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Wort Separation
Sparge Water
Water Quality
The quality of the beer may be affected if the sparging water is too alkaline. A pH greater than 7.0 is unacceptable; preferably, the pH should be around 6.0, which leads to better coagulation of proteins, better drainage of the grains, and a higher extract yield (17).
Water Quantity
The total volume of sparge water will vary with beer styles and mashing processes. For both mashing and sparging, most designs assume a grist-to-water ratio of from 2.5 to 3.5:1, with 3:1 as the average.
Water Temperature
The temperature of the sparge water (75–78ºC) must be higher than that of the mash to help maintain mash temperature and increase runoff. However, if the sparge water is too hot (above 80ºC), it will extract unwanted materials such as tannins, proteins, and unconverted starch (15).
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