How To Brew All Grain Beer on a R I M S System

[@jwp09]

This is one of the best homemade brewing process videos I've been able to find. Thanks

[@BLRANCH0300]

That bottom fill into the mlt is perfect.

[@cfs1979]

Excellent video. No annoying music running endlessly in background.

[@IndyBlueprintsDotCom]

Thanks!

[@TwelveFrames]

Really appreciate the step by step explanation of how your RIMS system works.

[@tomdasto]

I just bought a homemade system with RIMS included and needed some idea of how to do the brewing steps. Thanks. I knew you were on the right track when I saw the PU sweater! BSME '88.

[@poconotopia]

Impressive! Thank you for sharing a tons of information from your brew day. Nice setup!!!

[@brandonrodriguez3453]

Honestly... I am shocked on how amazing this video came out! I have been searching foe a video like this one. i am currently in the process of putting together my own rims brewing system, i have also decided to take the next big step from extract to all grain and all my questions were answered in this video. keep up the great work Cheers, Brandon (Miami, Fl)

[@IndyBlueprintsDotCom]

Brandon Rodriguez Thanks Brandon. I'm glad you found it helpful. I've since upgraded my equipment to (2) 15 gallon pots and a 20 gallon brew kettle. I should make an updated video!

[@brandonrodriguez3453]

you really should, and i would love to watch more home brewing videos from you in general. cant wait to see your next video

[@johnfix9961]

Outstanding video! I’ve run into off tastes with my pale ales and IPAs with my Blichmann system. You video was a big help with the water conditioning and mashing process. Thanks for taking your time to prepare this!

[@tman9338]

Great color on your IPA. Estimated cost to build your RIMS system?? I’m still doing 20G batches with coolers and batch sparging.

[@fcbayern964]

what is the name of that cooling unit you use? I would love to read more about it.

[@goldgulfcoastdesignericsho8628]

Great setup! I'm still not using RIMS will soon. great information. Cheers

[@countryboycharlie9793]

I’m new at this is the set up I’m working on using SPIKE BREWING KETTLE’s ...keep u the great videos 👍👍

[@brianbeaudry4351]

That calculation you did at 16:33 just blew my mind. Where did you learn that? I get zero results googling for "gravity unity constant". Where can I read more about that?

[@buntn23]

Have you sent in Primo water samples multiple times to see if they test the same? I'd imagine, based on their process that they show on their website, that their levels should remain steady, but I'm just curious if you have done that.

[@TheDuffman6582]

Have you noticed any issues with running boiling wort through the thrumometer? Like accuracy being off

[@TheDuffman6582]

Would you mind sharing your design for the brew stand? This video has inspired me to start brewing with a rims system and I’m slowly gathering up all the parts and pieces needed. Cheers!!

[@allenbrown9062]

Send me your email address & I'll send you the plans.

[@allenbrown9062]

@@TheDuffman6582 email sent.

[@smgri]

I had one more question if I could...my RIMS power cable has for 4 male connectors coming out ....shaped like a " U" on top , two parallel blades on the sides , and an "L" shape on bottom ....my dryer outlet however has an "I" on top and two slanted "I" shapes on the sides...I guess the old school way . Did you come across this problem ? Is there an adapter do you know to overcome that issue ? THanks...love this video ...I have watched it a lot ! - Scott

[@Franc1959]

Nice video. Clear explanations. Question: when mashing with a RIMS do you need to stir the mash or you just rely on the recirculation of the wort to efficiently extract the sugars? Thank you.

[@smgri]

can you explain something...ok i get the circulation theory,,,so say we are at the end of re-circulation . what exactly is the procedure from there ....because you don't want to burn out element or pump by no wort ...but at same time you dont want to leave a bunch of wort in RIMS tube and hosing . I know it is obvious but what exactly do you do to end the re-circulation ? Thanks...great video

[@IndyBlueprintsDotCom]

Good questions. Here's what I do; Once the mash re-circulation is done I shut off the heating element and the pump. At this point I have about 6 gallons of 168-170ºF water in my Strike Water Kettle (AKA Hot Liquor Tank = HLT). I then change the hoses so that I have my hot water going from bottom of HLT into pump 1, then out of pump into top of my Mash / Lauter Tum (MLT). I then have a hose coming out the bottom of my MLT into pump #2, then out of pump #2 into my Brew Kettle. I then turn both pumps on and throttle back both pumps by about 75%, so that it takes about 30-40 minutes to fill my Brew Kettle. In this setup I have bypassed the RIMS tube. I also keep a 1 gallon pitcher on hand to capture any wort that is in the hoses as I disonnect and relocate them, so I don't waste any. Make sense?

