Lauter Tun or Mash Tun – Which One Is Better?

At Spectac International, we place a huge emphasis on ensuring our products are used to their maximum ability and therefore believe it’s important for our customers to get a better understanding of which product best suits their needs. Let’s take a look at two different beverage vessels, the Lauter Tun and the Mash Tun.

Lauter Tun

A lauter tun is the traditional vessel used for separation of the extracted wort and has a thin false bottom containing slits that enable the vessel to hold back any solids, therefore allowing only liquids to pass through. A good quality lauter tun has rotating rake arms with a central drive unit. Depending on the size of the lauter tun, there can be between two and six rake arms. Attached to each of these arms is a flap which can be raised and lowered, by the brewer or an automated system, for pushing the spent grains out of the tun depending on the cloudiness of the run-off. The advantages of a mash/lauter tun combined are less up-front equipment costs and a smaller amount of space taken up in the brewhouse. The advantages of using a lauter tun on its own is that it allows a brewery to produce a higher quantity of brews on a given day.

Mash Tun

Mash tun vessels form a critical part of the preparation for the fermentation process in beverage processing. Mash tun vessels generally have a level shower that requires even distribution of water. Within the floor of the vessel, precise slots and perforations are required to suspend the filter bed. The vessel has a strong stirring mechanism known as a mash rake which keeps the temperature of the mash at a standard. The advantage of two separate vessels for mashing and lautering is that the mash tun can be filled again with a new batch while the previous batch is still running off into the kettle. Each mash tun vessel design is unique and the process is used to make beverages with unique character.

Whether you choose a lauter tun, a mash tun, or a combination of both, all of these components require skill and experience in stainless steel engineering to get it right first time and minimise risks in production. At Spectac International, we work closely with you to determine exact specifications to enable us to successfully deliver your exact requirements, allowing you to produce your specific beverage.

Contact a member of our team today +353 (0)42 9330490