would you guys mind posting your method of doing this? I drain into a pitcher until the wort is running clear but I always do 2 things...#1 I still get grain bits in my boil...#2 I invariably stir up the grain bed when pouring it back into the mash tun. Even if I have to build something to make it better that is fine. I am trying to fine tune my process......... next step is a better chiller.
vorlauf
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Instead of pouring the wort you collected directly back into the tun, can you pour it through something like a big slotted spoon that is near the surface of the grain. That would help spread the wort.
I just drain into a 5g bucket until I decide it's running clear, switch to kettle and just dump that first runoff back on top of the grain/mash/sparge water. Usually I have plenty of water in the tun where it doesn't disturb the grain bed.
Something like a slotted spoon would be easy if you had a low amount of water. Good luck!
Edit: If you didn't mind extra equipment you could vorlauf into a 5g bucket with a drain. When you're done set it to a drip and have it drain into the tun.
Something like a slotted spoon would be easy if you had a low amount of water. Good luck!
Edit: If you didn't mind extra equipment you could vorlauf into a 5g bucket with a drain. When you're done set it to a drip and have it drain into the tun.
duffbeer71
Well-Known Member
You can take a large section of tin foil and put it on the top of the grain bed and that will help disperse the wort you are pouring back in.
+1 on the foil. I also use an aluminum pie pie upside down on the top of the grain. It works well and is easily cleaned for reuse.
Vorlauf always sounds like the name of a vampire to me. Anyway, my vorlauf now occurs through a HERMS inside my HLT. I still float a plastic coffee can lid to disperse the flow. Before the HERMS, I did what Mojzis does. Don't be afraid to take it real slow. If you change anything, consider how you can improve the bottom of you MLT. False bottoms, manifolds, etc. Best of luck! 
Beernik
Well-Known Member
I am Count Vorlof and I've come to suck your wort.
I have a long rectangular cooler. When I used a manifold, I barely had to vorlof at all. Now that I've switched to a tube screen, I have to vorlof a lot more. I use a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup. I also check for clarity in the drain tube, not the cup. And since the screen tube is short, I pour gently in the far end of the cooler
I have a long rectangular cooler. When I used a manifold, I barely had to vorlof at all. Now that I've switched to a tube screen, I have to vorlof a lot more. I use a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup. I also check for clarity in the drain tube, not the cup. And since the screen tube is short, I pour gently in the far end of the cooler
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I vorlauf using my pump, with a moderate to low flow, for about 10-15 minutes. My grain bed is usually plenty thick to not disrupt it (8-12"+).
During the sparge, I use a frying anti-splatter screen to disperse the sparge water.
MC
During the sparge, I use a frying anti-splatter screen to disperse the sparge water.
MC
My vorlauf volume is generally only 1-2 qt, and I gently pour it back on top. So far, no problems. I might use the aluminum foil method though. Sounds pretty neat.
microbusbrewery
Senior Member
Before I built my HERMS I used a perforated stainless spoon...similar to a slotted spoon but with tiny holes instead of slots. I think it came in a Wolfgang Puck cookware set. It worked great and helped to leave the grain bed undisturbed. Even with my HERMS setup and constantly recirculating during the mash, I still get occasional grain bits.
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This is what I get after 10-15 minutes of vorlaufing with a pump:
MC
MC
What about a colander? I have a SS colander that looks like it has some use.
I use a stainless steel sauce pan and pour the wort directly back on to the top. I generally use a 5 gallon cooler for my batches, so the grain bed is pretty thick. I try not to disturb the top of the grain bed too much when I pour the wort back in, but I figure that I will not be disturbing the compacted bottom portion of the grain better no matter what. For some beers it is a relatively quick process. Yesterday, though, I had to vorlauf for 10-15 minutes and the wort was still not as clear as normal.
I use the micro-screen filter basket from my coffee maker.
I hang that in my boil pot and drain the MT thru the filter. No recirculating back to the mash tun.
I start running slow and gradually speed the flow as it runs clearer.
Usually after a couple minutes, I open the valve full and remove the screen.
Transamguy77
Well-Known Member
I use a stainless colander that sits in the opening of my keggle mash tun.
Transamguy77 said:
For those using a colander: Is there a risk of hot side aeration doing it this way?
From what I understand, the boil takes care of that.
I try to avoid any splashing anyway.
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OP: what's your MLT set up?
I have a coleman cooler and short SS braid. I vorluaf ~1 gallon then pour towards the back of the cooler.
I run a tight mill and the grain compacts really well and I by pouring slowly towards the back of the cooler, it doesn't disrupt the grain bed near the braid.
I have a coleman cooler and short SS braid. I vorluaf ~1 gallon then pour towards the back of the cooler.
I run a tight mill and the grain compacts really well and I by pouring slowly towards the back of the cooler, it doesn't disrupt the grain bed near the braid.
OHIOSTEVE
Well-Known Member
I have a rectangular coleman cooler with a copper manifold.. just brewed a 10 gallon batch of blond ale..vorlaufed about 2 gallons and poured it back in over my mash paddle so it sprayed out some...seemed to be way better... first beer I have brewed in a long time....I didn't forget how lol
FuzzeWuzze
I Love DIY
This, i started using the cheap $20 ebay pump to vorlauf.
Nice side effect is my efficiency shot up from a constant 70% to 80-82% by recirculating my mash during the vorlauf for 10 minutes after it was all done.
