Unable to figure out Sparging

So, I'm probably doing this backwards, and I'll be happy to accept that criticism.  I'm attempting to enter a recipe for a partial mash that I did this weekend, and I can't seem to get the program to allow me to enter my process correctly.  Here's what I did (and I'm happy to modify my process if someone points out a glaring deficiency!):

1.  Add about 3 gallons of water to the "mash tun"  (no false bottom, so I don't really consider it as a "true" tun), and bring it up to temp (in this case, about 165 F)
2.  Put grains in bag (in this case, 3 grains in 3 different grain socks), and hang in the "mash tun"
3.  Let grains steep for 45 minutes, occasionally adding heat to keep at proper temp
4.  Pre-heat about 2 gallons of water in a separate container (I guess this would be an HLT in all grain?) to 160
5.  Drain wort from mash tun to boil kettle, and drop hop socks to bottom of empty mash tun
6.  Pour (ok, sparge) HLT water over hop socks, and drain runnings into boil kettle.

I can't seem to figure out how to directly adjust the sparge amount.  I either get 0 gallons or 4.83 gallons.  

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Rob

In Recipe View, verify either Partial or All Grain as the TYPE. 

Then look at the various default entries for Equipment, select the one closest to yours, and duplicate it.  Then modify to fit your pot sizes and materials.  In the bottom half of screen under Boiler, you'd enter any losses or 'top-off' water you add, and your evap rate, and BSmith will calculate the rest, based on the mash profile you select. 

As to process, you're just doing AG in the kitchen.  You can use BSmith to calculate exact strike water temps so you can hit exact mash temps if you wish.  On step #3, you can put the MLT into a warm oven (~170F) to maintain a mash temp.  On #5, you might add the 'sparge' water and let it 'mash' as well, since you're using bags and efficiency suffers from that.  You could view this as batch sparging with two equal batches of 3 gallons, giving you six to boil down to 5 gals.  Or collect 3.25 gals twice to allow for transfer losses and you'll get about 5 finished gallons at end of the process.  Whatever volume you put into the boiler is your 'batch size' in BSmith. 

Having done essentially this same thing for a while, I'd recommend this simpler batch approach over trying to sparge the bags of grain.  (I mashed 'free range' in the MLT pot, and transferred grains to a pasta strainer.)  Just work on being consistent in your volumes, and BSmith will determine your extraction efficiency so over time, you can get reliable estimates of the grain needed to hit your targets. 

MaltLicker, thank you for your response.  I'll get cracking on duplicating my hardware tonight, and see what turns out. 

Also, the oven thing is brilliant!  I'll definitely try that on the next brew!

Thanks again!
Rob

Ok, so I'm attempting to follow MaltLicker's instructions here, and I seem to still be doing something wrong still.  I'll post what I have (equipment-wise and recipe-wise), and what I'm entereing, and see if someone can point me at what I'm doing.  (By the way, I did just watch the video on creating an equipment profile, which mentioned the top-up water is for when, doing extract / partial mash, you add cold water to help pre-chill the wort before pitching, of which I add a gallon to bring the total volume to 5 gallons).  

Also, what tips me off that something else is wrong, is in the preview screen, I get these messages:
1.  WARNING: Preheat Mash Tun - no equipment adjustments made!
2.  WARNING: Estimated Mash Size: 12.32 Gal greater than mash tun volume of 5.00 gal

Thanks in advance!
Rob

For your process, I don't see big issues, but there are some data points to verify/fix.  I marked some questionable data in red.  

1.  WARNING: Preheat Mash Tun - no equipment adjustments made!

This warns you that you've not accounted for a cold MLT, but you heat the water in yours, so you're good.

2.  WARNING: Estimated Mash Size: 12.32 Gal greater than mash tun volume of 5.00 gal

This warns you your mash is bigger than your pot.  You're doing it in two batches, so you're good.   However, your mash profile says you're adding 48 qts, which is 12 gallons.  Should be 12 qts, and then maybe check the "batch sparge box" to tell BSmith you're doing it twice.  (Maybe two infusions is the same effect.)  With a 6-gallon boiler, I would put 5 gallons in there until the foaming and boilover risk passes, and then as it boils down, add additional wort you collected during the early boil.  You'll maximize boiled wort, and minimize top-off water.  

The other oddity is your pre-boil gravity and finished OG are both 1.059.  Usually the SG increases by 7-10 points during a 60-minute boil.  Is evap rate really 15%?

Style question - Irish Red or Dry Stout?  The color and IBU are dry stout, whereas the OG is IR.  A pound of 500 SRM black malt is a lot. 


