Fly sparge with a SS braid

[kace069]

Prolly a stupid question but does anyone do it? I want to try some fly sparging and see if I can get some more consitent numbers. Just wondering if I will have to build a manifold or if I can go with my SS braid setup for batch sparging?

I figure the SS braid prolly doesn't work as well huh?

[crazymonkey15]

What's the issue with the batch spraging that causing the inconsistent numbers? I'd say we could focus on that and get it worked out instead of trying to switch technique to solve the problem. If it has something to do with the mash itself then change the sparge method shouldn't help.

Unless you just want to fly sparge, in which case look at one of the appendices in Palmer's How to Brew. I believe with the SS braid the flow dynamics are not going to work in your favor.

[kace069]

The problem is I can't get a consistent effeciency. Last weeks brew was 65% the week before it was 78%.

The other half is am I using promash right to figure this out? I check the efficency in promash both pre boil and in the fermenter. The last few batchs I have been doing very well into the kettle, after the boil it is another story.

Here are the stats on my last brew day, intended OG 1066
13# mash at about 1.25qt
Pro mash figured my pre boil gravity to be 7 gallons @ 1047
My actual preboil gravity was 7.25gallon@ 1052 looking good

Post boil 5.25 gallon @ 1058 shooting for 1066 WTF??

My last few brews have been like that , I go into the kettle at about 72-75% go into the fermenter around 64-70%.. 70 if I am lucky

I ended up writing my last few recipies at 68% because I can't consistently hit 70, althouhg I have like every other brew day.

I can't brew to style if I don't know what my final number is going to be. My brew before this one I somehow nailed my target gravity in a round about way. Came out .5 gallon over my target volume, but extra beer hey who can bitch about that? But that was the very first time I hit my OG

I will be happy with 65% if I know that is what I am going to get every brew day.

Any ideas?

[bergerandfries]

Kace, I would like to know your mash out schedule (assuming you are using the same grain mill for all of these batches and that you've checked the gapping with a feeler gauge or something each grind).

A lot of people say that a "mashout" doesn't impact efficiency much (on THEIR system), but on my system, I get 60% vs 70% (10 points!) if I don't get the mash bed up around 168F before my first runoff.

I had your same problem, until it hit me that I wasn't raising the grainbed temp before runoff on my really big beers because I didn't need the extra water. What I realize now, with MY system, is that to hit CONSISTENT efficiency, I need a CONSISTENT mashout/no mashout.

So, what was the grainbed temp when you did your first runoff with these beers you listed?

[kace069]

Lately I haven't been checking the grain bed temp, I was for a while there not sure why I haven't lately.
I don't normaly aimf for a true mash out but I do add about a gallon of prolly 190 water before my first run off, it has helped me get better numbers.
These two grain bills were different. The one I hit my number on was 8.75# my smallest grain bill. This one was 13#. I know, I know I am not going to really know by switching things up like that but I am sick of making pale ales, I think I have made 10 of them now. Just so I could have a somewhat consitent grain bill to compare with.
I just ran out of maris otter and I am going to start on a bag of Pils so that is going to change things again.

I had recently bought a BC and I have done 3 brews on it with out adjusting the gap. Which I plan on doing now, I am getting a lot of dough balls.

[bergerandfries]

Ok, so while you don't know the grainbed temp, you were consistent with adding that 190F water, so that wouldn't seem to explain to me the huge gap in efficiency. What about water chemistry vs color of the grains? In other words, were they both the same color beer with the same water source? The lighter grain, harder water can lower efficiency, while darker grain with soft water can lower efficiency too....

[kace069]

I am using RO water. I just started to mess with the water chemistry a little. The 13# bill IPA I added some gypsum and calcium chloride. The 8.75# was a southren english brown. I made no water adjustments.

The IPA was only the 2nd time I added anything to my water. I treated it exactly the same as my last pale ale. That one was 11.20# and 65%.

Before that it was just straight RO water with no adjustments and about 6 pale ales with almost identical grain bills and efficency all over the place.

[bergerandfries]

Kace, maybe invest in some of those colorphast strips? Jamil says you can cut them down the middle to double your count of the strips. The point is to make sure your mash pH is correct for efficient conversion. (5.2 to 5.5 I think?)

http://morebeer.com/product.html?product_id=6620

Also, Doctor Scott uses RO for his mash, so maybe you need to send an email to him describing what's going on. $5 says he will get you consistent....