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Batch sparge calculations

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delhotal

I have just switched over to a batch sparge setup and can't figure out how to use BeerSmith to compute the water needed without a lot of work.  I start by determining the amount of water for grain/water ratio that I want using the Strike/Infusion Temp tool.  Then using the Water Needed tool I enter that as the mash in amount and the grain weight and after losses for absorbtion and deadspace get "Sparge Water Needed."  I then have to manually subtract from that the amount to bring me up to the first batch quanity (which I enter as Top Up Water for Kettle and the balance should be equal to second batch water needed.....

My question is (1) am I doing it right, and (2) whether there is an easier way?
 
I agree the current setup is not ideal for batch sparges.

The question is what would you like to see?

I am in the middle of making a number of significant changes, so tweaking the water fields and calculations might not be a bad thing to do.

What fields and additions do you think might be appropriate to better support batch sparging?

Brad
 
I think maybe a "batch sparge tool" that you could access from the receipe form.  I would start with boil volume desired and grain amount.  From that you would subtract grain absorbed (calculated) and deadspace (from equipment).  The you would have to enter the number of batches (1,2, or 3) and let the software calculate the amount to add for each individual batch (of course the amount for the first batch would be less the water available from the mash).  I would ignore all the calculations for the boil.  Seems like that would cover it unless I forgot something.
 
Yes,
  I was thinking this over today, and I came up with something similar.

 I was thinking of adding it to the Mash profile page itself.  You would have the option to batch sparge, with a certain number of sparge cycles.

 Not sure if I need the sparge size, since you can back that out from the mash tun volume.  However, I know some people don't fill their mash tun to capacity, so it probably would be good to have a volume for the batch sparge as well.

 Any further thoughts would be appreciated.

Brad
 
I think the sparge volumes might be a good addition.  Truthfully, if I have to do any manual calculations at all  it will probably be easier to the the calculations in my head using round numbers.  
 
Hi there fellas,

I've been using Beersmith since earlier this year but this is my first post. It is great software - well done Brad. I'm a batch sparger and just wanted to add my weight to your planned upgrade. A 'batch sparge' option would be great and your idea to suggest volumes is a good one. I'll use it when it is ready, although I've had no real trouble working things out so far just using the suggested volumes given my equipment settings and some simple maths. I drain twice in total and aim for roughly similar quantities of liquid from each drain. I'm only relatively new to All Grain brewing with only a few done so far, but they've all turned out well.

Thanks again,

Shawn.
 
Shawn,
 Here's what I think will work:

 I'm adding a check box in the mash profile that marks it as a batch sparge.

 Then I'm also adding a field for percent of mash volume (this makes it adjustable).  You can specify a portion of your total mash tun volume.

 Then on the brewsheet steps will be displayed for each batch sparge (it calculates the volume and number needed from the mash tun percentage above).  

 So if you need two batch sparge steps, the step and volume for each will display on the brewsheet.

 How does this sound?

Brad
 
G'day Brad,

Sounds good. Can you explain 'percent of mash volume' to me a little more clearly though please? Sorry, us southern hemisphere types can be a bit slow ;D

If it works the way I think you are meaning, and is as user friendly as the rest of the software then I can't wait!

Thanks for the reply,

Shawn.
 
Shawn,
 The idea is this:

  The mash container volume is already known - since it is in the equipment profile.

 However, some people prefer not to use the whole container (for example if you have a very large cooler as a lauter tun) - so I would let you enter a percentage here that would be used to calculate the volumes.

 In practice, most of the time you would just leave this set to 90 or 100%, but I wanted to account for those who might want to change it a bit if you own a really big mash tun or want to sparge in small batches because you don't have a large second brewpot (or something like that).

The reason for adding it this way to the mash profile is to make this really easy to use.  Essentially you can now have "Batch sparge" mash profiles which you just pick and the calculations for each batch sparge will be done for you and displayed on the brewsheet.

Cheers!
Brad
 
Brad,

Thanks for that. I thought that was what you meant. I use a 47litre Coleman esky so it is relevant for me. Having said that I'm getting by just fine without the extra feature at the moment. Just thought I'd contribute my $0.02 worth...

Thanks again,

Shawn.
 
Brad,

Great idea for the batch sparge option.  You might want to contact Denny Conn on the HBD Brews & Views board or the TastyBrew.com board - he seems to be a batch sparge pioneer/advocate and might have some good advice.

Thanks for a great product!
Mark
 
Mark,
 Thanks for the tip!   I'm looking at a basic capability to start and then hope to expand it some more later.  I appreciate all of your thoughts.

Brad
 
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