Strong Beer Brewing Reiterated Mashing Tips Grainfather

Hints and tips for reiterated mashing for strong beers using the Grainfather brewing system
Channel links:-
groups/Brewbeer
www.teespring.com/stores/david-heath-homebrew
Introduction music:- Drink Beer (Till The Day That I Die) by Dazie Mae

[@Zumaray]

Thanks David. I’ve learnt a lot from all of your videos. This is the equivalent of me buying you a beer! Cheers

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thank you very much. Much appreciated 🍻🍻🍻

[@spawn2qc217]

David, as usual, you are my reference in homebrewing. Everything is clear, sharp and simple. I love your videos. Tried my first high gravity beer today and it was a fail... now I understand why. That's a waste of grain... I will try your method next time. Thank you!

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Great to hear :) This method will certainly work for you.

[@spawn2qc217]

I would like to calculate the efficiency of my system. Can you guide me to something please or maybe a future video idea?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Most software will have this feature. You simply add in your actual volume & SG. It will then generate your actual efficiency numbers.

[@jakobfredriksson2272]

Just - with paper and a pen beside me - seen this movie a second time. Today going to be my first reiterated mash. Wish me god luck ! :)

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Good luck Jakob :) let me know how it works out.

[@jakobfredriksson2272]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew Thanks David! It went better than expected! Im not even close to your efficiency - 93,5% (LOL!) in your Imperial stout from Jan 2017 - but im working on it ;) My intension was to brew a strong beer ready to be served during a Octoberfest but the gravity it ended up with force me to celebrate the harvest during christmas I guess :) Only brewed for 2-3 months and im totally stucked. Love it! Your channel have learned me more about this craft than any other source and Im really grateful for that. Keep up your amazing work!

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

It might take a little more practise and some luck to get that efficiency but really the important thing usually is an efficiency that you can predict and plan around.

[@garyjames2664]

Interesting update thank you David. So you do a full sparge on the first mash, and a shorter sparge on the second mash just to get to pre-boil volume. This will also result in a more dilute second mash, which I imagine may well help prop up the smaller second sparge. It's interesting that you do a mash out on mash one. I always thought a mash out was to stabilise the enzymes and stop the mashing process and so skipping it might actually help the second mash, so it's interesting to hear you get better results with two mash outs. I'll try your method on my next reiterated mash. Thanks for the videos, as always. Gary.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thanks Gary. Reiterated mashing is a pet technique of mine. I first started experimenting with it over 30 years ago! Ive tried all sorts and this method always gives me the best results. I revisited testing when I got the GF, just in case but yes this works the best numbers wise. Its a very thin line on the graincrush , I dont go that fine usually and it takes experimentation with you mill to get it right. Experience helps here of course but it can be learnt through trial and error. Hope this helps and I look forward to your next video :)

[@jn26661]

Many thanks for explaining the mash efficiency and the relation to the amount of grain used. This helps me a lot in future.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Great, yes I think its important information for sure :)

[@stevetrusler1958]

I'm using a Brewster 40 and both times I've done a NEIPA I've missed my intended SG. The grain bill was just over 8kg. Having watched your video this makes total sense now. Being new to home brewing I had thought it was something I was doing wrong but it's actually the fact that although my system can handle 9kg it won't be efficient beyond about 5.5kg. My latest brew did much better. Target SG was supposed to be 1.055 and was actually 1.060. My intended ABV was 6.6 and finished instead at 7.4. Many thanks for your informative videos.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Great to hear Steve. Always plenty to learn with brewing but it keeps it fun and rewarding 🍻🍻🍻

[@SørenBechChristensen]

Hi David, me again :-) I tried to follow your directions brewing a double mash stout. The grain bill was 9kg for a 22-litre batch, so I decided on two mashes of 4,5 kg with the large pipework. The mash and sparge water calculator recommends 15,65 litres of mash water and 13,45 litres of sparge water (30 mins boil). The 15.65 litres is IMHO the volume where the water will be somewhere below the top perforated plate, so that wort can be pumped to the top, leaving some space below the grain pipe while staying below the level of the overflow pipe. That way we should get a decent circulation back through the grains. When we sparge with 13,45 litres we have a total of 29,10 litres of wort. Assuming that the grain absorbs 3,6 litres, the second mash will have 25,5 litres of wort, which is well over the overflow pipe making it impossible to get circulation through the grains. I saw no other option but to pump some 8-9 litres into a bucket and mash with the rest. This other bucket was added again before boiling. Needless to say, I didn't come anywhere near the efficiency I had hoped for. In your video you are working with a smaller batch, I know, but you're using the small pipework, so I guess the problem should be the same. How did you avoid overflowing your second mash? I am currently working on a 3D printed 'Grain pipe elevator' to raise the grain pipe to a level, where I can circulate the larger amount of wort. Thanks again for your valuable videos. Søren

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi and thanks for your message. Yes, this batch was too large, it would seem, for your brewing system. I take it you have a G30? A 15L batch would have been smooth and much more efficient. The amount of grain vs liquid volume is at play here.