I also noticed that the wort coming out was way more clear than i had ever gotten by putting it in a pitcher and putting it back in....im sure if i did it enough i could replicate it, but thats a lot of work better left for a pump.
ClaudiusB
Well-Known Member
I vorlauf using a pump for 20-40 minutes depending on the beer style.
For standard beers the grain bed in my mash tun is very shallow and requiers more vorlauf (recurculating) time.
Strong beers like bocks, etc. requier less time since more grain is in the mash tun.
A few pics showing what clarety I shoot for, post # 29
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/vorlauf-how-167038/
Cheers,
ClaudiusB
LovesIPA
Well-Known Member
I have a 10 gallon round igloo with a copper manifold.
I use a colander. It fits perfectly in the top of my MLT. I have never had a problem with HSA and many people say it's a myth at the homebrew scale.
I also leave the colander in place while sparging - so I "fly sparge" with it as well. Last batch was a centennial blonde ale and I got 87% efficiency on it.
I use a colander. It fits perfectly in the top of my MLT. I have never had a problem with HSA and many people say it's a myth at the homebrew scale.
I also leave the colander in place while sparging - so I "fly sparge" with it as well. Last batch was a centennial blonde ale and I got 87% efficiency on it.
I guess I should have mentioned it in my first post.....I BIAB, so is vorlaufing going to make a difference?
Weezy
Well-Known Member
no
First runnings will be quite clear enough.
Recirculating slowly to set the bed and filter the wort is one of those traditions homebrewers have inherited from probrewers. It makes a lot of sense when you're staring at a 30 barrel pot of murky wort, and for those of us using conventional systems that still need filtration help from a grain bed. BIAB is an engineered solution to that problem.
Transamguy77
Well-Known Member
TravisF said:
I don't think so, I've never seen any bubbles or foam. I also use it for my "fly sparging", mine is a flat bottom so during the sparge it's like it's raining over the grain bed. The goal is not to cause channeling through the grain so I think anyway you can disperse the water over the top and not have that happen should be ok.
Edit: a guy in my Homebrew club uses a water can to vorlof so he can "sprinkle" it on.
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About the only one I can think of is, "loss of heat", and at that, it's not that much. About HSA... not that likely.
Earlier I posted that I vorlauf using a pump for 10-15 minutes... For that, I bury the hose about 1/2 to 1" into the mash. At a low flow, it doesn't affect the grain bed, and there's no splashing. I use the fry splatter screen to distribute the sparge water a bit more evenly.
I had a German friend watching over my shoulder while I was brewing, yesterday, he was quite curious why the "beer" wasn't coming out clear out of the mash tun... I told him, "get a beer refill from the kegerator, and within 15 minutes, you'll see". Sure enough, it was crystal clear at 15 minutes.
MC
OHIOSTEVE
Well-Known Member
so I could get a cheap pump.. rather than running wort into a pitcher just pump it from the ball valve back into the mash tun until it is running clear then pump it into the brew kettle? I double batch sparge so I would have to do this 3 separate times...am I getting this right?
The grain will form a filter, where the larger particles will settle in lower and the finer particles will settle up higher. After you've sucked a bit of the wort through the grain bed by draining it into a pan (or whatever) the grain will start to form the filter. The first bit of wort will be cloudy because the grain hasn't had a chance to set up the filter and the wort close to the outlet will have lots of particulate in it.
However, once the grain bed is formed, you can gently pour the collected wort back on top of the grain bed and let it filter that stuff back out. I use a tupperware lid to careful pour my collectings onto, so it will not disturb the grain bed. Tin foil would work good, but I've not tried that yet.
Now that I've got a pump I can recirculate, but I haven't tried that yet.
However, once the grain bed is formed, you can gently pour the collected wort back on top of the grain bed and let it filter that stuff back out. I use a tupperware lid to careful pour my collectings onto, so it will not disturb the grain bed. Tin foil would work good, but I've not tried that yet.
Now that I've got a pump I can recirculate, but I haven't tried that yet.
And, yes, if you double batch sparge, you need to do this 3 times. That's why I've gone to a single sparge. My efficiency has only dropped a small amount and I save a lot of time. I used to do double.
I pour the Vorlauf gently down the inside of the cooler at the opposite end to the valve. It will create some kind of disturbance but it won't affect the grain bed filter too much.
kombat
Well-Known Member
This is exactly what I do too, except my cooler has a bazooka screen instead of a SS braid.
It's less of an issue while sparging, because the surface is entirely liquid and absorbs the splashing better, but during the mash, the consistency is much thicker, and pouring the wort back in inevitably disturbs some of the grain bed (toward the far end of the cooler, opposite end from the screen/outlet port, at least).
My last few batches have been a bit on the cloudy side, so that's why I was asking. I was thinking on the next batch, since a BIAB's mash is a lot more slurry, about draining the contents to a second vessel until I established the grain bed. Then at some point the collected wort would be returned through the grain bed to filter it out. Then pull the grains.
Either that or raise the bag (which sits in a perforated basket) up to a point where I could recirculate.
For those brewers using a stainless steel braided hose I have been placing the hose section inside of a voile cover (the material I use for making BIAB sacks). I secure the open end of the voile sock with a plastic zip tie. I have never had a stuck sparge and get very clear runnings from the first discharge from the mashtun. The voile socks can be reused. If you don't want to make your own voile socks the you can use a longer pair of boiled panty hose. I have used this method for wheat beers through stouts with an average eff of 75%. My smallest batch was 4 gallons and the largest has been 13 gallons.
