Braumeister sparging

[Sunter0100]

I am considering getting a Braumeister. The only thing that is putting me off is the sparging or lack of it.

If I get a 20l version and do not sparge then surely there will only be a small volume in the fermenter?

If I sparge then it means heating up water in a separate HLT which goes against going down the one vessel route?

Can you sparge with cold water? Or top up with cold water after the mash (although will this not lower effciency)?

[oakwell]

if you don't want to sparge then have a look at this,
https://forum.braumeisters.net/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=236

[chris.laws.54943]

The booklet says no need to sparge. I didn't for the first few brews and got fairly low efficiency. Started sparging by pouring 5 ish L of 78c water through the malt pipe as it drained. This is probably not "technically" sparging but it rinses the grains enough to get me to 75-80% efficiency.
By the way the BM can hold 30l. It just MAKES a 20L brew.

[IPA]

I am considering getting a Braumeister. The only thing that is putting me off is the sparging or lack of it.

If I get a 20l version and do not sparge then surely there will only be a small volume in the fermenter?

If I sparge then it means heating up water in a separate HLT which goes against going down the one vessel route?

Can you sparge with cold water? Or top up with cold water after the mash (although will this not lower effciency)?

Unless you are happy to accept low efficiency you will have to sparge. 6 litres for the 20 and 12 litres for the 50.
It is performed like this. Lift the malt tube onto the support and leave both top filters in place then very slowly pour your sparge water onto the filters. While you are doing this switch to boil mode to save some time. The word sparge incidentally is another word the English stole from the French it comes from the verb esparger which means to sprinkle.

[Sunter0100]

Thanks - does the sparge water have to be at 78 degrees? I thought the idea of a single vessel was I would not need extra equipment to heat sparge water?

[Normski]

I stopped using a HLT, I found it easier and less kit, to sparge using a 1.7l kettle with a temp controller to 78c.
I pour a few kettles over the grain, then remove the malt pipe and place it above an Fv.
Pour a kettle, check the runnings with a refractometer, if it’s good I chuck it in the boiler.
Keep going until you either get low runnings or fill the boiler.
I regularly get 34L in the FV's from one single mashed 20l Bm.
I get over 90% efficiency.

I think calling it a 20L is a bit misleading.
It's a 40l pot.
Norm

[Sunter0100]

Excellent that sounds like a simpler solution.

[IPA]

Excellent that sounds like a simpler solution.

Normski is spot on with his advice and I think the first person in England to agree with me!
I use a single plate induction hob set to 78 celcius and a 12 litre SS stockpot to heat my sparge water. These hobs cost about £30 in England but you need to get the one with variable temperature settings. With the 50 litre BM I usually have a brewlength of 57 litres so that I can fill 3 cornies.
The other advice I will offer is that if the finances run to it buy the 50 with the option 25 litre malt tube. This malt tube holds 20% more grain than that on the 20 litre BM. If you want to make strong beer and the grain bill is too big for the tube just divide it in half, mash the first half then sparge the grains. Throw away the spent grains and then mash the second half of the grains with the liquor from the first half(after cooling it to your mash in temp) This way you can easily make beer with an OG of 1100 plus. I wish you happy brewing you a making a wise choice whichever one you choose. The important thing is to leave the filters in place during the sparge.

[WallyBrew]

The word sparge incidentally is another word the English stole from the French it comes from the verb esparger which means to sprinkle.

From the LATIN spargo which means I sprinkle/strew/scatter so where did the French get it from

[Pinto]

The word sparge incidentally is another word the English stole from the French it comes from the verb esparger which means to sprinkle.

From the LATIN spargo which means I sprinkle/strew/scatter so where did the French get it from

I should imagine those damn'd romans stole the word from Sumarian or Sanskrit before that

The beat goes on.....

[Wezzel]

I love this forum. It's so edumacational

[Aleman]

Does the sparge water have to be at 78 degrees?

Not at all. In a traditional 3V system the sparge takes some time, and in a big mash tun the glucans can cause issues with slow run off. Having a high sparge temp, in 3V systems , can increase the speed of run off and prevents any potential change in the sugar composition of the wort. It does, unless you take precautions, have the potential of extracting a lot of tannins and lipids with a lowering of wort quality.

Sparging in a BM, or other BIAB system, does not have these issues and therefore there is no need to mash out or sparge with such high temp liquor. I tend not to go much higher than 72C . . Unless I'm doing some sort of odd continental beer with a strange stepped mash.

[IPA]

The word sparge incidentally is another word the English stole from the French it comes from the verb esparger which means to sprinkle.

From the LATIN spargo which means I sprinkle/strew/scatter so where did the French get it from

Approximately 75 percent of the English language has French origins the rest is made up of German and other north European languages with a few words of Indian thrown in for good measure. The French brought it when they conquered and subsequently ruled England for donkeys years. It was the official English Royal language for many years. A remaining example is when the queen the word "one" as in "one is not amused". That comes from the french "on" which is the third person singular and is often used instead of "nous" to say we. One more thing that, if you are white European, is that you are descended from one of seven women who lived in the Dordogne many thousands of years ago. Now tell me you don't like the French

[WallyBrew]

Approximately 75 percent of the English language has French origins

I think you have been in France too long and been indoctrinated by them. 75% a gross overestimation and willy the conk was from viking descent so he does not count as we had already been done by them.

[IPA]

Approximately 75 percent of the English language has French origins

I think you have been in France too long and been indoctrinated by them. 75% a gross overestimation and willy the conk was from viking descent so he does not count as we had already been done by them.

20,000 words are the same including most of the ones that end in ion ible and able. When Victor Hugo returned to France after visiting England he was asked how he had coped with language. He replied " I had no problem at all. They all speak French they just have terrible accent"