Lautering

Advertise with us
Shop deals on ebay
shop deals on amazon
The Homebrew Forum

Help Support The Homebrew Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
E

EHCosbie

New Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2016
Messages
11
Reaction score
0
Location
NULL
Hi All,

I have been brewing for a few months now (using the "Have a go at simple AG" method), generally really happy.

I have brought the book How to Brew by Palmer. Good reading, if a little overwhelming (lots to think about). One thing I notice in the AG section is that he does lautering. I would like to know what am I missing out on by not doing this process. Is this purely to help with beer clarity or does this affect the taste?

I am probably going to build a mash tun soon enough, and this leads me on to my next question. In other threads I have read that once initial mash is complete, some brewers add a percentage of sparge water, stir, wait then drain. If adopting this method should you still lauter before draining into the brew pot?

Hope this makes sense.

Any advice, experiences and opinions welcome.

Thanks Guys

Ed
 
Hi!
I think the confusion is caused by the many names for the same process; lautering is one term for sparging (BrewWiki: Sparging, also called lautering is a step at the end of the mashing process where hot water is run through the grain bed . . . )

If you are fly sparging (continuous sparging) you maintain the liquid level in the mash tun as it is drained by adding sparge water gently (to avoid disturbing thr grain bed). The wort from the mash tun gradually decreases in sugar content during fly sparging.

If you are batch sparging, all of the wort is drained from the mash tun and then the sparge water is added in one batch, the grain bed is stirred up and allowed to settle again. At this point it is best to vorlauf, that is, recirculate the wort by slowly running off the wort into a jug and gently pouring it back into the mash tun. By doing this several times it allows the grain bed to settle again and eventually the runnings will become clear.
 
Bigcol49 said:
Hi!
I think the confusion is caused by the many names for the same process; lautering is one term for sparging (BrewWiki: Sparging, also called lautering is a step at the end of the mashing process where hot water is run through the grain bed . . . )

If you are fly sparging (continuous sparging) you maintain the liquid level in the mash tun as it is drained by adding sparge water gently (to avoid disturbing thr grain bed). The wort from the mash tun gradually decreases in sugar content during fly sparging.

If you are batch sparging, all of the wort is drained from the mash tun and then the sparge water is added in one batch, the grain bed is stirred up and allowed to settle again. At this point it is best to vorlauf, that is, recirculate the wort by slowly running off the wort into a jug and gently pouring it back into the mash tun. By doing this several times it allows the grain bed to settle again and eventually the runnings will become clear.
Click to expand...

I always thought lautering was a brewing word for draining? So when you lift the bag out of the pot and put it in a collender or hung it with a pulley. The wort from bag the drained or 'lautered' back into the pot
 
MyQul said:
I always thought lautering was a brewing word for draining? So when you lift the bag out of the pot and put it in a collender or hung it with a pulley. The wort from bag the drained or 'lautered' back into the pot
Click to expand...

Hi!
Hence the confusion:
Wikipedia: Lautering is a process in brewing beer in which the mash is separated into the clear liquid wort and the residual grain. Lautering usually consists of 3 steps: mashout, recirculation, and sparging.
 
Bigcol49 said:
Hi!
Hence the confusion:
Wikipedia: Lautering is a process in brewing beer in which the mash is separated into the clear liquid wort and the residual grain. Lautering usually consists of 3 steps: mashout, recirculation, and sparging.

Technically, the mash tun is a lauter tun.
Click to expand...

I've never actually looked it up, so that's where my own confusion has come from, I think
 
MyQul said:
I've never actually looked it up, so that's where my own confusion has come from, I think
Click to expand...

Hi!
Sorry, I wasn't implying that the confusion was yours - I find the use of several terms for the same process confusing.

It is also confusing when there are different definitions of "lautering" online - I usually find BrewWiki to be reliable.
 
Bigcol49 said:
Hi!
Sorry, I wasn't implying that the confusion was yours - I find the use of several terms for the same process confusing.

It is also confusing when there are different definitions of "lautering" online - I usually find BrewWiki to be reliable.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know. I meant, I'm just as confused over what exactly the terms mean as everyone else. Seeing as I haven't really bothered to research what theyreally mean :thumb:
 
Bigcol49 said:
Hi!
Hence the confusion:
Wikipedia: Lautering is a process in brewing beer in which the mash is separated into the clear liquid wort and the residual grain. Lautering usually consists of 3 steps: mashout, recirculation, and sparging.
Click to expand...

This is what I thought the lauter process was. So my questions are to do with the separation of clear liquid and the residual grain.

Thanks for all of the responses.

Ed
 
My understanding of the term "Lautering" is as follows:

Not having a pump, when the mash is completed I open up the valve from the Mash Tun and use two jugs to catch and recirculate the first flow of wort.

The first flow of wort is cloudy as bits of grain and flour pass through the 2mm holes that let the wort out of the Mash Tun, but as the holes get blocked with the larger bits of grain, the grain-bed itself starts to act as a filter and the wort becomes progressively clearer.

