Sunday Brew - Goldings IPA

My Sunday brew session went well.  I hit my target mash temp no problem and was only one gravity point low on my pre-boil, all despite a stuck sparge.  I think what really did it for me this time was the mash-out step, which isn't something I normally do.  It loosened up the mash enough to make it nice and fluid so the bed could settle while I recirculated, giving me a relatively fast second running.  I think this is something I';l be doing from now on.  

Another step I took a little different than usual was to use equal parts strike and sparge water, both 4 gallons.  I read a wiki article about batch sparging efficiency, and the gist of it was that each sparge addition should be equal in volume to to the strike volume for greatest efficiency, and while you get better efficiency with each runnings, its balanced out by the fact that you'd have to boil 20+ gallons down to 5.5 to make it really matter.  So, basically, the easiest way is to strike with 1.5 quarts per pound of grain, mash at whatever temp you want, laurter, then bring it up to 168 with an addition 1.5 quarts per pound of grain, and lauter again.  BOOM 79% efficiency.  

I also did a 2-liter starter with Rogue's Pacman yeast, which sounds like it shouldn't be too much different than the US-05 I used for the APA version of this beer.  Neutral, low ester and diacetyl, and a clean finish.  Can't wait for it to be done.

Recipe: Goldings IPA
Style: 14B-India Pale Ale(IPA)-American IPA


Recipe Overview

Wort Volume Before Boil: 6.50 US gals
Wort Volume After Boil: 5.50 US gals
Volume Transferred: 5.00 US gals
Water Added: 0.00 US gals
Volume At Pitching: 5.00 US gals
Final Batch Volume: 5.00 US gals
Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.049 SG
Expected OG: 1.058 SG
Expected FG: 1.014 SG
Expected ABV: 5.9 %
Expected ABW: 4.6 %
Expected IBU (using Rager): 60.4
Expected Color: 6.8 SRM
Apparent Attenuation: 75.0 %
Mash Efficiency: 80.0 %
Boil Duration: 60.0 mins
Fermentation Temperature: 64 degF


Fermentables
UK Maris Otter 10.00 lb (95.2 %) In Mash/Steeped
US Caramel 40L Malt 0.50 lb (4.8 %) In Mash/Steeped


Hops
US Goldings (4.5 % alpha) 2.00 oz Loose Pellet Hops used 60 Min From End
US Goldings (4.5 % alpha) 2.00 oz Loose Pellet Hops used 15 Min From End
US Goldings (4.5 % alpha) 2.00 oz Loose Pellet Hops used 5 Min From End
US Goldings (4.5 % alpha) 2.00 oz Loose Pellet Hops used Dry-Hopped


Other Ingredients


Yeast: Wyeast 1764-Pacman from Rogue


Mash Schedule
Mash Type: Full Mash
Schedule Name:Single Step Infusion (67C/152F)
Step: Rest at 153 degF for 60 mins