Brewer's Friend Home Brewing Software

Almost time for the hop harvest

It is almost that time of year – the hops harvest!   For us, Centennial, Mt. Hood and Hallertau are almost ready. Nugget is not yet ready.

Harvesting and storing hops:

• It is time to pick when the petals on the cones just start fading to brown.
  
• The vines can be cut down to the base and composted.  Vines can also be buried to propagate the plant for next year.
  
• The cones must be dried before packaging. Make sure not to mix up the varieties.  A low budget solution is to setup a drying rack made from an old screen and saw horses. Leave them from 2 days in a protected area like the garage. A food dehydrator works too, and much faster.
  
• When dry and ready for packaging, the cones will open up some.
  
• Then it is time to vacuum seal.  Store the sealed bags, labeled, in a freezer, where they will keep for years.

Posted in Hops Growing | 2 Comments »

Anatomy of a Corny Keg

If you do not keg your beer already, someday you almost certainly will. It is a superior package for the home brewer. They save time and they feel cool. Only downside is they are not portable.  Cornelius kegs, or corny kegs for short, are a widely available means for home brewers to package their beer. Generally they hold 5 gallons.  Most of the ones home brewers use were formerly soda kegs.   Beyond the keg itself, a CO2 tank, regulator, gas in line, gas in connector, beer out connector, and a beer line + picnic tap are needed to complete the setup.

The following is an introduction to what a 3, 5 or 10 gallon home brewing keg is comprised of and what to look for while using and maintaining them.

KEG VESSEL ITSELF: This is a SS vessel which can have a volume ranging from 3-10 gallons typically. When buying kegs, the condition of outer vessel itself is of little concern… dents, scrapes and bruises from years of service will not affect the performance of the keg. If you want pretty kegs, you can buy them new, but there is a price for vanity.

LID: Lids come in different shapes depending upon keg make and model but the purpose is the same, to provide you with a large opening and access to the inside of the keg for filling and cleaning. Lids require pressure to properly seal, this is a plug type lid, it actually fits inside the keg where the pressure inside the keg pushes the lid out, tightening the seal as the pressure increases. The bail (locking handle) on the lid has small rubber feet, if these are worn or missing they can affect how well the lid seals since these feet help to pull the lid into place as well. If your lid simply will NOT seal on the first or second attempt, open the lid and turn it 180 degrees and try again, I assure you it will (if your seal is not faulty). Lids themselves will not wear out, but the O-ring around the circumference of the lid will, as well as the small rubber feet on the locking handle.

PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE: This valve is located in the center of the lid and is simply used to purge the pressure from the keg at any time. Typical use this when you fill a keg and wish to purge the O2 from the head space before storing, or to relieve excess pressure after carbonating your beer at a pressure higher than your desired serving pressure. These spring loaded valves have a small rubber foot inside them that can wear and lead to a leak, but are easily replaced by unscrewing them and then inserting a new valve.

KEG POSTS: The keg has (2) posts, beer out and gas in, these are not interchangeable. There is one purpose to these posts, provide a means by which to secure a gas line and a beer line. Ball lock kegs are like quick disconnects with small ball bearings that will catch in a groove on the post to secure the connector. Pin lock posts will have three small pins that provide a locking mechanism so that you may twist and lock the connector into place. Depending on the make and model you will need different tools to remove these post for cleaning or maintenance. For the typical HEX post I recommend a suitably sized crescent wrench as these can vary in size. Other keg posts are star shaped with many small points, these will require a special tool. These rarely wear out, unless they become bent. Replace these with the style appropriate for your make and model of keg. (see poppets below as well)

POPPETS: These small spring loaded devices sit atop the dip tube and inside (under) the keg posts. The spring and pressure inside the keg will press these poppets securely into the small hole in the keg post so that the keg will remain sealed and pressurized when not in use. When you attach a gas or beer line, that connector will have a small pin in the center that will push the poppet in, thus allowing the flow of gas and beer. These wear out, these will leak and these do require cleaning and replacement at time. Poppets may look the same but they are NOT! You must be sure to buy replacement poppets that fit your make and model of keg or they may not seal inside the keg post.

