Vorlauf experiment

[larkinnm1]

So I was brewing tonight and wanted to test something out that I had always thought about. My theory is if you Vorlauf more times on your last runnings, you could extract more sugars because more volume is pulled through the grain. I batch sparge in two halves and my mash tun has a false bottom. What I did was collect a sample from my first, fifth and tenth vorlauf from my 2nd half sparge and tested the gravity to see if there was an increase. Thought maybe time would be a factor so I noted time elapsed from the first vorlauf. All samples were within a few degrees of room temp when I measured gravity.

First- 1.020 0 min
Fifth- 1.017 6 min
Tenth- 1.017 10 min

So it looks like my theory has been debunked! I suspect the first pull was higher because it contained wort from the first half of the sparge in the false bottom space. Time seems to not be a factor either. So from now on I will transfer to my kettle once my wort becomes clear rather than putting pitcher after pitcher back in to try and not leave any tasty sugar behind. Just wanted to offer up this info in case anyone else had thought this.

Cheers!!

 

[slym2none]

Nice!

 

[doug293cz]

Your results are just what they should have been. In a well conducted mash, the wort has a uniform composition throughout its volume, and there is no potential sugar left in the grain. All of the sugar is dissolved in the wort. So, recycling the wort thru the mash cannot extract more sugar.

Brew on

 

[RM-MN]

So I was brewing tonight and wanted to test something out that I had always thought about. My theory is if you Vorlauf more times on your last runnings, you could extract more sugars because more volume is pulled through the grain. I batch sparge in two halves and my mash tun has a false bottom. What I did was collect a sample from my first, fifth and tenth vorlauf from my 2nd half sparge and tested the gravity to see if there was an increase. Thought maybe time would be a factor so I noted time elapsed from the first vorlauf. All samples were within a few degrees of room temp when I measured gravity.

First- 1.020 0 min
Fifth- 1.017 6 min
Tenth- 1.017 10 min

So it looks like my theory has been debunked! I suspect the first pull was higher because it contained wort from the first half of the sparge in the false bottom space. Time seems to not be a factor either. So from now on I will transfer to my kettle once my wort becomes clear rather than putting pitcher after pitcher back in to try and not leave any tasty sugar behind. Just wanted to offer up this info in case anyone else had thought this.

Cheers!!

You don't even need to vorlauf until the wort is clear, just until the grain particles are reduced so you don't get a lot of particles/husk material in you wort. Clear wort makes for clear beer....but so does cloudy wort.:rockin: