Using my brew rig properly

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

ClarnoBrewer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2009
Messages
340
Reaction score
7
Location
Independence
I'm currently brewing on a 25g rig that belongs to the company I work for. I went from 5g all-grain in a cooler to this system. I'll try to supply a pic later, but here's the basics of my set up:
All kettles are 25g stainless
All kettles are direct fire propane
HLT has a temp-controller, the rest have valves to control burner output
HLT and Boil Kettle have outlets 1/2" from bottom of kettle
Mash Tun has same, but also an inlet near top

There are two temp controllers. One for HLT, the other operates the outlet for the pump.

Up to now, I've been mainly mashing in, monitoring temp, possibly heating mash tun and recirculating wort to add a degree or two. Efficiency has been good, beers have been good.

I just don't think I'm using the system the way it was meant to be used. Should I be circulating during the entire mash? Would I set the pump to come on just below mash temp? If so, am I pumping water from the HLT?

While I know this isn't a RIMS or HERMS set-up, it seems that it has some similarities. I'd appreciate any thoughts.
 
Here's the pic of the rig:
409091_2148866860796_1820090713_1371505_1009921478_n.jpg
 
I know the pic isn't the best, but the light in the brewery isn't very good. I guess the real issue is whether I should be circulating my wort with this setup. Does anyone have a similar setup?
 
This is a MoreBeer setup. They build these about 2 miles from our shop. You should be recirculating during the whole mash.
Here is a link the instruction manual.
 
This is funny in a sad sort of way. I just went out and dug through a bunch of miscellaneous parts. I found the sparge ring and correctly identified the heat exchanger. I'd thought it was an immersion chiller. I've been having good luck running it the dumb way, so we'll see what happens with the next batch. I'm excited to give it a try the correct way! Thanks again, OneHoppyGuy!
 
Yeah, no kidding...if your company doesn't list that on their careers/recruiting website, they should. That's fantastic.
 
Yeah, no kidding...if your company doesn't list that on their careers/recruiting website, they should. That's fantastic.

It's kind of what we do. I try not to get too much into that on here, since I'm still a homebrewer most of the time, and brewing 25g batches for work is still pretty homebrewer-ish. I like so many different beers, and don't want to use this site to market our beers.

Having said that, I love the fact that I get to brew beer to sell to people. It adds a whole new level to brewing.
 
That does it... I've got some family in Eugene that I've been meaning to visit for awhile now. A little side trip may be in order sometime this year. :D
 
Back
Top