Fly sparging with HERMS

[DolfoMan]

Hello All,

I'm currently covering my current all grain set up to a manual HERMS system. My question is about fly sparging with the HERMS recirculation. I all ready have a fly sparge ring that usually hangs between 5-10 inches (depending on batch size) above the grain bed. Is it okay to keep this as the main outlet for the recirculated wort coming from the HLT? I haven't read anything yet saying anything about it, but something about have wort drip through the air back onto the mash bed to steep makes me think of oxidation. What's the word eveybody?

 

[jekeane]

I just use a hose lying on top of the grain bed like kal does in the electric brewery build. I used to use a sparge arm and would keep it as close to the wort as possible. I saw no difference in efficiency switching between an arm or just laying a hose down.

Other than hot side oxidation, which some will say matters others will say doesn't. (I'm of the camp that it matter enough to me to try and minimize it whenever it is easy to do so.) You will need to make sure you sparge arm holes are designed so that you won't get clogs while recirculating.

 

[kh54s10]

Hot side aeration. Some say myth. Some say a real thing. I don't worry too much about it and don't think I have ever detected anything I could attribute to it. After all almost everyone stirs the mash before draining, that probably adds a lot more oxygen that wort falling back to the grain bed.

To be on the safe side, can you lower it so it is closer to the grain?

 

[eric19312]

I just use a hose lying on top of the grain bed like kal does in the electric brewery build. I used to use a sparge arm and would keep it as close to the wort as possible. I saw no difference in efficiency switching between an arm or just laying a hose down.

Other than hot side oxidation, which some will say matters others will say doesn't. (I'm of the camp that it matter enough to me to try and minimize it whenever it is easy to do so.) You will need to make sure you sparge arm holes are designed so that you won't get clogs while recirculating.

I do this too. Hose on top of the grain bed. I use this for my recirculation and for sparging. Got that Blichman autosparge and it is great for sparging. Makes the process one valve to adjust to keep flow rate to the boil kettle at my 1 liter per minute target.

 

[DolfoMan]

Hot side aeration. Some say myth. Some say a real thing. I don't worry too much about it and don't think I have ever detected anything I could attribute to it. After all almost everyone stirs the mash before draining, that probably adds a lot more oxygen that wort falling back to the grain bed.

To be on the safe side, can you lower it so it is closer to the grain?

I like being on the safe side.....I'm thinking of connecting the sparge ring to a high temp hose that connects to the HL inlet and just resting the ring on the grain bed

 

[day_trippr]

I do this too. Hose on top of the grain bed. I use this for my recirculation and for sparging. Got that Blichman autosparge and it is great for sparging. Makes the process one valve to adjust to keep flow rate to the boil kettle at my 1 liter per minute target.

Same here. Love the autosparge.
I never get any grain bed scouring from the return hose, either, and my extract efficiency runs into the 90s...

Cheers!

 

[brick_haus]

My ring clogged up every time I have used it after HERMS conversion

 

[Master]

I have a Sanke Keggle with a cheapo false bottom, and I just use the Kal hose method. Works good. I get 93% or better mash efficiency with 1.055 and lighter beers.

 

[eric19312]

Same here. Love the autosparge.
I never get any grain bed scouring from the return hose, either, and my extract efficiency runs into the 90s...

Cheers!

I run extract efficiency right about 80% probably because I am running too fast. Normally collect 14 gallons in about 45 minutes. Ive tried going faster .. about 20 min and saw drop off in efficiency down to about 74% the two or three times I've done this.

Also learned a trick with the autosparge. During the mash I unscrew the float ball from the float stick. I once brewed a wit and was very nervous about all the flaked grain in the recipe and was sure I got the mother of all stuck sparges. Would go in and stir and get some movement in the liquid and then let it settle and it would stick right back up. Finally (after about 10 frustrating minutes) realized the stirring was moving enough stuff around to move the float and open the valve but as soon as I let it settle I was right at the too full line and it would close. Now I always mash with no float and put it back on when I start to sparge.

 

[day_trippr]

I've yet to encounter any plugging of the autosparge valve, even when doing a batch of Fizzy Yellow Pisswater (aka Cream Of Three Crops) which is loaded with flaked adjuncts. But I use a Blichmann FB which is amazingly effective, and recently I've started conditioning the grain Brew Day Morning before milling which makes the lautering even easier.

I give the mash a ~5 minute rest after an under-let dough-in, set the float arm to put almost 2 inches of fluid above the bed, then start recirculating. Once the wort runs clear I raise the flow rate to almost 2 gallons per minute, and I'll run the full mash like that without mucking with the autosparge.

When I start the fly sparge by adjusting the drain pump rate down to ~90 seconds per quart, everything follows along magically...

Cheers!