No Sparge Brewing

[Snow]

Guys, this is a fantastic thread. With mash/boil/chill times around 3-4 hours, this might be the method to tip me over the edge into all-grain. Due to beer brewing time restrictions imposed by my household social coordinator, I can only brew on weeknights. So a 6 hour brew night is not palatable when i have to work the next day, but 3-4 hours is definitely do-able! Time to start looking for a bigger esky and a 30L boiler......

Cheers - Snow

 

[MCWB]

Guys, this is a fantastic thread.

Seconded. Any technique that chops bigs chunks of time off brewday is a winner IMHO, definitely going to have to try this!

 

[sam]

I think this might be the method I start to use. Easily does mash out step, and is quick.

Are there any problems associated with having such a large body of water above the grain, it won't really have an even distrubution of grain to water. Don't know if this matters.

People seem to get caught up with efficiency angsts to easily.

Good thread

Sam

 

[dicko]

Are there any problems associated with having such a large body of water above the grain, it won't really have an even distrubution of grain to water. Don't know if this matters.

Sam.

From what I understand if you are using Jayses method then the need to stir the mash after mash out is VERY important prior to starting the lauter for clearing and draining.
Looks like Jayse and Chiller will have us all doing two brews in a day or at the least we can all sleep in another hour or so on brew day morning.

Cheers

 

[jayse]

Hi guys,
Snow if your get yourself one of these cheap high pressure burners we're using, which seem to have adopted the name here as the 'nasa' burner, you'll save the most possible time you can by having water at temp very very quickly and the boil going quickly aswell.
It may take a bit of practice with the burner valve to get the flame just right for a 60 min boil with 15% evapouration.
with this sparge method you don't need a seperate HLT and kettle as you can just use the kettle for the HLT then shift it back to the kettle postion after all the water is in the tun.

Sam iam not exactly sure by what you mean, quote> 'it won't really have an even distrubution of grain to water'
What happens with this method is your not concerned with rinsing the extract from the grains at the same time your running to the kettle.
All the extract is rinsed from the grains at the mixing in of the sparge water not during a slow lauter, what extract that is left in the grain at the end is the same gravity of the body of wort. If you take a gravity reading from the wort at the top of the tun it should read the same as the reading out of the tap.

JP has a written in HTB how to go about doing this method, he disribes how to do a multi infussion mash with four steps 40-60-70-78 to end up at your boil volume in the tun at the end.
Software is the easest way to calculate your infussion amounts. To 60 and 70 is done with 99c water about 7 litres each time.
I just do two infussions one to 65-70c and one to 78c, but i have tried many times doing more steps and its fun to give it a go, the first time i did it the palmer way with 4 steps.

So with the ease of effort, time saving,you need less gear and you get a perfect lauter this method really does rock.

Cheers Jayse

 

[Jovial_Monk]

I have probably got this wrong, but you have a water/grain ratio of 4 or 5 to one by the time the sach rest is reached? That would result in a rather dry beer?

Another way to save time on brewday is to mash in last thing at night, mash out/boil/sparge etc in the morning.

I do a variation of the no-sparge method: mashin, run out and boil the first beer, recharge the tun once the first beer is in the kettle, run out second beer, boil etc. No sparging, good efficiency and 55l of beer out of a brewday instead of just 23L


Jovial Monk

 

[Trent]

Great thread guys
Jayse, first up, in response to ya advice on batch sparging to me on grumpys, I got 72% and 75% me last 2 brews, so it is definitely better for me, but I am pretty keen to try this no sparging method. I'm about to step it up to full size batches, so if no sparge works for me, I will just get a 50L esky and start brewing that way. This question is kinda off the trail, but what is the real name of the "nasa" burner, I wanna get one, so if I get the name, I can do a google search.
Cheers everyone
Trent

 

[jayse]

Hi trent,
iam not sure what they are really called, do a search under the title 'turn up the heat' and you'll see some of chillers pics, these are sometimes refered to as turkey burners. Anyway most of us all got them from globe imports here in adelaide, i'll check the addy and post later, you'll need a very high pressure regulator so if the guy in the gas shop tries to tell you that you will be right with only a normal high pressure reg tell him thats no good you need the very very high pressure reg. This is important you don't let the guy in the store try and tell you otherwise, as we are all perfectonist as good enough is not good enough you want the real thing that you have been addvised to get.
Sorry to stress this point but some shop owners no matter how much they know about a subject they are all blanket statement make shift that'll do the job type idiots. As brewers we aren't happy with comprises and stuff that'll just do the job, we want the best.
Anyway harp on about the reg finished.
Glad to see you have some consistency in your sparging now, Now you can concentrate on your recipes and brew up a storm.
Have a beer for me trent as iam pouring one for you now. :chug:


JM, the mash thickness is as normal, the extra water goes in at the end of the mash rest. If your doing a multi step mash say 40-50-60-70 than yes by the time you get to 70c than you have quite a thin mash but what were talking about here is infusion straight to the sacc rest, the other infussion is after the mash.