[@smgri]

yup...i had to draw it out and look at it for a while but now I see what you are saying . I think ill write out a diagram and write down your steps so I dont make a mistake ,,,but now I see what you are saying ..thanks man !!. But here is another question...when you shut off the pump and heat..does the residual heat off the element boil off that standing wort in the tube....I never used one so I am not sure how long they take to cool down . But thank you so much...I was banging my head on how guys did this . I have a single tier 3 keggle system and it makes sense when you explain it and i look at the system . I have a question on your MT...how does your keggle hold the heat as far as mashing ? I used reflectix foil double wrapped but i still lose heat over an hour ...have you learned that the RIMS tube will do the job or do you need to insulate it too ?

[@OldNorsebrewery]

Nice brew system. Cheers

[@BenMargolius]

Quick question: Where did you get that brew table? Looks pretty kick-ass!

[@IndyBlueprintsDotCom]

Benjamin Margolius I designed it, bought the metal, a friend of mine welded it, then I had it powder coated.

[@IndyBlueprintsDotCom]

I designed it, bought the metal, a friend welded it, then I had it powder coated.

[@jzippel]

Good stuff man, well done!

[@jhonmage6530]

Den var virkelig god. Jeg er Dansker

[@mikedickinson9730]

Great vid. Where did you get you fittings for your rims heater? What size is the tube in diameter?

[@IndyBlueprintsDotCom]

I believe the fittings were 1-1/4" Stainless steel. I got them from a specialty pipe supply company in downtown Indianapolis. I would suggest going to a "big-box" hardware store, buying the water heater element and determine what size threads it has. Then you can order the right size fittings. Definitely go stainless, don't go cheap.

[@IndyBlueprintsDotCom]

I believe it's 1-1/4" pipe and fittings. The best thing to do is to go to a big box store and buy the water heater element first. Then go to the pipe & fittings section and figure out what fittings & pipe size and length you need. Then go to a specialty pipe supplier to get all stainless. I got mine from an industrial pipe supplier in Downtown Indianapolis..

[@mikedickinson9730]

IndyBlueprintsDotCom Sounds good! I just ordered 1 1/2” fittings I hope they are big enough. How about the controller?

[@IndyBlueprintsDotCom]

I made the controller. I got most of the parts (box, switches, etc.) from Radio Shack. I got the PID, SSR, & temp sensor from Auberins.com. You can see my wiring diagram here: www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/wiring-diagram-reality-check-for-pid.592782/ Go to the last post.

[@mikedickinson9730]

IndyBlueprintsDotCom Awesome! Thanks for the info. I’m wondering if it be cheaper just to buy an already made one? What’s your thoughts?

[@nosniakili2847]

how much is your heating element wattage?

[@SamoesADIY]

very nice.

[@michaeljames3509]

