90
30, pp 90-92, 1993
Lautering-Back to Basics
By Kent Christiansen, Steve Barsh, and Gary Luther
ABSTRACT
This paper will deal with the optimization and of milling and lautering
operations in the' hrewing process. The malt mllst be properly gr ollnd,
with the degree of "nne'ness" being dependent upon halancing desired
yields and Hill-off tiITH:'s. The rate of I'1In-ofr d u rillg t.he various stages is
the other critical variable. TllP principles hehind the steps mntTolling
thes(' operations are not always eomplPlely understood hy the operators
who work there. Periodic review of the IInit operations in each plant,
and rolltinely eondllcting practical semillars with the work teams in
volVl'd have proved invaluable in reinforcing the desired conclusions.
INTRODUCTION
While separation of WOlt from mash is a physical process, it is
not necessarily as simple as it looks when one first examines it.
I I' anyone has any doubts about that statement, just take a look
at the numhc'r of papers presented every year dealing with lau
tering. Today we will take a look at a group of factors that affect
this process, and an approach to assuring the brewing depart
ment that the operation is as near to the optimum track as it can
be, given the brewery's mix of resourcE's.
M iller currently operates seven larger brewerics. All of the
brewhouses are equipped with six roller (three pass) mills to pre
pare the malt ffl!' mashing, and lauter tuns to clarify and separate
the wort from the mash. As a service to the plants, the corporate
brewing staff routinely reviews their established practices, spec
ifications, and, process system capabilities. These reviews are
conductcd by a team of people drawn from the corporate tech
nical staff: and the operating plants. An annual review plan is
developed in conjunction with each bre\ving manager's input so
the travel schedule doesn't interfere with operations, and per
son nel are availablc when needed. The reviews can identi fy areas
requiring atteution, and then allow preparation and planning of
training programs that bctter meet the plant's needs. This paper
is an outgrowth of the lalltering seminars which were developed
as a result of the described reviews.
A brewing industry axiom is that the best beer is proc.lllced
with highest quality malt. The lautering process really begins in
the malthollse, whether the brewery's or those of a commercial
malster. It is essential that the malt IIsed is properly modified,
and that a standard berry size range, \vith limited variability
within that range, be provided to the brewhouse. Gentle handling
of malt, both by the maltster and by the brewery. is critical if the
Kent Christiansen received a Bachelor of Science degree in chem
istry from Lakeland College, Sheboygan, WI and an MilA in Man
agement from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he is also a
1967 graduate of the Siebellnstitlde of Technology, lie is a 25-
year member of MBAA and has served the association as President
of MIlAA district Milwaukee and Westem New York, and, is cur
rently a member of the national by-laws committee. Mr. Christian
sen has been in the brewing industry since 1964, working in several
plantH and the corporate brewing staff of anotller brewery before
joining Miller Brewing Company in 1975. lie WaH part of the start
lip team at Miller's Fulton New York plant and was the plant brew
ing manager prior to transferring to Miller's cO'7Jorate office as
Staff Ilrewing Manager. Jlis current responsibilities include both
domestic and intemational brewing operations.
M BAA Technical Quarterly, Vol.
SINTESIS
Estc cstll(lio embarcam la optimizacion y las operaciones de molienda y
Rltracion en el lal ltcr en el proceso eervczcro. La malta debe scI' Illolida
de una forma apropiada, con el grado de "finura" depcl1 l liente del bal
ance de las enciencias dcscadas asi como los ciclos dC' filtracion.
La otm variablc critiea es la rata cle filtraeion clurante las varias dapas
los operadores que trabajan en la planta no sierllprc mmprencien los
prineipios pOI' clctms dc los pasos que controlan estas operaciollcs. EI
bacer revisiones en las plantas, a las IInidacies de operacioll pl'riodiea
mellte, y 01 lIevar a cabo sl'minarios practicos condllcidos con ('I grupo
de trabajo envuclto; han probado SCI' formas invailiahies de reenforzar
las conclusiones cleseadas.
lautering process is to be optimized. By doing the least damage
possible to the berries before they meet the crllshing rolls of the
mills, better milling is possible and control is en haneed over the
processes further dowllstream.
