Lautering

Initial Wort Clarification

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Purpose of Talk
 Definition of Lautering
 Mash Clarification Principles
 Lautering History
 Lauter Tun Terminology
 Lauter Tun Operation
 Operational Requirements
 Problem Areas

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Lautering: Definitions
 Corruption of the German word ‘ablautern’ – to
clarify or purify
 Essentially a strainer or colander used to hold
insoluble materials (primarily malt husks) to filter
mash
 Retains solids – filters wort through them
 Spent grains separated from wort
 Lauter / Mash Tun are the machines that
perform this operation

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Modern Lautering Priorities
 High wort flow rate or throughput
 Efficient extraction of wort from spent
grains
 Extract clear wort to the kettle
 Minimal oxygen pickup in the wort
delivered to the kettle

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Lauter Performance Depends On:
 Use of quality malts
 Correct malt handling techniques and
equipment
 Correct grind assortment
 Mash mixer performance
 Mash pump-over performance
 GRAVITY

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Why: A little About (Wort) Filters
 Lautering is a ‘natural filtration’ (Fig. 1)
 Filter Flow Rate depends on:
 Permeability of filter (bed)
 Wort viscosity
 Pressure drop across filter
 Bed depth
 Filter particle size

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- the (modified) D’Arcy Equation
 Where:
 V = Flow Rate
 k = Permeability (reciprocal of resistance)
 P = Pressure drop across filter
 Ps = Filter particle size
 μ = Viscosity
 d = bed depth

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- will look like:

 V = k (P) (Ps)
μ d
- Any change or operation that increases the
value(s) on the upper part of the equation will
Increase the throughput. Any increase in the
value(s) in the lower part will Decrease the
throughput.

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General Lautering Operations
 Underletting
 Mash-off
 Vorlaufing (Wort Recirculation)
 First Wort Run-off
 Grains Sparging (Second Run-off)
 Sweet Water Recovery
 Grains out

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Lauter Tun Components - 1

 Shell with real bottom (Fig. 2, 6, 7)

 False bottom (slotted floor / screen) (Fig. 3, 12)
 Vorlauf (recirculation) system
 Sparging system
 Underlet system
 Raking system (w/ raising/turning system)
 Draw-off (tapping) system

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Lauter Tun Components - 2
 Mash inlets (Fig. 2, 11)
 Manometer (obsolescent) – Fig. 8
 Grant / grandt (obsolete) – Fig. 4, 5
 Vacuum breaker
 Grist spreader (obsolete)
 Differential pressure sensors
 Grains out valve(s)

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Underletting (w/ Hot Water) - 1
 Raise temperature of the lauter tun (help
keep wort viscosity low)
 Chase air out from beneath the false
bottom (prevent oxygen pick-up and and
promote smooth wort flow)
 Underlet water level slightly above the
false bottom level (‘cushion’ mash, prevent
grain particles clogging false bottom slots)

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Underletting w/ Hot Water - 2
 Underlet or foundation water should cover
plates by < 1” (2.5 cm)
 Underlet water / sparge water should be
same temperature – normally 76 °C
 Foundation water should be treated with
same acid addition and ‘Burtonizing salts’
as mash water

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Mash-off
 Mash-off is pumping mash from mash
mixer to lauter tun
 Done as gently as possible using low
shear / impeller speed pumps for:
 Low oxygen pick-up
 Minimal splashing
 Even (mash) bed distribution
 Bottom, multiple entries (Fig. 11)

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About Filter Bed Formation
 Lauter tuns are a kind of filter that requires
the grain bed to form. The settling is
governed by these variables:
 Vg = Settling velocity
 d = Particle diameter
 S – S1 = Density difference
 G = Gravitational acceleration
 μ = Viscosity

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These are expressed by:
 Stokes Law:

Vg = d2 (S – S1) G
18 μ

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The False Bottom
 Can be made of ‘wedge wire’ - about 18%
free area (usually smaller tuns) – Fig. 12
 Larger ones have milled, slotted bottoms –
8 – 12% free area (larger tuns)
 Slots are 30 – 40 mm (1.2 – 1.6”) long and
0.7 – 1.2 mm (.16 - .28”) wide
 Function is to support the grain bed

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Aids to Filter Bed Formation:
 Design of Mash Pump
 Design of Inlet Valves
 Mash mixer agitator on high speed during
pump-over
 Lauter rakes may be used to help
establish bed ‘classification’
 Vorlaufing

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Vorlaufing (Wort Recirculation)
 After pump-over there is s rest period
 Vorlaufing commences after rest – pumps
wort from under false bottom to above
grain bed
 Purpose is to settle bed and clarify wort
 Sometimes rakes are also run slowly to
establish the bed

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Vorlaufing – Key Points
 Must have low oxygen pick-up (older
designs failed in this regard)
 Do not disturb grain bed when returning
wort to top of mash in the tun
 Wort clarification is the main purpose
 Underdough removed from under false
bottom and returned to top

