[stevek767]

ynotbrusum,

Thanks for the kind welcome. I've participated in several other forums over the years and have lurked on this one for a while. Enjoy reading everyone's advice and experiences.

In fine tuning my particular mashing process, I've come to the opinion that vorlaufing does not have any advantage for me. By using a filtered funnel to run my wort thru, I've been able to keep any grain, husks, or other large chunks out of my wort.

I've also found that by doing it that way, my tun drainage has been much smoother and (combined with my other steps) has led to a consistent efficiency when I mash. I've not had any problems with off-flavors or clarification of my beer and have been extremely happy with my results. Until someone (myself included) can demonstrate that not vorlaufing causes any issues, I think I'll stick to my process.

Thanks again for the welcome and I look forward to exchanging ideas/advice/etc. in the future.

Cheers!

[ynotbrusum]

That's fine, indeed, pretty much the way most of us handle issues.  If it works for you, then stick with it!

[benamcg]

Problem solved (original post)- I decreased the gap size on the mill and was able to hit 74% efficiency (I am happy with this %).