From: ulick@angelico.helios.nd.edu (Ulick Stafford)
Subject: Re: Full mashing Re: The Rice-Brau Challenge (Recipe + Notes)
Organization: OUC, University of Notre Dame
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 21:42:44 GMT

In article <01050166.ehcigo@joebloe.maple-shade.nj.us> joseph@joebloe.maple-shade.nj.us writes:
>
>My first runoff ranges from 1.060-1.100, usually 1.070-1.080.
>I'm not sure what Dave does to get 1.100 all the time ....
>

In HBD George Fix mentioned that Miller loves recycling wort, but even I   
can't see how that helps so much.

>I'm beginning to think I could get 32-33 points out of mostly 2-row
>recipes if I sparged down to a gravity of 1.005 or 1.010 routinely.
>Usually I just don't bother, since I generally wind up brewing beers in
>the OG 1.050-1.065 range, and I like to hold boils to 1 hr.
>

I s this wise?  Miller makes a big deal out of 1.5 hr boils to get a
good hot break.  Any info momily man?

My final runoff always has 1000 gravity.  32-33 points are still beyond me,
although I am going to try and measure volumes and weights better to see
if that helps.
>
>2 hours is too much time if you use any of the higher conversion temps.
>Not that it would hurt anything.

Depends on the recipe.  Typically his all malt recipes call for 60 min,
but wiuth wheat or adjuncts about 2 hr.  The last beer I brewed, loosely
based on his Alt, called for 90 minutes.  Igenerally mash at low temperatures
to improve attenuation, so usually leave it a while to be sure to be sure.

>
>)  My lauter
>) tun is a holey bucket in a bucket with a drain.  The underlet is 2-3" so I
>) prop up the back of the tun with a piece of expanded polystyrene insulation
>) board. I load the bottom of the bed with a sieve and then add the rest of the
>) mash on top (using a pot as a ladle).  I let it settle for 5 minutes and 
>) recirculating at full flow for 5-10 minutes till the flow clears (and slows),
>) and then adjust the outflow so air isn't sucked in down the outside.  Time
>) varies after that dependent on the crush, the last time being particularily
>) trying as I was using 12 lB of grain finely crushed so the flow was slow
>) and cold (i'll be insulating my tun before I brew again) - 2.5 hours.
>
>This sounds very much like my setup.  What does your holey bucket
>look like?  The one I'm currently using once had flash in many of the 
>holes. Ease of cleaning and sparging increased *dramatically* when I went
>after the holes with a blowtorch and a ream.  Now they are nice and
>smooth, about 3/32"-1/8" in diameter, and don't get clogged.

I'll do this.  I have lots of flash.  I have drilled 1/8" holes on a 1/4"
square, and then one in the middle of every square so formed - a lot of
drilling.  Next I am going to cut the bottom off the bucket and wedge it
in the outer one, because I am fed up of the fact that air is sucked in
through the gap between the buckets.  Generally  I slow the flow so
that air doesn't get into my runoff tube, but if I let the end of the tube
become unsubmerged, air usually gets suked into the underlet, which is a 
pain.  I do want the extra head from the 3' length of runoff tube, but without
the back sucking of air.
>
>After I ladle down a few inches of grain, I pour through some of the
>mostly liquid stuff on top of the mash, then underlet the top bucket
>with hot sparging water if needed.  I do not like to have the water level 
>in the bottom bucket go below the bottom of the top bucket at any time
>afterward ... the result is usually slower sparging.

I load by packing grains to a 3" depth (because of the size of my underlet I 
don't want extra sparge water) and then pour in the rest of the mash and the
air all bubbles up.  I wonder if this effects the bed, but I doubt it.  I
then let it settle for 5 min and recycle at full flow.  I never have a major
problem with solid matter in the bottom.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 
+ 'There was a  master come unto the earth, + Ulick Stafford, PP-ASEL       +
+    born in the holy land of Indiana,      + Dept of Chemical Engineering, +
+ in the mystical hills east of Fort Wayne'.+ Notre Dame, IN 46556          +
+      B'fhearr liom bheith ag eitilt.      +    ulick@bach.helios.nd.edu   +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++