Mash wort clarity

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Just reading the 'Crisp Guide to Mashing' on their website by Carl Heron, who certainly seems to know a thing or two (it's also available as a recorded webinar).
Really interesting and informative.
One thing he mentions is to keep an eye on the wort clarity towards the end of the mash, and ditch it once it starts getting cloudy.

That's not something I've thought about before, and I wondered if other people do it?
If so, I'm wondering how much (percentage-wise) I'd lose, as I might need to prepare a bit more sparge water...

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Correction - not a bit more sparge water: a bit more batch size.

 

[Sadfield]

Yes and no. Yes, I only collect clear wort, but no to it being something I actively monitor. You may not have to, the advice is probably geared towards bottom draining commercial mash tuns and may not apply, depending on how your tun filters. I think I've already collected what i need and hit the limit of my mash tun dead space before any debris gets pulled out.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Yes and no. Yes, I only collect clear wort, but no to it being something I actively monitor. You may not have to, the advice is probably geared towards bottom draining commercial mash tuns and may not apply, depending on how your tun filters. I think I've already collected what i need and hit the limit of my mash tun dead space before any debris gets pulled out.

Thanks - very helpful.
Last time I brewed the wort looked very cloudy towards the end (but to be fair, it was almost 60% wheat in the mash)
FWIW my tun is a bucket-in-bucket design with the bottom of the inner one replaced by a stainless steel screen; and I recirculate continuously via a HERMS coil...

 

[Davvy]

As for a perspective from the basic/non-mechanised point of view, .....I am a BIAB brewer, and I do batch sparging.
I never have clear wort to put to boil...I allow protafloc to sort everything out towards the end of the boil (Tea urn).

Everything is then fermented ; the whole lot (usualy minus the hop debris).
The result is on the whole, clear. Some pale lager types do have faint haze, but that is about that...and yes the beer does taste / smell like beer and is enjoyed by myself and my friends.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

As for a perspective from the basic/non-mechanised point of view, .....I am a BIAB brewer, and I do batch sparging.
I never have clear wort to put to boil...I allow protafloc to sort everything out towards the end of the boil (Tea urn).

Everything is then fermented ; the whole lot (usualy minus the hop debris).
The result is on the whole, clear. Some pale lager types do have faint haze, but that is about that...and yes the beer does taste / smell like beer and is enjoyed by myself and my friends.

Wise words … yes, I’ve not worried about it before and my beer clears down OK (eventually); but it’s one of those details I am looking at… I feel a bit twitchy when I see @Hanglow , @Hazelwood Brewery etc posting photos of their crystal clear wort!

 

[Davvy]

Yes I keep fluttering my eyes at my friend who uses a Grainfather all in one system to try and get an invite to when he is on a brew day !!

 

[Buffers brewery]

I have to confess to being a bit of an animal when it come to mashing. Over a one hour mash I stir every 15 minutes. Having drained the first wort, I repeat the mash process twice at 30 minutes each. Wort is a bit hazy from the stirring. Then, while draining the last wort, I give the grain a good squeeze to get as much liquor out as possible, with a lot of fine debris as well!
Protofloc for the last 15 minutes of boil helps clear the wort but a lot of “dust” still finds it’s way into the fermenter. All gets left behind with the yeast after 3-4 days cold crash. I’m happy with the clarity of my beers and they taste ok too

 

[Tanglefoot]

As for a perspective from the basic/non-mechanised point of view, .....I am a BIAB brewer, and I do batch sparging.
I never have clear wort to put to boil...I allow protafloc to sort everything out towards the end of the boil (Tea urn).

Everything is then fermented ; the whole lot (usualy minus the hop debris).
The result is on the whole, clear. Some pale lager types do have faint haze, but that is about that...and yes the beer does taste / smell like beer and is enjoyed by myself and my friends.

That's pretty much just how I do it, except I BIAB no sparge.
After the boil all the wort goes in the fermenter, I strain through a grain bag.
Nearly always end up with crystal clear beer out of the keg, cold crashing sorts most of it out.

 

[foxy]

Very informative podcast laid out in laymens terms. I was trying to explain to someone on here just the other day about astringency and a mash which was to alkaline. Maybe if he takes time to listen he may get into water treatment.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Well, today I kept a close eye on the run-off and the wort stayed crystal clear except the last half pint or so.
Mind you, I don’t know why I bothered, because by the time I’d boiled and chilled it looked like ditchwater

 

[Bolsover Brewer]

I think there is a compendium of sound advice in that short podcast. An engineer myself, (chemical) can't agree more with the attention paid to water treatment. Sure beer can still be made without any treatment, but attempting to produce a GOOD beer without attention to the main ingredient will end in failure.