DIP TUBES: Dip tubes come in two types, GAS IN and BEER OUT, associated with the GAS IN and BEER OUT keg posts. The difference between these two is that the gas tube only protrudes into the keg about one inch, while the beer out tube extends all the way to the bottom (so you can get all of that goodness out). These are mainly comprised of SS, though I have seen rare instances where the gas lines will be plastic. These components do not wear out, but if you do need to replace one, they are readily available.

O-RINGS: There are typically O-rings in the following locations:
Lid: (1)
Gas dip tube: (1)
Beer dip tube: (1)
Gas in post: (1)
Beer out post: (1)

These O-rings will wear and need replacement at some point, but the sizes are standard so you can buy them anywhere keg components are sold, or find the industrial equivalents at a supplier like McMaster-Carr.

Stay tuned for an article on keg maintenance.

Posted in Equipment | 6 Comments »

CCB Haus Ale All Grain Aussie No Chill

This beer can be a staple in anyones refrigerator or kegerator. A light and crisp gateway beer for the non-homebrewing crowd, this beer is a great thirst quencher on a hot summer day, or a great session beer for anytime gatherings.

The following recipe is based on 82% brew house efficiency. See an explanation of brew house efficiency here at Brewers Friend.

Style: Blond Ale

BJCP Guidelines:
OG: 1.038-1.054
FG: 1.008-1.013
ABV: 3.8-5.5
IBU: 15-28
SRM: 2.0-5.0

Recipe Targets:
OG: 1.040
FG: 1.008-1.010
ABV: 4.2%-3.94%
IBU: 23.2
SRM: 5.0
Volume: 5.5 gallons

Malt Bill:
Rahr 2-Row Pale Malt 6.0 lbs
Caramel Pils 0.5 lbs
Vienna 0.5 lbs
Crystal 20L 0.5 lbs

Water Profile:
Ca: 46 SO4: 58 Mg: 8.3 Na: 17 Cl: 25 (carb): 76

Mash in with 3.75 gallons (2qt/lb) of water at 160F to rest at 152F for 60 minutes. This water was also treated with Five Star Buffer 5.2.

Mash out at 168F utilizing additional infusions or direct heat.

Collect 8.00 gallons (adjust to compensate for your own boil rate) at a SG of 1.028

Boil for 100 minutes with the following hop schedule. (Adjust your qty. to adjust for any difference in AA value)

Cascade 7.2AA .25oz FWH
Cascade 7.2AA .25oz 100 min.
Cascade 7.2AA .25oz 35 min.
Cascade 7.2AA .25oz 20 min.

Chill wort to pitching temperature. See an explanation of “no chill” brewing here at Brewers Friend.

Yeast: SafAle (Fermentis) S-05 (you may choose to use any clean fermenting yeast strain such as WLP001, Nottingham or California Ale)

Fermentation Temperature: 68F

Time in Primary: 14 days

Carbonation: 2.50 volumes

Posted in Recipes | 1 Comment »

Introduction to Partial Mash Brewing

Whether you’re a novice home-brewer who has outgrown kits and all-extract limitations, or a long-time brewer looking for an easier day brewing, the partial-mash technique of brewing has several merits worth exploring. It is considerably less time- and labor-intensive than all-grain brewing, requiring fewer steps and less cleaning.

Process-wise, partial-mash brewing most closely resembles extract brewing, and is a good intermediate step before going all grain. With partial mash brewing, some of the fermentable sugars come from mashed grains, and the rest from extract. The introduction of a more natural mash process using fresh ingredients translates into higher quality beer. The added control also allows for a boarder variety of styles and control.

The transition from all-extract to partial-mash brewing is fairly simple. In terms of hardware all that is needed extra are a strainer or grain bag, a floating thermometer, and an extra cook pot. In terms of brewing, it is just one additional step called mashing.

Mashing is simply the process of converting the starches in grains to sugars. All it takes is crushing the grain, and steeping it for an hour at 150F. The husks are then separated from the wort that is left behind, and the boil proceeds as normal.

The Process:

First the grains need to be crushed lightly. The goal is to crack the exterior shell of the grain, allowing the hot wort to convert the starches and proteins inside into sugars and non-fermentables for flavor. Most brew stores can crush your grains for you, or you can do it yourself with a rolling pin or similar instrument; if you decide to crush your own, remember that the goal is to crack the shell, not grind into powder. The best way to do it is with a grain mill attached to a cordless drill. Corn style mills called corona mills can be used as well. Make sure to crush the grains within 24 hours of brewing.

