Release version and batch sparging

[slothrob]

Will the release version allow for batch sparging with 2 sparges? (4 total water additions including mashout.)

[jeff]

Will the release version allow for batch sparging with 2 sparges? (4 total water additions including mashout.)

What version are you using right now?

[slothrob]

v.20.

I assume you're trying to tell me to give it another shot. Maybe I just couldn't figure it out before the liscence lapsed. I'll download 20a and see if I can get it to work.

[jeff]

If you are using 0.9.20 or higher, you should be able to insert consecutive sparges for batch sparge schedules. Have you had trouble setting up a schedule this way?

[slothrob]

I did have trouble "inserting" additional sparges. I was under the impression, at the time, that it was only allowing a single sparge volume to be enterred.

Perhaps I was going about it the wrong way. I did find the batch scheduling tools somewhat confusing, so maybe I misunderstood the approach.

[jeff]

The "Collect" step has been enhanced to allow several of them back to back. If you are doing a batch sparge, you can collect runoff from each batch using the "Collect" step. If you collect your first runoff without adding water, don't enter any volume in the sparge field. For the next batch, enter how much water you add to the mash for the second runoff in the sparge field and so on.

[slothrob]

I apparently don't understand how to use this feature. I think I see how it can be used to set up a single fly sparge, but it seems to want information that isn't relevent to a batch sparge. I wonder if I'm misinterpreting what some of the volume fields mean... which ones refer to final volume vs. strike volume vs. runoff volume isn't clear to me yet.

I'm used to the tastybrew calculator wher you tell it the temp you have and want, the amount of grain and the volume of water and it tells you your strike temp. Perhaps I'm spoiled by it's oversimplicity. I should say here that I've never used any of the other Brew programs and I understand that PM is not easy to set up for batch sparging.

I tried modifying your "2 infusion" schedule and couldn't get it to give me numbers that made sense to me. Maybe a "Batch Sparge" schedule could be added to the options for us ameteurs. Meanwhile, I'll reread the documentation thread on mashing and give it another shot.

Bug alert: whether I chose the "1 infusion" or "2 infusion" mash options, the "1 infusion" option remains checked. I believe that the same occurs in the adjacent pull down menu that includes "mash", etc. where "mash" remains checked.

[jeff]

Go ahead and send me a session file that you want to setup a batch sparge schedule for. You can include written instructions in the notes tab of what you want to setup and I will give it a shot. Thanks!

[slothrob]

Thanks, I might do that, because I seem to be not getting something.
I reread the mash schedule posts and I'm still not making any progress, and I feel like an idiot.

What I want to do seems simple enough:
*I want to add water to 11.5 # of grain to 152

[slothrob]

Thanks so much for your help.

Saturday I set a double batch sparge session on my own and hit all my numbers +/- 0.5

[jeff]

I am really glad to hear that it worked out! Thanks for all the help refining the schedule tools. They will continue to improve with future releases so please keep in touch.

[jawbox]

Hey SlothRob,
Could you post the recipe. I know it would be helpful for everyone to see how you are creating your batch sparge in the mash schedule.

Thanks,
jaw

[slothrob]

I don't have anywhere to host the file, but I'd be glad to email it to anyone who PM's me.

I can send it tonite, when I get home from work; then I'm gone for the weekend. So if you want it before Sunday or Monday night, you'll have to PM me this afternoon or early this evening (EST).

I wrote a short starter tutorial the bottom of the page here. It's not much, but it might get you started figuring it out on your own.

[Beer Snob]

Here is your posting from BB. Dude from Homebrewtalk posted it over there.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Originally Posted by slothrob
Okay, here's my way of setting up a Batch Sparge Schedule in BeerToolsPro:

First, go to

[slothrob]

There's a couple of minor mistakes I see in there, now, but it should work, as far as I can tell. I think It'll get you started, anyway, and once you play with the numbers to fit your system it'll start to make sense. That's the way it worked for me, anyway.

One thing that was pointed out on the BB was that I didn't include rests in the sparge steps, so the graph displays a gradual increase to temp. This is because I just stir until well mixed and even temp, then drain. I don't do the 10' sparge rest because Denny says it's unnecessary, so I didn't include it. Add a rest if you want one.

Brew well,
Eric