MILLING
When milling, the kernels should be split aJong the axis to
e>:pose the endosperm. The endosperm itself shollid then be fur
ther crushed to facilitate the easy infiltration of mash water to
begin the liheration of the enzyme systems. The husk should be
kept as intact as possible in order to prOvide the needed porosity
to the filter hed in the lallter tun. The amount of fines should be
limited to prevent the fimnation of too much dough which can
impede the extraction and separation processes. Mill rolls shollid
be parallel and the entire mill maintained in good operating con
ditions. The rolls should not have excessive wear on their sllrf\Ce,
and the feed rate shollid not exceed the manllflctlll'er'S recom
mendations for that mill.
The grist that is acceptable for one brand of beer, may not be
correct for the other brands made in that brewhouse. Monitoring
of the grist produced by the mills is among the most critical con
trol responsibilities a brewer has. Milling sets the stage for good
extraction yi ,Ids, acceptable runoff times, good lautering prac
tices, and wort quality standards. When the range of beny sizcs
hegins to spread out, the brewery will not prodllce the same mash
as it did when the variability was smaller. One obvious thing
comes to mind. If the berry size dropped conSiderably from what
the plant had been receiving and no one tightelled the mill gaps
in response, the smaller berries may not be opened up to the
degree desired. I n the worst case of this scenario, the bcrries
have not been crushed at all. Of course if the kernel sizes get
largcr, you can over crush the kernels and damage the hllsk sec
tions lIeeded in the lauter tun. III an effori to prOvide better
reaction in this area, Miller operating teams are encouraged to
read the shipping analyses sent to them by the malt houses Sllp
plying their plant.
The fine grind analysis on the report is always presentcd as a
higher numerical valuc than that of the coarse grind. An inex
perienced operator wOllld naturally be led to belicve that the
highcst extract is made available to the process by tightening lip
the mills. This may be true far mash filters, but it has not been
the ease for lallter tuns I have operated. This misconception,
(grinding malt finer makes more extract available for the process)
was difficllit to overcome. After all, it is hard to argue \.vith the
"facts" printed out on the analytical reports. One result of this
MBAA T.Q., No.3, 1993 Christiansen et al.: L(llIterillg-Back
approach to malt Illilling can be a longer than desired I'11noff time
due to tighter beds in the lauter tlln. In response, the opprating
teams sometimes react to these conditions (slower !'Irllofh) by
altering the lautering process from its original state into some
thing slightly different. While the changes did not afrcel prodllct
quality, they did negatively impact the schedlllilig window in the
brewing process.
We installed some instnrnwntation on one of 0111' lallter tllns
that allows observation of the process in numerical and graphical
fashion. It has definitely helped this situation. A printollt of the
runoff pattern and the extracts obtaincd from a fine grind can
now be dircctly compared to those from a coarser one. There
can no longcr be any seriolls doubt in the opprator's mind aimilt
which method of milling is best. in an indllstrial extraction pro
cess slleh as lautering, tlw coarser grollnd mash produces Illore
predictahle and erfectiw resllits.
The Lauter Tun
The lallter tlln manllflctllrer will usually recol1llllend a brew
size based on the malt/adjllnct ratio of the heel'S to he made, and
the resultant weight which would be on the floor of the vesspl as
well as providing the expected depth of the grain bed. Brew sizes
that exceed these loadings can be detrimental to the opf'ration
of the lauter tlln in either reduced extraction efficiency or an
extended !'1m off time per brew, or both.