Start by heating 2 gallons of water to 170F in a 5 gallon pot. The reason the water is heated to 170F is when the room temperature grains hit the water the temperate will drop. 150-155F is the standard mashing temperature you are shooting for. When the water is ready, called the ‘strike water’, add the crushed grains to a bag and submerge. Make sure to gently stir the crushed grains so there are no dough balls. Cover the pot, and let sit for an hour. Monitor the temperature every 10-15 minutes for fluctuations and either increase or decrease the heat accordingly – do not let it boil!

At this point start preparing an additional 2 gallons of water at 175F. This will be your sparge water, used to strain the reaming sugars from the grain bag. You should have a really nice sweet smell emanating from the pot. After an hour, the partial mash is completed. The spent grains should be separated from the wort. Once separated, the grains should be sparged (washed with water) to remove as much of the converted sugars and non-fermentables as possible. When washing and pressing the grain, be as gentle as possible; the goal is not to further crush your grain, (which can add grist to your wort) but merely to wash and press out the converted wort.

Now you have your very own sweet wort you mashed yourself! Fire up the kettle and proceed as normal like you do for an extract batch. You will need less malt extract because you created some of the fermentables during the mash. The recipe should guide you to the correct amounts already.

Other thoughts:

There is some debate between home brewers as to ideal method of mashing the adjunct grains. One method is to add the grains to the extract as it comes to a boil, and allow the grains to boil with the wort. This method allows the grains to fully mash, but because of the high heat of the boil, a lot of the tannins in the grain enter the wort as well, giving it a more astringent or dry flavor, and leading to a chill haze in the finished beer. Chill haze is an aesthetic issue, but the grainy tannic flavor can be a serious negative depending on the brew. In pale ales and bitters, you may not notice, or may even find it a plus, while in sweeter beers such as bocks and browns, the dryness may be in strong (and unpleasant) contrast to the base flavors.

There are tools available online to convert between all grain and partial-mash recipes, letting brewers move up from extract brewing to partial mash at their own comfort level and experiment with more varied recipes. For exceptionally sweet or high-gravity beers, it may be easier to use a partial-mash approach; my brewing group’s attempt at an 17% ABV beer would have used almost 30 lbs of grain; by replacing the base malt with an extract, we saved ourselves several gallons of water and several hours of reducing the wort. For all-extract brewers, partial-mash lets them tinker with their tested recipes; the difference between a Porter and a Smoked Porter may be as little as half a pound of peat-smoked grain, and a dopplebock might get a nice biscuit flavor from a pound of Belgian Special B grain.

Posted in Brewing | 2 Comments »

Dry Hopping Beer

While hops can be added to the boiling wort for as little as fifteen, ten, or five minutes to impart aroma and flavor, true hop-heads know the best approach to really punch up the hop profile of a beer is dry-hopping. Because hops have gone up in price over the last few years, dry-hopping your home brew is something of a luxury, and it’s especially important to make sure you do it right.

Dry hopping refers to adding hops to the fermenting beer and letting them soak in it for a period of no less than 10 days. For the typical five-gallon batch of home brewed beer, one to four ounces is the appropriate range of hops to use. In dry-hopping, as with flavor and aroma hops, the strain of hops used is crucial. Since the goal is to increase the hop character, the IBU and Alpha values are much less important.  For example, Amarillo imparts grape fruit notes, Centennial adds citrus, and Nugget is herbal.

The key to dry-hopping (beyond picking a strain you like) is timing. The most common error in dry-hopping is adding the hops immediately to the cooled wort. DON’T! The initial fermentation period is an active one, and the hops (which will float on the surface of the beer for about a week or so) will be highly agitated as a result, with some of the pollen and other aromatics (and thus flavor & aroma) being quite literally ‘blown out’ of the beer. Waiting until the initial blow-off is complete (about 3-5 days) removes this risk. Additionally, the alcohol in the fermenting beer will strip off some of the acids and flavor from the hops, so adding the hops later (and letting them soak longer) gives a better, richer flavor.

The hops are added to the beer without boiling or pasteurization first. While this may seem like an infection risk, the surface of the dried hop provides a poor environment for wild yeasts and bacteria, and infection from hops is rare enough to be inconsequential. Some home brewers place the hops in a hop sock for easier collection, but unless you intend to rack the beer after the hops have been added and continue dry-hopping, this isn’t necessary. It won’t affect the product, but it will save you a hop sock.  Tips on how to fully submerse the hops are provided below.

