maybe grain first then water would work better or maybe Im an idiot.
Jim
Grain volume question
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RichardG
Re: Grain volume question
Not a bad idea; it'll give me a hint at least, and that's all I need for now.
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Kev888
- So far gone I'm on the way back again!
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- Location: Derbyshire, UK
Re: Grain volume question
Yeah, as you spotted, I estimate 0.65L/kg for displacement - therefore if fully saturated (with water filling all the nooks and crannies), the mash tun volume you need for the mashing stage is 1L for every L of water you use (obviously), plus an additional 0.65L for every kg of grain (maybe make it a tad more to allow for variation), plus some headspace to avoid it escaping when you're mixing and/or before the air is pushed out of the grain.
If you fly sparge you don't really need it any bigger than that as the grain will settle as you recirculate/run-off, but if you batch sparge you may need more space - Aleman's batch sparge calculator can tell you (calculators button, top right)
The grain-first approach can definately work but its best if you underlet (let the water in from below) as adding water to dry grain from the top traps more air - aside from the extra effort of stirring to get it all wet, any trapped air increases the volume needed. Underletting can work very well, but you need to be confident of your temperatures as (unlike the water-first approach) you can't adjust a strike temperature before adding the grain.
Cheers
Kev
If you fly sparge you don't really need it any bigger than that as the grain will settle as you recirculate/run-off, but if you batch sparge you may need more space - Aleman's batch sparge calculator can tell you (calculators button, top right)
The grain-first approach can definately work but its best if you underlet (let the water in from below) as adding water to dry grain from the top traps more air - aside from the extra effort of stirring to get it all wet, any trapped air increases the volume needed. Underletting can work very well, but you need to be confident of your temperatures as (unlike the water-first approach) you can't adjust a strike temperature before adding the grain.
Cheers
Kev
Kev