Re: Brew stand
Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 2:50 pm
Ok, there are two reasons I batch sparge. First of all, it's easier, I don't need to worry about getting the flow rates to equalize and I am not losing any efficiency that I can tell (ie; I don't need to pay as much attention to what is going on, a good thing for a more mature brewer like myself). Secondly, if you fly sparge, the ph of the grains is going to rise as you sparge. As the ph rises, the risk of extracting tannins increases which of course affects the taste of the beer (and if you get the grain bed too warm at the same time it will make this problem worse). What I do is add some buffer (which keeps the ph constant for all you non-chemistry types out there) so that the ph doesn't change as the sugars are extracted. Also, if I screw up and get the sparge water too warm it doesn't make a difference since the ph is still kept low even as I run the wort off the grain (ever wonder why the Germans get away with doing decoctions and actually boiling the grain?). If you use the water around here as you probably know, it is slightly basic. When making light colored beers, the ph issue is actually worse because the grain itself is not as acidic as the darker roasted grains (plus you'll taste the tannins more since there is less intense roasty flavor to hide the screwups behind). Anyway, that is my story and I'm sticking to it, hopefully all that is helpful to somebody out there.