difference between mash and lauter tun?

[Burro2882]

Can Someone please explain (in english) the main difference between a mash and lauter tun? I tried researching but havnt been able to find a clear difference.

 

[Beerrific]

Mash tun: where the mash occurs, starch converted to sugar. Usually insulated or has some type of temp control (direct fire, steam jacket).
Lauter tun: where the grain is separated from the sweet wort and rinsed (sparged)

In breweries that use both, the mash is pumped to the luater tun after conversion is complete. Most homebrewers (all?) and small micro and craft brewers use a combined mash/lauter tun. The reason some larger breweries use seperate vessels is so that you can start another mash while sparging the first as the mash tun is the larger investment as far as cost to install and run.

 

[Wayne1]

A mash tun is a vessel in which you mash .

Usually this will be an insulated container to hold the grains and water mixture (mash) at a certain temperature for a certain time.These are normally used for single temperature infusion mashes.

In the pro word, this vessel can be known as a mash mixer. This would be a heated vessel with a mixing paddle installed for use in step mashes. This is where the mash is soaked at one temp. and then raised by external application of heat to another temp.

A lauter tun is a vessel used to rinse the grains with water. This has a screen on the bottom to hold the grains and allow the sweet liquid to flow through the screens.

Most vessels today are combination Mash Lauter Tuns or MLTs. You would mix the water and grains together, let soak and then rinse all in the same vessel.

 

[Burro2882]

Okay. That makes sense. I knew that most home brewers used a combined vessel so I was having some trouble finding seperate functions for the two

 

[Bobby_M]

A big pot of spaghetti is like the mash tun and the stainer is the lauter tun.

 

[homebrewer_99]

A big pot of spaghetti is like the mash tun and the stainer is the lauter tun.

Food related...did you miss lunch again, Bobby?

 

[steveo929]

Just came across this thread and was having the same question...but in a pro brewery do they transfer the entire mash (grains & liquid) into the lauter tun after mashing? I'm confused!

 

[Wayne1]

Most small to mid-sized pro breweries use a combined mash/lauter tun.

On the larger scale, yes, the entire mash (grains and liquid) and pumped to the lauter tun. This does involve some good sized diameter piping and special designed mash pumps.