[@francescotassini4321]

Hi David, I'm planning to buy a GF soon and your videos provide a huge set of useful information explained in a very clear and comprehensive way. Thanks a lot for all your work and hopefully I'll get back in the comments when I will be able to apply all your tips and advice to my brews... Cheers mate!

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Great to hear :) Let me know if you have any questions.

[@mtrout3394]

Some great tips, interesting a out stirring every 20 mns. Many thanks

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Yes, its a great way to maximise efficiency.

[@danielmartins7870]

Hi David, I'm about to brew your "big man American stout" recipe and was watching the video you made on reiterated mashing. Can I ask you the following question : what are the benefits of using most of the sparge water for the first mash and only topping up to pre-boil volume for the second mash ? Why can't we split evenly the volume of sparge water between the two mashes ? Thanks in advance for your explanations. Many thanks for the great content you keep posting. Sending you my best wishes from France.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi Daniel, great to hear. The benefits are an improved taste and overall efficiency.

[@danielmartins7870]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew Thank you very much for your answer. Will let you know how it turned.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Great, cheers 🍻🍻🍻

[@taybrews]

Thanks for this video. I've got my efficiencies nailed down for my pale ales but whenever I try to make an IIPA or Impy then I always fall well short of my OG but this should help improve this.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thanks Stephen, yes this is the way forward for the bigger beers for sure.

[@ilperoFFF]

Hi David, and thanks for another great video. Before Christmas I asked you some tips for brewing my Yule Sahti using re-iterated mashing. The first time I sparged only with enough water to get liquid volume in the GF back to the volume suggested by water calculator for the 5 kg of malt that I have left for the second mash. The second time I sparged, as suggested in this video, so that in the end I had the planned volume of wort. Maybe next time I'll try to do the first sparge as in this video as well. I had some problems with grain getting through the bottom plate as I was stirring the mash. The filter was clogged for most of the second mash and I had some scorching on the heating element.. In the end efficiency wasn't as high as I hoped, but it wasn't a total catastrophe either. Sahti itself was ok for a second try. It maybe had some slight off-taste from scorching, but it was not even noticeable every time. Next time going to hit it with some more smoked malt. I have two further questions that probably have been asked many times before. First, have you tried or what do you think about the method in which the first sparge is done with full water volume, then some of the wort is removed from the Grainfather so that calculator-suggested volume is left behind for the second mash, then the second sparge is first done with the wort from the first mash and then continued with water until the desired volume is reached? Second, I can't figure out how to do water adjustments when doing re-iterated mash. Any advise on that? Thanks in advance.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi, it sounds like your grain crush is too fine resulting in the bottom plate burning and clogging. Be sure to scrape the bottom plate during the boil. A stirring will help the filter, or blow into the recirculation using a pump.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

I have tried many different methods for reiterated mashing. I share what I have found to give the best results. Water adjustments are a pretty huge topic. Perhaps I will give a guide in the future.

[@rickwischer1318]

Hi David. For the 2nd sparge you mention to make sure to use enough water to arrive at pre boil volume. How do you know exactly how much wort is in the grainfather after the 2nd mash? The volume indicators are on the walls of the grainfather but not on the grain basket. Do you take out your grain basket all the way to get a read? That would seem messy and a small chore.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi Rick, you will have the basket lifted, so you can see under it at the right angle. You can also lift it up and take a look if you find this easier.

[@peterscandlyn]

Very helpful David. Thank you. Answered pretty much everything I now need to know.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Great, thats good to hear Peter :)

[@michaelflorez2609]

Two questions: 1. Do you split the adjunct malts in half too, or do you add the adjuncts at the end of the second mash? 2. If you raise the sparge temperature to 170 F, will you denature the first mash, and do you lose efficiency on the second?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

I split everything personally. Yes, you need to be careful with sparge temps.

