Batch sparge mash profile

Hi!

I'm trying to set up a mash profile for batch sparging. I'd like it to be a two-step profile, the first step being the actual mash and the second being the mashout/sparge. The aim is to get each of the two runoffs to be the same volume. Obviously, the first water addition amount will vary depending on the amount of grain, and BeerSmith calculates this just fine, but the second addition will always be half the boil volume (plus dead space).

Is there any way to set this up in BeerSmith? Right now it seems to vary the mashout/sparge volume keeping the mash ratio constant - I'd like it to keep the volume constant, varying the ratio. Perhaps this could be made user-selectable when setting up a mash step?

Cheers,
Ian

Ian,
 At the moment I do not believe there is a way to do this automatically since the current program fixes the water to grain ratio.  The only thing I can think of in the current program is to just edit the mash profile so you add half of your water in the first mash step.

 When I wrote the program, my main concern was keeping a constant water to grain ratio for a given mash profile.  If you allow this ratio to vary (as you suggest) it would be very easy to end up with a mash that is very thin or very thick depending on the amount of grain.  The mash conversion process is dependent on this ratio - and your efficiency will suffer if you go too high or two low.

 It may be possible to allow the ratio to vary within a narrow range to support what you describe, but mash ratios below 1.0 or above 2.0 quarts/lb are unusual (the exception being decoction).  

 I've been struggling with how to factor in batch sparging.  The existing program does a pretty good job given a mash profile with a reasonable water to grain ratio in that it can calculate the water needed for sparging and other parameters.  As you note - a single step mash with no mash out is very close to a "batch sparge" procedure.  The only other variable is efficiency which is usually a few percent lower for batch sparging - but that can easily be factored into the existing efficiency setting.

 Your thoughts (and anyone else out there who batch sparges) are appreciated!

Brad

Hi Brad,

What I'm trying to do is described here:
http://hbd.org/clubs/cascade/public_html/dennybrew/index.html

and the calculations are contained in this spreadsheet:
http://home.elp.rr.com/brewbeer/files/nbsparge.xls.

It would be nice if BeerSmith could do these calculations too. This would probably entail adding specific mash step 'types', like 'additional batch runoff water' and 'batch sparge addition'. The type of the step would control how the calculations were performed, like allowing the grain/water ratio to vary to achieve a specified volume. The initial infusion is already catered for by the regular infusion step.

Cheers,
Ian

Ian,
 Thanks for the links - I'm printing them out to take a careful look at them!

Brad