Second runnings from mash beer

You could do some sort of a small brew in a bag method? Just use a stock pot, with a few gallons of your sparge water - Then add your specialty grains and pumpkin when the water is at mash temperature, and keep it there? Then add that hot water mash into the Mash Tun and sparge over it?

I did something similar with my pumpkin last weekend, my idea was to do a protein rest with it though. I don't have the capability to ramp up from the 120's to the 150's easily.

 

Your plan to mash in with a total volume of water is flawed, you need to do it properly. I won't go into that, but there's a reason it's done the way it's done.

Secondly, a second runnings beer is generally just a second runnings from the first batch. If you've sparged properly you've killed off any viable enzymes, and you're just stealing back the residual sugars left in the mash. You can't convert those extra malts and pumpkin without viable enzymes.

 

By properly mashing, are you speaking of the 1.25 qt/lb to 1.5 qt/lb water to grain ratio? Would you say to add more grain to obtain the "first runnings" volume and gravity while working with the stated ratio of water to lb of grain? Then you can proceed with a second runnings beer? I've been thinking about this idea for awhile and need clarifications.

 

There's a lot to mashing. The mash is the heart of the beer. The more water you use, for one thing, affects the pH, but in this case, not in a negative way (and you can adjust the pH of your mash H2O). It's more of a matter of setting up the mash bed, and then using as little water as is required to maintain the bed yet draw out the maximum amount of sugar that you can, because as we know you can only draw out so much (a maximum of like 24˚Plato, right?). If you use all of that water and then just drain it off you're getting a poor utilization.

However, if you can draw off of your mash and then recirculate it (including at some point what you've drawn off already) to achieve clarity, leaving excessive proteins and tannins behind, you might be onto something; but unless you've got a very wide vessel to allow for the proper set-up of a mash bed with a grain-heavy recipe I don't think you'll be able to vorlauf properly.

You're not doing a mash-out? You're not sparging at all? Perhaps I'm too much of a traditionalist, but I think that can lead to problems.

Another question, why bake the squash before hand? Just puree it and add it for the best conversion.

 

CavemanBrau, as noted above I was including vorlauf as part of the mashing process, sorry if I was unclear, but to clear your wort is imperative. Vikeman will probably say I'm totally wrong on this, but that's how I was taught at Siebel.

 

Why would I say that? I think the vorlauf is a good practice.

 

I'd say HERMS features vorlauf whether you want it or not.

 

WTF ...make the bullshit (low OG) beer first with adjuncts in the secondary and concentrate on the yeast for the Barleywine...btw, why do want 10 gals. of Barleywine? Are you trying to kill yourself?

 

You got that right!

 

How big is your mash tun that you can get enough first runnings for 10gal of barleywine?

 

I'm curious about this too. I keep hearing "first runnings" as if people are only using that for beers. It seems that is not the case, unless they make some modifications to the process.
If I want to make a heavy "thick" beer, from what you say, I would need to vorlauf until the grain bed is set, and even then I wouldn't get a good efficiency.
So, would a better solution be to split the grain into 2 coolers, then vorlauf more than normal and get my 8 gallons with minimal sparge?

I can't recirculate, nor do I have a wide vessel (coolers).

I was hoping to over grain, use "first runnings", then make a decent porter with the 2nd runnings.
What would be your suggestion for a Bourbon County like beer?

 

I usually use only first runnings. I mash at a traditional thickness, add the rest of the water volume needed as a mashout, and then vorlauf and run off.

 

What's your mashout technique @VikeMan?

 

I just add the rest of the water volume needed to net the target pre-boil volume, at a temperature calculated to bring the whole thing up to 168F. Let sit for 10 minutes and commence run off.

 

So batch sparge?