Speed of Sparge

[SiHoltye]

Hello,

When sparging from my converted coolbox I open the tap fully (recirculating the first 4L via a jug). This means my sparge time is short at 15-20mins for 6kg to 36L. It doesn't seem to affect my calculations with regard to water volume required or OG.

If I slow down the sparge process by reducing outflow at the tap I guess a more prolonged wash of the grains may lead to a more concentrated wort. But are there any problems I'm inviting by sparging so quick?

The last brew (all pale perle) fair flew through, and has fermented well so far, just wondered if I was lining myself up for haze issues or other probs?

At what flow rate do you sparge? I'm about 1.8 to 2.5L/min.

[Vossy1]

I think you'll be alright SH

An IPA I made, which is one of the few I've made free of haze, was sparged at 5ltr/min ish, and like you, efficiency was as it should be

[Dan]

i usualy sparge at 500-800ml per min. over a period of 1 hour
mash eff is usualy 82-85%
a fast run off that doesnt get stuck is great. I think people usualy prolong sparges for the sake of effeciency.

[Wez]

I've always been a slow sparger - 1lt per min, might increase this though on the next brew (hopefully a week tomorrow) as time is valuable at the moment

[Aleman]

Last brew was 95 L in 30 minutes, puts me at about 3L per minute.

FWIW I remember Dan Listerman (Of Spiny Sparger fame) saying that the spiny was designed to deliver 5 (US) gallons of water over 45 minutes. (At 1ft of head) Personally there is no way I would want to wait that long, as with 85+ Litres to go through I would be looking at a THREE HOUR! Sparge

With a slow sparge your efficiency does increase, mine was in the 90+% mark, but I make better beer now its fallen back to 75-80%

[SiHoltye]

Fab.

With no negative science, I'm a happy fast sparger.

[spearmint-wino]

SiH. - I take it you batch sparge? I could try and fly-sparge that fast but I don't think it's physically possible!

[Vossy1]

I could try and fly-sparge that fast but I don't think it's physically possible!

You can, but you couldn't use a Phils sparger thingy. You'd have to make your own sparge to up the flow rate

[spearmint-wino]

Yeah I guess you would, although all the info I've read says to try and go for a long fly-sparge - 45 mins or more...?

[Vossy1]

Yeah I guess you would, although all the info I've read says to try and go for a long fly-sparge - 45 mins or more...?

If you have the time, and a system that works, why bother changing it.
There are pro's and cons to both options, I think at the end of the day it's a personal choice

[spearmint-wino]

Aye quite right, although anything that would knock some time off a brewday would be a bonus . That might have to wait until I go batch-sparge at some point in the dim & distant future (when my spinny sparger breaks)

[SiHoltye]

I fell into what I do, I planned to use a spinny but H&G couldn't supply one with my kit in the end so I use PVC tubing from my HLT tap moved around over the mesh diffuser sitting on top of the grist. Balancing the flow from the HLT with the speed of the MT outflow. Just lately though trying to keep up with the outflow! I keep the MT liquor level up to the top of the grist whilst sparging and am happy that I'm spreading the flow over the diffuser (my efficiency seems OK so no real channelling and bypass). Next time I'll only half open the MT out tap and see if efficiency goes up over the assumedly longer sparge. Just for interest really, I don't want to lengthen the brew day unnecessarily. I think in money terms a 10% increase in efficiency on my scale is pretty irrelavent. A point Mr Edge makes in his article:
http://www.craft brewing.org.uk/technical/extdoc/thedraff.pdf