Problems with Vorlaufing

This was my 8th AG and the first small grain bill.
7# Pale
.5# Crystal 60
1# Flaked Corn
1.25 qts per lb - mashed in with 2.7 gallons
Absorption .135 gal/lb
Dead Space 2.5 qts

After figuring absorption and false bottom dead space I mashed out with 2.35 gallons of boiling water to get half of my boil volume. (3.25 gal) I could not get the wort to clear. I finally ended up straining some which may have caused some hot aereation. I don't know if the false bottle raised or if the smaller mash was diluted to the point that I lost the grain bed.

I divided my sparge into two equal sparges - 6.5 qts each. I also had some trouble clearing each.

I never had any problems in the larger grain bills that I have used up to this brew. They were all Pales and IPAs with 12# or more.

Any suggestions. The whole process was a PITA.

Thanks

You don't mention what size tun you have. I assume the standard 10 Gallon or bigger.

If that is in fact the case, it sounds like you mash bed is either not thick enough or you are disturbing it when you vorlauf.

Try perforating a pie pan ( a tin one) or a large piece of aluminum foil and rest it on top of the mash bed. When you vorlauf, pour onto the foil/pan. That should help to keep the filter bed intact when you pour.

Beyond that, you may need a smaller tun for this size grain bill.

Yes it was a 10 gal tun with false bottom. I like the pie pan idea.

I float a plastic plate on top of the mash and gently pour the vorlaufed wort back on top of it. This helps keep the vorlaufed wort from tunneling into the mash bed when I pour it back into the tun.

I use a large (2 ft-ish) stainless spoon for my brewing activities (mash stirring, boil stirring, etc.). I just vorlauf into a quart measuring cup, then pour slowly over the back of the spoon back into the MLT. It dispurses the fluid and allows for gentle re-addition.

may seem like a noob question to ask, and I mean no offense by it, but: when we say the runnings should be 'clear' we just mean you shouldn't see bits of grain in it. it may well be cloudy/hazy still, but you just shouldn't see particulate matter.

that said, I use a SS braid rather than false bottom for my batch sparging, and I only open the ball valve about 70% when draining. Any wider and I cannot seem to get 'clear runnings'.

and my beer never has an astringent flavor that's associated with tannins from grain making it into the kettle.

Malkore - I should have been a bit "clearer" in my question. Yes clear means no grain. I had a bit of grain make it into the brew pot so I am hoping that no astringency results.

I can never seem to get mine to run "clear" either. So now I just vorlauf a few times to get the big chunks out and then I put a fine mesh bag (like the one I use in the boil kettle for hops) on the end of the hose and it catches all the little bits.

^^Good tip^^
I forget who but the one guys here made the "From Grains to Glass" video series used just like a plastic lid of some sort to vorlauf back onto.