getting clear liquor from the mash

In my opinion, this is the really difficult bit. I have 20 inches of one inch diameter copper tube with hacksaw slots cut into it. The liquor runs clear after a gallon or so (which is returned to the mash), then I get maybe a gallon of liquor, then it slows to a trickle and clogs up, leaving at least 3 gallons of liquor still in the mash. I tried getting the liquor out slower, but it still clogged up.

Sounds like a stuck sparge. Are you using a lot of wheat?

Are you batch sparging, or fly?

You could try some rice hulls as an easy solution. Toss a bunch in there, they'll keep the mash a bit "fluffier" and let it drain better. If you're batch sparging, I've never had a stuck mash using a simple SS braid (the kind you take off a water heater hose). Can't really use it for fly sparging, though, as it does promote channelling (not an issue when just draining the wort with a batch sparge).

Sorry dont understand the terms batch sparging or fly. After mashing I attempt to get all the liquor away through the copper pipe, adding water at 180 deg c so that there is always around half inch of liquid above the mass of grain. I stop ideally wheb SG of run off is 1.020. I only use crushed maris otter pale malt grain in the mash, crystal malt etc goes into the boil.

You are fly sparging. As long as you are constantly adding water, that means you are getting a stuck sparge.

How fine is your grind?

Are your slots on the top or the bottom. They need to be on the bottom.

Sidebar - you're puting grain in your boil?

I have a 1/2" slotted copper manifold (slots down) in a rectangular shape with an overall length of 30". I grind with a corona mill very fine. I batch sparge and add 2 oz of rice hulls to the mash - never have a stuck sparge.
Rice hulls are cheap and make your brew day easier.

AHHHH - I use slots up - nobody told me. Yes I add crystal, amber and chocolate malts to the boil, I always have. My beer is pretty good, although I say so myself.

BOBTHEukBREWER said:

AHHHH - I use slots up - nobody told me.

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You didn't ask...

Slots go down. No way your liquid is going to drain with all the weight compacting on top of your slots. They'll get clogged quickly.

Why do you think God pointed your nostrils down?

BierMuncher said:

Why do you think God pointed your nostrils down?

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'cause if they were the other way, I'd get blinded every time I sneeze. Damn these allergies!

jds said:

'cause if they were the other way, I'd get blinded every time I sneeze. Damn these allergies!

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And you'd drown every time it rains....well, really you'd only drown once I suppose...

lets address the other issue in this post now, to boil the crystal malt with hops, or add it to the mash...

You really shouldn't boil any of your grains. Having your grains go over 170 degrees can produce tannins which will add undo bitterness to your beer.

BOBTHEukBREWER said:

lets address the other issue in this post now, to boil the crystal malt with hops, or add it to the mash...

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Bob, flip the manifold over, add some rice hulls and make sure you're using the proper amount of water for mashing (approx. 1.3 quarts pre lbs of grain) and sparging.

DON'T boil grain/grain husks. Boiling grain is going to adds tannins and make your beer more astringent. You can either:

A) Vorlauf: Sparge off a few quarts to a gallon in a seperate vessel and pour it back onto your mash and then proceed to drain the wort off. This will set the grain bed and clear the runnings.

B) Add a fine mesh bag at the end of the hose/spigot and drain as usual. The mesh bag will collect any grain/husks that get through the manifold. Once finished draining, remove bag and boil as normal.

Yup, I didn't want to go into all that grain stuff before confirming you do boil. Although you'd be hard pressed to find someone around here who boils grains for the tannin extraction reason, if you like how your beer turns out, I'm not going to be the first to tell you to stop doing it.

I, however, wouldn't boil the grains. When using crystal, and more generally, grains that don't require mashing, steeping is fine (see srm775's comment on the mesh bag). By steeping i mean keeping the temp under 170F.

I put ALL my grains in the mash. Why go to the trouble of steeping when you can just add to the mash? Oh yeah, and you will notice a huge difference with the slots on the bottom.

Many thanks to all contributors, I really like this forum...