Questions about EBIAB mash recirculation

[LemonJelly]

I'm planning a brewday with my newly built EBIAB system. I have a fews questions about mash recirculation. I will be using a PID controller to control the mash temps and have a chugger pump with a ball valve on the outlet side to adjust the outflow speed.

1. What should the mash water flow rate be? slower the better? Should I try to keep a couple inches of water above the grain bed?

2. Should the return hose be in or above the mash bed. Should I worry about channeling or disturbing the grain bed?

3. Will I need to worry about sparging? Previously doing BIAB, I've used the dunk sparge to get a few extra gravity points.

4. With a PID controller, should my strike temp be the same as the mash temp? I was assuming it will drop the temperature of water once I mash in but adjust itself to the proper mash temp after recirculating the water for a little bit.

 

[schiersteinbrewing]

I'm planning a brewday with my newly built EBIAB system. I have a fews questions about mash recirculation. I will be using a PID controller to control the mash temps and have a chugger pump with a ball valve on the outlet side to adjust the outflow speed.

1. What should the mash water flow rate be? slower the better? Should I try to keep a couple inches of water above the grain bed?

2. Should the return hose be in or above the mash bed. Should I worry about channeling or disturbing the grain bed?

3. Will I need to worry about sparging? Previously doing BIAB, I've used the dunk sparge to get a few extra gravity points.

4. With a PID controller, should my strike temp be the same as the mash temp? I was assuming it will drop the temperature of water once I mash in but adjust itself to the proper mash temp after recirculating the water for a little bit.

1. Fast enough to not get a stuck mash and dry fire your element and have your kettle over flow. This thread has some info on flow rate/grain crush and baskets/bags/false bottoms https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=543873

2. I've run it both ways in the mash and on top. Each has their advantages/disadvantages. I'd say its mostly personal preference.

3. Sparging never hurts you'll get a few extra points. I only sparge if I don't have enough kettle volume to handle the grains and water required or its a massive grain bill. Normally I just squeeze the heck out of the bag.

4. I still use a strike temp calculator with my PID systems. I do error on the low side as its easier to raise the temp rather than lower it. However you can just set it to the mash temp and let it bring the temp back up after mash in, I've done it this way several times.

Welcome to EBIAB.

 

[hafmpty]

I'm planning a brewday with my newly built EBIAB system. I have a fews questions about mash recirculation. I will be using a PID controller to control the mash temps and have a chugger pump with a ball valve on the outlet side to adjust the outflow speed.

1. What should the mash water flow rate be? slower the better? Should I try to keep a couple inches of water above the grain bed?

2. Should the return hose be in or above the mash bed. Should I worry about channeling or disturbing the grain bed?

3. Will I need to worry about sparging? Previously doing BIAB, I've used the dunk sparge to get a few extra gravity points.

4. With a PID controller, should my strike temp be the same as the mash temp? I was assuming it will drop the temperature of water once I mash in but adjust itself to the proper mash temp after recirculating the water for a little bit.

1. I recirculate as fast as I can without creating suction or pulling wort so fast that there is no wort under the grain bed. This is to ensure temperature uniformity throughout the mash. Too slow and you're guaranteed spots that are colder than others. Crushing loosely will help with this. 045-.055 is a good place to start with your mill.

2. I don't know if it matters too much. There are a lot of guys that get that swirling action going. I use a recirculation arm that sits above the mash bed. It has multiple outlets that drain down into various areas of the mash. As for channeling...I will stir my mash 3-5 times. This does a couple things. First I get a bit better efficiency. Second I avoid any channeling that might occur. Disrupting the gain bed isn't a big deal. You're going to disrupt it when you pull the bag anyway.

3. Try a few different ways to test your results. No sparge no mash out. No sparge with mash out. Sparge with no mash out. Sparge with mash out. See what each method gives you. For me...I raise my temp up to 168F and immediately pull my basket (I use a stainless mesh basket instead of a bag) and I get a few extra percentage points of efficiency.

4. It will drop. I keep my strike water the same as my mash temp only because I've forgotten too many times to reduce my set point on my PID so I end up mashing too high. If you're not an idiot like me...setting your strike temp a few degrees higher will mean less time waiting for the entire mash to be brought up to your mash temp.

Enjoy the process and have fun!

 

[TexasWine]

Good advice from these two. I'll add a little commentary.

2. For me the jury is currently out on this one. I just did my first low dissolved oxygen brew day. Having your wort return above the liquid level would be a no-no with that approach. But, I like I said, jury is still out. Beer is currently fermenting. If it creates the most amazing beer I've ever had, my advice would be return under the liquid level.

4. I always advise for folks to calculate their strike temp and hit their first rest temp spot on, every time. The reason is consistency. If you set it to mash temp and then drop in the grains, your mash temp for the first 15 minutes or so is going to be entirely dependent on the grain temp, which for a lot of folks changes with the seasons. This weekend my grain was 90F at dough in. I had to adjust my strike temp down to account for that. In the winter time that would never happen.

Hope this helps.

 

[LemonJelly]

Awesome, thank you guys for the info! Much appreciated. I can't wait to try this new system out this weekend.