[@colingiles518]

Hi David, I'm doing a reiterated mash for the first time today. I probably should've watched this yesterday.... Anyways, I don't understand using all of the calculated sparge volume in the first sparge and then adding additional water for boil off losses and using that for the second sparge. Are those losses not already included in the GF water calculations? I have a feeling if I'm adding additional water, i'm going to get a less strong beer? Is using 1/2 and 1/2 the calculated sparge volumes a bad idea?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi, the GF calc is not adjusting for this kind of brew. If you follow these instructions though you will be fine 🍻🍻

[@Pingwinho]

Hi David, in your, far greater than my own, experience, which pipework would you use for a reiterated mash with a total of between 7-8kg of grain? It falls cleanly between the two efficiency hotpots.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hey! Certainly both will work, so as such there really is no real preference. 🍻🍻🍻

[@nzskibum29]

Awesome video as always. Definitely some food for thought I did have one question - let’s say I have a recipe I like but I want to raise the abv and I do this through some efficiency gains. How can I expect this to impact flavour and are there any general rules of thumb for improving balance if that is affected by the increase in abv?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thanks Jack. The key to changing a recipes ABV is to retain the balance of the beer. This is measured by the BU:GU ratio. So when increasing ABV you will also need to increase bitterness to keep the ratio equal.

[@richardwilkinson77]

Hi David. Another great video. I'm planning to use this method with my BIAB setup. Kettle capacity is 30L and grain bill is 8.3kg. Batch size 23L. I don't do a sparge so would you recommend not doing a mash out after the first mash as there will be no way to get the wort temperature back down to strike temperature for the second mash? As I won't sparge can I just split both my grain bill and total water required quantity (around 35L according to Brewfather) in half (so around 17.5L of water and 4kg of grain for each mash)? Will that give me my desired efficiency? Or should I be trying to make my first mash volume as large as is comfortable in the kettle and add the remaining water for the second mash? Hope this makes sense!

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi Richard, yes, skip the mash out, this will help you raise effeciency too. Split the batch 50/50 is really the way forward here for the best end result in my experience.

[@lauriecharlton4437]

Hi David, I am lookito brew a 23L batch of 1.100 wort for a barleywine. I cant do a smaller batch as i only have the standard pipework on my grainfather. I am having trouble getting my head around how there will be any room left for the grain on the 2nd mash if the full amount of sparge water is used on the first sparge? if I use the all the sparge water it will be up at the 30L mark and have no room for the 2nd mash? I know I must be missing something here I just cant work it out! Thanks :)

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

He Laurie, you are going to need to reduce your volume down for the reasons you explain. 15L will be a comfortable amount but you could squeeze more.

[@lauriecharlton4437]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew thanks David, I thought that was only for the small batch pipework, I had the wrong idea. Thanks!

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

No problem 🍻🍻🍻

[@Telemorris]

Hi David. I’m fascinated by this technique. I’m planning to brew a 3 gallon barleywine this weekend. I’m puzzled by the maths in this. If I understand correctly, You cut the grain bill in half. First mash uses the full amount of water for both mash and sparge. Then you use the wort from the first batch to mash the second batch and add a variable amount of sparge water. What I don’t understand is how you end up with any need for sparge water after the send mash given that you already have the full amount of water already. Do the two separate grain bills end up absorbing more water than calculated? Did I miss something in your description of this process? Thanks in advance. I really want to figure this mash technique out so I can do large beers!!

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hey :) Yes cut the grain bill in half. Use mash and sparge volumes for this 50%. Then remove the grain and replace with the remaining 50%. Mash again and sparge back up to preboil volume. It will not be as much but it gives the best results.You will need more sparge water due to liquid absorption of your grain. Hope this helps:)

[@Telemorris]

Thanks David. I did try this out yesterday. One problem I ran into was that the top filter plate kept sliding down the inner basket. As a result I was never able to create a good filter from the grainbed and ended up with a LOT of fine particles that made it through to the fermenter, creating a higher loss to trub than I calculated for. I suspect there was nothing to support the top perforated plate at the top of the wort. Have you had this problem? if so, how do you fix it? My total grain bill was 15 pounds, split in half. Given that the GF app called for 5 gallons of strike water, I decided to use the standard pipe rather than the smaller pipe because the water ended up above the top of the small pipe at full extension. I’m wondering if I should reduce the amount of water to, say 75% in order to use the smaller pipe?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Did you add the grain in small amounts stirring fully before adding more? It is also good to spend some minutes giving the full mash and good stir once all is in. The grain will compact during mash in naturally due to mash in temps but it will behave better if it is fully seperated before the mash. Water volume plays a role here also. Having too little mash water will add to compaction.

