RIMS rocket dark wort

[fizgig]

I have a RIMS rocket and the blichmann power tower PID with it and I've used it a few times. I don't believe I'm getting scorching, the pump is moving at a good pace, the element isn't blackened when I take it apart, but I see the wort visibly darken. Last batch was pale ale, wheat, and a half pound of munich and it was dark like I had half a pound of crystal 40 in it by the end of the mash. Running the 120v version.

Any tips or is this the way it is?

 

[mongoose33]

What kind of element? Is it a low-watt-density element or a more normal one?

Are you comparing wort entering the RIMS with wort exiting it? If so, how are you comparing? By eye?

I have a sight glass on my RIMS showing the wort as it enters the pump, and then the RIMS. Mostly to see if it's clear or not, but partly, I'm a wort voyeur.



My wort returns to the top of the mash through a locline manifold, and there's no way for me to compare the color of the wort pre- and post-RIMS unless I take a sample out of the tun and hold it next to the sight glass.

I'm also surprised that a half-pound of Crystal 40 would create any kind of noticeable color change. I wouldn't expect that.

 

[fizgig]

Monitoring it, over the course of an hour it went from looking like straw yellow of a lager to a golden-copper color typical of an east coast IPA coming out of the sparge arm. It's a low-watt-density, RIMS rocket.
https://www.blichmannengineering.com/rimsrocket.html

Should be 5 SRM https://share.brewfather.app/FFp0R9WpOmF9AX

Looks to be about 9-10

 

[augiedoggy]

but partly, I'm a wort voyeur.

now thats funny...

on a serious note doesnt oxidation cause it to be darker too? is your sparge arm under the top of the liquid or sprinking on top (oxidizing it) with one of those sparge arms meant for batch sparging? if so consider not using it. I use the sparge arm for sparging and a hose for recirculating.

I use a rims both at home and at the brewpub and dont have this issue... I dont use a blichmann but the element looks to be ULWD and should perform fine. especially if your not getting a dark buildup.

 

[mongoose33]

now thats funny...

Some vendor someplace had as part of his sight-glass description some sort of comment that they didn't see the point of the sight glass but for those of us who are wort voyeurs....so, I stole it.

on a serious note doesnt oxidation cause it to be darker too? is your sparge arm under the top of the liquid or sprinking on top (oxidizing it) with one of those sparge arms meant for fly sparging?if so consider not using it. I use the sparge arm for sparging and a hose for recirculating.

It certainly causes beer to darken; not sure if wort works the same way.

And for that matter, I'd expect wort to darken a little just a color seeps out of the grain into the water. Why a 1-hour (or in many cases, more) mash? To ensure the enzymes have time to work, but also to get the flavors out of the grain. And I have to believe to at least some extent there's a darkening of the wort simply from that.

But....could be wrong about that. I'm thinking of a small experiment here. I'm doing the LODO stuff as best I can in the mash, so I could maybe pull off a small sample of mash, and let it get oxidized. And then compare. I'll have to see--it's not as easy as it sounds, as among other things temps have to be the same.

 

[fizgig]

I am using a regular sparge arm like so https://home-brew-stuff.myshopify.com/products/ssa-01?_pos=3&_sid=e862de501&_ss=r

I'll try lowering it when recirculating and see if that does anything different.

I have a feeling this wheat malt is way darker than it should be as well, both beers I brewed with it came out darker than I thought they should be. https://www.morebeer.com/products/viking-wheat-malt.html

 

[ba-brewer]

People see darker wort with Viking malts
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/viking-malts.665746/


Pay attention to your wort though, I have scorched a few batches with my RIMS(non blichmann), too low of flow for my wattage density. If you scorch your wort you will smell it too.

 

[verboten]

I've been using the viking malt for months, and had dark wort for the first time on sunday with a cream ale recipe, brewed with a 1650 watt element under the bag. This was my first run in this BIAB kettle, my first BIAB, and my first 10 gallon batch of this recipe, but it was not my first batch of this beer with the exact same malt used, so I have no idea what happened!

 

[processhead]

Cloudy wort at the beginning of the mash always appears lighter in color to me than the super clear wort after the mash has been recirculating for a while.
Maybe that is what you are experiencing?

 

[BrunDog]

People see darker wort with Viking malts
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/viking-malts.665746/


Pay attention to your wort though, I have scorched a few batches with my RIMS(non blichmann), too low of flow for my wattage density. If you scorch your wort you will smell it too.

You can damage your wort long before any visible or olfactory cues. RIMs exit temp is the blend of all liquid temps converging at the outlet of the RIMs tube. Local heating is a real thing, so ensuring mixing in the tube is a good practice.

 

[Vale71]

Wort is always darker than the finished beer. Fermentation causes many changes in wort including a lightening of the color. The 5 SRM you are expecting are for finished beer and should be measured (or in your case, eyeballed) only at the end of fermentation.