Sparge Water Temperature

Kronos · May 10, 2017

I am getting a little lost with sparging water temperatures and hope you can shed some light on the topic.

In the Camra book 'Brew Your Own British Real Ale' by Graham Wheeler it states sparging should be done between 80 to 85c. In the book 'Home Brew Beer' by Greg Hughes it states 74 to 77c.

These are big differences, so what sparging temperatures do you use and recommend. Does it depend on what your are brewing?

IainM · May 10, 2017

The idea is to keep the grains at around 75C during the sparge, so how you do this depends on your setup. I have an all-in-one machine with which I do a mash out at 75C before sparging, so I use 75C sparge water because the grain is already at 75C. When I do BIAB though I used 80C sparge water, as the grain is at mash temperature (65C), so the higher temp sparge water brings it up closer to 75.

The 75C number is a bit arbitrary, but the idea is that much below this and the wort doesn't flow as well, but much above this you start extracting tannins which make the beer astringent. However, the 75C number is something home brewers have taken from industry where extract efficiency is maximised because it affects the bottom line. Like most things in homebrewing, these things vary continuously with temperature and people make good beer just using cold tap water or even doing a no-sparge and adding an extra handful of grain to make up for it.

foxbat · May 10, 2017

I use 75C for a BIAB pour-over-and-soak-for-20-minutes sparge in a second pot but like Ian said there's much leeway here. Just don't go high enough that you extract astringent flavours.

Kronos · May 10, 2017

Thank you so 75c it is then.

MiddleRoom · May 10, 2017

75C has never failed me, though I guess it depends on what you use as a HLT and how you transfer your sparge water.

TheRedDarren · May 10, 2017

+1 for 75. Like IainM I have an all in one system, so I just program it and its away. I have heard that above 75 you risk extracting tannins... that's why I go for 75 for a MO, this is probably subject to argument though, like a lot of things brewing!

Kronos · May 10, 2017

I brew with a Grainfather and sparge from the Grainfather water heater.

HebridesRob · May 10, 2017

It doesn't matter. Cooler water will not have an adverse affect, why should it? Sugar dissolves perfectly well in water at 40c or so. Hotter water will not be an issue in a batch sparge, tannins will not be extracted from the grain because the wort still in the grain will keep the pH low enough. You can go as high as you like.

If you fly sparge, there's a possibility of the sparge water picking up tannins from the grain as pH rises when the dissolved sugar concentration in the grain drops. The way to avoid this is to acidify the sparge water to pH5.5 to 6 before use, then you can use the water as hot as you like.

MiddleRoom · May 10, 2017

Kronos said:
I brew with a Grainfather and sparge from the Grainfather water heater.

Mash out at 75C and sparge. I haven't had a poor efficiency or a bad batch with the Grainfather. I think many will agree in that it's down to your own intuition and preference. Try it and see if it works for you, or if not try something else.

BeerisGOD · May 10, 2017

Kronos said:
I brew with a Grainfather and sparge from the Grainfather water heater.

and your asking about sparge temp? :grin:

Kronos · May 10, 2017

BeerisGOD said:
and your asking about sparge temp? :grin:

You have lost me here.

Slid · May 10, 2017

Sparging at less than 75C makes little difference to the final beer taste - there is a Brulosophy test on this. Efficiency losses will be marginal as well, as has also been pointed up above.

However, since you are going to bring the whole lot up to a boil as the next step, the shorter the step up in temperature is, the sooner it will be achieved and you can get on with it. Hence sparging at as high a temp as is not detrimental to the end product is the way to go. :thumb:

Gunge · May 10, 2017

HebridesRob said:
It doesn't matter. Cooler water will not have an adverse affect, why should it? Sugar dissolves perfectly well in water at 40c or so. Hotter water will not be an issue in a batch sparge, tannins will not be extracted from the grain because the wort still in the grain will keep the pH low enough. You can go as high as you like.

