Stirring mash before vorlauf

I've read several threads where someone says they stir the mash just before vorlaufing. I stir mine a couple of times during the mash but usually let the grain bed settle the last 15 minutes so I can get a clear run off. I thought you wanted to establish a grain bed, but mixing it up just before vorlaufing is going against this.

Explain.

The grain bed will settle when you drain and recycle the wort.
If you stir then you'll have to recirculate more.

Different brewers do it different ways.

It depends on the type of sparging you plan to do as well I think. Stirring before vorlaufing gets more sugar into suspension which you want for batch sparging. With fly sparging it's not as necessary.

When I fly sparge I don't bother to stir before vorlauf, but when I batch sparge I do.

On the first vorlauf, I do not stir. However, with the subsequent sparges I do stir the grains with the new sparge water. This helps rinse the sugars off the grains, and raise the grain bed temp (if you're doing a mash out).


1. Mash in (add water and stir for 5-10minutes)
2. Vorlauf
3. Drain
4. Add sparge water and stir well
5. Vorlauf
6. Drain
7. Repeat steps 4-6 as necessary to collect the desired amount of wort.

bradsul said:

It depends on the type of sparging you plan to do as well I think. Stirring before vorlaufing gets more sugar into suspension which you want for batch sparging. With fly sparging it's not as necessary.

When I fly sparge I don't bother to stir before vorlauf, but when I batch sparge I do.

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I always stir when I add my second lot of sparge water (Batch sparging) then leave it 5/10 minutes to redissolve the sugars and settle.

I batch sparge, so I stir before every vorlauf as I want those sugars in suspension. When I don't I notice a decrease in efficiency.

Orfy said:

I always stir when I add my second lot of sparge water (Batch sparging) then leave it 5/10 minutes to redissolve the sugars and settle.

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This is the way I do it. I stir during the mash and then after my two sparge additions. I usually get in the mid 80's effiecency and got in the low 90's on my last batch.