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Rakes (Lautering Machine)
 Many designs but their functions include:
 Level grain bed during mash transfer
 Loosen the grain bed during runoff
 Facilitate spent grain discharge
 They usually can raise and lower
 They have variable speeds
 They are often under programmed control

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Wort Clarity
 Brewers can often do visual checks – may
depend on the tun design (Fig. 9)
 Now often done with measurement with in-
line turbidity meters
 Wort clarity examples:
 Measure < 50 mg / liter
 Measure < 5 ml / liter Imhoff

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Grain Bed Composition
 This is the typical Bottom to Top
composition of the normal lauter grain
(filter) bed:
 Thin layer of dough-like heavy particles
 Thick layer of course particles – husks and
assorted insoluble materials
 Thin layer of greyish, fine, gel-like particles

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Bed Thickness
 Older tuns could have very deep beds
 Now maximum thickness is 40 cm (15.8”)
– speed is now critical
 Ideal depth is 35 cm (13.8”)
 Too thin causes problems
 Use of adjuncts can have an effect on
lautering

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Differential Pressure
 Used in all filters as a measure of the
resistance to fluid flow (P1 – P2)
 In lauter tuns it is the pressure change across
the filtration (grain husk) bed
 Manometers used on older tuns (Fig. 8)
 D/P cells used on modern tuns
 Measures fluid pressure at the top of the bed
and below the bed (under false bottom)

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Tun Loadings – 8 Brews/Day
 Dependent on Milling Techniques:
 Dry Milling – 170 kg/m² (35 lb/ft²)
 Conditioned Dry Milling – 210 kg/m² (43 lb/ft²)
 Steep Conditioned Milling – 260 kg/m² (53
lb/ft²)
 If these loadings are reduced by 15 – 25%
then it may be possible to lauter 10
brews/day through a tun
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First Wort Run-off
 ‘First Wort’ is the equilibrium sugar
concentration established during mashing
 Various control schemes are used to
maximize speed of run-off:
 Monitoring D/P
 Raking and Cutting
 Wort Clarity
 Continues until wort level about 1 cm (½”)
above the grain bed
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Sparging - 1
 Critical part of process regarding extract
recovery
 Sparge water must be the proper
temperature (normally 76 ºC):
 Too low – viscosity and time increases
 Too high – leach polyphenolic compounds or
unconverted starch

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Sparging - 2
 Starts before grain bed exposed to air
 Maintain fluid depth above grain bed until
sparging complete
 Sparging matches second wort removal
 Rate increases over time
 Turbidity is monitored
 Raking often utilized

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Sparging - 3
 ‘Last Runnings’ (Normal Beer) guidelines:
 At 12 ºP last runnings in 1.5 ºP range
 At 16 ºP last runnings in 2.5 ºP range
 To save wort after this wastes time
 Too much dilution in kettle
 Will be higher in polyphenols
 Last wort may be recovered as ‘sweet water’

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Sweet Water Recovery
 May be final wort (last runnings) from grain
bed
 May also be pressed put of spent grains
 If used reduces sewage treatment costs
 Adds to brewhouse yield if used to underlet
following brew
 Must be cautious about its use because of
possible detrimental taste effects

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Underletting (Hot Water)
 Used to re-float / loosen / reclassify a
grain bed that is compacted
 Sometimes programmed into lautering
cycles
 Is not desirable if runoff extraction times
and efficiencies are good without it
 Must Vorlauf again to reset the bed once it
is done

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Check the Grain Bed
 Before grains out check the surface of the
grain bed
 If it is uneven or has deep ‘valleys’ this
could indicate:
 Twisted rake
 Side flows
 Cheating

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Grain Out
 Removal of spent grains from tun
 Large valves open in tun bottom (Fig. 10)
 Rake system equipped to ‘plow’ the spent
grains into the valve opening(s)
 Spent grain hopper may be under tun or
grain may be blown or pumped to hopper
 Grain sold as wet feed

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Flushing and Cleaning
 Chase water (sparge temperature) used to flush
line to kettle – part of the water addition
calculations
 Underplate flushing system used to remove
materials under false bottom (Fig. 13)
 Manual hosing used also
 Grain out valves flushed to assure secure
closure before next mash infeed

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Ready for Another Cycle!
 What? This again?

