Direct Fire Mash vs. HERMS etc. - again

Yakima 728
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.
korndog

korndog

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2007
Messages
1,119
Reaction score
10
Location
westlake village, ca
As I near completion of my rig, I am giving some final thought to the topic of scorching, etc. I have setup a HERMS option for mashing and cooling operations in addition to the direct MLT burner on the advice of a friend and because I thought it would be cool to have options.

Can someone definitively say that direct-fire mash, where the grain is completely off the bottom has any higher risk of reaction than other method? Isn't the boil kettle or decoction kettle much more problematic than a gentle DFM with recirculation? Is the risk only to the grain or are people afraid of a Maillard reaction to suspended proteins?

Thanks
KD
 
Hey korndog---

I can chime in on my experience with DFM. I had some temp control issues with my new stand and had the burner on too long and got too hot in my mash tun.
I was worried that something might have burned in that process.

I expected to see some scorching on the inside bottom of my MT, but when I cleaned it there wasn't anything. It was fine. I'm sure I created flavors I wont be happy with, but that has to do with my temps being screwed up.

Bottom line is that I was direct firing the mash tun much longer that I wanted with a false bottom (Blichmann) and I didn't experience any scorching. I was recirculating the entire time and I truly believe thats what 'saved' me. If I hadn't the wort would been just sitting there burning.

Warren
 
MNBugeater said:
Hey korndog---

I can chime in on my experience with DFM. I had some temp control issues with my new stand and had the burner on too long and got too hot in my mash tun.
I was worried that something might have burned in that process.

I expected to see some scorching on the inside bottom of my MT, but when I cleaned it there wasn't anything. It was fine. I'm sure I created flavors I wont be happy with, but that has to do with my temps being screwed up.

Bottom line is that I was direct firing the mash tun much longer that I wanted with a false bottom (Blichmann) and I didn't experience any scorching. I was recirculating the entire time and I truly believe thats what 'saved' me. If I hadn't the wort would been just sitting there burning.

Warren
Click to expand...

Thanks Warren
It seems that this happens in the normal course of a session in the boil kettle as well, so it's hard to imagine any ill effects.

KD
 
The ONLY time I've had any scorching in the MLT is when the mash stuck a little and my "recirculating mash" stopped recirculating. It was a big grain bill that I crushed too fine and my water to grain ratio was too low because the keg MLT was nearly full. I haven't set my mill that tight again, and I keep my water to grain ratio higher and haven't had a problem since. With 1/2" ID hoses I get a really good flow rate during recirculation. This prevents any scorching and also helps with not overshooting my target temps.

BTW - the beer with a little scorching in the MLT turned out fantastic. ;)
 
Bobby_M said:
Here's where I look at my 23 tip 100kBTU or so burner and go HMMMMM. Flame control is in order for a direct fire mash.
Click to expand...

brew_0051.jpg


Hopefully test runs start soon. Ill let you know how it works out

*edit
as soon as those small ones that were used in the original Brutus become available again at B3 Im getting two of those
 
I should import a gross of those bastids and make a mint. You know they're like $5 each in Hong Kong right?

There are two basic problems I have with my plugged burner. First is that it's impossible to run a pilot light because the flame doesn't migrate to all the other tips. The other is that I want to heat my strike water in the MLT because it seems intuitive; it preheats the tun of course and doesn't require moving water later. So, I want a raging flame for step one, then a docile flame for temp control.
 
and have you seen that B3 just bumped their price of them up to 59 bucks? They were 39 a few weeks back.

I have a feeling I may have to one of those long lighters until I can get a small burner to replace these with
 
Hey Corndog: I also built in a direct fire MT and love it! I control my pump with a ball valve and have never had a scorched bottom. I did have some issues with getting to mash out temp on time , but I figured it out by actually letting my pump shut off for about 30 sec and letting that gallon of sweet liqueur heat a little more before recirculating it back to the top of the grain bed. This little break helped me cut down my time by a lot. Letting the liqueur sit a little on that flame is alright ....if it's for just the right amount of time. Be careful. Cheers, Gabe
 
Gabe said:
Hey Corndog: I also built in a direct fire MT and love it! I control my pump with a ball valve and have never had a scorched bottom. I did have some issues with getting to mash out temp on time , but I figured it out by actually letting my pump shut off for about 30 sec and letting that gallon of sweet liqueur heat a little more before recirculating it back to the top of the grain bed. This little break helped me cut down my time by a lot. Letting the liqueur sit a little on that flame is alright ....if it's for just the right amount of time. Be careful. Cheers, Gabe
Click to expand...

Great post. I like to hear about different ways to approach this. I am a serious home cook, and I often play with temperatures and movement to achieve a desired effect. I believe that the ability to evaluate your product on the fly and improvise is the art of the game.
 

Similar threads

AlcheMania
Pressure cooker: A decoction hack?
2 3
Replies
85
Views
4K
MicroMickey
MicroMickey
B
For Sale 3-Vessel Single-Tier Direct-Fire Beer Brewstand Pilot System
Replies
0
Views
541
BrettinSD
B
Rob2010SS
Stepping up mash temp on RIMS vs HERMS
2
Replies
53
Views
4K
sibelman
sibelman
Jack Arandir
Mash Tun Upgrade
Replies
7
Views
2K
Genuine
Genuine
axborn
All-in-one kettle + HLT as reverse HERMS
Replies
0
Views
601
axborn
axborn

Latest posts

Back
Top