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Mash in a bag + no sparge

 
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lucianthorr




Joined: 26 Feb 2017
Posts: 19



PostLink    Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 1:22 pm    Post subject: Mash in a bag + no sparge Reply with quote


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Hey everybody. I was listening to the Brulosophy Podcast's BIAB episode and it got me thinking of how to apply the whole "Mash in a bag/No Sparge" method to our eHERMS setup.
I really like the idea of not having to clean spent grain from the the crevices of the false bottom and cutting out the sparge time and sparge math that I never seem to get right anyway.

I was thinking for this weekend's brew, I'd try to mash in a bag lying on top of the false bottom with the full 7.5 gallons of water, drain after 60 minutes and then do a quick sparge/rinse of the grains just to get the boil kettle volume back up to 7.5 gallons to compensate for absorption during the mash (as opposed to squeezing the absorbed water from the grain bag).


Does anyone here do anything like that or have any recommendations?
I can't really think of any downsides except that I'll have a totally unpredictable mash efficiency for the first time or two until I get it figured out.
Thanks!
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kal
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Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 1:51 pm    Post subject: Re: Mash in a bag + no sparge Reply with quote

lucianthorr wrote:
I really like the idea of not having to clean spent grain from the the crevices of the false bottom

Can you post a picture of your false bottom? The cleaning should take 30-60 seconds (I do a quick rinse under running water while I use a scrub brush). No more or less time than having to clean a BIAB bag.

Quote:
cutting out the sparge time and sparge math that I never seem to get right anyway.

Sparge time will definitely be cut down, but with great impact to mash efficiency.
There will still be math involved as you'll need to figure out how much water to use and also how fast you go with you quick sparge/rinse. If not done consistently from batch to batch the mash efficiency will change.

If the goal is to save time, I'd simply do a full water mash and then drain, with no rinse at all. In other words, mash with the strike + sparge water plus extra for grain absorption (usually 12%). That would be the most consistent. Don't rinse or use a bag at all - the bag would introduce some pretty significant channeling.

Either way it'll require more grain so that'll have to be factored in.

Good luck!

Kal

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lucianthorr




Joined: 26 Feb 2017
Posts: 19



PostLink    Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 3:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Kal. Those are good points. It's one of those morebeer customizable false bottoms where they cut it to the dimension of your kettle. The weld spots really do catch a lot of grain but even moreso since all my stuff lives in the garage, if I don't clean and dry everything thoroughly, it'l go rancid by the time I'm ready to brew again.
Maybe I could market it as a "pre-soured kettle" and start a business.

Your no-sparge recommendation is definitely worth a shot. If I can save an hour there, that'll make up for the hour it takes me to get everything cleaned up and dried after the brew.
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kal
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Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 9:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

lucianthorr wrote:
The weld spots really do catch a lot of grain but even moreso since all my stuff lives in the garage, if I don't clean and dry everything thoroughly, it'l go rancid by the time I'm ready to brew again.
Maybe I could market it as a "pre-soured kettle" and start a business.

Ha! Wink

In all seriousness, a few bits here and there won't do anything - you'll mash for an hour or two, and then everything is boiled. There's no chance of anything going sour. Nothing lives through the boil and nothing can sour in an hour or two at 150F.

On the hot side of the brewing process (everything up until after the boil) it's good to clean stuff of course but it really doesn't have to be completely sanitary as nothing you put in there is sanitary by any stretch of the imagination. Grain is not at all sanitary. For example, unlike the cold (ferment) side, nobody sanitizes the hot side equipment before (or after) using it. I just give things a quick scrub to get rid of most things but I'm not anal about it. Then about once a year I do a deep clean by recirculating PBW heated in water for an hour or so to get things back to sparkling. Not needed, just makes me feel better. Wink

Good luck!

Kal

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