Skip the Vorlauf ?

I was listening to a brewing network interview with kern River brewmaster. He skips it so I skipped it for my IIPA last weekend. I'm just trying to further eliminate steps that offer no noticeable advantage. I'll let you know. I'd imagine that between the boil and strong whirlpool action, everything than can drop out and be left behind is. But I'll be tasting/looking for starches and clarity.

 

A few years ago I started skipping it. I could never tell a difference in the finished product and generally have fairly clear beers (I don't use Irish moss or finings either).

 

I would be concerned with husk tannin extraction with the boil if they get through. I run it through my pump back to the top of the mash anyways, so I have never seen a need to not do it. I start it about 10 minutes before I finish the mash so the bed is set and ready when I switch the pump to the kettle.

 

FWIW BIAB'ers have no means of vorlaufing. I would be curious to hear of some A/B testing with and without the step.

 

I don't skip it, but I only run about a quart of wort before I let it run to the kettle.

 

Did the brewer used the term recirculation instead of vorlauf?

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Some guy on this forum around 5 years ago told me that my beer would taste like shit if I didn't do it, so now I'm stuck in the habit.

 

No. He said he pumps straight into boil kettle. Whoever was interviewing him asked him several times until he was satisfied that he meant no vorlauf/recirc.

 

I used to vorlauf every batch. I was always disappointed in how much wort I needed to drain for it to become only marginally clearer.

I've since started recirculating during mash out and have been very happy with the resulting clarity during the sparge.

In all honesty, my beers have always been respectably clear by packaging time with just a whirfloc tablet in the boil - vorlauf, recirc, or not.

 

I think jbakajust1 nailed it. Tannins are the only reason I vorlauf. I don't think it will affect clarity in the final product at all. There is so much crap in the boil, that the amount of organic matter that passes through your straining system would be totally negligible. Whatever does make it into the fermentation vessel settles out.

 

I always thought tannins vs clarity was the point of a vorlauf. Next beer, no vorlauf, let's see what happens.

 

It probably depends on your crush, false bottom/screen size, andnhow long it takes to run clear. I get clear running shoes quickly on one of my set ups, so I could see doing it there. The kettle with the false bottom takes some time before it runs clear.

Try it, you might save some time.

 

Great counter arguments for decoctions and BIaB brewers not vorlaufing with great results.

 

If it does make a difference in clarity or tannins, how much vorlaufing do you need to do to see that difference?

Here's my take / what I do:
I don't have fancy pumps. I mash in a cooler, I vorlauf by hand. I run off 1 quart at a time into a 1 quart pyrex measuring container. I gently pour that back into the mash tun, dribbling it down the side of the mash tun so as not to break up the bed. I do this about 2-3 times before I get bored with it . Some big chunks come out of the first quart. Not so much, the second and third. Then I direct the hose to my boil kettle and open the valve. For about the first minute, I let the runoff run through a sieve to catch any other big husk chunks the get through. Then I get bored with it

I think the sieve, i.e., getting out the big chunks, is essentially the same as what you would get with brew in the bag. Get big chunks out, and you are minimizing the tannin issue. Maybe if I put more effort into this, I would improve clarity, maybe there would be some awesome improvement in the taste. It sounds like a valuable see-for-yourself experiment to do. If there really is some awesome improvement, perhaps this is the limitation of brew in the bag, but since so many people are satisfied with BIAB, and more anecdotally, because I am satisfied with my beer, I would guess improvement is marginal.

 

I don't really vorlauf either. Instead, I have a fine mesh bag the I place in the brew kettle and filter through that.

Easier and less messy.

 

I tie a hop bag to the end of my run off hose. Catches all of the husks, particles, etc , been doing it for years. Never had a problem with tannins or astrigency.

 

I skip it with things I'm going to keg and drink quickly.

 

Takes two whole exhausting minutes to vorlauf the 1st runnings.
Less than an OMG minute for each sparge.

It's the cumulative effect of all the little things we do all along the way that makes for better brew.