Preserving the lalltering capabilities of the Illash is another
factor that shollid not be overlooked. The mash shollid not roll
tinely be allowed to reside in the mash tun fCll' periods which rlln
flr beyond the normal process parameters. A "hold" in this vessel
can lead to hreakdown of the hllsk particles and enc!osIwnll. pre
senting YOll ,vith a runoff tlrat is longer than desired alld also one
which produces less extract than one handled nonIIally.
The lauter tun shollid be properly maintaincd in good Ille
chanical and electrical condition. The lauter tllll itself, and the
fllse bottom shollid be level. it should he inspected evel)' week
to see that the fllse bottom plates have not beell hent or moved
out of position. No less than once per year, the plates shollid be
lifted and the slots cleaned mechanically to remove the sillall
stones and other extraneous matf'rial which routine CIP will not
remove. The plates shollid be straight(-'ned if neeessar)', and I(,v
clcd again dllring reinstallation.
The rake SUppOlt anns should he straight and level. I f the arllls
are not level, grain can be len behind in SOllIe areas during graill
out, callsing undesirable new flow patterns to appear which will
negatively affect extract rccover)', extract qllality, and proc('ss
times. The alignment of the knives shollid also be at a right angle
to the arms so that they are in fact parallel to the tangelll of the
circle at the vessel walls. The knives shollid not be worn thill, as
this \vill allow them to vibrate, bend, or wobble while rakillg. The
rake positioning device(s) should also Iw ch('ekecl rolltillcly to
ensure that the knives arc not allowed to change their rakillg
angle to the hed, which cOllld lead to pllshing tl)(' grain towards
either the center or the walls of the vessels.
The WOlt drawoff lines have to he checked after CTP to ensl11'('
that they arc clean and 1I0t illipeding the flow of wort. We think
they shollkl be cleaned :.llllllially with a high presslIl'(o device to
augment the rOlltilw CIP's dUling the year. The lurdcrvlate f1l1sh
ing systems have to be calibrated and tilll(od so that the alnOllllt
of flushing water sllpplied is sufficient to do the job, bllt not so
milch that it can't drain away with its organiC loading hefcJI'(' the
next sequence begins.
Visllal inspection of the area IInder the plates must hl' a IIlatter
of routine to check fur the effectiveness of both Yolll' CI P and
underplate flushing systems. This and the myriad of othl'r checks
perform d are required to assure the operator that any dif'ficul-
to Basics 91
ties or improvements they may be experiencing arc a resllit of a
change ill the process and not the lauter tlln itself.
The grain-out doors/valves shollid be inspected for closure he
fare eacll mash transfer to enslll'e one will not inadveltently he
seneling the mash to the brewer's grains receiver before having
lautereel it. Gaskets on these doors/valves should be inspected
aft('J' evel), CTP alld replaced whenever there are indications of
IIH-'ehanical damage or wort leakage. The positioning and fune
tiolling of the clOSing d(-'vices for these valves/doors :.tlso should
Iw eheckcd to make sure that they aHO sealing properly. The sig
nals sent to the control system from not only the doors, but from
all field devices (s\vitches, level indicators, etc.) should be rou
tinely checked to make sure they rf'f1ect what is actually happen
ing in the brewhouse.
The rake height indication system is another of those things
Iweding verification on a scheduled hasis. The various rotational
speeds of the arms shollid be checked annllally to verify the (hive
SystelllS arc still performillg according to specifications. All me
terillg devices involved in the lautering process shollid be rou
tinely calibrated and their acemacy verified. One indicator that
this hasn't been done all schedule would be a loss or gain in
norillal lautering effici(oncies, and/or a shift in kettle full volllmcs.
TIl(' meter at the WOlt cooler is sllbject to the same tendencies
to cit-viate from calibration targcts. Since we use this meter read
illg as the volllille inpllt to both our lallteling effiCiency calcula
tions and our beer accollnting system, its accuracy is critical to
the hrewing teams. An independent level indicating device in the
kettle has proved invaillable in identifjing these trends.
