New Brunswick Craft Brewers Association
Brewing => Technique => Topic started by: Chris Craig on March 17, 2013, 07:58:26 PM
-
I've been reading a bit about the no-sparge method recently. It seems as if you lose about 10% efficiency this way versus batch sparging. Has anybody actually tried this? I'd be willing to throw an extra 2lbs of grain in the mash to save 20 minutes of sparging.
-
Only 10%? I would have assumed more. Perhaps it depends on the size of your mash?
Yeah it it was just a couple of pounds extra then I might be game when I'm in a hurry.
It takes about 20 or so minutes for the boil to begin once i drain into the kettle so a couple of quick sparges fits right in there.
I think its worth doing at least one quick sparge. I do two quick ones and still only get about 73% efficiency.
-
I think it's worth an experiment :)
-
Actually, I guess no experiment is necessary. We can just measure the first runnings gravity and figure out the pre-boil gravity with enough top-up water to reach the target pre-boil volume.
-
I used to watch a bit of this fella Don osborn on youtube and he did a video on this...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_W7e7RXxXA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_W7e7RXxXA)
This was also just him experimenting, but he found he didnt have any efficiency loss, although he did add water for a mashout...
I assume the idea is putting your entire volume of water in the cooler for the mash? So that your first runnings is your pre-boil volume... correct? So the water you were going to sparge with goes into the mash ... Maybe thats incorrect, but that sounds like the same process as BIAB
-
I was thinking of mashing normally, getting the first runnings, and topping off the kettle with water to get the correct volume. I hadn't thought of adding all the water to the cooler. I'm not sure my 48 qt cooler would be big enough to hold everything.
-
I was thinking of mashing normally, getting the first runnings, and topping off the kettle with water to get the correct volume. I hadn't thought of adding all the water to the cooler. I'm not sure my 48 qt cooler would be big enough to hold everything.
I think you'd take a much greater than 10 point hit only adding your strike addition.
-
You may be right Jeff. I found this article just now: http://www.promash.com/TipsNTricks/Comm ... ticle.html (http://www.promash.com/TipsNTricks/CommonTasks/MechOfNoSparge_Article.html)
He says he needs an additional 30-50% of the grain for this method. It's a good article.
-
From my parti gyle experience i would say your loss would closer to 25% or more.
My first runnings totalled roughly 6gal with an OG of 1.091.
I filled the mash tun with water on the same grain and it sat for an hour while i boiled the first runnings.
The second runnings from the mash tun had an OG of 1.040 if I remember correctly.
So, i would definitely sparge. Either that or parti gyle.
If you haven't tried parti gyle brewing, you should try it. It's very interesting just how different both beers taste.
-
Yeah I was under the impression that no-sparge meant a thinner mash to compensate.
-
Thats what i would think too Richard. The downfall is needing a huge mash tun for a thin mash...like a 3:1 ratio .