Temperature is Critical
As you may already know, temperature is critical to the mashing process. Here are a few suggestions to help better explain your options for controlling the mash temperature more precisely and easily. If you get confused and don’t know what option is best for your brewery setup, don’t worry.. you can always contact us directly with any additional questions you may have.
- HOT WATER INFUSION: the easiest and most common method, you will use hot water infusion to heat the mash (compatible with any type of system).
- With HERMS (Heat Exchange Recirculating Mash System): when you recirculate the mash wort out of the mash tun, through the coil which is in the heated hot liquor tank. The wort will come out of the coil at a temperature that is near the temperature of the hot liquor tank and it is directed back into the mash tun on top of the grains. >>ADVANTAGE: An advantage of HERMS is that you cannot heat the wort above the setting of the hot liquor tank, which will reduce the risk of overheating your wort and unnecessarily neutralizing enzymes.
- With RIMS (Recirculating Infusion Mash System): when you recirculate the mash wort out of the mash tun, through a RIMS tube which is in the heated by an electric element. The wort will come out of the RIMS tube and flow back into the mash tun on top of the grains. >>ADVANTAGE: An advantage of RIMS is that you do not have to make adjustments to your hot liquor tank in order to add heat to the mash tun. In general, you cannot get as much heat added to the mash tun with this method, compared to HERMS.
If you have a steam heated system, it is common to also have a steam heated mash tun. If you have a mash tun with rakes and plow, we will typically provide side jacketing so you can stir the mash while you add heat. If you do not have rakes, then we typically provide a steam jacket on the bottom of the mash tun so you can actively recirculate your wort while you add heat.
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