Batch vs fly sparge?

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Batch or fly?

  • Batch

  • Fly

  • Doesnt matter which


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mmaguy41

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Was wondering which method people use, batch sparging looks alot quicker, but aparently fly sparge is more efficient? What do you guys do and why?
 
I fly sparge, as I bought kit with a spinny sparge arm. For a 23L brew I take about an hour, I'm not in any rush, and get good consistent results.
 
I have only ever fly sparged but i'm not sure there is much time saving with batch sparging. The big difference is you really need to be concentrating and coordinating your taps (liqour in & wort out) and checking the gravity for about 40 odd minutes to fly sparge. With batch sparge I understand you add the sparge water in batches and let it rest for a period of time (15-20 mins IIRC) which frees you to do other things for a short while. Of course you will still need to check the gravity of the runings when extracting the word form the grains.
 
Either depending on how I feel, and the equipment I am using.

On the Oatmeal Stout I batch sparged my small tun at the same time as fly sparging my large tun.

You can hit 75-80% efficiency with Batch sparging using 2 batches, but the time factor should be considered. Add water stir . . . recirc until no big bits coming through . . . drain. . . . Add water stir wait 10-15 minutes . . . recirc until no big bits . . . drain . . . Can take 30-40 minutes. . . . Fly sparging takes 45-60 minutes regardless of batch volume. . .

With a fly sparge you can get more grain in than batch sparge in the same sized tun so can get a bigger beer or more beer . . . . . although you can also use three batches instead of two.
 
I've always fly sparged. No particular reason, other than that's how I've always done it.

I think it really depends on your setup; I like fly sparging as I have a 2 tier, gravity fed system and I can set the HLT and MLT flow to about 1 litre per minute and just let it go. I usually dial my recipe in for a slightly lower than measured efficiency so I can just let it run until I've collected the required volume without worrying too much about tannin extraction.

I've also experimented with no-sparge, but found it's too inefficient.
 
I've done both. I was lead to believe batch sparging was easier though I'm not convinced. Fly sparging seemed a lot easier than I had imagined. For my next brew I think I will be batch sparging but its a close call.
 
i only batch sparge i think its way easier but i've only tried fly a couple of times but my arm was ****. i get 72/75% on average
 
I've always batch sparged ( again just because I always have ).. I get around 83% efficiency

I have most of the makings of RIMS though so will try fly at some point this year I hope :thumb: as want to be able to do more than single infusion ( without what seems to be the random factor of adding near boiling water etc )
 
I used to only fly sparge, but now I batch, seems quicker and easier to control the temp IMHO.

I do like to fly sparging though when I want a red coloured ale, a few grams of black malt on top of the mash just before the sparge and it can produce a lovely colour....I have cocked it up more times than success though :D
 
I've done both, 1st fly, then batch, now fly.
I never struggled to get up to 85% when fly sparging and batch was around 80% (when stirred well). I tried batch sparging due to thinking it would be quicker, it wasn't for me, by the time I'd got clear runnings on the 1st batch top up addition, then the second batch, I might as well have fly sparged, so I went back.
Using HERMS for the entire mash cycle and fly sparging extraction was better, high 80's, but nowadays I use more malt than needed, and end the sparge high, so don't really bother with efficiency any more, recipes are based on 75% deliberately. I also sparge faster than a lot of folk at around 2.75ltr/min so I'm usually done for a 75ltr boil volume in 30mins.
I'd say it's personal choice ;)
 
Only done two all grain brews and its beyond me why people fly sparge. Batch sparge all the way! Simple and quick.

...well it's not beyond me but its not for me :P. way too little time as it is!
 
I fly sparged then batch sparged, now as I use a two vessel system I do a full volume recirculation to sparge, firstly vorlauf for ten mins or so at the end of the mash, recirculating through a solar pump to get clear runnings, then recirculate full boil volume through mash tun, two pumps recirculating in figure of eight, until same sg at both outlets can let it rip as high ratio no chance or vacuuming or stuck mashes, so does not take long, then drain the mash tun.

not efficent as most but in the 70's and clear running and no chance of over sparging ever.

Is the beer better, no idea but I like it :cheers:
 
From what I understand you should stop fly sparging when the SG is 1.012 (I think, still not AG). This s to stop the extraction of tannins. Why don't you need to worry about tannins when batch sparging?
 
So are you saying the tannins are extracted because there are no sugars to extract from the grain? I suppose that makes complete sense.

Cheers prolix
 

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