Grimsawyer

Recipes 

I've seen many all grain setups and the MLT is the mash tun and lauder tun at the same time. ok. What exactly is mashing. What exactly is Laudering? The idea is to keep the temp @ specified temp for X time then run a higher temp water over the whole thing to pull as much sugar out of the grainbed as you can. I know it's a process of extracting the startches and enzymes out of the grain and letting the enzymes turn the startches into sugars but I guess I missed the boat on the definition of mash and the definition of laudering (or is it lautering, my apologies, <--- worlds worst speller!) I know steeping is almost kinda similar to the aforementioned process, but steeping is just pulling whatever is in some specialty grains out and not worrying about any startch to sugar conversion, usually used when making extract beers. Anyhow, HELP!!! I'm so confused.

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Baron von BeeGee

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Mashing is the process of converting the starches in the grains to sugars (amongst other chemical reactions). Lautering is the process of rinsing the extract out of the grains after conversion (mashing) has completed.

david_42

Recipes 

You've got the tune, just the verses are a bit mixed up.

Lautering is
mash out, adding hotter water to stop the conversion process,
re-circulation to settle the bed and clear the wort,
finally, sparging to wash the sugar out of the grain.

Many homebrewers just mash and then sparge.

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Beer Snob

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I have a question about these two actually... if you mash in a pot... you obviously need to get everything to a tun. How do you do it and not risk hot side areation?

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ajf

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I usually ladle with a 1qt Pyrex measuring jug. There are people who say that HSA is a myth, so a couple of weeks ago, I just poured the mash into the tun without worrying. In another couple of months, I'll know if it caused any damage.

-a.

Denny's Evil Concoctions

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Or you can make a manifold, put it in you pot and attach it to a siphon hose and siphon to your boil kettle.

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Grimsawyer

Recipes 

Thank you all who have responded. I appreciate your help. I think I'm starting to get it, kind of... Ok, so has technology and knowledge actually eliminated one vessel in the brewing process or has the "Mash/Lauter Tun" always been one vessel. Is the MLT something that has evolved after someone realized that you can convert the starches, or mash, and rinse the sugars out, or sparging/lautering in a lautering tun, in 2 steps with one tun or is there still controversy over the missing pot? I think when I set up an AG system I'll have a HLT a MLT and a Kegggle (basicly.....). I know it works great for many people, in fact I havn't seen a 4 vessel set up yet. I, however, have seen a 2 vessel set up. One acted as the HLT and brew kettle. Not sure how that one works but hey, whatever works for the brewer, right?

ok, what is BATCH SPARGING? Is that when you dump your whole HLT into the MLT all at once then slowly siphon off the sugars into the brew kettle? My apologies for all the newbie questions. Just so much info and so small a brain.... hehehe

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budbo

Recipes 

Yes

david_42

Recipes 

The idea of separate mash & lauter tuns is relatively new. I can't think of a single advantage to doing this that can't be achieved using a manifold/false bottom/whatever in your mash tun. It's more work and as was pointed out, adds to the risk of hot-side effects. Certainly no pro operation uses two vessels.

Most of the time in batch sparging, you drain, fill, drain, fill and maybe one more time. It depends on the size of your mash tun. This is a much older method than fly sparging and it was quite common to brew two or three different gravity ales from a single mash. (I plan on doing this for my next barleywine, but that may be another year away) I like to drain & re-fill because it lets me get the kettle heating earlier. If you are using your only burner and your boil kettle to heat water, then a large mash tun and a single fill & drain is the way to go. This also brings conversion to a screeching halt, which can be a good thing.

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Truble

Recipes 

I always thought that, since you are going to boil the wort after mashing, HSA would not be as much of an issue, as boiling will remove most of the oxygen from the wort, thus requiring oxygenation once cooled prior to pitching.

Is this wrong?

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