Hex's Lautering Cane

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Hex

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2009
Messages
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Location
Granite Bay, CA
Direct fire, hand stirred, step mash in Kettle, insert-able Lautering Cane, fly sparge, siphon power. I'll let you know how it works out!:ban::cross::drunk::D:mug:

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Consider my mind blown. Please post update after some field testing.
 
Thanks! I had a brain storm a couple weeks ago, and have been constructing the Lautering Cane above, feverishly since then to date. It is a progression of design starting with my Blichmann FB mod.

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I used to ladle the mash from the Mash Kettle to the Lauter Kettle, but not no more!

Next I'll work out an insert-able, fractional HP gear motor--auto stir, and eventually, for my brewery's mash tun, I'm planning on welding a pot within a pot (15 gal in a 20 gal), pulling a vacuum between the two for insulation, and rebuilding everything towards that capacity.

Stay tooned!:fro:
 
Hmmm....reminds me of something.....can't quite put my finger on it.....maybe this guy knows?

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Hmmm....reminds me of something.....

It was the first shape that I could make from 1/2" copper tubing that was simple, fed out of the center, yet had a footprint that I thought would give even lauter of the cylindrical grain bed. I'd love to make hoops, maybe next try for the next tun...

What do you think of the process? specifically inserting a lautering manifold/cane into a direct fire mash kettle when ready to lauter? Is that process novel to homebrewing?
 
I might be a bit confused, but why wouldn't you just have it in the mash tun from the start of the mash? Would save you the effort of getting it through the grain bed all the way to the bottom.
 
It was the first shape that I could make from 1/2" copper tubing that was simple, fed out of the center, yet had a footprint that I thought would give even lauter of the cylindrical grain bed. I'd love to make hoops, maybe next try for the next tun...

What do you think of the process? specifically inserting a lautering manifold/cane into a direct fire mash kettle when ready to lauter? Is that process novel to homebrewing?

I'm sure it has been done before, but I don't know how well it works or not. The sparge part should work OK, but I think you may have problems with direct firing the MT. You will need to stir the mash continuously any time that heat is applied. Not only stir, but mix thoroughly as well in order to avoid scorching the wort and to disperse the heat throughout the grain bed. Stir the mash and regulate the burner for an hour and you will quickly realize how much work it is. Your mash temps will probably be all over the place and getting a handle on what the actual mash temperature is will be a challenge. Small 5 or 6 gallon batches might not be too bad, but an 11 or 12 gallon batch certainly will. These are some of the reason why people build RIMS and HERMS rigs. They mostly eliminate stirring and get much more uniform mash temperatures. The only way to find out for sure is to give it a go. Be sure to report back on how well it works. What I don't see is an advantage over the more conventional drain port arrangement.
 
Beautiful execution on both!

Pardon my ignorance, but do these work like a siphon or do they require a pump of some sort?

Also, I use a plastic bucket as a mash tun, and it only drops about a degree or two over an hour. Would my stainless steel pot loose more or less heat?
 
The advantage IS stirring, just like the big boys, making crush variances a mute point. I have made several batches direct fire mash in this 9 gallon kettle, up to 17lbs grist, got the idea from Buckapound brewery by Randy Mosher Radical Brewing. 'Scorching' is not even an issue on the stove top, and I get 2 deg. f. temperature rise per minute.

Next will be an auto stir mechanism, then on to the 15gal capacity.

This is my first setup, where I had to transfer the finished mash, by ladle, into a lauter specific tun with the Blichmann FB mod in place.

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And yes, both work off siphon/gravity power. 3/8" tube is plenty fast for sparging, in fact, I have to tune the outflow valve halfway on both my sparge water and wort lauter to get a 45min fly sparge.
 
I might be a bit confused, but why wouldn't you just have it in the mash tun from the start of the mash? Would save you the effort of getting it through the grain bed all the way to the bottom.

The reason IS stirring, my future auto-stir mechanism will glide on the bottom of the kettle, just like the big boys.

Getting the Lautering Cane through the mash should be a non issue, at 1.5-2 qts/lbs.

BTW the Lautering Cane 'locks-in-place', so I will know when it is set right.
 
How much 'scorching' do decoctionist experience? thought that was a good thing for some styles...
 
How much 'scorching' do decoctionist experience? thought that was a good thing for some styles...

None, if it's done properly. IMO, scorching is never desirable, not even in a decoction mash.

I'm a little confused. What is the purpose of the copper manifold cane in the mash tun if you are transferring the mash to a separate lauter tun for the sparge?
 
What is the purpose of the copper manifold cane in the mash tun if you are transferring the mash to a separate lauter tun for the sparge?

I'm no longer having to transfer to a separate lauter tun. Advantage -- Less work and less heat loss.
 
I'm no longer having to transfer to a separate lauter tun. Advantage -- Less work and less heat loss.

So you no longer use the copper manifold then, just the Blichmann FB?
 
Success! So what? What did I achieve?

Well, I'll tell you...

With my lautering cane/siphon manifold, I was able to dough in at 156f, but when I added 15.5 lbs grain, the temperature dropped to 148f.

I turned on the stove burner on the 9 gallon kettle, and stirred with direct heat back up to 156f in a matter of minutes.

Then I put the kettle in the oven for 15 minutes, pulled it out and found I was at 155f, so stirring with heat, brought it back to 156f very quickly.

Back into the oven for another 15 min, and out it came at 154f, so again stirring with heat, 156f.

I repeated that once more, and when I pulled it out of the oven for the full hour rest, I quickly achieved mash-out of 170f on the stove top.

I wrapped the kettle with my rainbow, insulated jacket, and inserted my lautering cane.

Nine gallon sparge in two kettles on the stove top at 170f.

Sparged for 45 minutes, and got two kettles worth out of the mash.

I had to add 1 gallon to each to bring it up to boil volume, and ended up after two boils, with two carboys each with 5.5 gal, one 1.045 and the other 1.044. Exactly what I wanted for the modified Yeoman's Special Bitters recipe.

Action photo's to follow:

Into the mash she goes...
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Set her down easy...
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Stir to make sure she's down!
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Stovetop AG, nine gallon, twin sparge.
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Scoopin' out the spent grain...
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Time to pull out.
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That's all she left.
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Only a cup and a half.
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Two kettles off to boil.
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Version 2.0
No solder. Less brass. 125% surface area of v1.
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TIG welded copper cross and threaded copper fittings.


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Must be good cause I'm making money doing it!
I am officially a Pilot Brewer for Rustaller Beer Sacramento. I test and tweak recipes for the boss man!
Here's my direct fire, gravity powered, jiffy-pop mash tun. It has one layer of 1" aluminum silica (flexible ceramic insulation) wrapped with five layers of heavy duty aluminum foil to keep it in place.
I heat my strike water directly with full power on the burner, no problem!
I got the ceramic insulation from mcmastercarr for $60 + shipping, for a roll large enough to do three kettles.
I'll bet rockwool or even bare fiberglass insulation would handle the heat too.
The mash tun has no hole in it, and is empty of manifold during the mash.
I insert my Lautering Manifold when I am ready to lauter/sparge.

I get zero scorching with stirring the mash during temperature ramps.
I loose about 2-4*f over the course of an hour, so I occasionally fire it up and stir to give it a little more heat.
My efficiency is between 80-88% depending what style step mash I use.
I attribute high efficiency to stirring.
:mug:
 
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