Recirculating mash systems
From Home Brewing Wiki
Recirculating mash systems are brewing systems that incorporate a recirculating pump to maintain a stable temperature during a mash. The most common recirculating mash systems are RIMS and HERMS systems.
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[edit] Recirculating mash systems generally
No matter what acronym is used to describe them, all recirculating mash systems work in essentially the same way. A portion of the wort is forced out of the mash tun using a pump, heated, and then returned to the mash tun.
These systems have three main benefits:
- The constant recirculation gives a much cleaner wort during lautering than a manual vorlauf
- The temperature can be held more constant than using other heating methods
- The process as a whole results in a more consistently repeatable mash
[edit] Types and components of recirculating mash systems
[edit] RIMS
RIMS stands for Recirculation Infusion Mash System. This refers to a recirculating mash system in which the recirculated wort is passed directly over a heating element. In many such systems, the pump operates constantly during the mash, and the heating element is cycled off and on to maintain the desired mash temperature. Common heating elements used in home-built RIMS systems are home hot water heater elements encased in a copper pipe with an inlet and outlet.
[edit] HERMS
HERMS stands for Heat Exchanged Recirculating Mash System. In a HERMS system, the wort is passed through the a heat exchanger, usually a copper manifold, that is suspended in hot liquid. Usually the hot liquor tank is used. Because the rate of heat exchange cannot be adjusted, the temperature is controlled by cycling the pump itself on and off.
[edit] Examples of home-built HERMS systems
[edit] Grant
In some recirculations, the wort is fed by gravity to a separate vessel below the mash tun, called a grant. This means that no suction is exerted on the mash tun itself, avoiding the possibility of suction compacting the grain bed.
