SS Brewtech Recirc Manifold

[SZaleski]

Quick Note: I am currently making the transition from extract to all grain. Balance of my equipment is ordered and first batch should be around end of this month.

Question: Does anyone have experience using the SS Brewtech Recirculation Manifold? I just ordered a 20 gallon infusion tun and the manifold. I was curious if anyone had any experience with this piece. It looks pretty straight forward. I will be using a HERMS system, but with the efficiency of the infusion tun combined with the temperature controller I am not sure that I need to recirculate the entire time. I'd assume I only need to do this when I need to raise the temperature to mash out. My concern would be the manifold sinking down into the grain bed rather than it sitting on top of it. Should I wait to attach it until I mash out so it doesn't have time to sink in during mash rest, or does it tend to just rest on top with no issues? Any insight would be appreciated. Pretty excited to start brewing all grain.

 

[stratslinger]

From my research, most folks running HERMS recirculate for the whole duration of the Mash. I've only done one brew so far with my new HERMS setup, but that's what I did, and it worked out well. It established the filter bed very well and recirculated clear wort for most of the mash rest, and I transferred crystal clear wort into my BK at the end of the mash. It also had the benefit of allowing my HLT to maintain mash temperature - whether or not you do this tends to depend a lot on how closely you can maintain temperature in your HLT though.

 

[WrQth]

I have a direct fired RIMS right now and the SSbrewtech recirc manifold. I recirculated the entire mash and the manifold only 'sunk' into the grain bed 1/4" maybe, it worked great.

 

[SZaleski]

The situation I face with constant recirculation is that I will have the Mash tun temperature controller from Ss Brew Tech that holds +/-0.5F. If I recirculate the entire duration then I won't hold that tight (not that I need to). Essentially I'll have to very closely monitor my HLT for the duration as a result. So I planned to only recirculate during the mashout, which would be about 15 minutes or so depending on time to raise temp in HLT. That will allow me to set grain bed and vorlof to get clear wort. If I didn't buy the infusion tun with the temperature controller then I would be recirculating the entire duration, but I'm thinking it's counter intuitive with my set up I'll have.

 

[Dcpcooks]

I have one and it won't sink once you've set your grain bed with a 20 min wait after dough in.

 

[WrQth]

The situation I face with constant recirculation is that I will have the Mash tun temperature controller from Ss Brew Tech that holds +/-0.5F. If I recirculate the entire duration then I won't hold that tight (not that I need to). Essentially I'll have to very closely monitor my HLT for the duration as a result. So I planned to only recirculate during the mashout, which would be about 15 minutes or so depending on time to raise temp in HLT. That will allow me to set grain bed and vorlof to get clear wort. If I didn't buy the infusion tun with the temperature controller then I would be recirculating the entire duration, but I'm thinking it's counter intuitive with my set up I'll have.

If you have a HERMS system then you wouldn't need the temperature control option offered by SSbrewtech.

 

[xico]

I have a brew in a conical system (60L, 15 gallon batch) with a mash colander that sits inside the kettle/conical, and has wort recirculated through it for the mash. I added this manifold to my return system along with an automated valve that is controlled by liquid level to maintain a constant 2 inches of wort over the grain bed.

The manifold and valve bumped mash efficiency from 74 to 82% Channeling is an overlooked issue with recirculating systems. An open hose with a steel ball as a flotation device forces channeling of the grain bed. As the density increases with all that sweet yeast food, an open hose needs to be monitored to make sure your return does not exceed drainage and risk a compressed grain bed.

Personally, I can't see the manifold without a level control valve and vice versa. Easily this was the best improvement to the brew process for the cost in materials in a couple years.

 

[oylerck]

Works great in my setup. Let it rest after dough in for 15 -20 minutes. I control my flow rate with ball valves Instead of the autosparge option.

 

[augiedoggy]

I have one... I replaced the plastic locline arm I used for years with it.. I find it much easier to keep cleanand I didnt like the fact that the colorant in the lockline plastic was fading bad and obviously leaching out into the beer.
If I add it immediately after doughing it I find it sinks a bit as well... I still average 86% efficiency with it so..
I do wish the main barbed fitting was bigger since it chokes flow a bit.

