Changes

After the [[mashing]] process is complete, the grains, water and sugar are still in suspension in the mash container, called the ''[[Mash Tun|mash tun]]''. The sugars are separated from the grains in a process called ''sparging''. The mash tun typically has a false bottom or screen at the bottom with a spigot that allows the brewer to draw run-off from the bottom of the grain bed. Hot water at approximately 178 F is slowly added to the top of the grain bed, run through the bed, and drawn off the bottom through the false bottom and out the spigot to the boiling vessel. This extracts sugars from the grains and produces sweet liquid called [[wort]] for boiling. The initial runnings (first few quarts) drawn during the sparge process are recirculated back through the grain bed, as the early runnings often contain grain husks, crushed material and other undesirable elements. After the initial runnings, the grain bed will act as a filter and reduce the cloudiness of the runnings. Sparging is best done slowly so that a maximum amount of sugar can be extracted from the spent grains. The sparged wort is transferred to a boiler where hops is are added and the mixture boiled before cooling for fermentation.

*Does not require special equipment because channeling is not a concern. Any apparatus that will drain the liquid without allowing “chunks” is acceptable.*Does not typically extract tannins*Speed, it is a fast procedure potentially shortening your brewing day*Makes a maltier beer, there is quite a bit of discussion on enhanced maltiness of the beers produced with this and the “batch sparge” method below. Here is a quote from George Fix ( httpBrad Smith://hbd.org/hbd/archive/977.html#977"much higher efficiency than no-3 ) “I have found that to get a very high malt flavor the sparge must be omitted as well. This is an expensive way to brew since the amount of grains needed must be increased by a factor ~4/3. Nevertheless, some of the world's great ales and lagers have been brewed this way, and I have found it works in homebrewing as well for special beers. Clearly this is not the way to brew our standard beers.”"

*Brewing "a homebrewer fly sparging might achieve 73% brewhouse efficiency is decreased as while a good fraction of the potential fermentable sugars are not extracted. (See quote from George Fix above)batch sparger might only get 66% brewhouse efficiency."*Is not practical for big beers"stirring the mash upsets the grain bed, requires a very significant increase in allowing more tannins and grain bill for high gravity brewsbits to make it into the wort.*Not suited for To reduce this risk, some brewers use a beer that should not have a malty profilehybrid batch sparge method where they add sparge water slowly to the top and avoid stirring or completely draining the mash tun."

==== Boil Brew in a Bag Method ====