Beer Feeds

So after a long while of doing research on the options I decided to get an Electric Turkey Fryer. I read a few threads on here about it and the consensus was it probably wasn’t going to work all that well. After considering those opinions, and seeing one at Walmart for around $100 I figured it would be worth it and would allow me to do full boils and get off the stove, and since the cost of just a pot wasn’t much cheaper than the fryer I gave it a try. Now, I’ve used it for few batches and I must say, it works well. Its convenient, pretty easy to use, not terribly difficult to clean, and puts out plenty of heat to boil approx 6 gal. Plus the digital settings giving you the option to set it at a certain temp and also to set a boil time are awesome. So for those of you out there that are considering going electric but aren’t sure if it could be this easy, DO IT, you’ll thank yourself later. Also, if you’d like more info about it at all (or just want to tell me I’m awesome ) feel free to PM me.

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Our 10g all grain club RIMS keeps clogging when recirculating the wort. Our club is building up an old brewery of one of our members. Technically, it’s a standard direct heat infussion mash system made from three half barrels on a two tier, triple burner stand. The mash tun is directly heated with propane from below. Since the mash tun is not insulated, we have to pump/recirculate pre-heated wort back through the mash in order the keep the mash temp up. We have a standard SS Sanke keg false bottom in the mash tun, and as needed we run the propane burner beneath to heat the wort (we know about the potential scorching problem here) and then pump it at a reduced output flow to a return manifold that hangs just above the grain bed.

Every time we brew, the pump stops pumping, and not due to mash in the lines…?? There are no air leaks in the lines. We typically mash at a ratio of about 1.2qts mash liquor to 1lb of grain, so not a very thick mash as all. We’ve been specifically avoiding adjuncts like oatmeal, flaked corn, rice, etc, yet the pump continues to clog/stop pumping when recirculating. We also fly sparge in the same mash tun and oddly enough, we do not have any problems with stuck sparges…?? Weird huh? We have a collection of very experienced brewers and we’re all kinda going: WTF??

One idea is to thin the mash further to float the bed just like with fly sparging. Another idea, and about the only thing in the system we have yet to change, is that perhaps our non-adjustable JSP Malt Mill is grinding too fine. We’re going to try my Barley Crusher at the next club brew session to see if that makes any difference.

My questions to all you RIMS owners out there are: Have you ever experienced problems like this while recirculating? How do you prevent clogging when recirculating?

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For a few years now I have done temperature control in my plastic fermenters using a stainless probe and one of those themomstats that control both the fridge and the heating element I put inside the fridge. It is nice to now that the temperature reading is taken from the center of the fermenting vessel but now I have problem. With my cheap… ish plastic fermenter it was no sweat to drill an extra hole in it for the probe but I just received my stainless fermenter and I want to make sure that it really is necesarry to get that probe in there before I drill a hole in it.
I do realize that they make rubber stoppers with two holes, one for the airlock and one for the probe. I am strickly a blow-off tube user though.
Would it be just as effective just to maintain the temperature in the fermenting fridge or is it really necesarry to get in the vessel to get a accurate enough reading.

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First time brewing this receipe… followed Jamil’s Podcast recommendation literally to a “T”…

Mashed 90 Minutes at 146F (using my electric HERMS), MT thermowell was reading 145.6 spot on for the whole 90 minutes. hit my OG spot on 1.061. Everything went really well and I expected yet another fantastic Jamil receipe.

Ran a 1L starter on a stir plate 24 hours in advance. Fermentation began in less then 8 hours.

I started fermentation at 65 degrees for 2 days and then slowly ramped to 80 degrees (by day 7) as instructed to get the FG ~1.008. On day 7 of primary fermentation, needless to say, I was shocked when I read 1.032 !!! What the heck? Either this yeast is not healthy or there aren’t enough fermentables? However, since I hit my OG, I would assume conversion was complete?

At this point, I am starting a small starter of 1056 to see if I can finish it off…

Suggestions?

Batch Size (Gal): 6.00 Wort Size (Gal): 6.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 11.63
Anticipated OG: 1.060 Plato: 14.82
Anticipated SRM: 4.6
Anticipated IBU: 39.8
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80 %
Wort Boil Time: 90 Minutesh

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
—————————————————————————–
77.4 9.00 lbs. Pilsener Belgium 1.037 2
6.5 0.75 lbs. Wheat Malt Germany 1.039 2
6.5 0.75 lbs. Munich Malt Belgium 1.038 8
1.1 0.13 lbs. CaraMunich 60 France 1.034 60
8.6 1.00 lbs. Cane Sugar Generic 1.046 0

Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
—————————————————————————–
1.70 oz. Hallertauer Tradition Pellet 6.00 39.8 60 min.
0.75 oz. Hallertauer Tradition Pellet 6.00 0.0 0 min.

Extras

Amount Name Type Time
————————————————————————–
1.00 Oz Irish Moss Fining 15 Min.(boil)

Yeast
—–

Wyeast 3724 Belgian Saison

Mash Schedule
————-

Mash Type: Multi Step

Acid Rest Temp : 0 Time: 0
Protein Rest Temp : 131 Time: 30
Intermediate Rest Temp : 0 Time: 0
Saccharification Rest Temp : 146 Time: 90
Mash-out Rest Temp : 170 Time: 20
Sparge Temp : 170 Time: 40

Total Mash Volume Gal: 5.40

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