Hello,
I have included a pic of my RIMS system I built so you have an idea of what I am doing. The high keggle is the HLT...to the left MLT next to it the heater element next to it the BK. The HLT and BK have burners the MLT does not. One pump...fluid transfer is accompished with two 6' silicone hoses with SS female QD's on them...it works perfect once I gain a prime with my pump.
I was disappointed that my first beer went to sh*t. I made an AG raspberry wheat that my buddy has perfected over the last 4 years...well mine went bad, I attribute it to an infection or the fluctuating fermentation temps/ low temps where it should have been kept @ 70* it dropped to 62* at times since I did not have an aquarium heater until now...oh well. I wanted to run my brew day through you guys can give me advice or help.
I apologize for the long post but I need advice.
I start by cleaning all 3 keggles with water and scrubbing the internals with a brush....circulating the pump...running water forward and backward through the plate chiller and heating element manifold...I am actually probably overkill with soap and starsan but I figure it will help.
I fill my HLT with filtered water (14gal) and start the burner. With the last 2 beers I have made I have heated my strike water to 170*. Once it hits the mashed grain I milled while the strike water heated, it brings it to pretty close to the mash temp. I mill with a monster mill. My MLT drains from the bottom. I have a 16g 15" FB. Prior to adding grain and strike water I prime my pump by adding 3 gallons (a little above the FB) of hot strike water so I dont deal with the priming with super hot water...works for me.
I dump the grain and gravity feed the heated strike water. I cover the grain with 1-2" of water above the grain and start to dough in. Once the grain settles I make sure the grain is covered by atleat 2" of water...connect hoses....connect my sparge copper sparge arm I made...start the PID and pump, start the mash and wait until mash temp is hit...then I start the clock.
Once the mash time is done I rearrange the hoses and slowly pump the fluid into the BK...once I have 4+ gallons I fire up the burner on low. Once the fluid in the MLT is done I gauge how much I need to fill above the last rib on my BK (which is 11+ gallons) I do a final sparge (slowly) and pump the rest into the BK. The entire time I make sure the strike water stays warm enough (about 165+) to keep mash temp for final sparge
Once I have enough fluid in the BK I wait for boil and follow the hop schedule.
I ferment in sanke kegs with a top from brewershardware.com... Prior to anything I sanitize the sh*t out of the kegs with Starsan. No final rinse but it does drip dry for a while then it gets capped with a cut drinking water bottle bottom while I brew.. The entire time I cook I have a tub of water and starsan that I constantly dip everything in while I use it and sanitize everything before I use it (funnel, hoses, mash paddle, oxygenation/thermometer setup form morebeer...everything)
I have a 40 plate chiller (sanitized b4 brewing and stuck in the fridge)...it works great. I rearrange the silicone hoses with SS QD's and send fluid to the chiller. The chiller brings the wort beer temps to 68-70 really quick. I pitch the two whitelabs vials....oxygenate the wort @ 1-4 LPM (medical grade O2) seal the top, drop a hose into a one gallon airlock with starsan in it and regulate the temp (now) with a tub of water around the sanke keg fermenter and an aquarium heater.
Once the fermentation is done (2 weeks or so) I sanitize my cornies and transfer the fluid in two cornies......force carbonate...etc etc....
Any advice is appreciated...any questions are welcomed....
Thank you for the time
Joe
I have included a pic of my RIMS system I built so you have an idea of what I am doing. The high keggle is the HLT...to the left MLT next to it the heater element next to it the BK. The HLT and BK have burners the MLT does not. One pump...fluid transfer is accompished with two 6' silicone hoses with SS female QD's on them...it works perfect once I gain a prime with my pump.
I was disappointed that my first beer went to sh*t. I made an AG raspberry wheat that my buddy has perfected over the last 4 years...well mine went bad, I attribute it to an infection or the fluctuating fermentation temps/ low temps where it should have been kept @ 70* it dropped to 62* at times since I did not have an aquarium heater until now...oh well. I wanted to run my brew day through you guys can give me advice or help.
I apologize for the long post but I need advice.
I start by cleaning all 3 keggles with water and scrubbing the internals with a brush....circulating the pump...running water forward and backward through the plate chiller and heating element manifold...I am actually probably overkill with soap and starsan but I figure it will help.
I fill my HLT with filtered water (14gal) and start the burner. With the last 2 beers I have made I have heated my strike water to 170*. Once it hits the mashed grain I milled while the strike water heated, it brings it to pretty close to the mash temp. I mill with a monster mill. My MLT drains from the bottom. I have a 16g 15" FB. Prior to adding grain and strike water I prime my pump by adding 3 gallons (a little above the FB) of hot strike water so I dont deal with the priming with super hot water...works for me.
I dump the grain and gravity feed the heated strike water. I cover the grain with 1-2" of water above the grain and start to dough in. Once the grain settles I make sure the grain is covered by atleat 2" of water...connect hoses....connect my sparge copper sparge arm I made...start the PID and pump, start the mash and wait until mash temp is hit...then I start the clock.
Once the mash time is done I rearrange the hoses and slowly pump the fluid into the BK...once I have 4+ gallons I fire up the burner on low. Once the fluid in the MLT is done I gauge how much I need to fill above the last rib on my BK (which is 11+ gallons) I do a final sparge (slowly) and pump the rest into the BK. The entire time I make sure the strike water stays warm enough (about 165+) to keep mash temp for final sparge
Once I have enough fluid in the BK I wait for boil and follow the hop schedule.
I ferment in sanke kegs with a top from brewershardware.com... Prior to anything I sanitize the sh*t out of the kegs with Starsan. No final rinse but it does drip dry for a while then it gets capped with a cut drinking water bottle bottom while I brew.. The entire time I cook I have a tub of water and starsan that I constantly dip everything in while I use it and sanitize everything before I use it (funnel, hoses, mash paddle, oxygenation/thermometer setup form morebeer...everything)
I have a 40 plate chiller (sanitized b4 brewing and stuck in the fridge)...it works great. I rearrange the silicone hoses with SS QD's and send fluid to the chiller. The chiller brings the wort beer temps to 68-70 really quick. I pitch the two whitelabs vials....oxygenate the wort @ 1-4 LPM (medical grade O2) seal the top, drop a hose into a one gallon airlock with starsan in it and regulate the temp (now) with a tub of water around the sanke keg fermenter and an aquarium heater.
Once the fermentation is done (2 weeks or so) I sanitize my cornies and transfer the fluid in two cornies......force carbonate...etc etc....
Any advice is appreciated...any questions are welcomed....
Thank you for the time
Joe