When the hops float on the surface they are not as well utilized. However you don’t want them stuck in the trub at the bottom either. To overcome this problem, get a muslin bag or similar, and add something inert to it so it is weighed down. Then tie a string around the hops bag so you can control how far down it drops. That way the hops will be suspended below the surface of the beer. Hops are quite buoyant so make sure to provide enough weight to sink it. In this case, glass beads are used:

These were enough to keep 1 ounce of loose leaf hops below the surface.

When primary fermentation is complete and the krausen is dissipating dry hopping can begin. In this case I did not bother to rack the beer, I just added the dry hops to the primary. First I sanitized the bag, beads, and string. Then I add the right amount of hops and beads into the bag and tied it off. Then I tied a string made of standard sewing thread around the top of the bag. I opened the cork on the carboy and pushed the bag inside, careful to keep hold of the string. When the hops were submerged, I put the cork back on, and tapped off the string. I let it sit for about ten days, then kegged. Delicious!

It is also possible to dry hop in the keg. Loose leaf hops or pellets can be added directly to the keg, or weighted down in a bag similar to above. If you don’t have them in a bag expect to get hops particles floating in the beer. Some hop heads are totally fine with this. The bag also makes cleanup easier.

Posted in Brewing | 20 Comments »

Getting A Good Pour – Kegged Beer CO2 Line Length and Pressure

There are several variables that play a role in achieving this goal, AND you will need a calculator!

Factors that play a role in the quality of your pour are the following:

Beer Temperature: This will affect how readily the beer absorbs CO2. Colder beer absorbs CO2 into solution more readily. The lower the temp. the lower the pressure required to obtain a given number of volumes of CO2.

Keg Pressure: Along with beer temperature, this will control the actual volumes of CO2 in solution.

Beer Line Inside Diameter: This provides resistance, keeping CO2 in solution by slowing the pour.

Beer Line Temperature: Warm beer lines will warm the beer as it travels from the keg to your glass, causing a release of CO2.

Beer Line Length: This provides resistance, keeping CO2 in solution by slowing the pour.

Beer Line Rise to Tap: The height of the tap from the center of the keg. This provides resistance, keeping CO2 in solution by slowing the pour.

There are some simple rules to follow as well as an equation to help you balance your beer line length to accommodate the pressure needed in the keg to sustain your desired CO2 volume.

1. Keep your beer lines cold. For some this is not an issue, but if you use a draft tower you need to take care to refrigerate those lines and insulate the tower to keep CO2 release to a minimum, thus reducing foam in the glass.
2. Beer line length MUST be balanced with the amount of pressure in the keg used for serving. The longer the line, the more resistance you have.
3. Beer line inside diameter MUST be included in the beer line length calculations to properly determine length. The narrower the line, the more resistance you have.
4. Beer line RISE from the keg to the tap MUST also be included in the beer line length calculations to properly determine length. The greater the rise, the more resistance you will have.

Numbers 2-3 all work together to provide a total amount of resistance between the keg and your glass. Too much resistance and you will have a slow pour, too little resistance and you will have nothing but foam in your glass.

Here is an example of how to determine the proper temperature, pressure and beer line length for a given scenario.

BEER STYLE CARBONATION GUIDE

Beer Temperature: 38F

Keg Pressure: 21.7 PSI

Volumes of CO2: 3.50

Beer Line ID: 3/16” inside diameter plastic beer line

Beer Line Temperature: COLD (ideal)

Beer Line length: 6′

Beer Line Rise to Tap: 24”

Beer Line Length Formula:

L = (P -(H x .5) – 1 ) / R

Where:
L = length of beer line in feet
P = pressure set of regulator
H = total height from center of keg to faucet in feet
R = resistance of the line from the following table
1 = residual pressure remaining at faucet (this can be increased to 2 if you need to increase pressure to increase dispense rate)

L = ( 21.7-(2 x .5)-1 ) / 2.7

L = 7.3 feet of beer line, or 7′ 4”

In this scenario the beer line length is too short, ideally one would have over 7′ of beer line to create enough resistance to counter the 21.7 PSI in the keg to obtain the volumes of CO2 for this German wheat beer. If you simply reduce the temperature of the beer to 33F and reduce the pressure to 18.3 PSI you will still achieve 3.50 volumes of CO2 in your beer, but the reduction in pressure will now not overwhelm the 6′ beer line that you have. Pressure and resistance are now balanced.

