I have a keggle system with a false bottom that sits on the bottom of the keg. The question I have is regarding the water for mash. I usually use between 1.25-1.5 qts/lb of grain. When it comes to sparging, should I account for the volume below the false bottom as part of my final volume to brew kettle? I have very little equipment loss, possibly less than 1/2 gallon.
I use a kettle with a false bottom as a mash tun. It has a ball valve is just below the false bottom. There is 1.5 gallons below the false bottom.
My all grain instructions in a kit from another supplier says not to include the amount of water below the false bottom when figuring the amount of mash water, just what is above it. So I don’t. I do the same witht all kits. When fly sparging I collect my proper amount of pre-boil wort that I need to make 5 gallons taking into account the boil off.
What ever amount you leave behind, you need to add that much extra sparge water to get your preboil volume.
I was just coming here to ask a similar question; I have a 15.5 gallon keg with a false bottom and dip-tube combo and I was wondering if anyone else had a similar setup and what the “loss” value was that you used?
Thanks!
[quote=“jezmez68”]I was just coming here to ask a similar question; I have a 15.5 gallon keg with a false bottom and dip-tube combo and I was wondering if anyone else had a similar setup and what the “loss” value was that you used?
Thanks![/quote]
Each system will be slightly different. If you dip tube is slightly shorter, you could be a pint off of someone else. Best to put enough water in the keg to get it to drain. Then drain it and see how much liquid is left.
I made a dip tube for my 15 gallon kettle using a piece of silicone tubing hooked to the ball valve using a 1/2 in. barb, and it extends to the opposite end of the kettle with another stainless 1/2 inch barb in the end to keep it on the bottom of the kettle beneath the false bottom. I bought a March pump to recirculate the wort at the end of the mash to set the grain bed. While fly sparging I use the pump to draw out the same amount of wort that the sparg arm is putting in the kettle. I sparge until I hit my pre boil amount which is about 8.7 gallons. I then dump what is left in the mash tun. Usually after the boil when I rack the wort to the carboy I have to leave behind about a gallon of gunk. This time everything went into the carboy except for about 1/2 qt left in the brew kettle. I don’t know if it was the new process I did or if the grain crush and low hop addition (1/2 oz total hops) had anything to do with way less sediment.