 

[dthompson79]

I have one... I replaced the plastic locline arm I used for years with it.. I find it much easier to keep cleanand I didnt like the fact that the colorant in the lockline plastic was fading bad and obviously leaching out into the beer.
If I add it immediately after doughing it I find it sinks a bit as well... I still average 86% efficiency with it so..
I do with the main barbed fitting was bigger since it chokes flow a bit.

Agreed on the barb size. I find If I let mine system recirc for 5-10 minutes to get the grain bits cleared and the bed set it sits on top just fine.

 

[wyowolf]

I just got one, I notice the barb is pretty small, going to have to clamp it around the silicone hose... thought it would be bigger, other than that, looks great.

 

[augiedoggy]

I just got one, I notice the barb is pretty small, going to have to clamp it around the silicone hose... thought it would be bigger, other than that, looks great.

I actually used a piece of thin wall silicone hose as a spacer and then doubled up and used my normal 1/2" id silicone hose over that and clamped it... when I tested the 16" length of regular 3/8" id silicone hose I saw a noticeably reduced flow level on my flow meter which I dont need.

 

[wyowolf]

I guess i just assumed it would be standard 1/2 barb...

 

[xico]

I guess i just assumed it would be standard 1/2 barb...

That's the same assumption I made as well. I just went to the LHBS and picked up from smaller silicone hosing (3/8" maybe?). You only need a 9-18" depending on the headspace between return port and grain bed.

I also wouldn't worry about leaks out the barb. Minor springs from the pressure are fine, you are leaking out the manifold anyway. Just make sure there is no channeling happening..

 

[sts9fan]

Can I ask why get an insulated tun with a RIMS or HERMS?

 

[bleme]

Can I ask why get an insulated tun with a RIMS or HERMS?

An insulated tun would use less energy to maintain mash temperature and the temperature would stay more consistent, top to bottom and side to side. To a cheapskate like me, it seems like a big expense for little gain, but that doesn't matter to a lot of people.

 

[LBussy]

I have a brew in a conical system (60L, 15 gallon batch) with a mash colander that sits inside the kettle/conical, and has wort recirculated through it for the mash. I added this manifold to my return system along with an automated valve that is controlled by liquid level to maintain a constant 2 inches of wort over the grain bed.

Do you have pics or perhaps a build thread?

 

[biggrizzly]

I have the same 20 Gallon Infusion MT. Here is a photo from my brew day on Friday. The manifold is a bit heavy but will lie on the grain bed pretty good. I have tried using a piece of silicone hose just lying on the grain bed, but get better results with the manifold. But, I also use the Ss Brewtech lautering diverter during the mash while recirculate continuously with it. Then when the mash is over and I have ramped up my mashout temp I swap over to the round manifold for the sparge.

 

[Crazyeyes]

I have the same 20 Gallon Infusion MT. Here is a photo from my brew day on Friday. The manifold is a bit heavy but will lie on the grain bed pretty good. I have tried using a piece of silicone hose just lying on the grain bed, but get better results with the manifold. But, I also use the Ss Brewtech lautering diverter during the mash while recirculate continuously with it. Then when the mash is over and I have ramped up my mashout temp I swap over to the round manifold for the sparge.

I'd agree with Biggrizzly, I have the same 20 gal. Infusion MT and use it with my EHERMS system. Generally when I'm recirculating from mash in, thought ramping up temperatures to mash out, I use the Vorlauf attachment that attaches to the same bulkhead that the recirculating manifold uses. I had an issue with gain hulls getting stuck in the recirculation manifold at the junction in the center, so I only us the round circulation manifold for sparging. Problem with the Vorlauf fitting is that the bottom of the fitting sits at about the 16 gallon mark, which is about 40 lb. of grain at 1.25 qt/lb, so for recipes that require more than 40 lb. of malt I use a silicone hose with a stainless steel float on the end.

 

[xico]

Do you have pics or perhaps a build thread?