Posted in Kegging and CO2 | 28 Comments »

Baby Hops Cones

The cones are starting to form on the hops plants outside. I just wanted to share a few pictures.

This one is hallertau:

This is from nugget:

Posted in Hops Growing | 2 Comments »

Malted Grain Types and Mash Profiles

Today’s modern, high quality and highly modified malts are excellent performers for the home brewer. As with nearly any ingredient, the science behind the creation and use of any malt should be clearly understood in order for the brewer to create the desired outcome. Malt type, mash temperature and mash time all play a large role in the final product. Seeing as though the sweet wort that is created by the mashing process is the base for any beer being brewed, it is imperative that the brewer know what is going IN to the process so that he/she may know what they will get OUT of the process.

Malted barley can be classified in several categories:

• Pale Malts (base malts)
• Crystal (caramel)
• Roasted (highly kilned)

The following is an overview of the particulars with each malt type, including the kilning/roasting process, typical mash temperatures, mash times and any special instructions for their use.

Pale Malt (2 row and pilsner base malt):

Kilning/Roasting: The kilning temperature is quite low, between 104F and 113F. The ventilation is very high and therefore the malt is dried to a moisture content of 10% very quickly. Once below 10% the temperature can be raised, raising the temperature earlier would result in the destruction of too many enzymes. The low moisture content protects the enzymes. Pale malts are generally cured at 176F to 203F for about 5 hours.

Mash Temperature:
Beta Amylase 131F-150F, maltose is produced Lower final gravity, dryer beer.
Alpha Amylase 154F-162F, maltose and other sugars are produced. Higher final gravity, maltier beer.

Mash Time: Conversion can be complete in anywhere from 30 minutes to 90 minutes. The lower the mashing temperature, the longer conversion will take, the higher the temperature the faster conversion will be. Typical mashes are approximately 60 minutes.

Special Instructions: This malt MUST be mashed to convert starches to sugars. The mash temperature will determine the fermentability of the final wort and must be monitored closely.

Crystal (caramel malt):

Kilning/Roasting: This is imperative when compared to the kilning process of the pale malts. Crystal malts when wet (green) are put into the kiln or roaster from the germination tanks and the moisture is kept very high with absolutely no ventilation. Additionally water is frequently sprayed to keep the moisture high. The temperature is raised to 140F to 158F for 30 to 40 minutes. Then the temperature is raised to 302F and normal ventilation is resumed for 1 to 2 hours, depending on how much caramelization is desired (i.e. depending on whether 10L crystal or 120L crystal is being made). If prepared in the kiln, further drying is necessary.

This process essentially causes conversion to take place inside the husk (moisture and heat), therefore denaturing the enzymes and converting the starches to sugars. This removes the need for this malt to be mashed, and therefore it can be steeped in hot water for extract brewing.

Mash Temperature: No need to be mashed as the starches were converted in the kilning process. This malt can be steeped for extract brewing, or used in a mash with the remainder of an AG mash.

Mash Time: No mash needed. Generally mashed with the remainder of the grain bill.

Special Instructions: These sugars are not as fermentable, resulting in a fuller, maltier beer. Use as 5% to 25% of the grain bill.

Roasted Malt (highly kilned malt):

Kilning/Roasting: Creating this malt is a matter of taking a typical pale malt similar to Pilsner or 2 Row and place it in a roasting drum. Water is sometimes used to cool the malt quickly when the roasting is complete. The main difference between this roasting and the curing of Pale malts is temperature and time, both being increased in the production of this malt.

Mash Temperature: No need to be mashed as the starches were converted in the kilning process. This malt can be steeped for extract brewing, or used in a mash with the remainder of an AG mash.

Mash Time: No need to be mashed as the starches were converted in the kilning process. This malt can be steeped for extract brewing, or used in a mash with the remainder of an AG mash.

Special Instructions: Dark roasted malts can provide needed color and flavor to darker beers, but can also add some bitter astringency. One technique to provide a smoother flavor is to add this malt at the end of the mash so as to lessen the astringency it can contribute.

