MLT Tank question

[chrisfiac]

Hi All:

I've been lurking on this site for quite a while and joined a few weeks ago. I'm a little new to brewing and have done about 5-6 all grain batches. We basically have a 8 gallon kettle and a 10 gallon igloo MLT. This yields about 5 gallons. When split across two friends, the beer goes quick.

So I'd like to step up a size. I have an empty keg that I'll convert into a BK. I'll get another one for a HLT. I have a full TIG set up, complete with a back-purge fitting. I'd prefer NOT to build a big rig and keep things somewhat simple for the time being...just bigger.

So my question comes to the MLT. I'll be using LPG, so how do I keep the mash temps in such a tight range? Do I just fire the burner constantly to keep it in range?

Or do I insulate the keg/MLT to keep in in range, and if so, does that actually work? Note that I've searched an searched, but cannot figure the MLT from a keg out. I could obviously use a lot of direction, so any help is well-appreciated.

--Cheers, Chris

 

[JuanMoore]

IMO you need to either insulate the keg very well or get a pump. Trying to maintain temps by direct firing and stirring constantly is a PITA and still results in uneven temps. If you had a pump to recirculate the wort while direct firing it would work great. This is a fairly common set-up referred to as a direct fired RIMS.

I have 2 layers of reflectix on my keg MLT and used it once without any external heat source while I was putting my system together. It lost ~3F over an hour with ambient temps of ~90F and a 28# grain bill. I'm sure loss would have been greater with a smaller grain bill. I think it would be relatively easy to insulate a keg adequately to hold temps for an hour, but it will obviously take a little more than 2 layers of reflectix. Hope this helps.

 

[Coldies]

Go the RIMS route. You will not regret it. I have a 10 and 5 gallon cooler (depending on the grain bill, determines what cooler gets used) that maintained temps just fine, but i'm a tinker by nature and still built a RIMS with the RIMS tube and enjoyed building it as much as I enjoy brewing with it. Good luck

 

[Catt22]

Steam injection would be another cool option to possibly consider. The guys using steam seem to be very satisfied with their system's performance, particularly with the temperature control. It sure is tempting.

 

[chrisfiac]

Hi Gents:

Thanks for the response. I could never figure out what a RIMS system was, so this is helpful. I always figured it was automated/semi-automated, which is a bit beyond what I'm ready for right now. What does RIMS stand for?

OK, so if I understand right, I can direct fire under the MLT and use the pump to recirculate the fluid. That keeps temps more manageable. When the fluid reenters the MLT, does it do so through a sparge bar or does it gently recirculate back in?

At sparge time, do you just disconnect the pump from the MLT and connect it to the HLT and pump fresh water back through? Again, thanks for the patient responses.

I'll do some more digging on the steam system. That too seems interesting.

--Cheers, Chris

 

[JuanMoore]

RIMS stands for recirculated infusion mash system, and it sounds like you understand it correctly. A lot of RIMS pump the wort through a tube with a water heater element inside to maintain temps, and these are typically controlled with some level of automation, which is probably where you got that idea. Many of them are much more simple though. As far as the return, it can be as simple as a short piece of silicone tubing laying on top of the grain bed or as complex as a spinning sparge arm. How to set it up for sparging depends on your system and your process. There are a lot of ways to brew beer, even within the same general type of system.