Truth be told, batch sparging is a little more than a version of parti-gyle brewing known as entire-gyle brewing. Parti-gyle used to be a very popular brewing technique in the UK for producing a big beer from the first runnings and small or table beer from the second runnings. However, few amateur brewers are aware of the background behind batch sparging. Maybe, just maybe, it is time for the amateur brewing community to embrace the whole of parti-gyle brewing?
Just doing two runnings is a way to do it, but not the only way. Those runnings can be blended to make a range of beers in the breweries portfolio. Fillers does this from Golden Pride down to Chiswick Bitter.
Ron Pattinson also has written about it.
Used to be popular? How about Fullers ESB and London Pride? Anyone interested in partigyle brewing should pick up a copy of “Guile Brews” By Peter Symon. Peter is from Australia and cites a lot of Aussie breweries but also includes many English brews as well. He explains the process… offers formulas for homebrewers as well as several recipes.
Doesn’t Anchor create Small Beer from the second runnings of Old Foghorn? https://www.anchorbrewing.com/beer/anchor_small
I’ve read a little on this and understand the 1st and 2nd runnings have a different composition, and not just of sugars. The various salts, lipids, proteins, and such can cause fermentation problems and grainy flavor in a pure 2nd running beer. I’ve never done it so don’t have any first hand experiences — only what I’ve read.
I’ve always wanted to take 1st and 2nd runnings separately, but instead of making two different beers with the two separate runnings, mix 1/4-1/3 1st runnings with 2/3-3/4 2nd runnings and vice versa to create two different beers using different hops and yeast in each.
Another variation would be to combine the two runnings as a normal batch sparge for two 1/2 and 1/2 batches of wort. With one create a Pale Ale, and in the other steep some dark crystal and/or roasted malt, add the tea to create the second beer as an Amber or Brown. Boil and hop them separately.
I guess another variation but one I am less interested in would be to combine the two runnings as a normal batch sparge for two 1/2 and 1/2 batches of wort, then drain off a portion and add brewhaus liquor to bring them to two desired gravities.
That is a good article. It highlights the importance of being able to work in gravity points versus treating everything as an efficiency problem. All efficiency is is gravity points obtained from a grist divided by its theoretical maximum potential in gravity points. In my humble opinion, efficiency is not very useful measurement in brewing, especially the way it is calculated in BeerSmith.
im sort of off small beer as an idea now. if i want water ill have water, if i want beer id rather have a proper one at minimum 4%.
you could add a smaller amount of water to the 2nd runnings, creating say 4 litres of wort, then boil that 4 litres extremely hard down to 2 or 1 litre to make an extract or concentrated wort to boost the ABV without significantly increasing the total volume for one thing
One of my favorite beers I make is a Porter from the 2nd runnings of my Imperial Stout I brew every January. I brew a small batch Imperial Stout, full volume no sparge, runoff that wort into a kettle. Add strike water to that mash, stir and recirculate for a bit and run that wort off for a whole different beer. I end up with a 3 gal batch of Imperial Stout ~1.100 OG and 3 gals of a nice, rich Porter ~1.060. It’s the only time I do anything like this, but since I do mostly no sparge mashing now, I have considered trying it on a different batch.
Your second runnings don’t have to be “small” or “watery”. I mentioned earlier that Fuller’s partigyles ESB and London Pride. The “big beer” is ESB at 5.9% ABV and the “small beer” is London Pride at 4.7% ABV.
Your podcast is probably where I heard about Guile Brews. I remember listening on the treadmill at the gym and ordered the book as soon as I got home.
One way to do it is for the small beer to be dark and the big beer pale. Since you can add any “steeping grain” to the second runnings (and they actually aid in acidifying the mash, to boot), it’s pretty easy to make a 1.070+ IPA and a 1.040+ brown ale or porter from one “base mash.”
The last few times I did it it was a 1.100 BW and a 1.060ish brown ale
I ordered the book today. I enjoyed the information that Peter brought to the table.
I just did this with a Barleywine I made. I just can’t in good conscious waste all that sugar in the grain :). I tried to turn the second batch into a Amber ale. We will see how it turns out…
When I’ve done it, I like having to let go a bit of recipe design for second runnings beer due to the constraints inherited from the first runnings beer. I take a stab at having the second runnings beer be in line with a style, but you really don’t really have that much control. It’s fun.
I once took the late second runnings from a neighbor’s Wee Heavy (he had fly sparged all he needed and was going to just dump the grains). I just added a little DME and had a nice 60 Shilling Scottish Ale in the end, so I split the batch with him and he was quite pleased. I haven’t done another since, but I keep it in the back of my mind, because I brew lighter ABV beers and my neighbors usually make the big boys once in a while.