This is the mistake they’re making, in my opinion. I recommend upping the qts/# with smaller grain bills. Generally, I add enough water to the mash to get half my volume from first runnings after absorption.
For example, for 10# in a 10 gallon batch, assuming 1.2 gallons absorbed and 1 gallon boiled off:
6.7 gallons mash water, for 2.68 qt/#.
5.5. gallons sparge water.
If the 2.68 qt/# makes you nervous, then mash in with 5 gallons, for 2 qt/# and add the remaining 1.7 gallons as a mashout or to the sparge.
I agree.
I just threw those numbers out there to illustrate the point they were trying to make. I agree with adjusting the mash water grain ratio. I would rather up the mash water and do one batch sparge, then hold hard and fast to quarts per pound rule and do double sparge.
Nobody actually said to use those numbers.
Perhaps for a Berliner Weisse-that’s a pretty watery beer for a 10 gallon batch (calc OG = 1.027, assuming 75% efficiency).
JK–I know it is a hypothetical example just to illustrate a point.
Most 10 gallon batches would have around 22 pounds of grain (calc OG = 1.059, assuming 75% efficiency).
Using Ron’s math, it seems 10 gal + 2.2 gal + 1 ga/hr boil = 13.2 gallons of water for a 10 gallon batch using 22 pounds of grain.
Hmm… for some reason, my beersmith program seems to tell me I need to use more than that (15-17 gallons). I’m not sure why.