Lautering Process
Moving forward into t11l' lalltering operation itself, we would
rccollllllend that enollgh hot (170 Fahrenheit) water be put into
the vpssel to cover the fdse bottom, and at least partially prevent
the intrusion of mash particles into the area IInder the false hot
t01l1 during Illash transk'r. This water also helps cushion the
plates from the weight of the mash being transferred into the
lalltpr tlln.
TIl(' transfer sequence is initiated and the mash is transferred
with tlHo kllives in the Iautering position and the arms tllrning at
mediulll speed. The initial rake height is not critical, but a rec
ommenclpd pIaC(O to start is at four (4) inches off the bottom. The
rakes arc then raised as the height of the grain bed increases so
that a 'spi n' is not imparted to the mash. When Illash transfer is
completed, the line should be pllshed lilt -,vith brewing water to
get all of that brew into the lallter tlln. The rakes are slowed to
lautering speed and left in the filII up position.
An underlet and vorlauf are the next recommended steps. \,Ve
have found that Ilsing approximately thrce f'olllihs of the volume
used as fOllndation water is sufficient to accomplish our pllrposes.
We want to help clear the area IInder the false bottom of the
mash particles and dough which were depOSited there dming
mash transfer, and prepare thc entire filter bed far rllnning off
the wOli.
After the IInderiet vollime is nwtpred in, we begin the vorlauf
PI'OC('ss. The first step reqlliJ'(od is the estahlishmellt of walt flow
fronl the area IIncier th(-' false bottom to the grant while di recting
the How from the gralll to the slIction of the vorlauf pllmp. This
pUlllping of the ullderlet water/wort mixtlll'e from heneath the
Ldsl' bottom hack 011 top of the Iwd mlllpletcs the clearing out
of the area under the false hottolll and establishes the filter bed
for lallterillg while beginning to clarify the wort.
The ideal vorlauf' pUlllping spef'd and length of time should
he detc'rmill(,d for each lallter tUII. We have fOllnd that .500-600
harrels per hour far 0111' thirty-folll' foot diameter lauter tuns
works very wcll. Our brews arc ready to send to the kettle after
92 Christiansen et al.: Lallierillg-Back
a vorlallf period of ten minlltes. \Vhen the wort has reached the
desi red c1 ali t level, t he vorlauI' process is stopped and the col
y
lection or first WOlt is beglln by directing the wOli flow to the
kettle.
The collection or nrst wort is complicated by the interrelation
ships b tween the specific gravity of the wort, its relatively high
viscosity, and the weight of the WOlt above the grain bed. WI
have fOllnd that ollr brands lauter Wf'1I if we do not rake the bed
during the collection of first wort, although we do have them
rotating at lalltering speed. We begin plllling harder on the bed
almost illlmediately. In general, the harder we pull first wort
(withollt plllling more than 20 IInits differential pressure by King
Gallge) the higher ollr extraction efficiency is and 01lJ' tillle of
nrnofr is sholtened. Tire rate or flow increase is predicated on
several factors, witlr total barrels rllno 1'1', differential pressure
across the bcd, ancl elapsed time being the most Significant ones.
The flow rate shollid now increase from the lower vorlauf rate to
arollnd 700-750 barrels per hour Ii)r tlw critical process of col
lectillg first wort.
Our brews are norninally J 100 barr e ls of cooled wort. With
this brew size, we collect somewhere between 280 and 350 bar
rels of first wOli. This will take 22-30 minlltes to run off. Towards
the end of the first wort colleetioll period the Row will begin
slmvillg, and it will be time for a procpss referred to as "mash up
and vorlau1'."
Mash lip and vorlallf arc nothing more than a repeat of the
process initiated at the end of mash transfer to the lauter tun
with the addition of lowering the rakes to the bottom and making
one revoilltion with the rakes. The introdllction of water IrndH
the false hottom clears Ollt most of the dough that is present, and
lifts and separates the palticles whi 'h then refonn tire bed.