Posted in Ingredients | 5 Comments »

The Dark Side of Home Brewing

Brewing has a dark side.  It has yet to be brought to light by the dozens of books I have read on home brewing.  The multitude of people online who I have connected with about brewing have never spoken about it.  The brewing industry itself wants us to believe it is a myth.  That dark side is alcoholism, or alcohol dependency, and it is a terrible component to drinking.  Not everyone is blessed with the ability to moderate their intake. Not everyone is smart enough to treat alcohol responsibly.  Every brewer should know what alcoholism and alcohol dependency are, and how dangerous a full blow case can be.

My goal with this article is to simply inform.  I want to be clear, I am not saying that brewing beer, going to pubs, and enjoying beer is a negative thing.  Alcohol is reported to have positive health benefits, when used in moderation. Drunk driving, loosing one’s spouse, or destroying one’s health are negatives that are involved with alcohol when it is used irresponsibly. Some people have a genetic predisposition to becoming an alcoholic, or a family history of alcohol abuse, which puts them at a higher risk.

Something I was not aware of is alcoholism and alcohol dependency are the same thing.

The word ‘dependency’ sounds so innocent.  The dependency leads to a steady progression associated with more and more alcohol intake, and that is what causes all the damage.

For the official medical description see: https://www.mentalhealth.com/dis/p20-sb01.html

Some Warning Signs:

• If you are developing a tolerance for alcohol, and need to drink more to get the same effect, that is a warning sign.  Making up for drinking by exercising, eating healthy, and getting more sleep is only going to feed into increasing tolerance.
  

• Inability to cut back is a warning sign. That means it is a habit, and the progression has started.

• If you find yourself making excuses to justify drinking, that is a warning sign. These may include social drinking, celebratory drinking, drinking to reward oneself, or on the negative side, drinking to cope with stress, physical pain, or to numb negative emotions.

• The idea that it isn’t alcoholism until it impacts your life in a major way is completely flawed. Even something as simple as a mild headache in the morning, weight gain, or slight depression is a health impact.  Consider that increased drinking is the cause. Multiply a mild headache over a month, or an extra few pounds over a year, and now it is a chronic condition. Over time, excess drinking will lead to problems in all aspects of life, especially the ones you care about most.

• Bottom line: If you think you have an alcohol dependency you do, and you need to address it. Private counseling is one very good option. Self moderation is likely not to work. Only 20% of people are able to stop on their own. Beyond that, support from family, friends, and an alcoholics anonymous club should be sought out.

This website has a guide on what constitutes alcoholism, and a short quiz you can take yourself:
https://www.hsc.wvu.edu/som/cmed/alcohol/alcoholism/alcoholism.htm

What is at stake here?
Alcoholism has a progression.  It starts with a higher tolerance, which kicks off a cycle of increased intake.  At this point attempts to scale back may be unsuccessful.  This may continue for a number of months, years or decades.  Over the course of that time, long term drinking causes harmful health effects.  Its not just the liver that gets hurt. Research indicates the brain chemistry governing emotions of happiness are at stake. Hardened alcoholics actually loose the ability to enjoy themselves unless they have recently had a certain amount of alcohol. This is something alcohol has in common with harder drugs like meth.

Most home brewers are smart, hands on, creative, and self sufficient people. These positive attributes are made possible because of our brains. The thought of loosing that to alcohol is horrifying.   There are social impacts as well. Alcoholism effects the alcoholic and everyone around them.  The thought of loosing employment, spouse, friends, and faith is also horrifying.

Anyone who has a history of alcoholism or a family history of alcoholism should strongly consider avoiding home brewing as a hobby.

We brewers are often surrounded by alcohol, involved in the production of it, and even its perfection.

Home brewing ultimately leads to having large quantities of high quality beer on hand at a very affordable price.  At home you are surrounded by reminders of brewing – the equipment, the bubbling fermentor, the empty bottles, the spreadsheets on your computer’s desktop, the hops outside the house, and the closet or fridge full of beer just waiting to be enjoyed.  These reminders can be triggers for cravings.  Acting on those cravings repeatedly can lead to higher tolerance, and that is when the progression begins. The progression is dangerous because it can slowly creep higher and higher. There is such a thing as a functional alcoholic, but functioning at what level, and for how much longer?

