Recirculating and sparging.

Here I am recirculating the first 2-3 quarts of sweet wort to remove the small particles from the liquid. I will do this until the liquid runs clear. I usually flow at about 2 cups in 3 minutes for a slow sparge and to prevent the mash from compacting and becoming "Stuck". I slowly pour these "first runnings" back into the mash tun very gently to avoid any splashing.

You will want to maintain a level of water above the top of the grain bed in the mash tun. This insures for a thorough rinsing of the sugars from the grain.

When we have finished with the recirculating and have an even flow where water in = wort out, we cover the whole mess up with a couple thick blankets to further insulate the tun. Our boiling kettle is below the picture where the exit hose is going. We will sparge for approximately 60 minutes. We like to start our boiler flame about 2 gallons into the sparge and maintain approximately 200°F. This will enable us to raise the flame slightly and reach a rapid boil as soon as we are done with the sparge.