Hello!
We've had a problem for the past year in our brewhouse.
We runoff beautifully clear wort for about 45 minutes and then the grain bed seems to collapse and we get about 10 minutes of really chunky wort before it clears up again for the final hour or so of the lauter.
Some details:
10 bbls brewhouse
mash tun is on pillars to get it up off the ground (about 40").
Cloudiness has happened on every brew (20P to 9P)
Our grist to water varies (about 2.6 -3.3)
We do brew wheat and rye beers (not always)- we do use rice hulls when we do
we let the mash lauter via gravity for about an hour
we turn on the pump when lauter slows down.
no rakes.. mash in, stir again after 20, minutues, raise to mash out around 45 minutes and then rest for 15 minutes.
we use a small pump to recirculate from under false bottom to top of grain bed during entire mash rest.
we dont use any stirring during lautering.
we treat our water with lactic acid and salts.
we've tried turning the pump on before the lauter slows in case the two vessels were reaching equilibrium and that was causing the flow to collapse..no luck.
trying a step mash tomorrow to see if maybe our mash profile isnt breaking down as many beta glucans as necessary and that is what is coming through the lauter..
I know process questions are hard to address without actually being there but any thoughts/ideas to help us problem solve this would be appreciated.
Thanks
jason
Lavery Brewing Co
Erie, PA
We've had a problem for the past year in our brewhouse.
We runoff beautifully clear wort for about 45 minutes and then the grain bed seems to collapse and we get about 10 minutes of really chunky wort before it clears up again for the final hour or so of the lauter.
Some details:
10 bbls brewhouse
mash tun is on pillars to get it up off the ground (about 40").
Cloudiness has happened on every brew (20P to 9P)
Our grist to water varies (about 2.6 -3.3)
We do brew wheat and rye beers (not always)- we do use rice hulls when we do
we let the mash lauter via gravity for about an hour
we turn on the pump when lauter slows down.
no rakes.. mash in, stir again after 20, minutues, raise to mash out around 45 minutes and then rest for 15 minutes.
we use a small pump to recirculate from under false bottom to top of grain bed during entire mash rest.
we dont use any stirring during lautering.
we treat our water with lactic acid and salts.
we've tried turning the pump on before the lauter slows in case the two vessels were reaching equilibrium and that was causing the flow to collapse..no luck.
trying a step mash tomorrow to see if maybe our mash profile isnt breaking down as many beta glucans as necessary and that is what is coming through the lauter..
I know process questions are hard to address without actually being there but any thoughts/ideas to help us problem solve this would be appreciated.
Thanks
jason
Lavery Brewing Co
Erie, PA
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