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Author: Marshall Schott

I first heard of the no sparge brewing method a couple years ago and immediately found it appealing. As much as I enjoy brewing beer, and I truly do, I also get a sense of satisfaction from streamlining the process while maintaining a high quality end product. What I’d heard about no sparge is that it works great for low to moderate OG beers, it results in slightly lower efficiency compared to fly or batch sparge, it can reduce the risk of tannin extraction, and it tends to produce an at least slightly more malty beer. On top of all that, it shaves a good 30-45 minutes off of a typical brew day. I tried it out, it worked great, and now I find myself using the no sparge method for all the 5 gallon batches where I’m not using BIAB, which when traditionally performed is actually a type of no sparge method. While I’ve written more briefly about my process before, I thought I’d share a more detailed and photo-filled version of what a typical no sparge brew day looks like. I also included a BeerSmith tutorial video for those interested in setting up their equipment and mash profiles to work with this method.

One of the things that makes the no sparge method so simple is that you use the full volume of brewing liquor in the mash, which makes adding minerals and acids easier for those of us who tweak our water profiles, as you’re not calculating mash and sparge additions.

Once the water’s about 5˚F over my target strike temp, I transfer it all to my cooler MLT then close the lid for a few minutes to let it pre-heat.

After a few minutes of pre-heating, I open the lid and stir until my target strike temp is reached then add my grains, stirring constantly with a huge whisk to avoid dough balls.

Really, the only difference at this point from batch sparge brewing is the water to grist ratio, no sparge mashes are noticeably thinner.

I stir until my target mash temp is reached, close the lid, and set a timer for 60 minutes.

Similar to what I do when batch sparge brewing, I stir the mash briefly every 20 minutes or so, which I’ve found has helped stabilize my efficiency to about 75% when using this method.

On this day, I was making a Bitter recipe I use often to test out hops I’m unfamiliar with or just want to emphasize, which in this case was Calypso.

You get a good idea of the color of the beer when mashing with the full volume of water. Next, I collect the sweet wort.

Since I collect my wort in a bucket then move it to the kettle, I have to make two trips since I’m running off the entire volume… hire a cute kiddo to watch over things, it makes the task a little easier. I always end up with the same amount of wort in the kettle as I do when using any other method.

I then boil, add hops, and chill per my standard routine.

Once chilled, I rack to a fermentor, pitch yeast, and ferment as usual.

Start to finish (not including water collection and grain milling, which I did the night prior), this brew day took just under 3.5 hours.

After fermentation is complete, usually about 10 days, I keg the beer up, carb it over a few days, and enjoy!

Malty, smooth, and delicious. I know a lot of folks prefer lighter beers to test out new hops, but I’ve found this recipe really does a great job. I have plans to swap the C120 with C60 and the C60 with C10, just for kicks, but that’s for another post.

If you haven’t tried the no sparge method and your MLT has the capacity to hold a full volume mash, I strongly encourage you to consider it! For those who are interested in this method and use BeerSmith, here’s my tutorial on how to set your system up for no sparge.

CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATION:

– For the first part of the video, intended for those who never batch sparge, you’ll notice there is a Mash Out step in the mash profile. I meant to delete this, which you can do by highlighting that step and selecting delete. Sorry for any confusion.

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