Grain and Grape 50L HERMS System

Made up of 3 stainless pots with aluminium sandwich reinforced bases. Mash tun 50 litres, Hot liquor tank 70 litres, Kettle 70 litres. As you look at the picture, the Mash tun is on the left, HLT above in centre & kettle on right.

The Mash tun has a domed stainless false bottom in it and with a dial thermometer.

The hot liquor tank has a copper coil and a 3600 watt element with a thermostat in it.  A sight gauge is used to determine the volume in the pot, and a dial thermometer is included.  We have worked out that a 3600 watt element is required to increase the temperature of 50 litres of water by 1 degree per minute. A 3600 watt element requires a 15 amp power point. For most people a 15 amp point would have to be installed in their brewery area - costing about $150.

The alternative to this would be to use a gas burner with thermostat. For us to sell this it would have to be certified which would cost a fortune. If a brewer wants to do this themselves at home without certification that is up to them but for a business we would be doing something illegal & dangerous.

The kettle has a 23 jet Mongolian burner under it, producing 130 000 BTU.

All ball valves are stainless 2 piece with stainless washers, hosetails & nuts. Silicon "O" rings complete the "weldless ball valve kit". The element is also weldless as are the dial thermometer on the mash tun & the thermometer/sight gauge on the hot liquor tank.

Connections are with CPC Colder polysulphone Quick Disconnects - a food grade high temperature plastic - also great because you don't burn your fingers when connecting/disconnecting. Tubing is food grade silicon hose with stainless hose clamps.

A March pump drives the system. To control the temperature of a step mash, the pump recirculates wort from the mash tun through the copper coil in the HLT and returned to the mash tun by a copper ring just below the level of the liquid in the mash tun.  The heat transfer is controlled by the element in the HLT.  There is no appreciable amount of oxygen contact in the recirculating system, limiting hot side aeration.

When sparging the same hose & ring are moved onto the fitting at the bottom of the hot liquor tank. Sparging is a gravity feed operation and the mash liquid is pumped across to the kettle for boiling. Either fly sparging or batch sparging can be used.

An immersion chiller is included in the base system, however a counterflow or plate chiller can be used.

There are many options & we expect to almost always build "custom made" systems.  We are happy to talk through you system design and to sell all items separately.