What is lauter sparging? What are the precautions?
Lauter sparging is an important step in the beer brewing process. After the first wort has been filtered, there is still a significant amount of extract that remains in the wort layer. In order to maximize the utilization of raw materials, this extract needs to be recovered, and this is achieved through the process of sparging.
The specific requirements for sparging depend on a number of factors, including the concentration of the first wort, the thickness of the grain layer, the wort filterability, and the boiling intensity. Generally, the concentration of the first wort should be around 18-22°P, and the number of times the wort is washed can be 4 or more. If the concentration is around 15-17°P, the number of times can be less, usually about 3 times. When the thickness of the grain layer exceeds 45cm, it should be used in small amounts and several times, and if there is residual sugar recovery, the number of times can be more than 4 times. If it is between 35 and 40cm, the number of times is less, and the amount of water can be slightly more, generally, it is enough to wash 3 times.
The temperature of the washing water is a crucial factor in the sparging process. It should be controlled at around 76-78℃, preferably not more than 80℃, and not lower than 74℃. If the water temperature is too high, it can wash out a large amount of viscous substances and destroy a-amylase. If the water temperature is too low, the residual sugar will not be washed cleanly.
The pH value of the waste water must also be appropriate. Generally, the pH value of the washed waste water is below 6, but the adjustment of the pH value in actual production is more troublesome. Therefore, it is required to control the pH value of the wort water as much as possible to be below 6.5, which can reduce the dissolution of husk polyphenols and facilitate the coagulation of proteins during the boiling process of wort. This can also help to ensure that the color of the wort is lighter.
It is important to be mindful of the number of times the grains are washed. While multiple recoveries of residual sugar can improve the utilization rate of raw materials, excessive washing times can wash out a lot of harmful components in the wheat husk, such as polyphenols and pigment substances, which can be detrimental to the taste and shelf life of beer. In addition, excessive washing of the wort can reduce the concentration of the mixed wort in the boiling pot, and a large amount of heat energy will be used to evaporate the water, which increases the production cost. The principle of small amount and many times should be followed for washing the grains, meaning that the washing water has just covered the grain layer, and it can be slightly higher than 2-3cm.
It is also important to master the timing of the first sparging. A more suitable time to wash the grains can wash away more leaching substances. It is not always necessary to plough the grains every time, especially if the grain layer is relatively loose. Generally, the first sparging (including the second time at most) should be ploughed in principle, because at this time, the grain layer should be ploughed when the residual sugar concentration is high, and the bottom layer is compact. The tillage of grains can help to wash out the extract and loosen the bottom layer.
In the case of difficult filtration, the top water method is often used to reorganize the wort layer, but when the top water is used, the concentration of the wort layer and the unfiltered wort will be diluted to a certain extent, and the top water will bring a large amount of water to boiling. In this way, the number of times and the amount of water that can be washed will be affected, and the residual sugar will be too high.
Sparging is the rinsing of the mash grain bed to extract as much of the sugars from the grain as possible without extracting puckering tannins from the process.
In the case that the evaporation intensity of the boiling pot is low, the method of boiling while washing the waste can be considered, which can wash out some residual extracts, but pay attention to ensure the normal boiling time.
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