Rye Imperial India Black Ale

Black Rye IIPA
14-C Imperial IPA
Author: GlenF

Size: 5.73 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 80.0%

Original Gravity: 1.081
Terminal Gravity: 1.016
Color: 29.01
Alcohol: 8.51%
Bitterness: 143.1

Ingredients:
14.5 lb Superior Pale Ale Malt
1.5 lb Rye Malt
0.5 lb Crystal 60
6.0 oz Chocolate Malt (cold steeped overnight)
13.0 oz Carafa Special® TYPE III (cold steeped overnight)
1.0 oz Columbus (15.0%) - added during boil, boiled 60.0 m
1.0 oz Chinook (10.9%) - added during boil, boiled 60.0 m
1.0 oz Simcoe® (13.0%) - added during boil, boiled 25.0 m
1.0 oz Columbus (15.0%) - added during boil, boiled 25.0 m
2.0 oz Centennial (10.0%) - steeped after boil
2.0 oz Simcoe® (13.0%) - steeped after boil
2.0 oz Simcoe® (13.0%) - added dry to secondary fermenter
2.0 oz Centennial (10.0%) - added dry to secondary fermenter
2.0 oz Columbus (15.0%) - added dry to secondary fermenter

Ferment with Conan ale yeast from the Alchemist

Schedule:
Mash-in - Liquor: 5.5 gal; Strike: 162.34 °F; Target: 150.0 °F
Sach Rest - Rest: 60 m; Final: 148.0 °F
Sparge - Sparge: 4 gal sparge @ 210 °F, 10 m; Total Runoff: 7.62 gal

Any feedback or ideas?

Just a question. Do you often sparge at 210 °F ?

I do get my sparge water near boiling because with the hybrid batch-fly sparge I do (pouring in gallon pitchers), it essentially performs the mash-out process and equalizes around 175 so that the sugars are less viscous. I usually get 75-80% efficiency on 5 gallon batches and 80-85% efficiency on 10 gallon batches of "regular gravity" beers.

Also, my beers have never had an astringency problem from leeching tannins when sparging at that heat. And as I understand it, getting astringency from tannins in the grain husks is more a product of gravity and pH than of sparge temps.
I could be wrong however and am happy to hear any other ideas or corrections.

Sparge temperature only really plays into efficiency when batch sparging, same as the argument about sugar viscosity... if you're fly sparging, you can sparge with cold water and get no real difference in efficiency... though you will notice some other issues most likely.

I was just wondering if boiling sparge water was raising the temp of your mash to something well beyond a desirable mash-out level. So you answered my question. Cheers