A few notes on Parti-Gyle

I have previously alluded to using the English Parti-Gyle method of sparging, not necessarily on purpose, but more because of lazy calculations.  For a good article on Parti-Gyle brewing, follow this link.  Or this one.  I don't really follow a hard and fast method for parti-gyle brewing, but my "invented" style usually nets me about two gallons of extra beer to experiment with.  I have so far made three secondary small batches in this way.  The first was an Apricot Wheat which went along with the B.O.T., my first all-grain.  Next I brewed a Strawberry Blonde from the second runnings of the Stone IPA, and finally I have about two gallons left over from my Oatmeal Stout that I will be turning into a Chocolate and Toasted Coconut Stout tomorrow.  The nice thing about this brew method is that it raises my efficiency significantly, and allows me to satisfy my desire to experiment, without risking the loss of a whole five gallon batch of beer if something goes horribly wrong.

I also usually end up with six to seven and a half gallons of beer for the price of one five gallon batch, and it provides immediate usage for any hops that I don't use in the main batch.  Since I usually reclaim my yeast I have extra on hand to pitch and don't spend any extra money on a potentially costly ingredient.

Anyway, just my two cents on an easy way to get some extra life out of your grain and give yourself some low-cost beer to experiment with.

-Foodstyle