How Fast Is Your Sparge Run Off?

[Dave70]

Generally when sparging, the only thing I care about is the wort running freely and gently into the kettle.
I've never given much thought to the rate of flow.
Is there an optimal time for the average mash - lets say 5kg of grain to drain out, or would it vary from style to style?
I have heard of some guys restricting the flow to the point where it takes an hour to drain the tun - which sounds excessive for batch sparging to me, I'd imagine the wort would pick up unwanted tannins and so on, but maby not.

Have you found a rate that works for you?

 

[DJR]

An hour would be fly sparging.

For batch, i don't think it matters. Some time to swirl the water up and let it settle (5 mins or so although that seems to be an ongoing debate - i have tried 0 minutes but efficiency suffered), then recirc and run it out as fast as it comes.

I upgraded from 3/8" barbs and hose to 1/2" barbs and silicone hose, runs off much much faster now, haven't noticed any difference in finished product.

I tend to do 2 batch sparges after mashout on my system - usually about 10L of water each (mashout/strike runoff, then 1st then 2nd sparge) and it takes around 2 minutes to drain the tun each go after recirculating

 

[Bizier]

I'm not an old hand yet, but I've found that I can run full bore (half inch od valve) if I alternate between 2 buckets and just keep it constantly flowing til it runs clear.

 

[argon]

I batch sparge and just open my 1/2 inch valve and let it drain as fast as it will come out. 41L into kettle takes maybe 15-20mins. By that time the kettle's usually boiling.

 

[cdbrown]

I batch sparge and it probably takes about 15-20mins to drain each runnings - about 20L each time. I have mine restricted at the outlet of the march pump. I've pumped quickly before and took a huge efficiency hit most likely through channeling.

 

[Pennywise]

Wow, I do it really really slow then. Take me about 45 mins for 12.5L, but that time includes recirc for about 15 mins. I've found since changing to this method I get a much much clearer wort going into the kettle, and a lot less crap going into the fermenter. Trub has dropped about an inch for me now and only thing I can put it down to is the slow slow method

 

[rude]

I go slow same as pennywise good efficiency clearer wort.

Once I recirculated, started the runoff to the kettle then went inside to tend to the kids.

Went back to the garage after 30mins only to see I had left the kettle tap open wort all over the floor. :angry:

Chucked grain out & started again,that was a long brew day.

 

[mxd]

I batch sparge

1) Stir
2)5-10 min sit, 15 min recirc
3) Drain as quick as it can but
4) Add next bit of water,
5) goto 1)


it takes me about an hour for 50 or so litres into the kettle (3 drain 2 fills), I think I will go back to 2 drains 1 top up (mash out) and 1 fill)

 

[j1gsaw]

I just use a 5L water jug when i sparge, (biab)
i just pick the bag up (swear a few times until the burning stops) and just gradually pour the hot water all over/through the grains in the bag, by the end of the 5L its usually clear, and a quick taste of the grain from the centre of the bag afterwards confirms a good sparge, with no sugary taste left.
Though i have always wondered that might be a weird way to do it... the beers still come out top notch, so im happy.

 

[warra48]

I do a mash out before my first run off, then 2 batch sparges.

All up it takes at least an hour, probably closer to 1 hours. I find if I go any quicker, I potentially get a stuck sparge.
I'd rather wait a little longer than deal with a stuck sparge.

Edit: that's to collect about 32 litres into the kettle

 

[Sammus]

yeah I aim for just over 30L into the kettle, normally run off for 1-1.5hrs as a fly sparger.

 

[wobblythongs]

I run at about 800 Ml to a 1 liter per min and use the fly method using 1/2 copper with 1 mm slitted slots as a filter. I would like to run quicker but am paranoid it's going to suck husk through. Never had a problem with a low SG most times end up a little higher than expected.

 

[jimi]

I do a mash out before my first run off, then 2 batch sparges.

All up it takes at least an hour, probably closer to 1 hours. I find if I go any quicker, I potentially get a stuck sparge.
I'd rather wait a little longer than deal with a stuck sparge.

Edit: that's to collect about 32 litres into the kettle

Same, but I only do one batch after mash out.

 

[Nick JD]

S P A R G E

You guys need to get a tun prostate check.

 

[jimi]

S P A R G E

You guys need to get a tun prostate check.

:lol: Nice Nick, but seriously I find that batching doesn't make me immune to stuck sparges - slower draining seems to suit my crush.

 

[browndog]

If you batch sparge properly it should not matter how fast you draw off your wort, the only restriction is your system ie your manifold and your crush. By batch sparging I am talking about adding sparge water then giving the mash a good stir to release sugars from the grain, if you are not stiring the mash then you are doing some kind of hybrid batch-fly sparge and not realising your full potential efficiency. Batch sparging is all about stiring the mash. So your only restriction is with the crush you have, how fast can you draw the wort off without compacting the bed and getting a stuck sparge. If you are anal about having perfectly clear wort going into the kettle then you are going to be recirculating for a few minutes but then you should be able to draw your wort off as fast as your system allows without getting a stuck sparge. Brewers with well designed manifolds should be able to draw off quickly, 12L in 5 mins or so.

cheers

Browndog

 

[jakub76]

I'm using braided hose in an esky and I take my time. Initial lauter seems to take longer but, as John Palmer suggests, I just crack the tap so it's a slow and steady flow, recirc 2-3L and it takes about 45 minutes for the initial lauter then a batch sparge with about 18 litres and the 2nd runnings seem to be a lot faster/easier. 34ish litres boil volume for 24L into the fermenter after 90 min boil.

I have only had a stuck sparge in the initial lautering, never the sparge. And I f&^kin hate it - tip it all into the kettle, dismantle my mash tun, blast it out with water, put back together, replace mash, recirculate again...so frustrating, particulaarly if I've planned out my time...blows that.

My choice of adjuncts and grains affects the speed of the run off. Rice and wheat is OK but oats seems to gum it right up.

 

[dent]

I wonder about the whole crush thing, since when the enzymes react with the starch and put the sugars into solution, what remains?

 

[Thirsty Boy]

Crush and its effect on efficiency, is about the speed at which conversion occurs and a finer crush can give you higher mash efficiency, that is, more if the grain's starch converted to sugar - but then your sparge also has to get the sugars out of the tun - poor crush can result in a badly formed grain bed, which can mean channeling and poor lauter efficiency in a continuous sparge, but should make no difference at all to lauter efficiency itself in a batch sparge, but might well make a difference to the ease and speed of your run-off.

Continuously sparging i aim for about 500ml per minute - but usually end up going a bit faster than that. 90% efficiency into the kettle.

Batch sparging was exactly as per Browndog's method above and i pumped out of the tun as fast as it would go without sticking, usually about 10mins to get 27 of my 30L pre-boil, and the other 3L dribbled out into a jug over the next 10 or 15 mins while the kettle was coming to the boil. 78% efficiency into the kettle with 2 run-offs, 75% with just a single run-off or if you will, No-Sparging. Thats a hose braid in eski type set-up and always add a good couple of scoops of rice hulls to my mash.

TB

 

[remi]

I batch sparge, usually in 2-3 batches depending on whether I'm making a single or double batch (50L mash tun). Recirculate for 10-15 min with the pump on through fully open 1/2 inch fittings, pump to the kettle the same way- no flow restriction at all. Never had a stuck sparge (although I don't do many wheat beers). 90% effiency on normal gravity beers.

Remi