[@tieskewieske]

Hi David, what would be the efficiency sweet spot for the combined pipework? And what would be the efficiency sweet spots for the micro, combined and regular pipework for the G70?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Ideally its an in between of the two. G70 wise I did not get that far before handing mine back.

[@lapeldoo]

Thanks for the video! I do have a question. Instead of reiterated mashing, couldn't you extend the mash step from 60 mins to 90 or 120 minutes and stir every 20 minutes and achieve a better mash efficiency? TYIA

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thanks. Good question! I have done a lot of testing with this and my findings over various tests lead me back to reiterated mashing based on accuracy of effeciency prediction (most important), time and effort required.

[@claytoncoxen5145]

Hi Dave, Thanks for the great video. I haven't seen any videos indicating whether you also do a bit of stilling, but im hoping you can advise. I have the alembic still attachment for my GF and have been trying some all grain whisky. Do you think a reiterated mash would help here to increase efficiency too? This might really maximise the output from the grain?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi Clayton, it's totally illegal to do this in the country I live in, so these items are not even available. In theory I would say for sure this will work very well. No need to stop at two mashes either :)

[@dang1485]

Thank you for this very informative video! How do you determine the volume of wort in the grainfather G30 when you start the second sparge? I would also benefit from being able to do this for single mash brews.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi Dan, I lift the grainbasket and take a look while holding the basket. Fast and easy :)

[@sdrhodes82]

Hi David. Great video. One question I have is, with water additions in the mash, what is the process for the second mash? Do you just adjust the water for the first mash? Cheers.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thanks Shane. That is what I do yes. Little need later for that small top up sparge :)

[@grahambrittongb]

In the example you give. You assume no water loss in second sparge. I am new to this as you know and far from re-iterated brewing just trying to understand that generally water for sparge finds its way through to final boil volume. Grainfather calc. Suggests 20% loss. Hope you don’t think I am nit picking just genuinely trying to understand. Thanks again for the excellent resource and assistance you provide here.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi, it was just an example with easy numbers for demonstation, not a real case as such. I felt it would be easy for all to understand this way. I get a lot of confused questions on this topic and I really want to simplfy it.

[@grahambrittongb]

Hi David, Thanks for your response. So in reality is there a small % loss in sparge normally. I guess I will find out when I start brewing :) Hope your not offended at my questions just trying to understand but maybe over thinking things :)

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Losses are mostly down to grain obsorbtion, boil off and trub.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi Graham, no offence at all :) It is important to understand, so feel free to ask any questions that you have, I am more than happy to help :)

[@stephenedmundson2317]

Hi David If doing a triple mash what volume do you use for ,mash and sparge on the third mash and does this change what you do on the second mash as far as quantities use for mash and sparge

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

The mash volume would be the same, do your top up sparges as you go for better efficiency.

[@thibautcaudron3474]

Sorry to bother you again on this topic but I have some difficulties to understand why the second sparge is THAT lower. Don't we miss some remaining sugars ? Is it because the second sparge is by essence slower than the first one that we don't go the extra mile?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Ive tried this method many different ways and what I have set out here always gives me a higher gravity. Do not forget that the first mash will always give you more than the second and the sparge effect is the same.

[@GGG-pf3pg]

Good video as always David. So just to confirm, the 2nd mash had ~19L of strike water (wort in this instance)? I intend on using slightly different volumes to get ~20L for a full corny. So am I right in thinking that the general process behind this technique being successful is by using a typical water/grain ratio for the first mash and then super thin for the second? Cheers.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Very sorry for the late reply, YT has been very buggy recently so I only just saw this. Yes that is correct on both things :)

[@SørenBechChristensen]

Hi David, I am about to brew a Baltic Porter, which delivered an awful efficiency last time around. It is a 23 liter batch with 7kg malt, and I plan to break it up in two iterations per your instructions. If I put 23 liters and 3.5 kg in the calculator (which btw is no longer at the GF site, but in the new app), it tells me to mash with 12.95 litres and sparge with 17.85 litres That seems like a lot of sparging, wouldn't it be preferable to save a little of that for the second iteration, instead of just "topping up" to the pre-boil volume?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi Søren, the water chemistry changes after the first mash and sparge. You will get the best results by doing a full sparge on the first mash and a top up sparge on the second :)

[@mpc7084]

Is there a way to address the reiterated mash in Brewfather? Or in Brewfather do you ignore it and just treat it as one regular mash

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Sadly not. Treat it like one mash. A good way to go is to halve the mash ingredients and use the water calcs.

