Sparge

[AllieXoXoBeer]

I'm looking for a better understanding of the "sparge" process. Why does the mash need to be sparged? Any information on this step would be helpful. Prost.

[mr x]

Sparging rinses out the sugars so that you get the most efficiency out of the grain.

[CorneliusAlphonse]

With the initial mash step, enzymes convert the starch in the grain into sugar. Some of the sugar dissolves into the mash liquid, and some stays attaches to the grain. If you sparge (add more water after draining the initial mash liquid) then it dissolves more of the sugars, thus collecting more of the sugar from a set amount of grain (higher efficiency)

[RubberToe]

And just to make things more confusing, you could do a "no sparge" brew, in which case sparging is not necessary.

[RubberToe]

http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter17.html

What is Sparging?

Sparging is the rinsing of the grain bed to extract as much of the sugars from the grain as possible without extracting mouth-puckering tannins from the grain husks. Typically, 1.5 times as much water is used for sparging as for mashing (e.g., 8 lbs. malt at 2 qt./lb. = 4 gallon mash, so 6 gallons of sparge water). The temperature of the sparge water is important. The water should be no more than 170°F, as husk tannins become more soluble above this temperature, depending on wort pH. This could lead to astringency in the beer.

The wort should be drained slowly to obtain the best extraction. Sparge time varies depending on the amount of grain and the lautering system, .5 - 2.5 hours. Sparging means "to sprinkle" and this explains why you may have seen or heard discussion of "sparge arms" or sprinklers over the grain bed for lautering. There is no reason to fool with such things. There are three main methods of sparging: English, batch and continuous.

In the English method of sparging, the wort is completely drained from the grain bed before more water is added for a second mash and drained again. These worts are then combined. Alternatively, the first and second runnings are often used to make separate beers. The second running is lighter in gravity and was traditionally used for making a Small Beer, a lighter bodied, low alcohol beer suitable for high volume quaffing at mealtimes.

Batch Sparging is a U.S. homebrewing practice where the full volume of sparge water is mixed into the mash. The grain bed is allowed to settle, and then the wort is drained off. The re-circulation step in this process takes place in the first minutes of the sparge. You can use more than one batch of water if you need to. This method differs from the English method in that the mash is not held for any significant time at the saccharification temperature before draining.

Continuous Sparging usually results in better extractions. The wort is re-circulated and drained until about an inch of wort remains above the grain bed. The sparge water is gently added, as necessary, to keep the fluid at least at that level. The goal is to gradually replace the wort with the water, stopping the sparge when the gravity is 1.008 or when enough wort has been collected, whichever comes first. This method demands more attention by the brewer, but can produce a higher yield.

[GAM]

Allie

If you have a chance try to share a brew day with an other experienced brewer.

Sandy

[erslar00]

I haven't noticed a huge difference in the final product of the beers that I have sparged vs the beers that I don't. I often don't even notice a significant gravity difference... anyone find they had similar results? I find it just adds a lot extra time to my brew day.

[hogie]

Hi Allie,

I'll let you know the next time I'm brewing. Could be an evening this week but more likely on the weekend.

[chalmers]

I haven't noticed a huge difference in the final product of the beers that I have sparged vs the beers that I don't. I often don't even notice a significant gravity difference... anyone find they had similar results? I find it just adds a lot extra time to my brew day.

Hmm, that's strange. Could you look at it this way: if you didn't sparge with 11l after mash out (for instance), it might not raise your final gravity, but you'd end up with 11 less litres at the end of the process?
For instance, when we're calculating how a brewday wnet, we look at our original gravity and volume, vs. what the recipe should have given us (OG and vol). That way if we have 5 extra litres, but missed our gravity by 0.020, we can tell the boil wasn't vigorous enough. (Numbers are from a weekend brew were we ran out of propane mid-boil, and stuck to the timing rather than the gravities).

[dean2k]

BIAB full volume, no sparge. Generally getting 75%+ booyah.

[LiverDance]

Here are a couple of links that may be helpful

http://hbd.org/cascade/dennybrew/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://beersmith.com/batch-sparging/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Jimmy]

BIAB full volume, no sparge. Generally getting 75%+ booyah.

I'm pretty much the same - I normally hit about 77-80% for full volume, no sparge BIAB. I did a 1.070 brew this weekend and hit 78%...I'm pretty happy with that.

[AllieXoXoBeer]

Allie

If you have a chance try to share a brew day with an other experienced brewer.

Sandy

Always interested in brewing with other brewers. How do I go about knowing when other's are having a brew day?

Thanks for the help!

[AllieXoXoBeer]

Hi Allie,

I'll let you know the next time I'm brewing. Could be an evening this week but more likely on the weekend.

I would love to know when your brewing. I'm ready to starting making higher quality beer. I have so many questions around equipment and even using simples tools like a triple scale hydrometer.

[Barr]

Ol John Palmer get's pretty in depth in this podcast with a few sparging options. Made me rethink my mashing and sparging practices.

http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/540" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;