Is HERMs worth the effort ?

[Aleman]

and naturally I'm talking slow speeds just to get even heat distribution on doughing in.

I used a Paddle mixer for the first time on my NYD brew mash thoroughly mixed in 15 seconds, and no effort whatsoever. .

I'll have a bit of that T, what would you recommend speed wise.

I think It was around 300 rpm, which is what I had set the drill to run at for milling the grain. . . . with a 100mm plaster mixer . . . . Although by about 3PM I had got well and truly cheesed off and was hitting the mash with 1200 RPM :twisted: :twisted:

 

[tazuk]

my herms up and running now love it also its so easy step mash temps just press a button have a cuppa sit back chill out easy love it :thumb:

 

[Vossy1]

I think It was around 300 rpm, which is what I had set the drill to run at for milling the grain. . . . with a 100mm plaster mixer . . . . Although by about 3PM I had got well and truly cheesed off and was hitting the mash with 1200 RPM

:lol: ...thanks A :thumb:
Good to hear yours is up and running T :party:

 

[unclepumble]

with a small mash <200ltrs

Shane, you appear to be taking the ****!!!
Not many do >23ltrs.

Jim It should have read under 200 Ltrs not over

Shane

 

[evanvine]

Jim It should have read under 200 Ltrs not over

Happy New Year Shane! :thumb:

 

[IPA]

No one has mentioned mash efficiency when debating the pros and cons. I normally get 82% when using RIMS aka Speidel Braumeister. How does this compare with the alternatives?

 

[evanvine]

No one has mentioned mash efficiency

Do you not think this has more to do with your sparge?

 

[Wendy1971]

Weve never looked back on building our herms and thanks to jim who helped us i say go for it :thumb:

 

[evanvine]

Why thank you gracious lady!

 

[IPA]

Quote:
Do you not think this has more to do with your sparge?

With RIMS the mash is constantly being sparged for around 90 mins so not much need to sparge after mashing although I do sparge with a couple of litres at 78°

 

[The Goatreich]

All this RIM and HERMS talk is making me incredibly jealous!

 

[Springer]

Steady on Mr. Goat, stay cool............. You don't need it, but if you want it then get it,
When using HERMs you still need to brew properly and not get seduced by the lights.

The picture shows temp measurements being taken last time I was on my "HERMS worth it" horse. :) :lol:
Smug 66 on the herms out , STC monitoring tun out at 62 :shock: , wandering probe in mash showing 64 :) , (not allowing for instument measurment variations) :hmm: :lol:
Next time I brew I will time just how long it takes to get all temps to 66, but pumping at say 2 litres a min, to avoid a stuck mash not long may with a small mash, but with a big mash, a long time :? . By the time its right its sparge time. :lol:
I think this is my point really ok for small brews but for big uns, not as big as UP does then the jury is out.
S

 

[evanvine]

With RIMS the mash is constantly being sparged

Would you mind educating me, I don't think I understand! :wha:

 

[Springer]

I'm with you E, again my education may be sadly lacking, perhaps I don't understand RIMs, never mind HERMs. :lol: (Think I have got the measure of HERMs. )
S

 

[evanvine]

Thanks S, I thought thar RIMS was similar to the IC, but puts heat in! :wha:
Does RIMS not stand for "Recirculation Immersion Mash System"?

 

[Vossy1]

I suppose IPA could have meant recirculating instead of sparging, but sparging could also be correct. I've no idea if a mash ever reaches saturation point re sugars in solution, but if it doesn't then technically it's always sparging :hmm: however if a saturation point is reached then it's just recirculating. To me sparging means adding water so I'm with you guys :lol:

 

[Springer]

Wish I had never started this thread, :lol: ...........no its proper brew talk, which hopefully will help others make a choice.
I'm with you V, sparging means added water to get what is needed out of the grain. :?
RIMs to me is, is letting the wort contact the beer to heat it, but not scorch it. :cry:
Where's IPA to explain his view. :) (Thought you had lost the plot for a minute V, talking RIMs HERMs and IPA, "as I know it." :lol: )
S
P.S. will be referbing my Heat Exchanger this week. Might be usefull for proper use, providing water for temperature correction or washing bottles. :lol:

 

[evanvine]

then technically it's always sparging

Bloody hell JP, that's deep!!
Sparging to me is leeching the sugars out of the grain and into the boiler, or after all these years have I still got it wrong!
Thank goodness the Forum's here to put me back on track. :whistle:

 

[EskiBrew]

I'd agree that sparging is washing the grain by introducing fresh water after it has mashed.

I think the point of contention here is that if you mash in a HERMS or RIMS system using the full liquor volume throughout the mash then some would say that you do not need to sparge since the converted sugars will already be suspended in the wort. You simply need to remove the grain and let it drain.

The proposed advantage to that method is that it is simply not possible to extract tannins by "over sparging" - which is good :thumb:

I'd argue that while that is true, the brewhouse efficiency must suffer slightly and end up slightly lower than when compared to a correctly completed sparge step. I think though we are probably talking only a few percent and it could easily be allowed for by very slightly increasing the grain bill... (I do hate that term grain bill ).

Once upon a time - not so long ago - there were a number of people on THBF promoting the benefits of deliberately increasing the grain bill and then deliberately under sparging (i.e. stopping early) to avoid the possibility of tannin extraction - fully accepting that they would have to spend slightly more on grain but happy in the knowledge that they would get a better beer.

 

[evanvine]

You simply need to remove the grain and let it drain.

I hear what you say Martin, but wouldn't a significant amount of sugar be hung up in the grain?
The hell with wasting unnecessary Malt!!!