In the works friend. I have a set of photos on my sweethearts phone I is Brewha but we have made some additions to the system to dial it in for our needs. I will share when I'm back.

 

[augiedoggy]

An insulated tun would use less energy to maintain mash temperature and the temperature would stay more consistent, top to bottom and side to side. To a cheapskate like me, it seems like a big expense for little gain, but that doesn't matter to a lot of people.

The short answer is if the insulated tun has any practical effect with a herm or rims system then theres something wrong with the design or application of the herms or rims system...

As far as using less energy? Like what maybe a dime during the brewing process? its a case of stepping over a dollar to pick up a dime but looking cool doing it.
Some folks dont yet understand its really redundant here because they are fairly new to these concepts and when they see one person with it they think more has to be better.
Some just dont care, its bling or another brewing toy. The way I see it, if your wearing a raincoat while indoors than there something seriously wrong with you roofs performance... same deal here. One should completely eliminate the other if either work correctly and we do know that herms and rims DO work when designed and used correctly and are not only enough to maintain but also step temps, there are even people using rims to heat there strike water.. Unfortunately from the posts and videos and all the supplemental heating systems still being used, It seems the stainless cooler actually suffers in performance compared to a plastic one so people still need something to actually maintain temps anyway in many environments. the insulated tun with the ss heater setup is actually not a bad concept but the problem is the reviews of its performance are very mixed. For that kind of money the product should work as least as well as the cheap cooler its designed to replace.

The reason I tend to go overboard on this topic and repeat myself is in hopes that folks who are new to the hobby see this and decide to do more research before dropping an extra $600 on something they may not utilize anyway. A few weeks back this same discussion came up and the gentleman in that thread bought a rims system and the insulated tun because as he stated he honestly didnt realize the rims was for maintaining temps he thought it was for step mashing and mashout only... He was basically copying a setup he saw someone else using here.

 

[xico]

To add to augie, the equipment should also reflect the kind of beers that you make. I have seen some fancy setups costing many thousands of dollars owned by people that make pales and IPAs, using single infusion mashes 100% of the time. This is overbuying as far as I can tell. A simple design can be made to utilize an old extract kettle for HERMS or a simple RIMS can be implemented to maintain temps (1500w element perhaps is all that's needed) without the need for big shiny steel on a rig.

For brewers that generally make unusual brews with unmodified or undermodified malts and depend on complicated step mashing benefit from well-designed mashing equipment that can handle step mashes. I have broken into the process of making malts the last year and using my mash system to process my green malt has been important to me but likely undesirable to the vast majority of brewers.

Cold side is often neglected compared to the hot side of brewing which is counterproductive as most of the work is done on the former. The home brew can be best distinguished from well-made commercial product more often by the cold side equipment discrepancy, than hot. Everyone thinks of the hot side as the sexy part of brewing but it's the cleaning, fermentation, and processing that comprises the vast majority of work. You could have 10k brew system and put out garbage without good cold side attention. And I have had some incredible brews made on a plastic cooler but the brewers spared no energy in implementing a disciplined cold regimen.

If I were a brewer looking to improve my process (in consistency, time, and resources) with a few hundred to spend and I mainly use well-modified malts, I would add a RIMS/HERMS setup for maintaining temps to my existing mash equipment, pick up a pH meter, get a water test done to know what source you are working with, and save the remaining amount for the cold side:

Fermentation/conditioning/carbing chamber with temp controller, yeast starter/storage setup (flasks, minifridge, stir plates, maybe even a used microscope with a hemocytometer for viability and cell counts if it interests you), CO2 tank, oxygenless transfer systems (some make Sanke keg caps that I have been enjoying the last couple brews but I also use Corny kegs that I bend/cut the dipstick for smaller batches). All of these additions would improve the outcome of your beer more noticeably than big expensive mash control system.

It's a good idea to consider the kinds of brews you make and reflect a long while on what would be needed in the process from beginning to end. My brewpartner and I saved for two years before we sprung for the brew system we use now.

Lastly, before I get off the soap box, I have expressed mash efficiency in this thread but I don't want to understate a point I have yet to make. Mash efficiency isn't the measure for a good or bad brew system. It is an indicator but not a determinant. Don't get discouraged by lower efficiency. An extra couple dollars in 2 row per batch can be absorbed easier than a 600 dollar purchase on new equipment you might not need.

 

[Crazyeyes]

Wasn't this thread about the SS Brewtech recirculation manifold, when did it turn into a discussion about whether or not the Infusion MT is worth buying? I wish you "Know it all" brewers who pass judgment on a piece of equipment without even putting hands on it, would back off! SS Brewtech sells some quality equipment and if you fail to see the value, that's fine but why continue to trash talk equipment you have absolutely no experience with. The Infussion has many other useful additions besides just being insulated, like the concave bottom and the manometer, if you don't like it, why don't you go and build a 20 gal. Keggle with the same options and see if it performs as well.

 

[augiedoggy]

Wasn't this thread about the SS Brewtech recirculation manifold, when did it turn into a discussion about whether or not the Infusion MT is worth buying? I wish you "Know it all" brewers who pass judgment on a piece of equipment without even putting hands on it, would back off! SS Brewtech sells some quality equipment and if you fail to see the value, that's fine but why continue to trash talk equipment you have absolutely no experience with. The Infussion has many other useful additions besides just being insulated, like the concave bottom and the manometer, if you don't like it, why don't you go and build a 20 gal. Keggle with the same options and see if it performs as well.

It was.. And I as well as others who have one and used it commented .. then someone with the insulated tun started talking about using it with a herms and took the thread off topic.. I posted one reply basically answering another question someone asked and you apparently don't like my opinion and decided to really take things off topic by attacking me instead... Are you one of the guys that work for SS that like to post all sorts of biased positive reviews? I know there's at least one person on here doing so.
I do have quite a bit of brewing equipment besides the recirculation arm this thread started to discuss including the herms,rims and even an insulated mash tun I no longer use because it's pointless with the temp control system doing the job.
Your entitled to your opinion. As am I. The difference here is I'm not throwing a tantrum and yelling at you to back off because I don't share yours..

 

[dthompson79]

Soooooo anyway I use the recirculation manifold the whole time for mashing/step mashing/mashout/sparge and it works great. Even dispersion of the heated wort or HLT liquor. I do run it for a second at the very beginning to clear the grain bits that made it through the false bottom.

 

[Crazyeyes]

Yep Augiedoggy, you got me I'm a SUPER SECRET UNDERCOVER SS BREWTECH SPECIAL AGENT in charge of misleading brewers into buying well equipped, over priced Mashtuns, and you caught me like a toenail stuck in shag carpeting. Okay, not really but where do you get off, on telling people what they should and shouldn't do, if I want to heat my strike water with a RIMS tube on my EHERMS system that incorporates an insulated Mashtun too help maintain a consistent temperature, and use it to step mash with, that's fine this is America, land of the free. You brew how you wanna brew and I'll brew how I'm going to brew. It bothers me when you seem to have an axe to grind on a product you've probably never even seen, or have any experience with, and your opinion and bad analogies could make people like me, want to leave this forum and find friendlier places to discuss the hobby of brewing.

 

[Markd27]

Yep Augiedoggy, you got me I'm a SUPER SECRET UNDERCOVER SS BREWTECH SPECIAL AGENT in charge of misleading brewers into buying well equipped, over priced Mashtuns, and you caught me like a toenail stuck in shag carpeting. Okay, not really but where do you get off, on telling people what they should and shouldn't do, if I want to heat my strike water with a RIMS tube on my EHERMS system that incorporates an insulated Mashtun too help maintain a consistent temperature, and use it to step mash with, that's fine this is America, land of the free. You brew how you wanna brew and I'll brew how I'm going to brew. It bothers me when you seem to have an axe to grind on a product you've probably never even seen, or have any experience with, and your opinion and bad analogies could make people like me, want to leave this forum and find friendlier places to discuss the hobby of brewing.

It's a pattern with that guy...

I too wish that all of us homebrewers would stop buying overpriced products from these pesky companies like SS Brewtech, Blichmann, etc, so that they'd just go out of business and stop trying to bring innovative well-designed solutions to our hobby. We'd all be better off using buckets, stock pots, and other cobbled together junk!

 

[LBussy]

 

[sts9fan]

FYI I asked the question because I am a big SS brewtech fanboy and will be getting an Infusion 20 gallon. That said I won't have any recirc or heating. Adding the complexity of the pumps seems counter to the intent.

 

[dthompson79]

This is how I started using mine. I will emphasize that you should only get the 20 if you are planning on doing 10+ gallon batches. I notice a lot of the people having difficulty with this size and reporting poor performance were doing small batches in them leaving a ton of dead air space in them allowing the temp to drop significantly. Should work great!!

 

[sts9fan]

This is how I started using mine. I will emphasize that you should only get the 20 if you are planning on doing 10+ gallon batches. I notice a lot of the people having difficulty with this size and reporting poor performance were doing small batches in them leaving a ton of dead air space in them allowing the temp to drop significantly. Should work great!!

I have gotten around this by using a "plug" the diameter of which is the ID of the tun. This is made of foam insulation with food safe plastic on one face.

 

[dthompson79]

I have gotten around this by using a "plug" the diameter of which is the ID of the tun. This is made of foam insulation with food safe plastic on one face.

Word. This is probably a good idea regardless with a single infusion non recirculating mash

 

[volsherdeers]

[ame]https://vimeo.com/208058037[/ame]

 

[DasBierBaron]

Is this thing really worth it? I'm putting parts together for a new mash tun, and it seems a lot of people use a simple silicon hose. I'm wondering if there's any real benefit worth 45$ over that, plus worrying about clogging and changing hose diameter if you are using 1/2" in your setup.

 

[volsherdeers]

Is this thing really worth it? I'm putting parts together for a new mash tun, and it seems a lot of people use a simple silicon hose. I'm wondering if there's any real benefit worth 45$ over that, plus worrying about clogging and changing hose diameter if you are using 1/2" in your setup.

Does it improve efficiency with someone's current setup, maybe. I use it to decrease sparge time just like the custom BK filter (see http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30663) I engineered to filter out hops and trub which in turn decreased my time significantly,draining the kettle.

 

[jmark]

Is this thing really worth it? I'm putting parts together for a new mash tun, and it seems a lot of people use a simple silicon hose. I'm wondering if there's any real benefit worth 45$ over that, plus worrying about clogging and changing hose diameter if you are using 1/2" in your setup.

Didn't make any difference for me. Efficiency was the same before and after and the restriction on the hose size (I use 1/2") was a bit of a pain to work around. I ended up selling it as it didn't really do anything for my system and it was just one more thing to clean.

 

[volsherdeers]

Replaced factory barb with 1/2” barb and tapped out the hub. No more bottleneck, clogging, or bushing needed! Simple mod, wicked results!!!

 

[augiedoggy]

Is this thing really worth it? I'm putting parts together for a new mash tun, and it seems a lot of people use a simple silicon hose. I'm wondering if there's any real benefit worth 45$ over that, plus worrying about clogging and changing hose diameter if you are using 1/2" in your setup.

This kind of logic can get you in trouble here... your looking at it wrong.
on a serious note.
My 2 cents, No its done nothing special for me but it does get partially plugged with grain from time to time. To be honest I've used a regular piece of hose, locline and this and notice no difference in efficiency at all... The thing I find odd is all the people using it for batch sparging..
It looks cool though and thats all that matters right guys?

btw I use a small 38i tan dc pump to recirc and the barb is still restrictive..

 

[dthompson79]

I use mine for fly sparging just sitting right on the grain bed. Yeah its pricey. I haven't had a problem with grain plugging (but I recirculate without it for a second first) Is it likely any better than other ways (debatable) but I will say I have no problems with channeling that you have to watch for with just a tube recirculating on top.

FWIW i get 87-90% mash rinse eff for normal gravity beers