direct fired recirculating mash question - mashing now

Hey any body with a direct fired mash set up -

Do you still stir the mash throughout the mash time like a standard batch sparge (like every 15 min or so), or is the pump circulating the entire time enough?

Its just a pain to stop the pump stir / vorlauf / clean the lines /start the pump etc. If it is not necessary.

I am mashing now

Thanks~

I stir once int he middle of my mash schedule. I don't know if I have to, it just keeps me from getting bored.

I use this system but I fly sparge. Once the mash is stirred in the beginning to break up dough balls the mash paddle gets put away. I recirc with very little fire under the tun to keep the temp. When its time to sparge I ramp up the temp under the mash tun over 20 min while heating the sparge water. Make sure you turn the burner off before sparging or you run the risk of boiling up your grain bed. Then redirect the mashtun output to the boil kettle and begin fly sparge. Crystal clear wort everytime. I am getting better than 80% eff. last brew shot up to 92%. Turned my pale ale into a strong pale ale.

Ok. Well, you figure the pump is turning that wort over at least 2 or 3 times throughout the mash.

I think i am gonna just let her go, also, i will be stirring for the 2 batch sparges anyway, ya know?

thanks!

thanks beerthirty. I have fly sparged once. will definitely try it again.

It took a few brews to get the hang of when I switched. It was one the best thing I did to clear my beer. Not as much stuff passes through the chiller or into the fermentor and cold crashing takes less time now.

This is why I cannot wait until I have constant recirculation on my mashes.

Great brewday! Efficiency went from 65% to 72% with the corona mill. Worked awesome! Was planning on an APA but we got an IPA instead! Thankfully I had some extra hops to compensate for the higher gravity.

Thanks all!

Congrats sleepy.

thanks beer thirty. Now that we are learning the system better, I am probably gonna try fly sparging again. (it definitely helped my efficiency last time I did it.) Nice to only have to vorlauf one time vs. three with my std. double batch sparge.