When water at 170F is added to mash a type of starch is released. The starch is complex starch named amylo-pectin. The starch is heat resistant and it begins to rupture at 169F. The issue that high temperature causes is called starch carry over. Starch carry over occurs when the enzyme that releases limit dextrin from the starch becomes denatured at temperature lower than 170F. Although, some of the starch will end up in the bottle which causes gel to form due to pectin, not all of it ends up in the bottle. The gel doesn't become noticeable because home brew is piped into the belly while it is still green. The starch is noticeable in the spent mash. Actually, when the spent mash and starch are thrown out, it was money that was thrown out. The best part is that somehow ale was produced without the starch necessary for producing ale. If you are using high modified malt you'll need to add enzymes because high modified malt lacks enzymes required to produce ale. The temperature which activates the enzyme will need to be used. At 152F Beta denatured rapidly and conversion was curtailed. Since, conversion did not occur the wort lacks complex types of sugar called maltose and maltotriose and ale requires the types of sugar to be called ale. Due to the wort being sugar imbalanced second fermentation is not required. The sugar solution created from single infusion brewing is mainly made from simple sugar called glucose and non-fermenting, sweet tasting types of sugar and yeast loves glucose. So, after primary fermentation ends the yeast drops out until priming sugar is added and fermentation begins and the liquid carbonates. However, if the liquid contained the sugar required to make ale second fermentation is needed because during second fermentation another type of conversion takes place. During that time yeast absorb maltose and within yeast is an enzyme which changes the complex sugar into simple sugar. The sugar is expelled through the cell wall and it becomes fuel and gravity reduces during the cycle. After second fermentation ends the beer is placed into a sealed vessel and yeast changes maltotriose into simple sugar which becomes fuel used for natural carbonation. Priming and gas injection creates soda pop fizz and bubble that fade quickly. The issue with home made beer is that it deteriorates before it reaches the natural carbonation stage because the wort is not only sugar imbalanced it is chemically imbalanced and the imbalances cause the final product to be unstable. You will be better off using syrup because it has twice the sugar content in it than in the liquid that you produced. The method that you use is a testing procedure used in the malt house and it is used in the grain distilling industry. It never was used to brew ale and lager with. Home brew syrup is the by-product from three tests performed on malt and the syrup is known as bakers malt. When the syrup is in a homebrew shop it becomes brewers malt. During the test, three bags of malt are tested each bag at a single temperature. The temperatures that are used during the test are 145, 153 and 155F. It appears that someone knew how starch was tested and used the knowledge for convincing people that 1/3 of a testing procedure and the temperatures used to test malt will produce ale. The liquid produced during the demonstration is known outside the home brew world as moon shiners beer. The liquid is the lowest grade of liquid that can be drawn from malt. In the quality category, the beer fits in slightly above jailhouse brew and a couple of steps below malt liquor. The liquid was produced during prohibition because only moon shiners were left producing grain alcohol. The temperature that is used during the grain distillation rest period is 150F because the temperature releases more glucose and less non-fermenting, sweet types of sugar. If high octane is the goal soak the malt at 150F, after 20 minutes perform a starch test. If starch is present after 20 minutes wait another 10 minutes and retest. If starch is present after 30 minutes don't buy the malt again. Oh yeah, I forgot, a piece of paper comes with each bag of malt, a spec sheet. The sheet exists because malt is tested and on the sheet are a bunch of numbers listed in three columns, next to the columns are words such as Kolback, there are acronyms such as SNR, there's a whole bunch of stuff on the sheet that has to do with brewing ale and home brewers have no idea the sheet exists. Malt is very inconsistent and the sheet is used by a brewer to determine if the malt is brewers grade malt before purchasing it. Since, a single temperature method was used the malt is probably distillers grade malt. Brewers grade malt is about two to three times more expensive than home brew malt. If you want to make ale use Weyermann pils floor malt it is slightly under modified. Don't soak the malt at a single temperature, the malt will be ruined. If you want to continue to produce single infusion moon shiners beer use marris otter. Marris otter, halcyon and golden promise are malt that is intended to make whiskey with. To make real ale with the malt enzymes would need to be added. A malthouse is producing low protein marris otter which means there is a lot of sugar in it, use that stuff. Add some sour malt and forget about chemicals. You are light years away from screwing with chemicals and yeast, although, you probably don't believe that you are. You will need to learn the decoction method if you are going to produce ale regardless of what home brew literature says about the method. The reason being, Mother Nature can careless about strike and target temperature when it comes to producing ale.

[@IndyBlueprintsDotCom]

Really??? I've been brewing beer and making wine for 25 years. and I have multiple medals and trophies from both US and International competitions. You can talk a good story, but I can make world class beers & wines.

[@robinmunkittrick4569]

Love your setup. But aren't the ball valves a PITA to clean?

[@IndyBlueprintsDotCom]

Robin Munkittrick Not really. After I'm done I fill all the kettles with warm water and PBW and circulate for a couple of hours.

[@robinmunkittrick4569]

IndyBlueprintsDotCom sounds reasonable. But what about the dead space? I have to take mine apart once a month. Thinking about getting butterfly valves. Greetings from Germany!

