March 27th, 2009
In my previous post, I talked about a few options for heating up your mash tun when doing brewing all-grain. And with the homework that I’ve done, I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion that my next setup will be using the HERMS technique of recirculating my wort and indirectly heat it. If it really interests you, you can take a look at my rough diagram of what my HERMS brewing setup will probably look like.
In that diagram, the hot liquor tank (also referred to as the sparge/strike tank) will serve a few purposes. In addition to being used to heat up my initial strike water for the mash tun, it will be used to heat up water to provide ambient heat for maintaining (or increasing/decreasing) my mash temperature, and lastly to heat up sparge water to stop the mash process.
The five lines that run from the tanks and the two lines up from the pumps will have brass quick disconnects with ball valves, allowing me to use flexible tubing with quick disconnects to quickly change which lines to and from the pump.
Why such a complicated diagram?
Brewing beer doesn’t have to be complicated, in fact you really don’t need all the fancy shut off valves, the march pump, all the different lines. Remember that brewing beer is as complicated as you want it to be. The reason for my added complexity is that I would prefer to work with a brewing system that isn’t gravity-fed. What that means is that the hot liquor tank would be at the top tier, followed by a line out the bottom to the top of the mash tun, and then with a line from the mash tun down to the boil pot. And depending upon the volume of beer you wish to brew, that could mean having a stack that’s nearly seven or eight feet tall.
This diagram allows me to keep everything level and gives me the flexibility to brew bigger batches without requiring a ladder. But it also means that I need to be extra careful with my mash tun and use a pot with a quality false-bottom in it to help prevent stuck mashes as I recirculate the wort.
Two of the models that I’m basing my build upon had a few things that I really liked. The tres kegs single-tier system by Bobby M was one of the first models that really grabbed me — having everything on one level and the lines using quick disconnects really took hold of my attention. The other system that I saw was a very impressive HERMS system contained in a really nice wood structure that the guy built. My setup will probably be a relative hybrid of those two systems.
My next steps
Considering how I am going to heat my rig is probably the bigger question at hand — how am I going to heat between five and ten gallons in both a reasonably controlled and timely fashion. And while I haven’t completely ruled out propane for heating the hot liquor tank, I’m considering electric heating as well.
My next entry or two will review a few options for electric heating elements and perhaps some benchmarks to measure their effectiveness.
Tags: diagram, herms
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March 25th, 2009
Having the right gear for your brewing environment is important — choosing what will work best for where you intend brewing your beer, whether it’s the garage, the kitchen, outside, or even in an apartment. The same goes for choosing the right brewing methods and heating techniques, especially as it pertains to mashing. While one method may work for one setting, like using propane burners in your garage to maintain your mash temperature; those same methods might not work well in others. I can’t think of any apartment complexes that would permit the use of propane burners inside their buildings. So you have to consider all the variables before selecting your all-grain brewing equipment and the ideal process.
In this entry, I’m going to cover a few options for all-grain mashing and review their relative pro’s and con’s, including the gear that you may wish to consider and/or need to go that particular route. I’ll also share a few links to more information on the widely opinionated discussion on the varying mashing techniques that are out there. And hopefully in the end you will have a better idea of all the options available to you, and I will have worked out in my head which will work for my circumstance.
And for the record, this is not the definitive list of techniques or a complete dissertation covering all that you could possibly need to know about R.I.M.S. or other techniques of maintaining mash temperatures for single-step infusion mashes. Think of this as a primer to get you involved in the discussion and investigating what will work best for you.
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Tags: electric heater, heating, herms, mash tun, mashing, propane heater, rims, single infusion, sparge water, steam, strike water
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March 24th, 2009
I remember the very first time I set out to make the switch from extract kits to all-grain brewing; it was overwhelming and with so many sources saying different things, sometimes using different terminology, and sometimes using different gear. And with trial and error, I eventually came to learn the process for myself, understanding the basics about each step and what to expect.
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March 24th, 2009
I’m pleased to announce that MTBrewing.com is back. After transferring from my old hosting environment, the database never transferred; that meant that I lost ALL of my old posts, recipe notes, brewing tips. BAH! Well, with renewed interest in brewing beer and getting my brother involved in the process, I hope to resurrect the site in order that I could share my experiences with fellow home brewers and help others enjoy the process of brewing your own beer.
In addition, I’ll probably share about the journey that we’re taking in considering opening our own brewery. Believe it or not, there’s much more to it than just brewing beer — other things also factor into it, including compliance with state and local laws and regulations, quality assurance, issues with regard to liability, and loads of other topics that will be interesting to write on.
Anyway, I hope to post a few articles on the process of all-grain brewing, and hope that it will be useful for you.
Happy brewing!
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