[@ALROCKO2000]

Hi Dave, I was just wondering, wouldn't sparging with less water first time around (say 6,85l instead of 9,85l) and then making up for it on the second sparge (say 6l instead of only 3l) up your bh efficiency even more?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

You can by all means try this for yourself but in my experience it works better the way shown here.

[@fyremanbill]

Hi David! Another great video. You are an awesome resource to the homebrewing community sir. Just to be clear on this method, the total amount of water needed for this brew would be 12.85 L for the mash, 9.85 L for the first sparge and 3 more liters for the second sparge? I'm going to try this out tomorrow and just want to be clear. Thanks!

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thank you :) in this example yes but the 2nd sparge will always be a variable. Its basically a top up.

[@fyremanbill]

Thanks David! Just what I needed to know.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Great :)

[@mardanheddeokwa]

Hi David, Again a great video, thanks! I was looking at this video which I want to try in the future. Therefore I think it was handy to put it in text. Can you check if this is correct? Strong Beer Brewing Reiterated Mashing Tips Grainfather Reiterated Mashing or double mashing for High Efficiency Grainfather Standard pipework MAX 9Kg Brew house efficiency 75% (BHEFF) 8Kg of malt for 15L with MJ-M42 Strong Ale Yeast with 75% BHEFF gives 13.94% ABV 8Kg (large amount) gives more about 60% BHEFF and 10.7% ABV Split batch in halve for about 85% BHEFF or even more! 8Kg / 15L with 85% BHEFF gives 15.2% ABV most people will use 7Kg / 15L with 85% BHEFF gives 13.3% ABV Stay in the Efficiency sweet spots! Regular pipework: 4-5 Kg Small pipework: 2.5-3.5 Kg So for a 15L Batch with 7KG Malt at 85% BHEFF (13.3%) Use small pipework and 2 mashes of 3.5Kg per mash ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Do a fine crush and add a small amount of rice hulls - Stirr every 20 minutes during the mash steps - Slow sparging for a better efficiency - Do the sparging by hand - Use the Grainfather Controller in manual mode ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steps: Calculate water volumes Batch: 15L Grain: 3.5Kg Mash water: 12.95L Sparge Water: 9.85L Use small pipework MASH ONE (3.5Kg) - 1 hour mash - stirr every 20 minutes - stop the pump - remove top plate - resume pump - stirr from every angle for 3-5 minutes - stop the pump - replace top plate - resume pump - when mash is complete - raise temp to 75 deg-c - perform mash out at 75 deg-c for 10 minutes - reduce temp to mash in temp - sparge with 9.85L cold and some hot water - use top plate to sqeeze the last amount out - remove the first amount of grain - replace it with second halve of grain MASH TWO (3.5Kg) - 1 hour mash - stirr every 20 minutes - mash out at 75 deg-c for 10 minutes - look at wort volume - add sparge water to meet the desired pre-boil volume PREBOIL VOLUME 15L at 20% loss equals 3L for a 18L preboil volume

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi Chris, Sorry for some reason I missed this.Looks right to me

[@SørenBechChristensen]

Hi David Great video as usual :) I understand the need to bring the temperature back down before second mash, but sparging with cold water? - I was under the impression that only hot water could wash out the remaining sugar from the grain? Cheers Søren

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

The only downside to using cold sparge water is that your brew will take longer to reach the boil afterwards. In this case that matters not 🙂

[@PippaKilliNova]

Thank you for sharing this method sir. What is not 100% clear to me is when determing the amount of water needed for the second sparge, you remove the filled grain basket to be able to read the present volume. Do you first squeeze out the wort and before removing the basket to get the representative volume? If yes, doesn’t this affect the filter bed for the second sparge?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

After the first sparge I would squeeze out the last liquid then dump the malt before adding the 2nd amount. The 2nd sparge is just the amount you need to reach your preboil volume.