When the wort is running clear it has been "Lautered"; and at this stage the wort can be diverted into the boiler and Sparging can commence.

To the best of my knowledge and belief, "lautering" is an intermediate process between "mashing" and "sparging" and is therefore a related but independent activity. :thumb:
 
Spapro said:
For what is actually quite a simple process (in essence) its not surprising all grain seems daunting to homebrewers when starting out !
Click to expand...

It'd help if English terms were used. Are German homebrew books littered with terms like 'rinsing/sparging/foam in fermenter' etc? It's a bloody joke if you ask me and just folk trying to be clever.
 
The lauter tun is usually a separate vessel where the sparge take place. it is usually a different shape to maximise volume allowing the best possibility of rinsing out the wort, false bottom to retain the grain. For Hombrewers unlikely to have this as lautering is in effect sparging done in the mash tun

Voorlauf is the clearing of the taps , pipes of grain to allow the bed to settle giving first appearance of clear wort so you don't get blockages and fully utilise the grain bed for filtering.

I usually batch sparge with stirring, allow to settle and the first 2-3 jugs have grain in then and are recycled (voorlauf) followed by emptying clear wort from the tun into the kettle and refilling for 2nd batch sparge, voorlauf and final emptying
 
To prevent ordinary people from understanding any process it has to be made "mysterious" and the easiest way to do this is to invent a new language.

The more training involved in a practice results in a much more complicated language and by using the language ordinary tradesmen are elevated above their peers. A simple example is the trade ("profession"?) of being a doctor where even the most simple of human ailments and injuries are given different names.

What to the ordinary person is a "bruise" becomes a "contusion" for a doctor and the simple transition of words allows them to act in a superior manner to the people who don't know what they are talking about.

However, there is another side of the coin and that is when doctors are talking to doctors. By using the terms agreed within their trade it is possible for them to talk in a form of shorthand with little or no chance of error; and that is why we try and use the correct terminology in brewing.

So:

"The process of steeping malted grains in hot water to remove the sugars produced by malting." becomes "Mashing."

"The liquid that I remove as a result of steeping malted grains in hot water to remove the sugars produced by malting." becomes "Wort."

"The frothy stuff that appears on the top of a fermenting brew." becomes known as a "Krausen."​

Every activity has its own private (and to the outsider "secret") language.

Does anyone know what the following are without looking them up? :nono:

"Fid"
"Monkey's Face" or "Monkey Plate"
:?:​

I've got to go outside and make sure that the bubbly thing on top of the plastic thingies lid is still going "glub-glub". (Oops! Sorry, I think "glub-glub" is a technical term of my own invention!) :thumb:

What it means is ............. :lol: :lol:
 
Dutto said:
To prevent ordinary people from understanding any process it has to be made "mysterious" and the easiest way to do this is to invent a new language.

The more training involved in a practice results in a much more complicated language and by using the language ordinary tradesmen are elevated above their peers. A simple example is the trade ("profession"?) of being a doctor where even the most simple of human ailments and injuries are given different names.

What to the ordinary person is a "bruise" becomes a "contusion" for a doctor and the simple transition of words allows them to act in a superior manner to the people who don't know what they are talking about.

However, there is another side of the coin and that is when doctors are talking to doctors. By using the terms agreed within their trade it is possible for them to talk in a form of shorthand with little or no chance of error; and that is why we try and use the correct terminology in brewing.

So:

"The process of steeping malted grains in hot water to remove the sugars produced by malting." becomes "Mashing."

"The liquid that I remove as a result of steeping malted grains in hot water to remove the sugars produced by malting." becomes "Wort."

"The frothy stuff that appears on the top of a fermenting brew." becomes known as a "Krausen."​

Every activity has its own private (and to the outsider "secret") language.

Does anyone know what the following are without looking them up? :nono:

"Fid"
"Monkey's Face" or "Monkey Plate"
:?:​

I've got to go outside and make sure that the bubbly thing on top of the plastic thingies lid is still going "glub-glub". (Oops! Sorry, I think "glub-glub" is a technical term of my own invention!) :thumb:

What it means is ............. :lol: :lol:
Click to expand...

If solicitors made beer it would be totally uninteligible AND cost 20 times as much!
 

Similar threads

S
Wort saved for starter issue
2
Replies
27
Views
1K
peebee
peebee
old dog new tricks
Out of my depth please help!
2
Replies
33
Views
910
gavp1979
gavp1979
Toastkid
Rough guess - how much strength would 1kg of frozen fruit have added?
Replies
2
Views
553
Toastkid
Toastkid
T
Wherry Carbonation / Bottling Advice Pls?
Replies
2
Views
551
.Tom.
T
Siscokid85
Equipment For Sale 2021 Speidel Braumeister BM20 For Sale
Replies
1
Views
280
Siscokid85
Siscokid85

Latest posts

Back
Top