Style: Irish Red Ale
Recipe: Black Irish Red TYPE: Partial Mash
---RECIPE SPECIFICATIONS-----------------------------------------------
SRM: 40.2 SRM SRM RANGE: 9.0-18.0 SRM
IBU: 42.0 IBU Rager IBU RANGE: 17.0-28.0 IBU
OG: 1.059 SG OG RANGE: 1.044-1.060 SG
FG: 1.014 SG FG RANGE: 1.010-1.014 SG
BU:GU: 0.712 Calories: 235 cal/pint Est ABV: 5.85 %
EE%: 75.00 % Batch: 5.00 gal      Boil: 5.25 gal BT: 60 Mins
Amount        Item                                      Type         % or IBU      
1 Pkgs        Dry English Ale (White Labs #WLP007)      Yeast-Ale                  

---WATER CHEMISTRY ADDITIONS----------------

Prepare 6.99 gal Water for Brewing  (odd since you put 48 qts in mash)

Ingredients for Mashing
Amount        Item                                      Type         % or IBU      
1.56 lb       Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM)     Grain        17.12 %      
1.56 lb       Munich Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM)              Grain        17.12 %      
1.00 lb       Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM)           Grain        10.96 %      

Total Grain Weight: 4.13 lb Total Hops: 2.25 oz.
---MASH PROCESS------MASH PH:5.4 ------
>>>>>>>>>>ADD WATER CHEMICALS BEFORE GRAINS!!<<<<<<<
My Mash
Step Time     Name               Description                         Step Temp    
40 min        Step               Add 48.00 qt of water at 156.3 F    155.0 F      

---SPARGE PROCESS-----RECYCLE FIRST RUNNINGS & VERIFY GRAIN/MLT TEMPS: 72.0 F/72.0 F
Sparge with 0.00 gal of 168.0 F water.

---BOIL PROCESS-----------------------------
Est Pre_Boil Gravity: 1.059 Est OG: 1.059 SG  (odd that it doesn't change)
Boil Ingredients
Boil         Amount       Item                                      Type        
60 min       2.00 lb      Amber Dry Extract (12.5 SRM)              Dry Extract  
60 min       3.00 lb      Amber Liquid Extract (12.5 SRM)           Extract      
60 min       1.75 oz      Goldings, East Kent [5.60 %]  (60 min)    Hops        

---FERM PROCESS-----------------------------
Primary Start: 1/2/2010 - 7 Days at 62.0 F
Secondary Start: 1/9/2010 - 7 Days at 68.0 F
Style Carb Range: 2.1-2.6 vols
Bottling Date: 1/16/2010 with 2.4 Volumes CO2:
---NOTES------------------------------------




Here's what that looks like..................you'd have to tinker with it to fit your process.

---MASH PROCESS------MASH PH:5.4 ------
>>>>>>>>>>ADD WATER CHEMICALS BEFORE GRAINS!!<<<<<<<
My Mash
Step Time     Name               Description                         Step Temp    
40 min        Step #1            Add 11.99 qt of water at 160.2 F    155.0 F      
40 min        Step #2            Add 7.99 qt of water at 155.0 F     155.0 F      

---SPARGE PROCESS-----RECYCLE FIRST RUNNINGS & VERIFY GRAIN/MLT TEMPS: 72.0 F/72.0 F
Drain Mash Tun
Batch Sparge Round 1: Sparge with 1.00 gal of 168.0 F water

Ok, I'm an idiot.  Talk about forgetting rudimentary conversions.  Yeesh.  Just googled the conversion rate, and I'm not entirely sure what the heck I was thinking.  I had been putting in 16 quarts per gallon, not 4.  yeesh. 

So, as far as the recipe is concerned, I can't recall the book from which I took it (I'll look it up when I get home), but it's a clone of the Yukon Red, http://www.yukonbeer.com/ourbrews/yukon_red.html.  Having not tried the Yukon Red, I don't know a whole lot about it.  My intent was an Irish Red, but it came out black.  I will do the recipe again, but make adjustments to actually make it red, not black (I did play with BS to figure out how much of each grain would have made it red, and it comes up as 4 oz, not a full pound).

Anyway, thanks for all of your help!
Rob

My friend made this and it was excellent.  Variation on JZ's recipe.  Roasted barley will give the red color and drying note without the acrid/burnt note from black.  Enjoy. 

Style: Irish Red Ale
Recipe: Irish Red 2008-I TYPE: All Grain
---RECIPE SPECIFICATIONS-----------------------------------------------
SRM: 15.0 SRM SRM RANGE: 9.0-18.0 SRM
IBU: 30.5 IBU Rager IBU RANGE: 17.0-28.0 IBU
OG: 1.054 SG OG RANGE: 1.044-1.060 SG
FG: 1.014 SG FG RANGE: 1.010-1.014 SG
BU:GU: 0.561 Calories: 244 cal/pint Est ABV: 5.25 %
1 Pkgs        Irish Ale (Wyeast Labs #1084)            Yeast-Ale                 

Ingredients for Mashing @ 152F
Amount        Item                                      Type        % or IBU     
12.50 lb      Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)                    Grain        92.05 %     
0.25 lb      Briess Carapils Malt (1.3 SRM)            Grain        1.84 %       
0.25 lb      Briess Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM)        Grain        1.84 %       
0.25 lb      Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM)    Grain        1.84 %       
0.20 lb      Briess Extra Special Mailt (130.0 SRM)    Grain        1.47 %       
0.13 lb      Briess Caramel Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM)      Grain        0.96 %

Great news!  I fixed the water volume problem, and it worked!  Thank you so much for all of your help.

I discovered the recipe for the Yukon Arctic Red Clone, it's in "The best of Brew your own" "150 Classic Clone Recipes" issue, on page 23, and discovered my error that turned it black.  It turns out that I need to pay a lot more attention to details, it said 1 oz. of Black Patent, not 1 pound.  My mistake.  But, as always, learn and move on!  It might turn out to be quite drinkable!

Thanks again!
Rob