In the past, I was always surprised to see a craig’s list post of a home brewer selling off their entire kit for a ridiculously low price.  My original thought was, once you figure out how to brew beer that is perfect to your own taste, why ever stop?  One explanation is they brewed themselves into alcoholism and were forced to choose between booze or life.

Posted in Announcements, Economics of Brewing | 34 Comments »

Sparging Methods

There are several ways to extract the sugars that we convert during the mash from the grain bed, they include, fly sparging, batch sparging and NO sparging.

Fly Sparging: When the mash is complete the brewer will vorlaugh and begin the sparge. With this method the brewer wants to slowly and gently add water to the top of the mash, leaving 1-2” of water above the grain bed at all times to avoid grain bed compaction, while also slowly draining the MLT into the boil kettle at the same rate. Typically a flow rate of .5 – .75 quarts per minute will result in an effective and efficient fly sparge. For this reason it can take 40-60 minutes to complete a sparge for a 5 gallon brew session.

Pros of fly sparging include:

• While one benefit of fly sparging in the past was increased lauter efficiency, this is debatable at best and with new split batch sparge techniques, most definitely not worth the extra time that it takes to perform. Thus the increased popularity in batch sparging.

Cons of fly sparging include:

• The need to have an effective mashout, due to the fact that fly sparging can take up to an hour, the brewer will want to denature any enzymes in the mash.
• Extended fly sparging can increase mash pH to a level where tannins will be extracted from the grain husks, which is not desirable
• Channeling can become a problem if the manifold in the bottom of the MLT is not designed properly, which causes the sparge water to drive right through the grain bed, reducing efficiency and leaving sugars in the MLT.
• You must match the Inflow of the sparge water very closely to the OUTflow of the wort from the bottom of the MLT during the entire sparge.
• Possible lower quality wort during extended fly sparging due to rising pH and low sugar content of final runnings.

Batch Sparging: This is a method by which the sparge water is typically split into two equal batches. Proper and accurate calculation of the sparge water requirement is essential! When the mash is complete the brewer will vorlaugh and drain the MLT into the boil kettle, followed by refilling the MLT with the first half of the sparge water. The brewer will then thoroughly stir the mash, let rest for a few minutes, varlough again and drain into the boil kettle a second time. The last of the two sparge water infusions will follow this same pattern.

Pros of batch sparging include:

• It can be completed more quickly than the slow and steady fly sparge.
• Channeling is reduced since the MLT is being drained completely between sparges.
• Temperature control is not as critical since each sparge water infusion is so large.
• It eliminates the need to monitor the runoff speed, no need to match this with the inflow as you do during a fly sparge.

Cons of batch sparging include:

• The grain must be resettled (vorlaughed) after each sparge water addition.
• MLT size may need to be larger to accommodate the sparge water and grain volume while mixing and resting between sparges.
• Efficiency “can” suffer, though with new split batch sparge techniques, brewers achieve 80+% efficiency, which is comparable to fly sparging techniques.

No Sparge, um, Sparging: This method is just as the name suggests… a method by which there is NO sparge. In order to accomplish this method, a brewer will mash in with ALL of the water that their brew will require., this could be upwards of 9-10 gallons of water alone for a 5 gallon brew session. When the mash is complete the brewer will vorlaugh and simply drain the entire MLT into the boil kettle, and if calculated correctly, meet their pre-boil volume.

Pros of ‘no sparge’ include:

• It can be completed more quickly than either fly sparging or batch sparging.
• Channeling is reduced since the MLT is being drained completely.
• It eliminates the need to monitor the runoff speed, no need to match this with the inflow as you do during a fly sparge.
• Extremely high quality wort due to no sparing resulting in low pH and high sugar content wort.

Cons of ‘no sparge’ include:

• MLT size may need to be larger to accommodate the entire quantity of water needed to complete a brew session and the grain bill.
• Efficiency will suffer, badly, due to the lack of an effective rinse of the grain bed.
• Nearly impossible to accurately estimate the OG of a beer with this method.

Closing Thoughts: From the discussion above, it is clear to see why batch sparging, namely the split batch sparge, has become so popular with home brewers who value their efficiency and their time.  Don’t expect to hit 80% on the first try.  Water chemistry and temperature control are big parts of success in this area, so make sure to check out the calculators at this site to prepare you.

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