Removing chloramine and inline sparging

[kinggoo]

So, I will try and keep this as brief as possible while providing good information. My system is configured as follows:
2 kegs. One as a MLT/strike water and the other as boil.
I have two pumps, and recirculate with a RIMS tube.
I have made good beer. It has largely been of the darker SRM variety. (Black IPA, Scottish ales). When I foray into attempting a copper or lighter profiled beer, the beer is noticeably phenolic. I have attempted to add inline carbon filtration for both the strike water through rims from tap and also for the Sparge. The system is finicky enough to try and maintain 168 on the Sparge end, much less worry about the flow rate going through the filter.

After having 2 professional brewers and another bjcp certified judge detect the flaws as chloraseptic and/or phenolic, and knowing I use star San and not bleach-- I all but presume my problem is from chloramine content.

I've read campden takes care of this problem nicely, but I am having difficulty seeing a good way to remove chloramine while inline sparging through a RIMS tube. I would prefer to keep my setup with two vessels. It would be easy to treat the strike water before dough in, but I don't have a solution for eradicating this off flavor present in the Sparge water.

So I guess I am wondering if anyone has any ideas how to remove this with the least amount of reconfiguring possible. I'm willing to throw some money at it, but I am not interested in having a multi tiered setup and having to depend on gravity for anything.

 

[srfkatz]

I have heard that boiling your water will remove any chloramines.

 

[orangehero]

Boiling does not remove chloramine.

If you have two pumps, why would you have to depend on gravity?

Cheapest and easiest way that I see is to get a bucket, fill it with your sparge water, treat with campden, and pump out of there through the RIMS tube. Since you're already set up for on-demand sparge water you don't really need to do anything else like getting a HLT.

Are you sure your water contains chloramine? Usually the water company will have the information on their website as well as the mineral content.

 

[srfkatz]

http://morebeer.com/articles/removing_chloramines_from_water

This is a good article on ways to solve your problem

 

[Yooper]

You don't use the HLT to hold the sparge water before sparging, and sparge from the faucet? (I'm trying to picture the set up and am not quite picturing how it works).

Filtration would have to be super super slow to remove chloramines/chlorine- but a campden tablet to the mash water and sparge water (1 crushed tablet per 20 gallons) treats it instantly and then the water can be used. So, if you have your mash and sparge water in an HLT, you can treat it right there before heating and using.

 

[grahamfw]

I think he is using just hot tap water. You'll need some sort of vessel to collect all of your sparge water, treat it, then you can pump that water to the mash for the sparge. No inline chloramine removal that I can think of.

 

[patthebrewer]

If you are using hot tap water your not going to be able to, practically, filter the chloramine out. I have a HLT that is capable of holding all my brewing water, and I treat it prior to using it (or even putting it to flame).