Brewing System Aronyms

[BeerBrewinWizard]

Since I am so busy I don't have much time to log on to the many brewing forms I appologize for jumping right in without much introduction; but here goes. I built a new larger (25 gal) three kettle expanable system over the last year with gas burners under each kettle, PID controls and march 809 pumps. I have been refering to it as a RIMS system even though it has no electric heat. I believe that since the acronym RIMS does not include any letter for the heat source it could be any type. I have been saying that it is a Direct Fired RIMS. After much brow beating over this I am thinking about jumping to a more defining acronym such as DFRIMS or DFMTRMS, but I sure hate to add more letters compounding the description issue. Also my phase 3 part of this build is to add a heat exchanger coil to the HLT then recirculate to the MLT. I need a simple identifying descriptor to use when I discuss it with other brewers? Thanks!

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Recirculating Infusion Mash System. The underlined inferring that the water is heated elsewhere and then infused into the mash.

You have a recirculating mash system. RMS.

 

[LandoLincoln]

I'm not sure why you need to differentiate between a gas or propane RIMS vs. an electric RIMS.

Your phase 3 would be moving to a HERMS system.

 

[LandoLincoln]

Recirculating Infusion Mash System. The underlined inferring that the water is heated elsewhere and then infused into the mash.

You have a recirculating mash system. RMS.

Infusion mashing is taking pre-heated water (usually from an HLT) and mixing that in with the grains in order to hit your target mash temp right away.

A mash tun that recirculates wort while being direct fired during the mashing process is still technically a RIMS system, provided that the mashing in was infusion mashed.

 

[day_trippr]

I second ^that^ notion.

I'd just go with "direct-fired RIMs" as it's the easiest to explanify...

Cheers! (surprised to find a beer brewin' wizard asking questions of mere mortals, but it's been that kind of day so far )

 

[TNugent]

Infusion mashing is taking pre-heated water (usually from an HLT) and mixing that in with the grains in order to hit your target mash temp right away.

A mash tun that recirculates wort while being direct fired during the mashing process is still technically a RIMS system, provided that the mashing in was infusion mashed.

So you're saying that you only infuse the mash with water once? But with a RIMS system you take the water out, heat it back up and then do what with it... inject it? insert it? return it? infuse it????? :fro:

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Infusion mashing is taking pre-heated water (usually from an HLT) and mixing that in with the grains in order to hit your target mash temp right away.

A mash tun that recirculates wort while being direct fired during the mashing process is still technically a RIMS system, provided that the mashing in was infusion mashed.

So you're saying that you only infuse the mash with water once? But with a RIMS system you take the water out, heat it back up and then do what with it... inject it? insert it? return it? infuse it????? :fro:

A typical RIMS is continually infusing from an external heat source.

You don't say heat exchanged infusion recirculatory mash system.

 

[jbaysurfer]

Recirculating Infusion Mash System. The underlined inferring that the water is heated elsewhere and then infused into the mash.

You have a recirculating mash system. RMS.

I technically consider my direct fired MT a RIMS because I pull the wort across a heat source, and then recirculated back to the top of the grainbed and through via a pump.

It's subtle, but the hot wort IS being "infused" back through the grainbed.

Edit, afterthought: I think you're putting a requirement onto the usage of the term (that the heatsource has to be external to the mash tun) that I have never considered a requirement...myself....

 

[LandoLincoln]

So you're saying that you only infuse the mash with water once? But with a RIMS system you take the water out, heat it back up and then do what with it... inject it? insert it? return it? infuse it????? :fro:

You've got your single infusion mash, which is taking the entirety of the strike water and adding it to the grains and you hold that temp for the duration of the mash.

You've got your step infusion mash, which is taking smaller amounts of strike water and heating it at various temps in order to bring the mash to different heating points.

In a RIMS system, you recirculate the wort in an effort to keep the mash temps stable and as a side benefit to thoroughly vorlauf the wort. Combine RIMS with fly sparging and you've got yourself some thoroughly clear wort going into your BK. Some people try to pseudo-step mash with RIMS and HERMS systems, but it's not really ideal.

I'm not the one that came up with these terms.

 

[LordUlrich]

I'd say it is a direct fired RIMS system. I don't buy that just because herms does not have an I that it is an infusion mash system.

 

[BeerBrewinWizard]

Thanks!. I have been brewing for over 40 years and up until I built this system my small scale brewing has been on my traditional keggle style rig with no heat under the MLT. The terminology has grown, changed and morphed in so many ways. I just wanted to be as acurate as I could be, so I figured feedback from peers who's minds have not been warped by ole school barn oil drum brewing like mine has been. So, "infusion" is operative word. I agree that infusion refers to adding something, so, since on this rig (mostly due to habit) I usually fill the HLT to heat the strike water then pump a measured amount to MLT for dough-in, so then it can be called a RIMS. However, I also have the option of heating the stike water in the MLT before dough in where it then morphs into a DFRMS. I would like to mention that I have a foundation below my false bottom screen of 4 gal so the grain does not set on the MLT bottom. Of course fines do leak through but are picked up by the pump and filtered back through the mash fairly quickly. I may not added the heat exchanger coil to the HLT until I experience scorching since I hate cutting holes more holes in my tuns. Thanks to everyone that replied. Cheers!