What is a Herms brew system?
A Heat Exchange Re-circulating Mash System or HERMS for short is a multi-vessel brewing system that utilizes a heat exchanger submerged in the systems hot liquor tank (HLT) to maintain the mash temperature. The wort is moved via a pump from the bottom of mash tun through the submerged heat exchanger in the HLT.
What is better Herms or RIMS?
The choice of one over the other is largely one of personal preference. HERMS uses fewer parts and less energy for most single-infusion mashes, but RIMS may come out ahead for brewers who routinely perform stepped temperature mash regimens.
What is a decoction mash?
A decoction mash is a step mash where a portion of grain is removed, boiled, and added back to the mash tun to increase the rest temperature to the next step. The most traditional is a triple decoction mash, where a decoction is boiled three times to achieve four different mash steps.
How long should Herms coil be?
We have found 8.2 meters (dotted line) to be the most efficient length.
Is decoction mashing worth it?
Decoction mashing is labor intensive and many homebrewers find it unnecessary. However, the flavor addition is undeniable and worth the effort for many beer styles.
What happens if you dont Sparge?
The “no-sparge” technique uses 20-25 percent more grain than a standard recipe. This produces a larger mash that can simply be drained to achieve your full boil volume.
What is a double decoction mash?
Double-decoction mash: The traditional double-decoction mash schedule is identical to the triple-decoction mash except that the acid rest and first decoction are skipped. The process begins with a boiling water infusion to bring the malt from its dough-in temperature directly to the protein rest (122 °F [50 °C]).
What is hop back in brewing?
A hop back is a device that is inserted in line as the beer is transferred and cooled from the hot boiler into the fermenter. The main purpose of a hop back is to transfer delicate hop oils and aromas that would otherwise be boiled off in the boiler.