Batch sparge: to stir or not to stir

Matt Talbot

South Jersey FC Member
I switched from fly to batch last summer and have read that some people drain, add sparge water, stir up the grain bed, wait for a period of time, vorlauf, then drain. Repeat for however many batches.

That doesn't seem to make sense to me because it mucks up the grain bed and requires vorlaufing every time.

What do other batch spargers do?


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I always stirred between sparges and vorlauf again. Just seemed like it mixed up the sugars into the liquor better. Who knows?? I think it helped my efficiency but can't remember exactly.

Sounds like an exbeeriment! Two identical mashes. Stir one not the other. Which gives better efficiency!
 
I was thinking that when I fly sparged all the sparge water just flowed through the same grain bed. I hit all my numbers dead on today, and I have my efficiency set at 90% in BeerSmith.


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I've always stirred and vorlauf again. Since my mash tun is hooked up to pump, recirculating and setting the bed only takes 5 minutes or so. And I don't even lose any time because I'll start heating the first runnings anyway so it's not like it takes longer to get to the boil.
 
I always stir.

my thought process. when you are fly sparging the velocity through the grain bed is low. so you get good distribution. when im running off my batch sparge, im pump on, full blast. higher velocity through the grain bed, which leads to channeling. stirring and volauf again ensures that the remaining sugars are getting into solution.
 
Second what @Ryan Cochrane said.
When you fly sparge the intent is to constantly rinse out the sugars from a top to bottom direction, but when you batch sparge, you're just looking to get the sugars into the entire volume of sparge, and this is improved by stirring it up. There's no problem with running a new vorlauf on the second "batch" of water, or the third depending on how many you do.
 
I always give it a good stir and vorlauf again.
With my hose braid it only takes about a quart before there are no grain bits.
It doesn't long at all.
 
I stir, and I stir vigorously -- for both mash-in and for batch sparging I use my wine degassing wand attached to my drill. My efficiency has gone up 6 - 8% on average since I started doing this.

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