agitator in kettel

[J&B]

Hi!

We are looking for a new brewhouse and in our quest of finding one we get some different proposals.

One thing I wonder about is that som manufaturers use agitators in the boil kettle. We plan on a 2 vessel system of about 10HL cast wort and plan mash and lauter in the same vessle and boil and Whirlpool in the other one. Steam jacketed.

Anyone can give me a good reason to actualy use agitators in the kettle? Seem to me like they would disturb the Whirlpool (recirculation through tangential inlet in the kettle).
One other question is if the steam jackets preferably should cover as much of the walls as possible or if bottom and just a short way up the wall would be sufficient?

best regards,
j&b

[nohandslance]

Kettle mixer.

Our system has the mixer in the kettle then pump over to lauter then back to kettle. With this you need a dedicated Whirlpool tank as you get almost no trub pile and lots of trub to heat exchanger. This system was designed for decoction and step methods. If you are using the mixer instead of the tangental whirlpool inlet get it above the bottom of the kettle. Not sure if there will be a disturbance (edddys) after you stop the blades to the trub cone.

Lance
Tonopah Brewing

[J&B]

That might be the reason since there is no heating jacket in the lauter tun. On the other hand there is noseperate whirlpool either. I've asked if the agitators are liftable but no answer yet. This is the first more professional system we are considering. We've built our own brewhouse before and we are no schooled brewers. Would anyone here mind having a look on the schematics and give us some guidance?
Best regards,
J&B

Our system has the mixer in the kettle then pump over to lauter then back to kettle. With this you need a dedicated Whirlpool tank as you get almost no trub pile and lots of trub to heat exchanger. This system was designed for decoction and step methods. If you are using the mixer instead of the tangental whirlpool inlet get it above the bottom of the kettle. Not sure if there will be a disturbance (edddys) after you stop the blades to the trub cone.

Lance
Tonopah Brewing

[dick murton]

If the heating jackets are on the wall only, there is a risk of the bottom layer below the jackets not being mixed in properly. A particular problem can arise if large quantities of whole leaf or, to a lesser extent, pellet hops are used as they are prone to simply sitting at the bottom, especially if added when the wort is not boiling vigorously. An even spread of heating jackets tends not to create good recirc currents, and so only part of the wort gets boiled. This problem is not restricted to small breweries. Steinecker used to have a problem with their kettles, so introduced stirrers.

An alternative is to use the casting pump to recirc back into the kettle, ideally taking out of the whirlpool inlet and back in the bottom rather than the other way round, though this does work.

Cheers