Sparge Water Temp.

[Sadfield]

Everytime, by the time I finish sparging the temp goes up near to boiling temperature.
You use the same energy to heat up your sparge water.

Exactly, so there's no energy saving from cold sparging. However, there is a time saving as one can heat the sparge water whilst mashing.

 

[gyurmaember]

Exactly, so there's no energy saving from cold sparging. However, there is a time saving as one can heat the sparge water whilst mashing.

There's no time saving at all on homebrew level. I'll keep cold sparging

 

[Agentgonzo]

I'll do as warm as the hot tap is sparge from now on.

Depending on the age of you plumbing, you need to be careful with drinking water from the hot tap. As I got it explained to me by a plumber, old pipework often had lead used in the solder when joining pipework. Lead can dissolve better in hot water, and you run the risk of consuming the lead that gets dissolved out.

The same goes for copper from the pipes. But whilst copper isn't toxic to us in teacher quantities, it can have an impact on the beer chemistry.

 

[chthon]

To add something small to the discussion: after I started adjusting my sparge water to pH 5.5, I noticed that I had much less cold haze (I add 2 ml of 10% solution of phosphoric acid to 15 l of water).

 

[gyurmaember]

Depending on the age of you plumbing, you need to be careful with drinking water from the hot tap. As I got it explained to me by a plumber, old pipework often had lead used in the solder when joining pipework. Lead can dissolve better in hot water, and you run the risk of consuming the lead that gets dissolved out.

The same goes for copper from the pipes. But whilst copper isn't toxic to us in teacher quantities, it can have an impact on the beer chemistry.

I think we can rule out the lead, as if the pipework has lead in it, the property probably has raising mains system. Therefore the only place you can find drinkable water is in the kitchens cold tap.

Sure, it's worth to be clear about the plumbing situation of your property.

 

[Sadfield]

There's no time saving at all on homebrew level. I'll keep cold sparging

Sure, do what works for you. I wasn't aware that homebrewing exists outside of the laws of physics though, and cooler wort reaches the boil as quickly as warmer wort.

 

[gyurmaember]

Sure, do what works for you. I wasn't aware that homebrewing exists outside of the laws of physics though, and cooler wort reaches the boil as quickly as warmer wort.

As i mentioned earlier, by the time I finish sparging it reaches 97-98 degrees. Maybe if I'll going for a barrel or bigger batch, I'd consider to heat my sparge water. But with the batches most of us work with, it's absolutely pointless.

 

[Cwrw666]

Not sure why people find heating sparge water to be a faff.
I do BIAB and dunk sparge. All I use is 2 domestic kettles of boiling water plus one of cold from the tap in the FV I'm going to be fermenting in. All done in the last 15 minutes of the mash.

 

[Sadfield]

it's absolutely pointless.

It clearly isn't as it has already pointed out by other posters that it can lead to clarity issues.

 

[gyurmaember]

It clearly isn't as it has already pointed out by other posters that it can lead to clarity issues.

I guess you missed my photo.

 

[Sadfield]

I guess you missed my photo.

I saw your photo*, along with your continued arrogance that what doesn't apply to you also doesn't apply to the rest of the homebrewing world.

*Actually looks slightly hazy, although that largely depends on how critical one is.

 

[gyurmaember]

I saw your photo*, along with your continued arrogance that what doesn't apply to you also doesn't apply to the rest of the homebrewing world.

*Actually looks slightly hazy, although that largely depends on how critical one is.

Sorry I'm not a fan of unnecessary gadgets, like sparge water heaters, and phones with fancy cameras, but I can assure you, I can clearly see my neighbours t.i.t.s trough it, if I hold it in the window.
I'm not sure I'm the one who's arrogant in this conversation....

 

[Braufather]

How does cold sparging affect clarity?

Edit: I have been having a clarity issue and typically I cold sparge.

Isn't the BM no sparge? I cold sparge occasionally but usually don't sparge at all, i just take the mash tube out first before topping up. I suggest not sparing to se if that helps.

In terms of clarity - is it permanent or chill haze? and what yeasts are you using?

 

[Sadfield]

Another thought on clarity. As the mash bed acts a filter, could putting cold water on top of a hot cause a lifting of the grain bed as the two mix?

 

[gyurmaember]

Another thought on clarity. As the mash bed acts a filter, could putting cold water on top of a hot cause a lifting of the grain bed as the two mix?

You add room temperature water in the worst case scenario, also you add kettle finings to the boil, then you cold crash, then you lager. Some add gelatin but, in my opinion it's unnecessary.

 

[Pennine]

Isn't the BM no sparge? I cold sparge occasionally but usually don't sparge at all, i just take the mash tube out first before topping up. I suggest not sparing to se if that helps.

In terms of clarity - is it permanent or chill haze? and what yeasts are you using?

You could do no sparge in it but I get better efficiency +5% if I pull the malt pipe and sparge with a few litres.

All different yeasts and yes it seems to be permanent haze more than chill haze. The only one that has cleared in the last 6 or so is a wheat ale.

I think I will skip the sparge next batch I am curious if Foxy is right about better results with not sparging.

 

[foxy]

You could do no sparge in it but I get better efficiency +5% if I pull the malt pipe and sparge with a few litres.

All different yeasts and yes it seems to be permanent haze more than chill haze. The only one that has cleared in the last 6 or so is a wheat ale.

I think I will skip the sparge next batch I am curious if Foxy is right about better results with not sparging.

I think it does I first read it in one of George Fix's books, but you still need to sort out the pH, getting the pH right does give a lot of benefits.

https://beersmith.com/blog/2015/05/07/mash-ph-and-why-it-matters-for-all-grain-beer-brewing/

 

[user 43495]

I am no scientist but for 45 years have always sparged with water which is hotter than the mash temp. I aim for 70-75C. Never had any problems doing this. A hotter sparge does make sense to me because you are 'rinsing' the sugars from the grain whereas colder water is lees likely to have this effect and could lead to a lower efficiency.

 

[Little Rock Brewing]

I've done two brews now without using my defunct sparge water heater and both hit the OG numbers exactly.
Not strictly cold water sparging though. I use 50% RO water in the mash and sparge, so I heat 2 kettles worth of RO to boiling and add that to hot tap water (with campden) and arrive at about 60c.
Works for me.

 

[foxy]

I am no scientist but for 45 years have always sparged with water which is hotter than the mash temp. I aim for 70-75C. Never had any problems doing this. A hotter sparge does make sense to me because you are 'rinsing' the sugars from the grain whereas colder water is lees likely to have this effect and could lead to a lower efficiency.

Sometimes what one would logically believe to make sense doesn't, and often the reverse.
When I used to sparge I would always heat to sparge temperature, if I went back to sparging I would still heat to sparge temperature.
As I mentioned earlier, it's no good doing something half arsed considering the time it takes to brew a beer. Why spend half a day brewing and having a devil may care attitude. If you are going to do something, do it right.

http://braukaiser.com/blog/blog/2009/05/12/cold-water-sparging/