[@PippaKilliNova]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew Thanks David, but my question concerns the second sparge. You mentioned to remove the basket with malt from the grainfather to read the actual volume in the gf in order to know the amount of sparge water to use. In the meantime (I imagine) the basket with wet grain is dripping into a bucket…? Does removing the basket (and maybe pressing out wort first) and subsequently putting it back in the grainfather not have a bad effect on the filter bed for 2nd sparge?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

@@PippaKilliNova For the second mash and sparge you are replacing the 1st mash grain with the 2nd. After the second mash you only squeeze the grain after the 2nd sparge. If between looking at the water volume and starting the 2nd sparge you note that the grain bed has become dry then I would suggest you put the grain back into the wort (assuming you have wort less than 81 deg c at this point) and give it a stir. Then you can lift it back up and start the 2nd sparge. I tend to find that this is not needed though as lifting the basket and doing that visual check is fast, even when adding the grain basket to a bucket and then replacing it. Hope this helps :)

[@PippaKilliNova]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew Yes, this clears things up for me. Thanks. The reason for asking is that here in the Netherlands a lot of brewers that use automatic brewing systems tend to proclaim that the way of sparging can have a significant influence on efficiency. It appears to be a delicate process. Some even use rigging equipment to lift the basked in stages along sparging to prevent is from running dry and keep the grain bad in tact etc. At least this is contrasting. Though I assume you are correct considering your legacy :-).

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

They are right! This does change though with the second part of a reiterated mash. Ive tried so many ways and effeciency is always better with a full sparge after mash one and a small one after mash two.

[@chikenlegs5]

Hello David! With no work, I brewed on Monday using this method for a Strong Belgian. I used the water volumes from the calculator and it seemed I had too much liquid after the first sparge to continue with the small pipe work for the second mash. I had to use the top pipe from the normal pipe work to keep the pipe above liquid level. This also caused an issue because my grain was way deep in the liquid so my top plate was submerged as well, this made it very difficult to get it out to stir and other problems resulted. So my questions are, should I have adjusted the first sparge volume? And should I do the second mash without the top plate? I hope this is clear! Thanks a bunch!! Hope you and your family are well and healthy.

[@chikenlegs5]

I should add, this was a 5 gallon batch.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi :) I guess there will always be brews using this method that can end up in between in terms of the pipework. Though having some height of liquid on the top plate is no big deal. Use of brewing gloves make removal of the plate easy. I would have carried on and would mash with the top plate unless I am removing it for stirring to maximise. Hope this helps :)

[@chikenlegs5]

David Heath Homebrew That’s where I lack! I don’t own brewing gloves! That would have made things much much easier! I only have heat gloves but these are not made to be submerged in liquid. Ha! Another one solved. Thanks so much!

[@vasilismf]

If you mash and sparge with half the water, then remove grain and wort, and do this again with the second basket and finally put inside the first wort, Will it be the same?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

No, that will not be enough water for the amount of grain.

[@FullMetalProtoss]

Have you ever attempted to sparge with a volume of your wort instead? My assumption is that since your initial wort can extract more sugar during the second mash, that it could also extract more sugar by simply sparging again. This would save you the headache of having to conduct a second mash and would be rather easy with the grainfather system. Simply pump wort into your 1 Liter sparging vessel and repeat the process until the wort hits your desired pre-boil gravity. I don't usually make super large beers, but I think I might just to test out this theory.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Yes I've tried this. It doesn't work as well as the method I've shared in this video to be honest. Try both and see what you think though :)

[@jaypop28]

Hi David When doing regular stirs to the mash on my brewzilla should i avoid scraping the bottom screen or is it ok to stir up that too Cheers

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi Jason. No need to avoid the bottom during the mash, that is fine. It is good to move this grain around there in particular.

[@jaypop28]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew great thanks David

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

:)

[@jonathana.5374]

Nice video. how do we adjust and maintain the ph when we do a reiterated mashing ? same as in a single mash for both mash water and sparge water ? or is it a different type of adjustment ? Thanks.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thanks Jonathan. I suggest doing the same as for a single mash.

[@jonathana.5374]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew On your part, have you ever compared PH between a normal mash and a reiterated mash ? and if so, what was the difference ?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

I calculate all my PH values before the brew with software and use this to adjust. Brewfather for example will advise what to add. Its just the easiest way to go and I suggest you do the same.

[@jonathana.5374]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew One last detail , 2 times 1 hour ? or 2 times 30 minutes ?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Two times one hour to be safe.

