Somebody in one of my clubs has this thing and isn’t getting very good efficiency. To me the design screams channeling, but at $475 I don’t want to poop on it.
Poop away! I agree with you. I’ve never heard/seen an internal sparge/recirc.
It looks like the “central infusion tube” is only used during the mash. Channeling during re-circulation of the mash shouldn’t cause efficiency issues should it? Channeling during fly sparging would be a different story.
Channeling can be a problem if the grain is added dry. Water always takes the path of least resistance.
I basically picture the water blasting a path through the grain and draining down the side. If the water is strong enough to get to the edges, it’s strong enough to cut a tube. Just seems weird to me
From the pictures on the website, it looks like the entirety of the grain is to be fully submerged.
Would a similar cage with wort removed through false bottom and then pumped back in via a common recirculating port work better? Just curious. Seems like a fairly simple design.
Edited to fix grammar.
I don’t think so as it would still create channels out to the edge where the wort can drop without significant grain contact.
I’ll need to see this thing in use at some point.
Any stirring? even with a recirculating system you need to mix the mash at dough in. I’m picturing a giant teabag of grain being lowered into the water and turning into a giant dough ball.
13 minutes into this video the COFI with dry grains already in it is added to the kettle. There is no stirring.
Stirring, both to break up dough balls and to even out the temperature, seems like it would be a good idea. It’s definitely required on my (non-recirculating) system.
I think its a bit too Rube Goldberg. I use an 8 or 15 gallon pot for a mash tun. It has a false bottom. I consider it batch sparging but with the ability to recirculate so I can heat with direct fire, and since the pump is there its also power vorlauf. I dont care about channeling because its batch sparging. The recirculation is only to prevent scorching and to set the grain bed during vorlauf. This gadget seems to be an elaborate expensive version of what I do. In the photo where its empty, the water is spraying every which way. Once grain is added that center tube will be fingered like a clarinet by the grain and the water will follow the path of least resistance. Seems like anyway…
This is a solution in search of a problem.
I know nothing about these systems. I batch sparge with a cooler. I do find the level of entrepreneurialism in brewing very interesting. I like reading about these things even though I am cheap and would likely never buy one.
Yeah buddy. +100,000
Same here. It’s cool to see how far homebrewing has come, but I just like the simplicity (and cost) of mashing in a cooler. I did bling my cooler out with a Bargain Fittings valve, though. ;D
It does seem like a recipe for dry grain pockets and channeling to me but I’ve not seen the idea before.
The most bling my mash cooler has beyond the quarter turn valve is the Zymergy sticker I slapped on the side.
Paul