Partial Mash Question w/ Rubbermaid MLT

[mattyg]

I am making a partial mash Marzen (Cheezydemon's recipe) this weekend and have some questions regarding the use of a Mash/Lauter Tun.

Background: I made a Rubbermaid MLT about a year & half ago. I used it and ended up making a poor version of Sierra Nevada IPA. It was a very watery, low bodied beer. It's actually not bad now that it's aged but it's definitely not a SN clone by any respects. A great summer sipper. Too bad it's no longer summer. Not sure what we did wrong but I wonder if it had to do with the way the mash was processed out of the MLT.

See this thread for more info.

Anyway, I want to use the MLT again for the Mash of the specialty grains on this weekend's batch but I want to do it right and I wonder if I can since this recipe doesn't call for any sparging water. The main benefit of the cooler MLT as I see it is the ability to hold a constant temperature for a long time & the ease of separating the solids from the liquids.

This recipe calls for a 154 degree mash for 60 minutes with a semi-decoction of gains halfway through. So, once the 60 minutes is up I drain it into my brew kettle and commence the boiling. It's the technique of draining the mash out that I am not sure of. Of course I can just open the ball valve and drain it out (through a hose to quiet aeration) but I feel like I won't be getting all the grain goodness out by doing it that way.

The recipe calls for a straight 2 gallons of water for the mash and doesn't account for any sparging water. I wonder if I should cycle some of the drained mash and put it back on top or something. Or just do it all in the kettle and not bother with the MLT.

Thoughts?

 

[flowerysong]

The recipe assumes familiarity with the basics of mashing (and does things slightly differently than I would).

After mashing, you should vorlauf (recirculate the wort until it runs clear), and only then drain your first runnings.

As for sparging, there's really no need to bother with this recipe. It already calls for an extremely thin mash (3.2 qt/lb, where 1-2 is more normal). Plus, the main thing you're concerned with in a mini-mash is flavour, not the gravity contribution. You won't notice the difference between 65% and 85% efficiency in this recipe.

You can, of course, either use any top-up water you need to achieve your boil volume as sparge water, or do a more normal mash ratio (say, mash with one gallon) and then use the rest to sparge.

To do a simple batch sparge: after you draw off your first runnings close the valve, add the sparge water, stir, vorlauf, and draw off your second runnings.