Is It Time to Redesign My System?

[Cookiedds]

I am debating rebuilding my brew system and possibly going HERMS or RIMS.
Currently I brew in my kitchen on a commercial 8 burner gas cooktop. I have a commercial vent hood, large single well sink that all my brew pots fit in, music and comfort brewing indoors provides. My equipment, grain and air temp is a constant 69° so it is easy to make temp calculations with very little flux. I brew all grain 6 gallon batches and don't feel the need to brew larger batches at this time. My efficiency is 78%.
I mash in a 10 gallon Rubermaid cooler that can handle up to 24 pounds of grain, batch sparge and boil in a 10 gallon pot on the stove with a heatstick to boost the boil time. From sparg temp, it takes about 12 minutes to reach a full boil with 8 gallons of wort and the stove burner keeps it rolling without the assistance of my heatstick. I have an immersion chiller with a pre-chiller coil in an ice bucket that brings 6.5 gallons down to 65° in about 10 minutes or less. I drain my kettle into a bottling bucket lined with a 5 gallon paint strainer, let the cold break settle and drain into the carboy.
I am very pleased with the quality of my beer and keep a 7 tap keezer full of it.
My question is: what am I missing out on by not using a rims or herms setup?
Also, do you have any tweaks you would recommend to my current system?

 

[Egbert]

1) It is always time to redesign your system. No matter how good it is because, it is always a good time to redesign your system.

2) Possibility of infection with that open and complex cooling process you have.

3) If yer brewin' 6 gallons and can keep 7 taps goin' you ain't drinkin' enuff. Drink more, or get a friend, and start having problems keeping the taps full, this'll necessitate increased volume requirements.

4) See #1.

5) You need a custom tap handle for every different recipe you regularly brew (note: if that already exists, then they are getting old and you also need one for each beer you infrequently brew). Your keezer isn't sufficiently awe inspiring.

6) You have no brewery name listed, yer stuff can't be all that good.

7) Toss out yer mash tun and get a Rubbermaid.

8) Going HERMS or RIMS is a good idea for repeatability.

9) Pics, we need pics.

10) More gadgets are better. Things with acronyms tend to be gadgety.

 

[Walker]

The main benefit of the recirculating systems is temp consistency. I was an outdoor propane brewer and was pretty good at getting my temps "close enough" when I brewed. I would sometimes hit the mash temp exactly, sometimes miss it by a degree or two, and every once in a while make a royal f*ck up and miss it badly.

I had already been thinking about switching from propane to electric for cost and comfort (brewing in the garage), and my wife wanted me to get a pump because she didn't like the fact that I climbed a ladder with a pot full of 170*F water when I was ready to sparge. I had a copper coil. I figured I might as well go the extra yard and build a HERMS since i was most of the way there.

if you are consistent with hitting and maintaining temps, then there isn't a huge benefit to be had.

My wort going into the kettle is very clear because of the constant filtering through the grain bed, but you can get this same result with enough vorlaufing at the end of the mash, be it with a pump or manually.

 

[Cookiedds]

Egbert- the name of my brewery is "Monkeys With Pints"
I do use a Rubermaid mash tun and it will hold a 90 minute mash to within 1°. I do step mashes by draining some of the wort out, heating it and returning it to the tun (like decoction without the grain).
I have brewed 23 batches over the past 6 months without a repeat, I like smaller batches=more variety. If the keg goes fast that just means my friends have something to look forward to when it comes on tap again (like waiting for Christmas)
I'm a dentist and keep a pretty tidy brewery, I haven't had an infection yet (knock on wood).
I hit my mash temps to within 1/2 degree or quickly adjust temps by the above mentioned method.
I vorlauf my wort manually and get very clear results.
I'm pretty strong and have no problems lifting a fell 10 gallon Rubermaid mash tun around. I also clean up and put away equipment as I go (I've got a brew pantry/keezer/fermentation room that I keep it all in.

 

[samc]

If I had your stove/hood set up I'd stick with it. I use a RIMS but repeatability is overrated in the home brew arena, after all your not selling a commercial product. I brew outside with gas/electric and I am anxious to build something smaller and all electric so I can come inside and avoid the RAIN, COLD, Summer heat & bugs, those damn bees love brewing.

You sound like you have it nailed with 78% efficiency and quick cooling. Keeping 7 taps going is pretty impressive as well.

 

[Egbert]

Sorry, too obscure a joke, you misspelled "Rubbermaid". the whole thing was to be amusing.
My wife's a dentist too, we're all just in the practical organic chemistry field.

Bottom line is that if you are completely satisfied with your brewing, there's no reason to make any changes whatsoever.

I brewed 5 gallon batches for 15 years in the same 5 gallon bucket Zapap mash tun and the same 5 gallon Mexican carboys. I'm just increasing my rig to 10s as I'll have less brew time due to my little girls requiring more time so, I need to maximize volume per session.

We all swap for different reasons, if you're goals are met, then don't change a thing, you've got your processes down, you can concentrate on a different aspect.

As far as I'm concerned, the more time consuming piece is learning to optimize your current stuff and getting down the intricacies and mechanics of your gear and environmentals. You're there, work with the smaller details and only change if there is an outside stimulus to change.

Play with some other aspect, water chem, yeast slants, that may need addressed, not the stuff that works.

But gadgets are still fun.

 

[Cookiedds]

I've got a yeast bank going in slants, fun stuff and nice to be able to brew with interesting yeasts you have banked rather than what you can find come brew time. I try to add all of the limited release strains, I'm a sucker for their marketing.
Every brew session I try to improve at least one aspect of the process either in ergonomics, efficency or quality and hopefully all three. I think I'll keep tweaking my setup and spend some money on a few toi's, like a refractometer.