When hot liquor into mash tun -- pour or siphon?

[ashyg]

I know that you want to avoid oxygenating your hot wort but does this apply to the hot liquor coming from your HLT/kettle and going in to the mash tun?

Will oxygen get trapped in solution and oxygenate the wort during the mash?

Should I pour or should I siphon?

I'm doing my first all-grain batch this weekend and trying to straighten everything out.

 

[devilishprune]

Methinks you worry too much. Due to my lack of a proper brewing area, everything gets dumped on brew day. If anything, I would worry about dumping your wort, but not about your water. I mean you poured it in there with a faucet in the first place right?

 

[pericles]

I think what you're concerned about is something called "Hot Side Aeration." The presence of excess O2 in your hot wort leads to the oxidation of melanoidins in your wort. These oxidized molecules contribute to staling in your beer post packaging. The more of these there are the sooner your beer will become stale.

Pretty much all of the oxygen, however, comes out of the wort during the boil; I wouldn't worry about the introduction of oxygen into the mash, I'd worry more about stirring or whirlpooling the wort AFTER the boil.

I would STILL siphon from the hot liquor tank, for two important reasons: First off, I (quite unscientifically) think that you get better penetration into the grain bed when you siphon. It also prevents the creation of rivulets along the sides, which lowers efficiency.

Second, pouring five or ten gallons of hot liquor can be dangerous.

 

[devilishprune]

I think what you're concerned about is something called "Hot Side Aeration." The presence of excess O2 in your hot wort leads to the oxidation of melanoidins in your wort. These oxidized molecules contribute to staling in your beer post packaging. The more of these there are the sooner your beer will become stale.

Pretty much all of the oxygen, however, comes out of the wort during the boil; I wouldn't worry about the introduction of oxygen into the mash, I'd worry more about stirring or whirlpooling the wort AFTER the boil.

I would STILL siphon from the hot liquor tank, for two important reasons: First off, I (quite unscientifically) think that you get better penetration into the grain bed when you siphon. It also prevents the creation of rivulets along the sides, which lowers efficiency.

Second, pouring five or ten gallons of hot liquor can be dangerous.

Are you talking about fly sparging here? I was just talking about adding the strike water to the mash tun before adding grains. Either way, I dump the water for a batch sparge also. I can see how you would want to siphon water into your grains if you were doing a fly sparge, and I think that it IS the ideal way to do it if you have the means to do so. I'm just trying to make due until I can get a pump for my setup, because picking up and risking spilling those large volumes of hot water is not pleasant.

 

[Ichthy]

Hot water cannot readily dissolve oxygen, especially as you approach strike and sparge water temps.

 

[pericles]

Are you talking about fly sparging here?

No, I'm talking about any kind of mashing; no matter how you're soaking your grains, you will eventually drain the water. If you create rivulets in the grain bed, the water will rush through the rivulets instead of running over the grains, and you'll leave fermentable sugars in the mash.

Hot water cannot readily dissolve oxygen, especially as you approach strike and sparge water temps.

True, but it does take on SOME oxygen, which in certain beers can be a problem. Here's a homebrewtalk wiki on oxidation in general, which touches on HSA.

 

[Jawbox0]

I believe the thing is that you don't have to worry, at all, about dissolved oxygen until after the boil. Its after the boil that it becomes a point of contention.

Nevermind: Hmmm, according to that Wiki link I'm completely wrong, so disregard I guess.