how to use a herms system

I was wondering if when using a herms system to brew do you just get your water to mash temp fill your tun and start recirculating or do you need to get to strike temp like normal to hit mash temp and proceed from there?

narl79 said:

I was wondering if when using a herms system to brew do you just get your water to mash temp fill your tun and start recirculating or do you need to get to strike temp like normal to hit mash temp and proceed from there?

Click to expand...

You still need to get to your strike temp as the cold grains would lower the temperature of the water.

The HERMS does help stabilize or ramp up temperatures, but not instantly.

I went to a HERMS system in March and have brewed on it twice so far. I am still adjusting my process, but here is what I've settle on for now.

I generally start my HLT heating a few min before my strike water. Then I heat my strike water to a temp that will have me 2-3 F below my target mash temp when I dough in. Once I dough in, I use my pump and recirculate through my HERMs coil in my HLT until I am at mash temp.

It definitely keeps me from overshooting my mash temp. Once I get to temp, I only have to recirc a few times during an hour mash to keep my temp. For big temperature jumps (like going to 165-8 for mash out) I also have the ability to direct fire my mash tun. Low heat under my mash tun plus recirculating through my HERMS set up, I can usually make a temp change of 10 F in less than 10 min. I try to keep the water in my HLT 5-7F above my target mash temp when I am recirculating.

Follow up question:

So do you drain your first runnings, prior to hitting your mash-out temp?

bxmiamin said:

Follow up question:

So do you drain your first runnings, prior to hitting your mash-out temp?

Click to expand...

No. Even if I'm batch sparging, I generally go to mash out temps first, since it's so easy to do, and then start the sparge process since the HLT water is at 168 as well as the grainbed.

Very true, I'll try that on my next brew. That brings me to another question for thought. If you grain bed is already at 168, and you have mashed out, do you even need to heat up your sparge water??

bxmiamin said:

Very true, I'll try that on my next brew. That brings me to another question for thought. If you grain bed is already at 168, and you have mashed out, do you even need to heat up your sparge water??

Click to expand...

No. But in order to get the grainbed to 168 via a HERMS, the water in the HLT would be at 168 or 170 anyway.