Batch sparging: am I alone in my technique?

Only a couple AG's under the belt so I'd like to correct my technique before I'm set in my ways. For clarity, I'm mashing and batch sparging in a rectangle cooler with (effectively) a stainless braided line as a screen.... the very typical setup.

So, I'm wondering....

Simply put, when I vourlof I don't pour onto a butter lid or plate, but instead I take my filled pitcher and return it to the MLT on the opposite end of the drain tube. Instead of just dumping it straight in and upsetting the grain bed, I put the pitcher up to the side wall of the cooler, thus creating a bit of a cascade stream.

I do tend to disturb that end of the cooler a slight bit, but I think it's a realistic amount. Everything else seems to go as planned and I get clear runnings.

Any issues with this?

I do the same. No problem.

I do that also with no problems.

ditto


2343

I do the same thing. No problems thus far and I am up to my 12th AG

I skip vorlaufing altogether about half the time, and I can't tell any difference in my finished beer. Go figure...

You are not Alone.

This is how I vorlauf. I upset the top of my grain bed quite a bit as the wort swirls around. It's clear coming out of the bottom, though.

Beerthoven said:

I skip vorlaufing altogether about half the time, and I can't tell any difference in my finished beer. Go figure...

Click to expand...

That's funny. I still do it, but I've never seen the difference between the first pitcher I pull and the last one before I start draining into the kettle.

Prolly has something to do with how fine your manifold/braid is. My slits are pretty fine on my manifold, not big enough for grain particles to make it through I guess.

see www.hbd.org/cascade/dennybrew for details

see dennybrew for more details