If you fly sparge, there's a possibility of the sparge water picking up tannins from the grain as pH rises when the dissolved sugar concentration in the grain drops. The way to avoid this is to acidify the sparge water to pH5.5 to 6 before use, then you can use the water as hot as you like.

I don't fret about sparge water temp either; it is what it is - super hot or on the cool side, I can't tell the difference in the beer. But I do acidify the sparge water - that seems to be the key.

JapanBrew · May 11, 2017

Let me add. 75 c stops the conversation process. Like freezing the work you've done. This will allow you to more dial in those flavors. In your wort you'll have 2 kinds of sugars at different percentages. If you don't stop the process then while sparging you'll get more of the alpha amylase working producing more unfermentables that'll give a sweeter beer. If you sparge low, each time you brew a recipe, even though it's the same, you'll get different results.

henteaser · May 11, 2017

Slid said:
Sparging at less than 75C makes little difference to the final beer taste - there is a Brulosophy test on this. Efficiency losses will be marginal as well, as has also been pointed up above.

However, since you are going to bring the whole lot up to a boil as the next step, the shorter the step up in temperature is, the sooner it will be achieved and you can get on with it. Hence sparging at as high a temp as is not detrimental to the end product is the way to go. :thumb:

I switched to cold sparging a few brews ago after reading this experiment's results. No change in my efficiency, no noticeable changes to the resulting beer.

Also means I need less equipment on brew day (Grainfather) and save on the electric previously used for heating the sparge water.

Callumbo · May 11, 2017

I tend to sparge at 80 to 85. I figure that by the time is run down the pipe and has slowly dripped on the grain it will have lost some temp on the way so probably ends up between 75 and 80

peebee · May 11, 2017

Callumbo said:
I tend to sparge at 80 to 85. ...

Well said. But the risk of extracting tannins? I mean, the continentals have this idea of "decoction mashing" where a good chunk of the mash (with the grain) gets boiled: Explains why the Belgians make such rubbish astringent beer, they haven't a clue.

Its something that's always bothered me, So please, the next person who want's to write down this "myth" about tannin extraction, do us all a favour and explain the above conundrum too.

IainM · May 11, 2017

peebee said:
Well said. But the risk of extracting tannins? I mean, the continentals have this idea of "decoction mashing" where a good chunk of the mash (with the grain) gets boiled: Explains why the Belgians make such rubbish astringent beer, they haven't a clue.

Its something that's always bothered me, So please, the next person who want's to write down this "myth" about tannin extraction, do us all a favour and explain the above conundrum too.

Its already been explained above - the mash is at a low pH, but once the sugars are washed out the pH rises, as does the ability to extract tannins.

EDIT: for a bit more detail, google the molecular structure of tannins. There are a load of OH groups which can lose the hydrogen as H+. In a low pH environment there is plenty of H+ floating around already, so another one pops back on putting it back into an insoluble state. As the pH raises, there are less H+ and so the tannin stays in the soluble negatively charged state and ends up in the wort.

peebee · May 11, 2017

IainM said:
Its already been explained above - the mash is at a low pH, but once the sugars are washed out the pH rises, as does the ability to extract tannins.

Ha, I was writing a footnote but you beat me.

HebridesRob said:
...If you fly sparge, there's a possibility of the sparge water picking up tannins from the grain as pH rises when the dissolved sugar concentration in the grain drops. ...

Yeap, "HebridesRob" does sort of give an explanation. But this is worthy of a repeat, as the "astringent beer" one gets a hell of a lot of repeating.

EDIT:

IainM said:
... EDIT: for a bit more detail, google the molecular structure of tannins. ...

And your footnote gets me my explanation too. Thanks.

HebridesRob · May 12, 2017

I have a Hot Liquor Tank with a heat exchanger, I recirculate the mash through the heat exchanger to keep it at the temperature I want. When the mash is done I use the water in the HLT to fly sparge. My water has so few salts dissolved in it I don't need to acidify but I use 0.3g solid citric acid in 20 litres to acidify to pH 6.

Sparge Water Temperature

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