No Sparge All-Grain

In the world of all-grain when it comes to sparging there are two main ways to do it: 1) Fly sparge 2) Batch sparge.

Well there is a 3rd way to do it, it’s called no sparge.  The way that this is done is, you add all of the water you need to your mash tun while you mash in.  The benefits to this is really simplicity.

The beer itself will turn out richer and have  bigger malt flavor (because it is your first running).  You are also avoiding getting all of the tannins from the husk into your beer.   The pH will change less when compared to fly sparging or batch sparging as well.

This method is really unorthodox in today’s world of homebrewing because of the grain to water ratio that is implemented.  I’ve also heard that if you are going to do a no sparge technique, use about 20% more grains (particularly base malts)  when looking at the recipe you normally would make.  Adding more grains is to help insure you are getting the proper amount of fermentable sugars for the recipe.  The no sparge technique can be used with smaller grain bills (browns, milds).

Just another thing to consider when thinking about your next all grain batch.

Cheers,

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