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Help me design decoction mash equipment

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  • Help me design decoction mash equipment

    I'm working on designing my own decoction capable brew house to be built by a brewery manufacturer that I have a good relationship with. It will be a two-vessel 10bbl steam brew house with an agitated mash/kettle vessel and a dedicated lauter tun with a flexible impeller pump transferring to transfer the mash. I'm designing the system to excel at step mashes and German brewing techniques. I'd like to make it decoction capable with the addition of separate stirred and heated vessel.

    I've never seen a decoction setup in person and attempts to find detailed information and photos on the web have been pretty unsuccessful. Does anyone have a decoction capable brewhouse that would be willing to share photos or explain how the equipment functions in detail. I understand how a decoction works in principle, its the finer design aspects I'm trying to nail down.

    Here are a few specific questions:
    -Where is the decoction port in the mash tun?
    -Does it pull from the sidewall or from the bottom?
    -Do you pull decoctions with the same pump that you transfer the mash to the lauter tun with?
    -It would be great to create a Y from the output of the pump to divert to either the lauter tun or decoction cooker. Thus using only one pump.
    -Does the decoction vessel need to be ventilated or can it have a closed dome?

    Any other comments are certain designs of decoction setups that you've found either indispensable or poorly designed?

    And for those who want to remind me decoctions are no longer necessary, I understand... but I'm fascinated by old-school German techniques and Greg Noonan's description of what else goes on in a decoction in New Brewing Lager Beer.

    Thanks for any input.
    -SPY
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