Grain getting into kettle....

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phoenixs4r

phoenixs4r

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Setup:

10 gallon Rubbermaid
Morebeer false bottom
Batch sparging
Grain crushed by LHBS, approximately 65% efficiency

I must have recirculated about a gallon, out of the spicket, through a pot strainer over the mash via a pot strainer to not disturb the grain bed, STILL get a bit of grain into the kettle, which I am catching via a paint strainer bag. I'll post pictures when done so u can see how much.

Normal? Am I doing it wrong?

Preliminary guesses before picture is hosted?
 
ForumRunner_20111105_133636.jpg
 
i experimented with a no vorlauf brew and the grain in the boil had no negative effect at all. worries about tannins are overblown in my opinion, it's not like you're boiling pounds of grain. is your false bottom metal or plastic? it may have collapsed.
 
do most people strain their wort going into the primary? I think I need to start doing that...

i get alot of sediment on my first two batches of AG ive done....

the first one im fermenting in a carboy so i could really see it... one i did last night I put in a bucket... but i had an inch in my hydro sample...
 
I strain mine through a hop sack and it helps a little but u still get fine material and some hops, but that's unavoidable. Everyone gets that trub
 
Thanks for fixing thread title. Posting from phone gets old sometimes.
 
Is the false bottom the right size? It should completely cover the bottom of the cooler. You need a 12 " diameter one.
Is the false bottom warped? If you set it on a flat surface, the edge of the false bottom should be touching the surface all the way around.
Is the bottom of your cooler warped? If so, then you will either need a new cooler, or you will have to live with a few grains creeping under the bottom.
How deep is the barb set? You may be able to raise it off the floor a little by adding some SS washers between the false bottom and the flange on the barb that mates against the false bottom.
Do you move the cooler between doughing in and finishing the sparge? After finishing the sparge, I move mine to the kitchen sink to drain out any extra water, and when I open the spigot, I notice a lot of grains come out.
Having said all that, I don't think that the amount of grains getting through will make a noticeable difference to the end product.

-a.
 
I know I'm about to stir up a can of worms here BUT......The collecting of wort as it runs out of the lauter tun and pouring it back over the grain bed is commonly practiced. Many brewers claim that recycling should be done to settle the grain bed. Please don’t recycle. This practice can not only lead to hot side aeration, but will strip out fatty acids that are essential for proper yeast nutrition. In particular, North American grains tend to be low in fatty acids to begin with, so please don’t Vorlauf domestic grains.
 
mcaple1 said:
I know I'm about to stir up a can of worms here BUT......The collecting of wort as it runs out of the lauter tun and pouring it back over the grain bed is commonly practiced. Many brewers claim that recycling should be done to settle the grain bed. Please don’t recycle. This practice can not only lead to hot side aeration, but will strip out fatty acids that are essential for proper yeast nutrition. In particular, North American grains tend to be low in fatty acids to begin with, so please don’t Vorlauf domestic grains.
Click to expand...

hot side what? no vorlauf is kind of new to homebrewing and there may be something there but i don't think anybody should be worried about hot side areation from a vorlauf.
 
ajf said:
Is the false bottom the right size? It should completely cover the bottom of the cooler. You need a 12 " diameter one.
Is the false bottom warped? If you set it on a flat surface, the edge of the false bottom should be touching the surface all the way around.
Is the bottom of your cooler warped? If so, then you will either need a new cooler, or you will have to live with a few grains creeping under the bottom.
How deep is the barb set? You may be able to raise it off the floor a little by adding some SS washers between the false bottom and the flange on the barb that mates against the false bottom.
Do you move the cooler between doughing in and finishing the sparge? After finishing the sparge, I move mine to the kitchen sink to drain out any extra water, and when I open the spigot, I notice a lot of grains come out.
Having said all that, I don't think that the amount of grains getting through will make a noticeable difference to the end product.

-a.
Click to expand...

Its correct size, edges sits flat and the pick up liquid is at the height of the top of the dome. I asked morebeer if I should put a tube down to the bottom of the cooler and they said no, so I left it alone.
 
mcaple1 said:
I know I'm about to stir up a can of worms here BUT......The collecting of wort as it runs out of the lauter tun and pouring it back over the grain bed is commonly practiced. Many brewers claim that recycling should be done to settle the grain bed. Please don’t recycle. This practice can not only lead to hot side aeration, but will strip out fatty acids that are essential for proper yeast nutrition. In particular, North American grains tend to be low in fatty acids to begin with, so please don’t Vorlauf domestic grains.
Click to expand...

So you just let it all flow in? Grain in the kettle be damned?
 
phoenixs4r said:
So you just let it all flow in? Grain in the kettle be damned?
Click to expand...

No...that's not what I'm saying at all. You still have some sort of manifold in your MLT, you just don't need to be recirculating like a mad man until the wort is clear. With regard to hot side aeration...that was a direct quote from the guys over at Northern Brewer....I was kind of baffled why they mentioned that as well, and forgot to take that out of my post. Either way, there are tons of people that don't and do vorlauf....swing on over to northernbrewer and check out episode 42....I guess the guy swears by the no vorlauf method. But yeah, that hot side aeration from the mash is for the birds.
 
Here is what I have been doing for years....learned it from a guy that has been brewing even longer than me.

I take one of these buffing pads (look similar to picture below) ...they are like thicker versions of scotts scrubbers and make great filters. I cut them to smaller circles so they fit tight to the edge of the rubbermaid. Clean/sterilize the pad thoroughly and drop it into your rubbermaid on top of your manifold. No more stuck sparges or grain in your boil kettle. Each of these pads cost about 3.00 and they last forever.

photo3.php
 
mcaple1 said:
No...that's not what I'm saying at all. You still have some sort of manifold in your MLT, you just don't need to be recirculating like a mad man until the wort is clear. With regard to hot side aeration...that was a direct quote from the guys over at Northern Brewer....I was kind of baffled why they mentioned that as well, and forgot to take that out of my post. Either way, there are tons of people that don't and do vorlauf....swing on over to northernbrewer and check out episode 42....I guess the guy swears by the no vorlauf method. But yeah, that hot side aeration from the mash is for the birds.
Click to expand...

That's actually what I meant. Have you noticed a difference in doing this? I'm not sure how big of a deal the fatty acids for nutrients are as I usually try to over pitch a bit as well as add nutrients to the starter.
 
So I shouldnt be letting the wort fall 2.5 feet from my mashtun to my boil kettle?
I might try running mine through a bag on the way to primary next time... If nothing else it will,strain out a little and aerate the wort too...
 

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