Jayse

 

[Snow]

Thanks Jayse. With my birthday coming up, the "NASA" burner is at the top of the list!

- Snow

 

[Darren]

Another way to save time on brewday is to mash in last thing at night, mash out/boil/sparge etc in the morning.

Did someone mention Larks vomit?
If you leave a mash overnight you risk an overgrowth of bacteria in the tun. This can result in quite a stinky mash. This stench doesnot boil off or fade in the fermenter.
Extended mash times will also lead to staling of wort.
If you want to save time in the morning simply use an immersible electric element on a timer to pre-heat your mash sparge water and crack your grain the night before.
cheers
Darren

 

[Trent]

Thanks for that Jayse, no point in getting the right burner and the wrong equip to run it. I'll be sure to get a high pressure reg for it. Jazman mentioned globe imports aswell, just thought I would see if I could get it round here, hence wanting the name, but could order if necessary. And I'm having a beer for ya as I type
Trent

 

[Batz]

One of those burners will be on my shopping list while in Adelaide too

 

[big d]

info for those chasing these burners

globe importers pty ltd
423 magill road
st morris
south australia
5068

ph 08 8364 2488
fax 08 8364 2505

email [email protected]

they come in boxes of two and the guys can send via post etc.


cheers
big d
ive 2 and they are very very good.

 

[dicko]

Hi Guys and Girls,

Work committments have delayed my trial of no sparge brewing but yesterday was the day.
Well, I can say this.
I will be using this method from now on.
I only dropped 3% efficiency from 75% to 72% and it cut an hour of my brew day.

I am wrapped

I dont have the NASA burners but even with my burners I started at 10.00 am and finished at 1.15 pm with the yeast pitched.
All I had to do after the pitching was to clean the boil kettle.

Thanks to Jayse, Chiller, and others who contributed and I would be interested hearing from anyone else who has given this a go.

Cheers

 

[jayse]

I am wrapped



Cheers

Hi dicko,
Good to hear your first brew using this method came up well. Now with this quicker brew day you should be able to fit a couple more brews into your busy schedule.
You'll have to have everything full if batz is coming over in november. :chug: :chug:

Cheers Jayse

 

[Batz]

Hi Guys and Girls,

Work committments have delayed my trial of no sparge brewing but yesterday was the day.
Well, I can say this.
I will be using this method from now on.
I only dropped 3% efficiency from 75% to 72% and it cut an hour of my brew day.

I am wrapped

I dont have the NASA burners but even with my burners I started at 10.00 am and finished at 1.15 pm with the yeast pitched.
All I had to do after the pitching was to clean the boil kettle.

Thanks to Jayse, Chiller, and others who contributed and I would be interested hearing from anyone else who has given this a go.

Cheers

What one did you use Dicko?
I have read and re-read this thread , somehow seems to good to be true?
I will be doing my favourate APA monday morning and will give Chillers way ago , because I only have a 38 lt mash tun ( I once believed that was huge after my 19lt job)
May have to look at a keg tun in the future

Any of you Adelaide boys going to Globe Importers in the near future ?

Batz

 

[Batz]

Chiller
What size/type of mash tun do you use ?

I have a 10 gallon Igloo

Batz

 

[chiller]

Hi Batz,

Mine is a 10 US gallon Rubbermaid.


Is the colour important?


My last no sparge as in no additional water and then top up in the kettle returned very low efficiency. Set your software at 45% and you should have room to move.



Steve

 

[Trent]

Dicko
I just tried this way a few weeks ago after reading this thread, and this will be the way I do it from now on too. I found the beer tasted fuller bodied or something out of the fermenter, but as ya may have read, I got pediococcus in it, so I never got to taste the finished product. No mind, got a brew day planned for tomorrow. Thanks to everyone for the info on this topic, grade a stuff
Trent

 

[Batz]

45% :huh: :blink: :unsure: