43 replies to this topic

[mikebrad]

I started brewing about 10 years ago in my college dorm with little more than a pot and a bucket. It was our easiest source of decent beer since we weren't yet old enough to buy it. When I got out of school I kept upgrading my brewery in order to make better and better beer. Ultimately I started brewing all grain with HBA's cooler mash/fly sparge system and I upgraded this a couple years ago to an electric HERMS system. Between all the equipment setup and brewing process my brewdays are starting to feel more like a chore than a hobby. Well I'm a slave to homebrewing no more...I tossed all that crap in the basement and pieced together a Denny-style cooler and batch sparge setup. Since I've never batch sparged before I am a little worried about efficiency, something I never worried about with the fly sparging. Also, with a new mash tun hitting the right temp will probably be different than my old system. I suppose both of those things will just take a try and adjust approach. Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my brewing life. Wish me luck!

[Nick Bates]

Im only on my second all grain my first one I fly-sparged, second one I batch sparged. Efficiency was not a problem at all for me with the batch sparge and a tad easier haha. Good luck with the batch sparge.

[Spoon]

Yeah, What you lose in effiency you can make up by adding an extra handful of grain.

[Recklessdeck]

Hitting mash temps while batch sparging is easy. My preferred technique is raising your strike water to a few degrees above your intended strike water temperature, adding it to the tun before the grain, and allow it too cool down until you have the temperature you want. This allows the tun itself to warm up, and makes it so you really don't have to worry about thermal mass calculations and all that. Nice and simple. Hope the changes work out for you.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Hitting mash temps while batch sparging is easy. My preferred technique is raising your strike water to a few degrees above your intended strike water temperature, adding it to the tun before the grain, and allow it too cool down until you have the temperature you want. This allows the tun itself to warm up, and makes it so you really don't have to worry about thermal mass calculations and all that. Nice and simple. Hope the changes work out for you.

That would be the same if you were fly sparging b/c the mash step is the same for either method.

[Recklessdeck]

That would be the same if you were fly sparging b/c the mash step is the same for either method.

true

[realbeerguy]

I started brewing about 10 years ago in my college dorm with little more than a pot and a bucket. It was our easiest source of decent beer since we weren't yet old enough to buy it. When I got out of school I kept upgrading my brewery in order to make better and better beer. Ultimately I started brewing all grain with HBA's cooler mash/fly sparge system and I upgraded this a couple years ago to an electric HERMS system. Between all the equipment setup and brewing process my brewdays are starting to feel more like a chore than a hobby. Well I'm a slave to homebrewing no more...I tossed all that crap in the basement and pieced together a Denny-style cooler and batch sparge setup. Since I've never batch sparged before I am a little worried about efficiency, something I never worried about with the fly sparging. Also, with a new mash tun hitting the right temp will probably be different than my old system. I suppose both of those things will just take a try and adjust approach. Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my brewing life. Wish me luck!

I agree. Everytime I look at the B3 site & see the brew systems, I start to think "Boy, it would be cool to have/make one of those". Then I slap myself up side the head and remember that my 10 gal Igloo & converted keg has made great beer for over 10 years, and is easy to use & clean. Sometimes simple IS better.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I agree. Everytime I look at the B3 site & see the brew systems, I start to think "Boy, it would be cool to have/make one of those". Then I slap myself up side the head and remember that my 10 gal Igloo & converted keg has made great beer for over 10 years, and is easy to use & clean. Sometimes simple IS better.

word.

[ncbeerbrewer]

I started brewing about 10 years ago in my college dorm with little more than a pot and a bucket. It was our easiest source of decent beer since we weren't yet old enough to buy it. When I got out of school I kept upgrading my brewery in order to make better and better beer. Ultimately I started brewing all grain with HBA's cooler mash/fly sparge system and I upgraded this a couple years ago to an electric HERMS system. Between all the equipment setup and brewing process my brewdays are starting to feel more like a chore than a hobby. Well I'm a slave to homebrewing no more...I tossed all that crap in the basement and pieced together a Denny-style cooler and batch sparge setup. Since I've never batch sparged before I am a little worried about efficiency, something I never worried about with the fly sparging. Also, with a new mash tun hitting the right temp will probably be different than my old system. I suppose both of those things will just take a try and adjust approach. Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my brewing life. Wish me luck!

You know I think you just need to remember that you have been a brewer for many years. I know changing methods can bring about challenges or changes but I am sure you are knowledgable enough that whatever you encounter you will get by and good beer with be made. As I have heard suggested if you are worried about efficiencies and the idea that you might come up shorter or low on your gravities keep that DME around or at worst some table sugare to make up the difference. I say relax and enjoy the new process and see how you fair I am sure it will go well and if it does not turn out exactly how you wanted then you can make adjustments for your second time around too. Good Luck and let us know how it goes for you.

I agree. Everytime I look at the B3 site & see the brew systems, I start to think "Boy, it would be cool to have/make one of those". Then I slap myself up side the head and remember that my 10 gal Igloo & converted keg has made great beer for over 10 years, and is easy to use & clean. Sometimes simple IS better.

+1 on simplicity for sure. I am like you a 10 gallon Rubbermaid cooler with a false bottom and a 10 year old propane burner and 15 gallon stock pot. We get along great and I love the simplicity too. Simpler can be better no doubts!! Cheers!!

[djinkc]

There are a lot of ways to make great beer. Whatever floats your boat is fine with me. The nice thing is it can be done with minimal/cheap equipment too.But some of us are driven to tinker....... Actually I find it makes my brewday more fun for me.

[3rd party JKor]

I enjoy tweaking my brew system more than the actual brewing. Homebrewing is a great excuse to spend time designing and building stuff, plus I get some good beer out of it. I can definitely understand the sentiment about simplicity. As time goes by I find myself trying to simplify many things in my life that I've spent time complicating in the last 10 years, but brewing is the one area where I want it complex.

[mikebrad]

Aside from the early morning heat and humidity, brewday went really well. I started heating water around 630 and was done cleanup by 11. Mashing in the rectangle cooler is much nicer than the round one in terms of dough in and stirring. Depending on which of the 4 thermometers that all read differently I believe, I was within 0-2 degrees of my desired mash temp and it lost maybe 3 degrees over the 60 minute mash. Efficiency was no problem at all collecting 7.5 gallons for a 5 gallon batch and I thing I ended up with even a little more at my target OG.

[BlKtRe]

I dont even use my HERMS any longer, not even for a mashout. I do recirc. the tun with my pump as my vorlough towards the end of my mash which is complete by the time my sparge water is at temp. I do prefer crystal clear wort hitting the kettle. I use a properly designed manifold in a Ice Cube cooler. I hit my single infusion mash temps right off the bat. I also prefer to fly sparge, its easier. I'm always at boil when the sparge is completed which usually averages 45-60 min for a 10-15g batch, 60-70 min sparge for 20-24g batch . I average 85% mash eff. with this method. I know my system and can do it blindfolded. Brew days are around 6-8hrs cleaned up depending on batch size. I'm very happy with my product.

[stangbat]

It's all relative. To some people my setup looks crazy complicated, but it has greatly simplified my brew day and that was the point. It took a lot of work up front but the effort has paid off. I had a lot of fun building it and learned a lot in the process. But in the end, I do the same simple things as anyone else: heat water, mash, sparge, boil, and clean up. There are many ways to go about each one and what is simple for one person may not be for another. And the beer doesn't care either way.My first setup that I used for a couple years was simple and I don't miss it one bit. To each his own. Glad you've found what works for you.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I dont even use my HERMS any longer, not even for a mashout.

I hear a lot of people say this. Why don't you use it? I really have no concept since I'm using the Denny method with no extra bells and whistles.

[djinkc]

I hear a lot of people say this. Why don't you use it? I really have no concept since I'm using the Denny method with no extra bells and whistles.

I think a lot of people have the MT insulated well enough it holds temps through the mash without it. It is nice for step mashing but I don't think a lot of people feel it's necessary. I use mine almost every session. My MT holds temps great but the recirculation helps my efficiency - but not much. I mashout out because it's already set up and running. And it accomplishes my vorlauf too. So mine gets used.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I think a lot of people have the MT insulated well enough it holds temps through the mash without it. It is nice for step mashing but I don't think a lot of people feel it's necessary. I use mine almost every session. My MT holds temps great but the recirculation helps my efficiency - but not much. I mashout out because it's already set up and running. And it accomplishes my vorlauf too. So mine gets used.

So what's the benefit of not using it despite having it available?

[siouxbrewer]

So what's the benefit of not using it despite having it available?

Saves gas on propane systems. Also not mashing out means transfer to the BK and start your boil, saving you a bit of time sparging. Just guessing, I direct fire my mash tun

[djinkc]

Saves gas on propane systems. Also not mashing out means transfer to the BK and start your boil, saving you a bit of time sparging. Just guessing, I direct fire my mash tun

I'm usually heating ~11 gal for sparging and cleanup anyway. Running the EHERMS during the mash might add $ 0.20 to my electric bill It doesn't cycle on much during the mash. I only recirc for about 10 minutes anyway for the mashout. Last time I checked that got me well over 160 in the MT. But yes, that does add some time......

[BlKtRe]

I hear a lot of people say this. Why don't you use it? I really have no concept since I'm using the Denny method with no extra bells and whistles.

I dont use it because it my final product turns out very nice with or with out it. I dont find the quality of my beer any better using it. My eff. are the same with/without it. As Dj noted, I use a cooler. I nail my mash temps and the cooler holds the temp with no loss. I used my HERMS alot in colder weather when it was easier to come in low on a mash temp or if I lost temp during the mash. But im a season brewer now. I hung up my boot straps a few years ago when I jumped to 20-24g. I'm able to fill kegs for winter now when 10g batches didn't cut it. A long time ago when the KC guys went to the Great Taste at the time the big topic of conversation for home brewers was 20-40 min conversion times. We talked this all the way there. So when we got back and knowing my system, I decided to do a 40min mash, 10min mash out thru the HERMS. Yes, it worked just fine. I was still happy with my product and mash eff. still averaged 85%. Never any lautering problems. So this has been my experience over the years. I know plenty of step mashers using RIMS and HERMS. They make a good product and I really enjoy their beers. But I dont think its any better than what Ive been producing with single infusions. So just find a technique that works for you and run with it. You will make something good. But in the end, I think techniques in the fermenter have way more impact on your beer than the issue at hand.