[majorvices]

This probably answers no questions, but I thought I'd mention I batch sparge in a blickmann kettle with a blickmann false bottom. Before that I was using a bazooka braid in said kettle. I saw no difference in efficiency after the switch.

[denny]

It may be as simple as slowing it down to eliminate your compaction issues. I always went full blast no matter the grist ratio and ran into problems- especially with stiff heavy mashes. Throttle back... no compaction issues. It is what it is. Headache gone.

Usually if you start off slow you can speed things up after the grain bed is established.

[maxieboy]

Usually if you start off slow you can speed things up after the grain bed is established.

This has been my experience as well.

[euge]

It may be as simple as slowing it down to eliminate your compaction issues. I always went full blast no matter the grist ratio and ran into problems- especially with stiff heavy mashes. Throttle back... no compaction issues. It is what it is. Headache gone.

Usually if you start off slow you can speed things up after the grain bed is established.

Usually if you start off slow you can speed things up after the grain bed is established.

This has been my experience as well.

Just to clarify and prevent confusion... I only opened it up full-bore after performing a vorlauf and setting the bed. Still got a stuck mash nearly every time. It was a real PITA so I adapted after struggling through many batches.

[yeastmaster]

I always seem to 65-70% efficiencies with my sparge.  I mash/sparge in a 10 gallon round cooler with a bazooka screen and these days typically batch sparge, when I fly sparge my efficiencies might get up to 75%.  I tightened up my mill to get a better crush which helped some but it always seems low to me compared to some of the numbers I see people posting.  Do people find a big difference between rectangular vs round coolers as mash/lautertuns?  I frequently don't do a mash out, maybe doing that would help a little too.

[Kaiser]

What designs work best and why?  Has anyone ever tried a 3-D sparge manifold?  Why not?

This sounds very much like the design of a Strainmaster, a lauter device where the sweet wort is lautered through a set of perforated pipes that are located throughout the grain bed. Here is a diagram that I found in Narziss/Back's book:



This type of lautering device has not been widely used, though.

Kai

[denny]

This type of lautering device has not been widely used, though.

Kai

I guess people just don't want to strain themselves!   

[richardt]

Good one, Denny.

Kai, thanks for the pic.  It looks like a real pain to make and clean!

 I was perusing my old beer mags this weekend and saw a 3-D MLT design in the BYO issue (OTTOMH, I think it was the July/August 2008 BYO issue, or there abouts).  The pics are in the article on "Turbid Mashing".  It seems that they've incorporated the 3-D lautering manifold into the mash stirrers. 

Regardless, I'm not sure it would be easily implemented on a homebrew level.

[sharg54]

I actually ran into Dennys site by total accident when looking for Batch Sparge info and gave it a try. I have a rectangular Got 48 Qt cooler with a very nice manifold all set up the way John Palmers site tells you to for a fly sparge and it worked fine. No stuck runoff grate effency  and no increased grain bill as was suggested may be required and no change of equipment. I just made a Bock , Imperial Stout and a porter last week doing it that way and the only thing I can see is it is best to start out slow and let your grain bed settle than just kick the valve open and let it rock. I did notice that running at such a high rate on the drain caused things to channel rather than drop down like it did on a fly sparge but being as your pulling everything out at once it didn't really matter. Added the rest of my 3.5 gallons for a 7 gallon boil and the OG was almost identical on all three batches. Not more than a .007 split. Hats off Denny....