Batch Sparging

[PMH0810]

What I understand from batch sparging (reading and from this thread) is:

Strike water & grain bill "stew" for 60mins.

Add half required fluid volume, recirculate grain bill; leave for 10 mins, drain.

Repeat with 2nd half of required fluid.

Is this about right? If so, does a Calculator exist for volumes (site has a number of good calculators - not spotted this one yet).

If not right, can anyone shed light in w2ords of one syllable?

Also, If batch sparging requires a higher grain bill, what % higher? Do I apply the same % to grain and hops?

[Should drink more]

Changing the subject just slightly,

I would like to have a go at a wheat beer but I'm nervous about the higher risk of stuck mashes. Is batch sparging less risk than fly and if so which if any of the 3 methods at the start of this thread is lowest risk?

[buzzrtbi]

i prefer batch sparging but what is the theory when using a revolving sparge arm in order to avoid disturbing the grain bed? by batch sparging and giving it a good stir when adding batch number 2 from the HLT this opposes what the fine spray the arm produces?

whats the story here? apologies for being thick....

[fivetide]

So... ...stupid question once more. Bacth sparging pretty much negates the need for a sparge manifold or spinny arm doesn't it? Much more liquid in the tun, no runules or anything, just a good stir and leave for ten each time is that right?

What's the catch - sounds so much easier than slowly trickling through diffused sparge water.

[roger the dog]

So... ...stupid question once more. Bacth sparging pretty much negates the need for a sparge manifold or spinny arm doesn't it? Much more liquid in the tun, no runules or anything, just a good stir and leave for ten each time is that right?

What's the catch - sounds so much easier than slowly trickling through diffused sparge water.

I think the major drawback is supposed to be lower efficiency but it's not something I worry about. IIRC someone helpfully worked out my efficiency on one of my first AG's (I've always batch sparged) & it was pretty high.

Another advantage for me is that once I've added the second batch of sparge water the HLT then becomes my boiler, the first sparge run-off I've collected in an FV goes in the boiler, whilst this is coming up to the boil the second sparge is being run-off.

If I wanted to do this while fly sparging I'd need a seperate HLT / boiler.

[Stonechat]

Being very fluid the grain bed quickly settles as you've probably found so after recirculating a few times it doesn't take long before it starts filtering all the visible particles out of the run off. There was a time when everyone used to think it was necessary to achieve a completely clear run off but more recently many batch spargers have found this is unnecessary.

Do they find it unnecessary because they are prepared to have more trub precipitated out during the boil and then also for the cold break on chilling?
If that is so, then the posts showing the first runnings being jugged back via cooking foil also seem redundant.
Or am I missing something?

[Stonechat]

Two questions:
no 1 is your confidence regarding being able to create clear clean tasting beers relate to your use of Ringwood yeast, as a beast of a yeast can more readily cope with any trub carried over into the FV?
no 2 when adding the grain bill to my mash liquor I always leave the wheat malt(most of my own recipes have 5% in for head retention and that certain twang I like) until the last so that it hopefully stays at the top of the mash heap. Is this worth doing or am I deluding myself ?

[buzzrtbi]

I use a whirlfloc tab at the end and boil a little harder through that turning on the second element occasionally.

is this better (or same) as adding Irish Moss do you reckon?

[buzzrtbi]

thanks Daab, will give it a try. any specific type?

[buzzrtbi]

is there any merit in using some form of mechanical filtration such as a paper coffee filter to take out the crud in the run-off from the sparger? if this is too fine a filter how about a metal-type scourer? or is this superfluous given the boil process will have other crud chucked in (in the form of hops etc.)?

[buzzrtbi]

well that is interesting. so is filtration (other than a hop strainer) required from Copper to FV?

All this is very interesting given how careful I used to be when fly sparging and recirculating and being so careful not to disturb the grain bed. Just think of how much time I wasted !!

What do micro breweries do? The ones I have seen still seem to use a form of sparge arm?

[BarryNL]

What Subsub said, although I think No. 1 is the accepted way it should be done & it'll certainly be the quickest

I'd agree. I only do a 3 stage batch sparge if I can't get the volume I want from doing it in two stages (i.e. I'm making a strong beer and my mash tun isn't big enough). I don't think there's any great benefit to doing a third sparge.

[SteveD]

Method A, and use more grain than necessary. I've just posted a long discourse about it!

Higher the efficiency = lower the quality of wort. Who wants it?

[PMH0810]

Method A, and use more grain than necessary. I've just posted a long discourse about it!

Higher the efficiency = lower the quality of wort. Who wants it?

Any chance of a link?

[SteveD]

Unfortunately as the sugar content drops the ph rises sharply and the combination of a ph of 6 (some say 7) or more and hot water can extract tannins and phenols which reduce the quality of the wort causing astringency and can produce a haze.

...and husk flavours