It may be buried in your posts above, but I didn’t see it if you stated whether you’re batch or fly sparging. I batch sparge and I have found that the initial runoff rate can really influence whether the sparge sticks toward the end.
In other words, if you open the valve wide open and run off fast in the beginning, the grainbed can get very compacted and because of the simple outflow design, it may stick well before the runoff is complete.
I have found that if I start the run-off at a more controlled pace, the rate is much more constant throughout the batch. I’m sure that Denny and many others have said the same over time, so this certainly isn’t my discovery, but I have had good luck lately crushing fine enough that I was seriously scared and using a modest runoff rate, which also ended up being very consistent from beginning to end.
Another thing that I believe has helped–running off at higher temps affects viscosity and should also decrease the chances of getting stuck. A mashout step will help with the first runnings in this regard, and making sure the temp of your batch infusion is high enough to get the grainbed up to 165-170F will help on the 2nd.
[quote=“rustyhoover”]It may be buried in your posts above, but I didn’t see it if you stated whether you’re batch or fly sparging. I batch sparge and I have found that the initial runoff rate can really influence whether the sparge sticks toward the end.
In other words, if you open the valve wide open and run off fast in the beginning, the grainbed can get very compacted and because of the simple outflow design, it may stick well before the runoff is complete.
I have found that if I start the run-off at a more controlled pace, the rate is much more constant throughout the batch. I’m sure that Denny and many others have said the same over time, so this certainly isn’t my discovery, but I have had good luck lately crushing fine enough that I was seriously scared and using a modest runoff rate, which also ended up being very consistent from beginning to end.
Another thing that I believe has helped–running off at higher temps affects viscosity and should also decrease the chances of getting stuck. A mashout step will help with the first runnings in this regard, and making sure the temp of your batch infusion is high enough to get the grainbed up to 165-170F will help on the 2nd.[/quote]
Well,I guess I have quite bit to learn yet about sparging.I’ve never even heard the terms “batch sparging” or “fly sparging” before.I didn’t know there were different methods of sparging. :cheers: I mean food,for thought.
This link:
http://hbd.org/cascade/dennybrew/
provides a great overview.
I don’t think it’s important that you know everything about every type of system, just that you are paying attention to the right things for whichever method you do use.
