| Author |
Message |
    
Leland Dunn
Junior Member
Username: Doonshiner
Post Number: 81
Registered: 09-2002
Posted From: 199.91.34.33
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 04, 2008 - 12:20 am: | 
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I fired up my new 10 gallon all grain setup this last weekend and ended with 2 full carboys of amber ale fermenting nicely in the basement. I am now trying to work out the 'quirks' with the new system. I am using a 50 quart rectangular cooler as my mashtun with a bazooka T as my manifold and doing batch sparges. I got a real good flow that reduced to a slow trickle on the first draining. Should I start the first runnings real slow? I am afraid of more stuck mashes in the future but I want to drain the wort as fast as possible to speed up the brewing process. |
Paul Hayslett
Senior Member
Username: Paulhayslett
Post Number: 1681
Registered: 02-2002
Posted From: 71.234.46.245
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 04, 2008 - 02:11 am: |
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I have almost the exact same setup now. (I used to use a braided hose for my manifold but replaced it with a Bazooka T last year.) I start out slow while recirculating, just until the grain bed is set up. Then I open the valve full and let it rip. No stuck mashes. |
Skotrat
Advanced Member
Username: Skotrat
Post Number: 708
Registered: 07-2007
Posted From: 75.67.98.168
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 04, 2008 - 01:53 pm: |
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Keeping the sparge water above the mashbed top is the key here.
I usually keep my valve open about 2/3 of the way when using any bazooka setup.
You may also want to make sure that your sparge temps are up to snuff.
Just my opinion of course |
davidw
Senior Member
Username: Davidw
Post Number: 1828
Registered: 03-2001
Posted From: 65.163.6.124
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 04, 2008 - 02:22 pm: |
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Depending on what grist you are using you can have issues with the grain bed setting up while batch sparging. I've used some malts that have such a high protein content I would get a thick layer of gray muck on top of the grain bed to the point that the run off would stop. Open the tun lid and you find your liquid sitting on top of this muck! The simple fix is to 'carve' a criss-cross pattern of lines down into the top 4-6 inches of the grain bed. That will allow the liquid to flow through. So to prevent a stuck run off from happening just keep an eye on the grain bed as you start running off, cross hatch the top of the grain bed, and it will keep flowing.
And even if you aren't seeing the layer of muck on top of your grain bed it is not a problem to do the cross hatching which opens up areas to facilitate the flow of the liquid. That's one of the nice things about batch sparging, you don't have to treat your grain bed like it a piece of china because you're going to be stirring it up with your second charge of liquor anyway. |
Paul Hayslett
Senior Member
Username: Paulhayslett
Post Number: 1682
Registered: 02-2002
Posted From: 71.234.46.245
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 04, 2008 - 03:52 pm: |
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I should have said what davidw did. I tend to think of that problem as "puddling" instead of "stuck mash" because the blockage is up on top rather than down by the manifold. But maybe it's really the same thing. I always rough up the surface a little with my mashing spoon as the wort is draining. Not 4 - 6 inches deep, just maybe an inch or two. It tends to speed the process along.
And Scott speaks Truth about temps. The only times I've had trouble draining the tun quickly were when I didn't get the grain bed hot enough.
(Message edited by paulhayslett on June 04, 2008) |
Denny Conn
Senior Member
Username: Denny
Post Number: 6787
Registered: 01-2001
Posted From: 140.211.82.4
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 04, 2008 - 03:58 pm: |
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Scott, Leland is batch sparging so water level will fall below the grain.
Leland, yes, you do need to start off slowly to set the grain bed. I've updated my webpage at www.hbd.org/cascade/dennybrew to reflect that. |
Dave Witt
Senior Member
Username: Davew
Post Number: 1119
Registered: 03-2003
Posted From: 71.194.189.126
| | Posted on Thursday, June 05, 2008 - 12:17 am: |
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Denny,
What did you think of the article about sparging in BYO, April/May? It seemed to be saying something to the effect that batch sparging exposes the grain bed, causing oxidative effects (with which I have no problems).
Sorry to hijack. |
Denny Conn
Senior Member
Username: Denny
Post Number: 6792
Registered: 01-2001
Posted From: 63.114.138.2
| | Posted on Thursday, June 05, 2008 - 06:27 pm: |
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I carried on a long dialog with Chris Colby about that issue. I (and thousands of other batch spargers)have not noticed increased oxidation from batch sparging. Although I may not have the best palate in the world, I can certainly pick out oxidation if it's there. The article raised theoretical issues, but never proved they actually were a problem for homebrewers. |
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