What is the “usual recommended” flow rate of wort from the mash into the boil? I know it could be important to efficiency and to channeling
If you batch sparge you can go as fast as your system will allow without worrying about efficiency or channeling.
For fly sparging, 60 min is typical.
For batch sparge (or fly for that matter) wouldn’t you run into problems with stuck sparge possibly if the grain bed doesn’t set properly before the flow rate opens up? Of course that’d mean that’s faster than the system would allow technically… :-\
I generally use a pint glass and set my flow rate so that I fill the cup up once every thirty seconds (using 15 gallon morebeer pots for 10 gallon batches)
I can only speak to batch sparging…it is possible to compact the grain bved if you start the runoff too fast, although “too fast” will depend on your own lautering system. The best way to make sure you avoid compaction is to start the runoff slowly. I just barely crack the valve during vor.lauf, which is usually about 2-4 cups. After I return the vorlauf portion to the tun, I open the valve fully without problems.
I fly sparge and have not had any problems with stuck sparges. What are you using as a manifold? I use a stainless toilet connector which has served me quite well.
I, too, like the one hour rule. Since I run off 7 gallons into my brew kettle in 1 hour, this equates to 1.17 gallons every 10 minutes. I have a mark at 2 gallons, 4 gallon and 6 gallons in my kettle to gauge volumes. Know the volumes at certain points in your kettle (like a valve, rivet, etc.) and you can keep a pretty accurate estimate of how fast you are flowing into the boil kettle.
I batch and no sparge and do as Denny but I can’t open the ball-valve more than half-way after the grainbed is set or the mash will certainly compact and stick. Usually the run-off takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour depending on the recipe and amount of beer brewed. Obviously you can’t be comparing 5 gallon vs more and expect the lauter time to remain the same.
I batch sparge with a stainless steel braid and open my 3/8" valve about half-way during the vorlauf. Then I can open the valve fully and drain in ~5-10 minutes (I’ve never actually timed it, but that’s what it feels like). I do need to open the valve gradually; I’ve found that suddenly opening the valve completely will suck the grainbed down and slow the lauter considerably.
I also batch sparge with a SS brain in cooler but I don’t have a valve. just a piece of vinyl tubeing stuck through the drain hole with the braid attached with a hose clamp. I bring the end of the tube low enough to start a trickle to vorlauf then, when clear, I drop the end of the tube into the kettle and let it rip. There is some resistance as the tube warms up and pinches closed here and there but it only takes a few minutes to drain. Although wort keeps dribbling out for probably 30 minutes or so after that.
+1. Malt conditioning helps a lot in regards to avoiding stuck runoffs. I only had one stick - Jamil’s Dry Stout which calls for flaked barley as well as roasted grains “ground to dust.” I used to fly sparge exclusively, and would spend an hour or so babysitting the water level in my mash tun. It was a huge (unnecessary) PITA. I finally gave batch sparging a shot and have never gone back!
The other variable on how fast your system will run off is the bed depth. The higher the depth, the slower it will run when wide open. A higher bed depth also results in better filtering.
I start slow and then go wide open. It never sticks.
Maybe you need to lengthen your braid. I did that a few years back and it really made a difference.
I think you may be the only person I’ve ever heard say that. I’ve experimented with braids from 3" to 2 ft. and not seen any difference. It’s not like the wort is flowing down the braid. The braid is essentially porous. All the draining happens at the exit. I’ve even heard from people who got better performance from shortening the braid.
Why would you think it only drains at the exit? What would keep it from draining into the other end?
Are you saying that if it drains at the end it runs back out before it hits the exit?
[quote]Why would you think it only drains at the exit? What would keep it from draining into the other end?
Are you saying that if it drains at the end it runs back out before it hits the exit?
[/quote]
LoL I like that but I think the point is actually that up to a point making your braid longer will only work until you have maxed out the volume for the fitting you are using. After you have maxed that out making it any longer to introduce more liquid won’t do you any good. You can only put so much through a given size opening, after that it will just pool inside your braid. ;D
I noticed a big reduction in sparging/lautering times when I switched from my 10 gallon round Igloo cooler Mash Tun with a 12 inch SS Bazooka braid to a 20.5 gallon (82 Qt) rectangular cooler with the same 12 inch SS Bazooka braid. I do 10 gallon batches. I definitely agree that the grain bed height should not exceed the grain bed width or else you’ll get significant grain bed compaction regardless of initial runoff speed–the result eventually becomes slow runoff speed and very long lautering times.
Take this into account when selecting your mash tun size and design. I highly recommend the rectangular cooler over the round cooler–It works for every batch size and gravity, and because the lautering times are consisistently short (I batch sparge), my brew day is shorter. There’s no way I’m going back to the round cooler for a mash tun. I still use the round cooler for a HLT, though.