The shiney upgrade begins... (eventually!)

[alexe]

Just a lil hiccup then not a show stopper

Indeed, not a show stopper, just a small teething problem...

Can't wait to get the first brew on the go! Hopefully next weekend!

[Fuggled Mind]

Alex

Finally got around to seeing your nice shiny upgrade. What an awesome set-up, I am seriously impressed. Looks like it was worth all the effort Have you managed to christen it with a brew yet? Hope to see it in action at some point in the future.

Cheers

Jason

PS Will have to widen your old brew stand to be able to get it to take my equipment but that's on the cards for some time in Spring.

[alexe]

Finally did the first brew...

Post on the first brew here

Lessons learnt:
1) need to start heating the HLT much earlier...
2) need a temperature probe in the middle of mash tun, near the HERMS return. The probe in the side of the vessel is affected by the external temperature
3) the software still needs loads of work
4) heating the HLT to boiling to reduce carbonates leave the water to hot for mashing, need to optimise the process... (perhaps using the additional temperature to heat the heat exchanger water)
5) need a scoop to get the spent grains out of the mash-tun...

All-in-all, a very succesful brewday and I'm VERY pleased with my new brewery!

[setmash]

Lovely bit of kit thanks for sharing. Im currently planning my Herms system and wondered why you decided to go for a 'Nano' Herms i.e. heat exchanger out of the HLT ?

Thanks

[alexe]

There are two main considerations:
- The smaller the heat exchanger volume, the faster the response time when you change the temperature setpoint
- At the start of the brew the HLT should be at strike temp. (about 75 deg), and for sparging it should be at least 76 deg. If you use the HLT as a HERMS heat exchanger it should be at or slightly above the mash temp. (63 - 69deg). I don't think it is practical to have to adjust the temperature like that.

Using the 2 vessels makes it really easy to control the temperature of the hot liquor and the mash independently without too much difficulty. Also if you control the system with an Arduino board like I have you can interlock the two elements, so that only one is on at a time (the heat exchanger has priority) meaning you can run it off a standard plug socket.

Hope that helps...

Alex

[setmash]

Thanks yes i had considered both of those points. My thinking is if I use the HLT as a heat exchanger then there is no reason to have a strike temperature so high. I was planning on striking at say 70 degrees (so when add grain will settle at 62 ish degrees) then letting the Herms bring up the mash temp to 66 degrees as it will only take a few minutes. This is how the electric bre guys do it.

Regarding sparging - i was planning on bringing the HLT up from 66 degrees to 76 degrees (and the mash) and mashing out that way.

I would be interested to hear peoples thoughts on what is best, a Nano Herms or HLT Herms....controlling them is another factor

[akka lakka]

Very nice brewery you have made i really like the tap on your s/s f/v,I could do with one of those for my s/s f/v,could you post link please.

Cheers joe.

[alexe]

i really like the tap on your s/s f/v,I could do with one of those for my s/s f/v,could you post link please

I got it from my local homebrew shop (which unfortunately is in Switzerland) Here is the link

I suspect it is a Speidel part, so you may be able to get it from Brouwland.

[orlando]

4) heating the HLT to boiling to reduce carbonates leave the water to hot for mashing, need to optimise the process... (perhaps using the additional temperature to heat the heat exchanger water)

Don't. Use acid and salts to achieve this try here for advice.. There is a good explanation as to why boiling is inefficent and inaccurate.

[alexe]

Thanks for the advice (and the link) Orlando - that looks like a very useful reference!

[orlando]

Thanks for the advice (and the link) Orlando - that looks like a very useful reference!

You're welcome. Mash pH is one of those critical path processes, which if you get it wrong is just not recoverable from.

[akka lakka]

Thanks for tap info.

Cheers joe