid tannins" pH value is 6, but I like to have have some margin vs. the limit, so recommend 5.8 as a sparge water pH.

Brew on

I read that supposedly 5.2 is good in terms of the boil in terms of the formation of the hot break and the coagulation of proteins, which means it has benefits relating to stability and clarity. I can't remember where I read it, I imagine it was amongst the forum but even Brewer's Friend's Water Calculator advocates a sparge pH of 5.4.

 

[303Dan]

Is that true!? I always bring it down to 5.2 like most people I believe but I haven't heard that before. That would amazing if it were indeed true although I need to triple check that just to be sure. Do you have any reference like BYO say?

Thanks.

I wouldn't use BYO as the ultimate authority on anything. I have seen some incorrect information from them (sorry, can't remember exactly what, but I made a note to wear my skeptic's hat when reading their stuff.)

The standard "avoid tannins" pH value is 6, but I like to have have some margin vs. the limit, so recommend 5.8 as a sparge water pH.

Brew on

Here, take a look at this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=525060

Like Doug, I usually shoot for about 5.8 when I acidify my sparge water. My local water starts out at a pH of about 8.0 with moderate alkalinity. I use Lactic Acid, personally, but there are other options. It may not be necessary in most situations, but it makes me feel good that there's one less thing to worry about.

The only time I don't do this is when I use distilled water, which I do for certain styles that my local water isn't well suited for.

Dan