[@IndyBlueprintsDotCom]

I open & close the ball valves a couple of times while they are circulating. I rarely take them apart, never had a problem.

[@IndyBlueprintsDotCom]

And Prost!!

[@smgri]

just curious ....i recently finished up brewing school and it seems like you really know a lot of stuff llke gravity units for instance and other calculations ...did you get formal training ?

[@IndyBlueprintsDotCom]

Nope. I just scour the web and different sources for information that will help in my brewing!

[@smgri]

good for you man...you have a good grasp of it for sure ! You know if you want a great book which is what we used as a text is Ray Daniels- Designing Great Beers....really great for understanding the science . I just set up my RIMS system and i had it how you had it set it up..horizontal . But when I added my viewing port I noticed that there was a good amount of the coil exposed ..almost half due to an air pocket . Then i mounted it vertical and mounted the view port 90 degrees....that way i knew at bare minimum at least the coil was always submerged . But great video...i have watched it a bunch of times to understand how you made it work . Thanks for run down ! Cheers!!!

[@froththegrothy]

great vid mate, thanks

[@christianmenjivar5823]

where do you get your grain from????

[@michaeljames3509]

Amylo-pectin is complex starch and it is heat resistant. The starch "bursts" and enters into solution at 169F. During mash out at 170F amylo-pectin entered into solution, enzymes denatured and a negative impact called starch carry over occurs. The term is foreign in books written about producing home made style beer. Amylo-pectin is located at the tips of the kernel. Mash out is used in the decoction method where mash is boiled which causes amylo-pectin to enter into solution, rapidly. When the decoction is added back into the main mash Alpha changes gears and it releases limit dextrin from the starch. Amylo-pectin is responsible for body. The types of sugar released from the starch are called A limit and B limit dextrin. The enzymatic action is called dextrinization. Since the starch contains pectin the mash jells, the term is called gelatinization. Both actions occurred at the wrong time during the procedure. There are five functions of enzymatic action which has to occur to produce ale. Only two occurred during the procedure, liquefaction and saccharification and it takes more than Alpha and glucose to produce ale. The actions are liquefaction, saccharification, conversion, gelatinization and dextrinization. When the spent mash is tossed into the compost pile, bugs and birds eat the complex starch. Basically, they are eating money, more importantly, they are eating the starch that produces Ale and Lager. Be aware that at 1070 gravity and above yeast has a habit of skipping reproduction. Long recirculation period when extract is recirculated through the grain bed causes a type of over sparge which leads the brewer to believe that high efficiency occurred. Extract efficiency is indicated on a spec sheet for malt and in a Laboratory 80% is possible. Home brewers achieve much higher efficiency due to carry over gunk in the test sample. A hydrometer floats on gunk. When the gunk drops out during fermentation the hydrometer sinks which creates a false reading. Do not assume that 5.2, 5.4 pH are spot on. Enzymes operate at various pH levels and pH is adjusted to match the enzyme being activated during a certain part of the brewing procedure. Treat the mash not the brewing water and allow Mother Nature to establish pH because malt is inherently acidic, usually 5.5 to 5.8pH depending on the type of malt. Black malt is much lower in pH and should be added after mash pH settles down. Mash pH must be adjusted before enzymatic action begins. It is not a bad idea to obtain the spec sheet for the malt that you intend to purchase before purchasing the malt and learn why the numbers on the sheet apply to brewing Ale. A spec sheet accompanies every sack of malt, however, the sheet is never mentioned in home brew books. When malt is tested the sheet is produced. It is used by a brewmaster to determine if the malt will be purchased. Do not believe that modern, high modified malt is good stuff for producing ale. Single temperature, single rest period indicates that only one enzyme is in the malt strong enough to cause something to take place and the enzyme is Alpha. Conversion did not occur even if the malt contained Beta. The temperature was too high and the enzyme denatured. Single infusion, single temperature is a method used for testing malt because it is very consistent. The temperature that malt is tested at are 145F, 153F and 155F. The temperatures found their way into home made beer recipes. The test is for 20 minutes and it is noted on the spec sheet. Waiting an hour because instructions in home made beer literature directs a brewer to do so, is an insurance plan to ensure that the starch converts to sugar which is nonsense. Starch doesn't convert to sugar, it is a poly-saccharide, the sugar is encased in starch to protect it. The correct term is mash conversion. Beta is the converter, it converts glucose released by alpha during the time when amylose is liquefied converting it into complex types of sugar which are needed to produce ale. The types of sugar are maltose and maltotriose. Since home made wort does not contain complex sugar necessary for producing Ale secondary fermentation is not required. However, to produce Ale it must occur. Since yeast cannot "eat" complex starch another conversion occurs during secondary fermentation. Yeast absorbs the disaccharide, maltose, through the cell wall and an enzyme within yeast converts maltose into glucose which is expelled back through the cell wall and the sugar becomes fuel and gravity reduces. The same enzymatic action takes place with maltotriose during the long aging cycle and natural carbonation occurs. Ale and Lager properly brewed requires no priming sugar or CO2 injection. Mother Nature does a much finer job. The issue with home made style beer is that it deteriorates rapidly due to being sugar imbalanced and loaded with protein gum, beta glucan and mud before it can age out. For that reason the liquid goes from boiler to belly in six weeks or so and to mask the imbalances loads of hops are added. There is science involved in brewing Ale and Lager and home brew books only scratch the surface and it and it is twisted up. I'm not sure why dry wall was mixed in. A brewmaster tells no one what he does with brewing water, he would lose his job. Chemicals are used during testing procedures which can be found in abstracts from the IOB and just like the temperatures used by home brewers, chemicals moved into the brewing process, as well. Use soft water and add nothing. Learn about the decoction method. Only home brew books claim it is an archaic, antiquated, method used back in the day because malt back in the day was inferior to modern malt. A time frame isn't mentioned when malt was inferior. If Mother Nature doesn't place the stuff needed to produce ale in the malt, no method will cause creation of the missing stuff. When the stuff is missing enzymes are added and there are several types of enzymes which are produced. The stories about modern malt and the decoction method are false. The stories are used to convince people that anyone can produce ale by soaking grain, closer in quality to distillers malt, in hot water for an hour at a red line temperature and magically, ale is produced. The liquid produced during the procedure is closer to distillers wash. The slang for the liquid is moonshiners beer. Grain distillers employ single infusion, single temperature because it is fast. The rest temperature is 150F. Malt liquor is produced with a more complex brewing procedure.

