Tips on batch sparging?

[GuldTuborg]

I read that as 15 min from adding sparge water to running off, which is more than enough time. Of course, I could have read it wrong.

 

[catfishunter]

Yeah the 15 minutes is for the batch sparge. I general allow the mash to soak a minimum of 60 minutes. I'll def post all my reading next batch hopefully this week sometime. Thanks again for all the responses I really appreciate them

 

[dr_GONZO_phd]

Yeh I read the post wrong, sorry about that haha. I thought you said your total steep time was 15 minutes. That's plenty of time for the batch sparge.

 

[broadbill]

Yeah the 15 minutes is for the batch sparge. I general allow the mash to soak a minimum of 60 minutes. I'll def post all my reading next batch hopefully this week sometime. Thanks again for all the responses I really appreciate them

The 15 minute between adding the water and draining is probably not necessary either, for the record. No need to wait...

 

[briggssteel]

Try the brew365.com water calculator. It works well for me. You'll need to measure your equipment loss if you haven't already. I usually mash at 133- 1.4 quarts per gallon.

The other big thing is that you'll need a calibrated stick to measure your kettle volume. Simply do this by putting in a gallon of water into your kettle, mark it. Continue to do this until you mark it at full kettle volume. This is simple but if you're not doing this then your volumes will be off almost certainly. Run your first and second runnings together, stir well and take a gravity reading. Plug that preboil gravity reading into the brewhouse efficiency calculator on brewersfriend.com. This will tell you your efficiency. If you end up with the volume you intended with your calibrated stick then you're doing well volume wise and we can rule that out.

After this make sure you're stirring well when you put in your sparge water(that's what was causing my low efficiency), or it could of course be your grain crush. If that doesn't work try switching to a false bottom assuming your cooler is round.

Whatever efficiency you're getting isn't necessarily bad unless it's really low ( like 55% or below). The key is to find out what your efficiency is like I stated above and hit it consistently. It won't cost you that much more in grain if you're a little low.

 

[ABrother]

Just a quick question. Earlier I saw some comments on having the LHBS double mill the grain. Is this something we should be doing if we mill it ourselves or is that just to get a finer crush from the LHBS mill that's not adjusted to give a really fine crush?

 

[GuldTuborg]

Just a quick question. Earlier I saw some comments on having the LHBS double mill the grain. Is this something we should be doing if we mill it ourselves or is that just to get a finer crush from the LHBS mill that's not adjusted to give a really fine crush?

It's something that's done when you can't control the gap setting, yet want/need a finer crush. It's also done with wheat, rye, and other grains that are smaller and harder than barley and have no husk material to keep intact.

 

[zwiller]

No need to wait...

Yep; Add sparge liquor and give it a good stir and start vorlauf.

 

[bzwyatt]

I mash in a rectangular cooler with a SS mesh hose, batch sparge. I've gotten around 85%, and down to 65% mash efficiency. I haven't really been able to find out why I'm not that consistent - I always buy my grain from the same store, they've adjusted their mill (supposedly) and it didn't have a consistent impact on my efficiency; I've tried stirring a ton, mashing/sparging with more/less water, sparging as slow as possible. My final gravity is always withint the range of what I want for my recipe, but I want to get more precise and consistent.

I need a few things to get there though - I only use a hydrometer for measuring gravity, but I really want a refractometer for quicker readings. I also need a pH meter, since strips aren't all that helpful for what I'm trying to evaluate. I want a mill so I can at least be more sure of how the grain is being crushed. I don't think my HBS undercrushes, but I don't know for sure.

Anyway, I'm working on this too, so I'm going to keep an eye on this thread.

 

[TobyG]

A bazooka will leave quite a bit of wort behind. You should tip the cooler towards the spigot, especially on the first drain.

This should not be as much an issue with a Coleman Xtreme. The channel for the drain does not leave much behind, even with a Bazooka. I would probably suspect grain crush first and sparge procedure second.

 

[zwiller]

Not sure this has been mentioned, but with a mill of your own you can buy grain by the sack and this is usually a substantial savings. I could even run the numbers and show you how a mill could pay for itself that way... Trust me, a mill is one of those things were once you have it, you'll kick yourself for waiting so long time to get one.

 

[bzwyatt]

For sure. I want one pretty bad. I will be pretty happy not to need to buy so much from my LHBS. At some point, maybe nothing at all. Sort of a conflict though, because I enjoy shopping there.

But anyway, yes, I want a grain mill.