The Brew Bag - Will it solve my stuck sparges?

[sleepspeaking]

Every time....

Maybe I just suck at proper mash technique but I always have a stuck sparge to some degree... and normally a large degree.
Rice hulls didn't help, but that is a different discussion...
Does anyone have experience with the product?

The Brew Bag - a mash tun filter for Coolers - Round

 

[burdbrew]

Rice hulls don't do much, IME.

What are you using for separation hardware, a false bottom, bazooka tube, other? To me that's where trouble shooting begins. Look at that before looking elsewhere.

 

[sleepspeaking]

Rice hulls don't do much, IME.

What are you using for separation hardware, a false bottom, bazooka tube, other? To me that's where trouble shooting begins. Look at that before looking elsewhere.

Using a false bottom. I guess I could look at investing in an upgrade for my false bottom. But I figured this would improve function of the mash tun, and allow me to attempt BIAB batches. So it would be an addition not just a correction.

BUT I suppose I could try to address the false bottom issue with the site I bought the mash tun kit from, cause it has never functioned well.

 

[brewbama]

I have a Brew Bag and find it works like a charm. No stuck sparges, no Vorlauf, higher efficiency using the same recipe, and easier cleanup than without it. YMMV

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[burdbrew]

Using a false bottom. I guess I could look at investing in an upgrade for my false bottom. But I figured this would improve function of the mash tun, and allow me to attempt BIAB batches. So it would be an addition not just a correction.

BUT I suppose I could try to address the false bottom issue with the site I bought the mash tun kit from, cause it has never functioned well.

Do you get good flow for a while and then have it restrict as time goes on? And are you batch sparging?

I use Wilser bags because I have restriction issues beyond filtration hardware. No doubt a grant would help me. But I can pull up the bag and I'm good to go.

 

[sleepspeaking]

Yes, I get a bit of flow and sticks after (i keep thinking i'm just draining too fast, but I can't get it much slower) and I am fly sparging.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

you can still get stuck sparges with a bag but its easier to fix, just lift the bag up and set it back down, some times just one corner

 

[brick_haus]

I've not had a stuck sparge and have used several different false bottoms over several years. Many hundreds of gallons of beer. Something else you are doing with your equipment or the grain is causing it.

 

[Aristotelian]

Yes, the bag will work. You can also just go straight BIAB with a nylon bag and skip the mash tun altogether.

 

[madscientist451]

I use a BIAB bag in a round cooler. No stuck sparges, pull the bag out to dump the grain. I did BIAB in a pot on the stove, but it was too messy for me and I had temperature control prblems

 

[GHBWNY]

I use a BIAB bag in a round cooler. No stuck sparges, pull the bag out to dump the grain. I did BIAB in a pot on the stove, but it was too messy for me and I had temperature control prblems

Same, plus I accidently let a (nylon) bag stick to the bottom = a big hole = a mess. Since then, it's BIAB/mash tun.

 

[Erik_Mog]

I had a stuck sparge the first time I used my mash tun with a false bottom. It turned out that the tubing connecting the false bottom to the ball balve was just a little too long, and the false bottom was not fully seated on the bottom of the mash tun, and let a lot of the finer particles get underneath and clog the outlet. Once I shortened the tubing, and made sure the false bottom was sitting on the bottom of the mash tun correctly, I can crush my grains finer than that original batch, and have had no more stuck sparges. That may be one thing to check with your mash tun.

 

[sleepspeaking]

I'll try that. I've noticed it is a bit long. Nothing crazy, but maybe a 1/4" - 1/8" to long

 

[Yooper]

I bought a bag from Wilserbrew here on the forum, and it solved every single grainbed compaction issue and stuck mash or sparge from then on.

I tried several different false bottoms, but with my bottom draining MLT to the pump, I still had all kinds of issues. I tried rice hulls for every batch, and it did help slightly but still not completely.

Adding the custom made bag was cheap (can't remember the price- $18?) and I've used it at least two dozen times with great results.

I still use my Jaybird false bottom and stand, but line the keg MLT with the bag and it works like a dream. If I do happen to get a little grainbed compaction, I pull up the bag on one side, and it continues to drain just fine. I love it!