[@IndyBlueprintsDotCom]

So, knowing all that, what would be your ideal mash schedule, with times, temps, and methods?

[@newgurus]

What model dudadiesel 30 plate chiller is it?

[@jzippel]

Go on OBK (ontariobeerkegs) website. They have a generic 30 plate chiller that works great

[@BigDawgTheGreat]

What temp do you fly sparge at?

[@IndyBlueprintsDotCom]

Depends on the beer style. IPA's around 148-152. A nice sweet milk stout around 156.

[@BigDawgTheGreat]

Thanks, I am trying to figure out my process on a 1.135 RIS... I will have RIMs that I plan on using for the first time, but am leaning towards fly sparge and plan for a long boil to try and hit my numbers... well I know I will miss my numbers regardless, but I'd like to be as close as possible.

[@IndyBlueprintsDotCom]

On an RIS, I'd mash at 150-152ºF. That will yield wort with a moderate to high degree of fermentability, and rely on the high OG to ensure it will still finish at a fairly high final gravity (FG) and be full-bodied.

[@IndyBlueprintsDotCom]

Disregard my previous answer! I was listing mash temps, not fly sparge temps. For mashout, I bump my RIMS up to 168º F, and heat my water in my hot liquor tank to 168, regardless of beer style.

[@stringfellowlocke2214]

Willamette rhymes with damnit, BTW.

[@grahambunton377]

I am a homebrewer. I brew my own beer in 23 litre batches from a kit, so I’m not a PROPER brewer. Until I grow my own hops. Until I harvest my own barley and malt it. Until I buy a $5000+ stainless steel brewing system with WiFi - I will just be playing at brewing. But in the meantime I will go down to my local homebrew shop and choose from the 180+ different beer kits and ferment it in my plastic bucket. Then after a few weeks I will sit down with a foaming brew and count the $5000 I saved. CHEERS SUCKERS !!!