[@ivangranados9825]

Thanks for your video. Could I do that with any other yeast strain? I'm not able to get M-42 around here. In that case would I be able to reach high alcohol content around 10-12%ABV? Cheers mate

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi Ivan, yes, there are various other types of yeast that will allow higher ABV. US05 for example is easy to obtain but is more neutral and has a higher attenuation rate.

[@ivangranados9825]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew Many thanks David. I'm going to consider it

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

🍻🍻🍻

[@peterwalker2846]

Hi David its been awhile since you made this video which i find very informative. My problem is that i use Brewfather and a brewzilla 3.1.1 any chance of help here with water volumes and how you arrived at the volumes

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

If you are using the 35L brewzilla then thid should match up very comparable. What are you looking to brew grain bill and end volume ?

[@peterwalker2846]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew hi david my RIS grain bill is 11.45Kg and hoping for fernmenter vol of 23lt

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Are you using the 35L or 65L Brewzilla?

[@peterwalker2846]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew its the 35l one David

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Then I would suggest no more than 20L for an easier brew.

[@fursey7149]

Excellent explanation on a subject that always confused me.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Great to hear Wayne :) Yes, I think this is easily overcomplicated but simple really when understood :)

[@mikebanks166]

Hi David, I’m going to be brewing a beer where the grain bill is 7.7 kg. As I wish to do a reiterated mash I’ve worked out that the split grain will be 3.85 which is between the normal and small pipe work. As I see it, I have three options: do both brews using the small pipe work, do both brews using the normal pipe work or split the grain so that it will fall into both sweet spots. In which case would you do the larger grain bill first or the smaller? Thanks in advance. Mike.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

.

[@petervanspringel4513]

Hi, i have done some of reiterate mashing. Every time stirring gives more particles through the bottom plate, tripping the heating element. Even when I mill rough. My question: How can I avoid this? I brew 23 liters every time string beer. My goal is 1090 full grainbill.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi Peter, you could try adding a thin extra filter mesh to the bottom plate of the grainbasket as well as a false bottom.

[@ivangranados9825]

Good video David as usual. I've read with this yeast strain it'd be better to add two 11g packets for 23l. Have you tried one packet for the 15 final litres? Thanks

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

.

[@sunder1983]

I'm trying to get an handle on the calculations for mash and sparge amounts for recipes I want to try a reiterated mash for in my grainfather or robobrew. Say I have a beer with a 16 lbs of grain that I know will be a problem. I did the recipe as is. My calculator depending on which on I use says I need about 6.1 gallons of mash water and 1.9 gallons of sparge water. I tried this and there was just too much grain/water and it wouldn't fit. I now am seeing how I can do this recipe splitting the grain bill in half and doing a reiterated mash to no overwhelm my vessel. So looking at the grainfather calculator it seems I would I take about 3.1 gallons of strike water and mash the 8lbs in followed by about 3.8 gallons of sparge water. Then use the wort to mash in the remaining 8 lbs followed by a sparge to bring the wort up to preboil volume (about 6.4 gallons for this recipe) . Does this make sense or am I missing something?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hey, Its a case of adding all the recipe to your calculator. Use those water volumes but mash 50% of the grain first. Remove this from the basket and replace with the remaining 50% and do your second mash. After the second mash then mash out and sparge as usual. This is the most easy way but some like variations. Try this way first 🍻🍻🍻

[@sunder1983]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew thanks ya legend! Gonna try it out today 🤞

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Cheers 🍻🍻🍻

[@chriscosta7138]

Have you tested pH of first mash vs pH of second? Doesn’t seem they could be the same. Also adjusting water seems impossible or at least extremely complicated. Just wondering. Seems only way to achieve accurate water profile would be to do two separate mashes, store first wort in separate vessel, then return for boil.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Its really best to put it all into a calculator before the brew to work things out. Pretty impossible really on the fly. I think you will find this useful...its cheap and effective and gives an a-z guide of the process.

