| After about an hour, we pump the mash into a second vessel called a Lauter Tun ("lauter" is a German verb meaning "to clarify"). The Lauter Tun has a perforated "false" bottom that lets liquid, but not grain husks, run through. It also is equipped with rotating arms that agitate the mash. The object is to separate the sugary liquid, known as "wort" (rhymes with "hurt"), from the now-sugarless "spent" grain. |
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To ensure that every bit of sugar is extracted from the grain, we sometimes spray hot water over the mixture - a technique called "sparging" - while running the liquid out the bottom into the Brew Kettle. At the end of this stage, the spent grain (still rich in nutrients) is set aside and sold to farmers as cattle feed. |