V = k (P) (Ps)
μ d
 Is this about D‘Arcy again?
 Lautering as compromise

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Compromise: Speed/Wort Quality
 To Attain Higher Flow Rates:
 Grind coarser – Ps  ; k 
 Pump more - P  , maybe ‘Set’ the bed
 Rake deeper - k , P  / Turbidity 
 Increase extract temp. -   / Polyphenols 
 Decrease extract gravity -   / Flavor and
body suffer 
 Less malt / shallower bed - d 

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Wort Viscosity / Lautering Speed
 Wort Viscosity is a Function of:
 Mash / Wort Concentration
 Temperature
 Beta-glucans
 Specific Sugars
 More viscous worts will flow more slowly
through a grain bed

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Runoff Rate
 Runoff rate is dependent on:
 Wort Viscosity
 Bed Depth
 Bed Composition
 Operator Competence
 Control Functions (such as Turbidity)
 Manual tun operation is a skilled trade

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Compromise: Speed/Extraction
 To Increase Extraction:
 Grind finer – Ps , k 
 Increase gravity -  ,
 Time increased – Flow rate slower, V 
 More malt (deeper bed) - d 
 Longer (better) sparge contact – Time 
 Better leaching of extract – Time 

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General Rules
 FASTER RUNOFF REDUCES WORT
OXIDATION
 FASTER RUNOFF USUALLY MEANS
CLOUDIER WORTS
 Does this make sense?

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Turbid (Cloudy) Worts -1
 Tests were run by a major manufacturer of
the effects of clear/moderately clear (<20
– 40 mg/l) worts versus hazy (wort 100
mg/l)
 Fermentation speeds were identical but
the cloudy wort made beers that:
 Were harder to filter

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Turbid (Cloudy) Worts - 2
 Poorer foam retention
 Darker in color
 Had inferior taste
 Displayed less flavor stability
 Brewers have always known that a clear
wort made better beers and science finally
proved it!

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Lautering Problems
 Slow runoff speed (low flow rate)
 Turbid wort
 ‘Stuck’ grain bed
 Mechanical breakdown
 Inadequate cleaning (especially under the
false bottom)

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Operational Solutions
 Change raking regime
 Underlet / Vorlauf again
 Reduce runoff rate
 Clean more frequently
 Pull up plates and clean w/ high pressure
 Inspect underplate spray nozzles
 Keep mechanical systems maintained

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False Bottoms
 Both milled and wedge wire need cleaning
 Wort solids build up
 Sand and hard particles gets trapped
 Caustic cleaning should be performed on
a regular basis
 DO NOT USE HACKSAW BLADES OR
OTHER TOOLS TO CLEAN SLOTS!

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Modern Lauter Tun Design - 1
 All stainless steel construction
 Vent stack (vent steam)
 Insulated top and sides (to prevent
temperature loss to mash/ wort
 Usually flat-bottomed (Fig. 15)
 Lautering machines powered by electric
motors or hydraulic systems

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Modern Lauter Tun Design - 2
 Bottom entry for mash (Fig. 14)
 Variable speed mash pump-over rate
 False bottom close to real bottom (20 mm)
 No grant
 Vorlauf return below wort level
 Collection pipes to rings or collection tank
 Spent grains receiver large enough for entire
spent grains load from brew

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Modern Lauter Tun Design - 3
 Spent grain removal < 10 minutes
 Large / multiple spent grain valves
 Rakes used to plow by turning, reversing or
dropping plow
 Multiple Arm lautering machines on large
lauter tuns
 Tapping pipes (runoff ports) one per .9 – 1
m²

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Modern Lauter Tun Design - 4
 D/P Measurement / Indication
 Uniform sparge spray over bed
 Tight control of sparge temperature
 Wort Turbidity Measurement – clear wort
 Wort Density Measurement – clear wort
 Underplate flushing system
 Collection pipe flushing

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Modern Lauter Tun Design - 5
 Wort Flow Control Valve (to Kettle)
controlled by inputs from:
 Turbidity Meters
 Flow Meters
 Density Meters
 Vacuum Breakers to prevent bed
compaction

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Lauter Tun Control - Manual
 On most new small systems and older
designs tuns are still manually controlled
 This is the area of the brewhouse where
operator skill is the most critical
 Operator skill determines: Runoff Speed,
Wort Quantity, Wort Clarity, Extraction
Efficiency, Spent Grain Moisture Content,
etc.

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Lauter Tun Control Automation
 Modern large tuns utilize PLC(ontrol) and
GUI (Windows-based) to use:
 The Input Parameters (D/P, wort turbidity,
wort flow rate, lautering machine (raking
and cutting) position/speed) to adjust:
 The Output: Lautering machine height/
speed, wort outfeed valve position, etc.
 Programs for each brew type

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Lauter Tun Control - Future
 ‘Fuzzy logic’ controllers show promise to
control lautering cycles optimally
 A further development is the use of
Artificial Neuronal Controllers in the near
future
 These controllers show promise because
they can ‘learn’ as they operate so brew
changes present fewer problems

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Future Lauter Tun Design
 Continued changes in rakes and cutting
machine design
 Faster spent grains removal
 Increasingly sophisticated speed controls
for pumps and lautering machines
 More and more dependable sensors for
data input to the control systems

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Final Thoughts
 The lauter tun is an old technology which
has responded well to control advances
 Its main competitor is the mash filter which
is an even more complicated machine
 The lauter tun will be the main mash
clarification device for the foreseeable
future because it uses components of the
ingredients to filter themselves

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