[@jamesgoacher2433]

Maybe I am over thinking this but I have a bit of a problem with your arithmatic. Mash water volume is dependant solely upon the grain weight. Using the figures for the first Mash and the Grainfather calculator would give you a volume of about 18 litres after the sparge therefore the standard pipework would be required and that would be a dilute second mash. Using the Grainfather calculator to simulate this by adding 5L additional water gives a second sparge of just under 5L Does that match your figures. I say this because it is my intention to do a 25L experiment on a lower (than your example) gravity brew which I do regularly as a comparison. In your opinion is this a worthwhile experiment or should I retain this method for higher gravity brews only. The brew I am taliking about has a total Grain Bill of about 6.5kg (round figures) which fits nicely inside the small Pipe Work envelope and is outside the standard Pipe Work envelope.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

These figures will be variable for a number of reasons, not just grain weight. This method is only suited to high gravity beers also. It is not going to be so suitable for full batches either. The second sparge will vary but will be smaller than sparge one.

[@hmmy92]

So stirring every 20 min demands to remove the upper plate. Is it good approach? Also, the GF mash and sparge water volume calculators assumes that we have 2 Liters trub and chiller loss. I set it to 0 is this a bad choice?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi Nick, if you follow this guide you will find it works very well. You will need to allow for losses though, so set this back to 2L. However, the GF calcs have not proven to be as accurate as Brewfather.

[@hmmy92]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew I use brewfather which has the same losses.3 liters from boil, 2 trub and chiller losses.But I can not understand what is the last losses, for this reason I set to 0 (I keep only the boil loss). If it is just liters that remains inside the chiller or the GF tank I have no problem to set to zero because nothing will change to recipe (as I am thinking it I can have e.g 10 liters loss because I just let 10 liters into gf due to I was bored 😂, however this will not change my recipe components (OG, FG, etc.)). I hope to be clear. Am I thinking something wrong?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

🍻🍻🍻

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

🍻🍻🍻

[@tommykarlsson9832]

so i tried this the first mash went like a charm but aftrer sparging the smal pipework was under the wort complitly for the next grain. did i do it wrong? i hade almost the same volyme of wather as in your video.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi Tommy, I would not worry about that, this will have little impact. The important thing is that the plate is having a small gap on top of the grain.

[@nedhorning]

Thanks for the video. I’ve been wanting to try this. When you do the second mash wouldn’t it be better to change to the regular pipework? It seems as if the volume of water would be too great for the small pipework. Wouldn’t the liquid run down the center tube instead of through the bottom plate? Also, what do you do with the top plate for the second mash? With so much liquid it seems like you could leave the top plate off to make it easier to stir.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Great. The small pipework is fine for 15L brews but that is its maximum really.

[@nedhorning]

Thanks - that's good to know. I really just need to give it a try. What do you do with the top plate during the second mash? On top of the grain? What about leaving it off entirely for the second mash?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Top plate is on as usual during both mashes and sparges.

[@jcoughlin325]

Would this work with a Double NEIPA? Or is a reiterated mash best for Imperial Stouts?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Its for any beer style that needs a larger amount of malt for higher alcohol.

[@4ntonio4ragon]

How about after first sparge you put the 1st wort in another vessel and you perform the second mash in exactly the same way than the first one. Then you combine both worts for boiling. maybe this way you could achive a greater efficiency and you might use hot water for sparging. The only problem is that you might get an preboil over-volume but 1 hour of extra boiling could solve this.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

I have tried various methods like this but always come back to this one.

[@emilsierocinski8686]

Does anyone have a reiterated mash profle for 35L grainfather 110v for beersmith 3? Thanks in advance

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

You will probably need to add this yourself. Not so many GF users are using Beersmith these days.

[@langbaken1622]

Hi David. I have asked this question before and was refered to the GF water calculation chart with no satisfactory answer. I started brewing 15lt batches with my GF with recipes from my local beer shop.(premix malt for ex Ants West Pale ale). My first beers were beautiful! Then I wanted to make the batches bigger by adding a % to ALL ingredients. For ex 35% to the malt, hops. Then use the GF mashing and sparging formula. My beers are not as good anymore. So, my qeustion is: How do I bring my volume up from a smaller recipe?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi Peter, Recipes can be resized up or down using the GF online recipe tools. I have a guide to this here:- kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5qqhoSdjJero6s

[@johngalling7441]

In my experience the resize does not alway work perfectly, tweaking to your own requirements is what it’s all about. That’s the fun of brewing.

[@danielmcardle3476]

So glad to see someone NOT including imperial for the American audience.... The metric system is far superior, which is why the rest of the world use it.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

I actually do quite often but thats just because I want to include everyone. It does seem odd that they stay with it.

[@disaster999]

15L is 3.96 gals, not the 9.96 you showed

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Ops sorry that was a typo.