Does Anyone Vorlauf?

[Little Rock Brewing]

Spotted the term Vorlauf in a clone recipe book and thought I'd better investigate.
So, as I understand it, after the mash out and drain I draw off a quantity of wort until it runs clear and tip it back onto the grain.
Then sparge as normal.
I use a Brewzilla so it's easy to do, but is it necessary?

 

[Agentgonzo]

The brewzilla has a recirculation pump doesn't it ? If so, then your whole mash is the vorlauf, so no need to do anything extra as it's already done it.

 

[Little Rock Brewing]

Thanks. That makes perfect sense and I feel I should have figured that out!

 

[Agentgonzo]

That makes perfect sense and I feel I should have figured that out!

No problem. There is a lot of legacy procedures in brewing that aren't necessary anymore with newer equipment etc. The vorlauf was (is) a way of using the grain bed to filter your first runnings to get clearer wort.

The bottom of a traditional mash tun has a lot of particulates in it that come out with the first runnings. When I had a cooler-box mash tun, the first runnings would come out milky. After putting about 5l back gently back into the top of the mash tun, the wort started coming out almost perfectly clear. Then I started the sparge.

But now, with recirculating systems, it's clear at the end of the mash already

 

[moto748]

I do it. But i don't have a brewzilla or a pump, just a boiler. It's easy, and worthwhile, to draw off wort and recirculate it through your grains. But as noted, if your equipment in effect does it for you, then no need.

 

[An Ankoù]

Only the Germans vorlauf. Since Brexit we've been allowed to "recirculate" our wort. Granted it's the only benefit that Greased-Moggy has been able to identify yet.
I might slip him the nod over krausen, krausening, and lautering as he seems to be floundering a bit.

What? No schadenfreude here, guvnor!

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I thought it was an 80’s comedy show “Game Vorlauf.”

 

[Clint]

I do as I use a picnic cooler mash tun. It's usually just a couple of jugs that clear any bits out of the manifold.

 

[Erik The Anglophile]

I pour the first runnings back on top of the grain bed after draining it, then drain it again before adding sparge water.
Not for the wort clarity but to get a little better efficiency.

 

[foxy]

I too lift the malt pipe and fill a 5 litre jug 3 times with the tap full throttle just to get the bits out of the wort before the boil, I have never checked for any difference in efficiency if there is an improvement which I imagine there would be it would only be negligible.
Any bits left in the wort I scoop out with a fine sieve before the boil.