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How to Hook Up Brewing System Hoses
Making beer isn't rocket science, but it does require a bit of knowledge about the brewing process as well as a bit of familiarity with specialized equipment. A question we sometimes receive from our customers is, "how are hoses hooked up for mashing, whirlpooling, and chilling?" We've covered this in a ton of our videos on how to make beer, but we've never done a specific tutorial on it....until now. Here's how transfer hoses are configured with a pump, chiller, and a whirlpool arm when completing these tasks.
Mashing Configuration
When mashing grains during the beer-making process, your goal is to maintain a steady temperature. This is bed done by circulating wort through the grain bed to evenly distribute heat. Doing so will ensure that enzyme activity is consistent, producing a beer with the gravity and consistency you were looking for.
Setting up for mashing is very easy. Simply run a hose out of the kettle output and attach the other end of that hose to the input port of a pump, which typically on the end of a pump. Attach another hose to the side of the pump, which is the pump output, and connect the other end of that to the input on the brewing system. On the Clawhammer system, it's the port on the lid.
Pro Tips
- Before making final connection to the spray valve on the lid, run a bit of liquid through the pump by turning it on and off a few times until there is a steady flow. This will prime the pump. After completing the priming process, make the connection to the lid.
- If you wish to reduce the flow of liquid through the system, always do so by closing a valve located after the pump, never before. Closing a valve before the pump will cause what is known as cavitation and increase wear and tear.
Configuration for Chilling
The configuration for chilling is similar to mashing. With the addition of one extra hose and a chiller. The diagram below assumes you're using a plate chiller, but a counterflow chiller could be used as well.
To set up hoses for chilling, run a hose between the kettle out and the pump in, run a second hose between the pump out and the wort chiller in, and run final hose from the wort chiller out to the kettle in. Wort doesn't need to be sprayed VIA a spray valve and can be directed straight into the kettle.
Of course, you'll need to hook up a ground water supply hose and a drain hose as well. The connections for these hoses are typically set up to accept garden hose. Assuming that's how your chiller is configured, run a hose from a hose bib to the chiller water in port. run another hose from the chiller water out port to wherever you wish to drain the water.
Configuration for Transferring
Once chilling is complete, transfer to a fermenter by simply taking the terminal end of the hose out of the kettle and putting it into the fermenter of your choice.