As soon as the rakes have made one complete revoilltion in
the full down pOSition, they arc raised back to 1'1111 lip alld a three
minute vorlallf period is initiated. The vorlauf removes the water
from IInder the false bottoll1 and puts it baek above the bed
where it will be used for extract recovelY from the grain hed.
pon completion of the vorlall 1', it is again time to runofT to the
kettle. There is a temptation to skip this vorlauf pelion. There
are times when it is handled hy IItilizing the NFL coverage
method called the "bump and mn." It may appear to save some
time initially, bllt generally a longer runoff with a loss of extract
reslllts from emplOying this technique.
For recovery of second WOlt, 900 harrels per hour is tire rec
ommended rate of rlllloff. The collection of a second wort qllan
tity of around 420 barrels would be expected. A rake position of
seven inches off the floor is set by slowly dropping the rak s while
running off. At this time (start of second wort recovelY) initiation
of sparging is recommended. The spf'f'd shollid he ranlpillg up
at this time from the setpoint of 900 harrels per Irour lip towards
1000 barrels per hour. A sparge water flow controller slaved to
the WOlt runoff meter and set to match the WOlt flow rate is
to Basics MBAA T.Q., Vol. 30
recommended. This keeps the pressure over the grain heel more
uniform and allows better tlll1ing of the process by the operators.
After 25-30 minlltes of running to the kettle, anotl H'r lI1ash up
and vorlauf cycle \vill probably have to be initiated. The sparge
flow shollid automatically shut down IIntil vorlauf is complete and
rllnoff'to the kettle has resumed. Upon completion of' tlris step,
tire lIew wort flow setpoint should be around 1250 barrels per
hOllr IIntil completion of the runoff. Kettle full volllll1(,s slrollid
bc arollnd 1220 barrels ('or a brew size of 1100 barrels of cooled
wort. Tlw time f'rom Irere to kettle full should be arollnd 22
minutes.
After tcn minlltes of running to the kettle, the loop seal hypass
valve can be opened. At this time the sparge water is all in, the
hed is being drained to the kettle, and the rakes can he dropped
to their bottom position for the remainder of rllnoff. As soon as
the kettle is Riled, and during the time the bed is thying out,
grain-ollt shollid be started. The removal of the brewer's grain
from the lauter tlln and the Rllshing of the area IInder thf' false
hottom can happen simllitaneously.
Grain-Out
The rakes arc raised out of the grain bed, and the knife allgles
changed to the grain-ollt position. This angle change frolll the
lalltering position to an offset from it (approXimately 22Y20) will
now push the grain from the center of the vessel towards the
outside where the grain out doors have opened. Tire outside sev
eral flights of knives ar set into an opposing angle to take the
grain away from the p rimeter of the vessel and pllsh it towards
the grain-out doors. The grain-out process should proceed
smoothly and completely from the top position of the rakes to
their lowest position. The rakes are allowed a period of time on
the bottom to c1car out residllal grains that have piled lip on the
false bottom and need more time to remove. vVe Irave (lime! that
three minutes after reaching bottom is sllfficient.
While the grain-out is proceeding, the hottom flushing sc
qllcnce is also timing Ollt. The clearing of this area IInder the
fllse bottom does mllclr to help the brewer complete rllnoffs on
time and within blldgt>t. The manllfacturer's recommendations
have done the job for liS once the initial timings were completed.
CONCLUSION
We have found that an annual r view of the basic operating
principles of lautering is something that is ve l)' wOlthwhile. The
innovations and improvements developed in each plant arc then
fresh in everyone's minds and are easily docllmf'nted and shared
,vitlr tlw other breWing teams. Calling attention to the hasic prin
Ciples behind the milling, mashing and la uteli ng operations, and
presenting seminars highlighting these prillciples and their prac
tical application on an annllal basis, Irave been vel)' valuable con
tlibutors to the quality of our beers and the operating efficiencies
of our plants.