Some Background

I started homebrewing in 2006.  Like most homebrewers I started with a couple extract batches and eventually built some more equipment and moved to all-grain brewing.  This is done with a couple of coolers for the HLT (Hot liquor Tank) and the MLT (Mash Lauter Tun) and a stainless steel boil kettle with propane burner like a turkey fryer.  You can make great beer this way and it works just fine but there are some issues with it that always annoy me.

My original setup

Original Brew Kettle

There is a fair amount of equipment involved and I needed to store it all in the basement which means that every time I wanted to brew I'd have to lug all this stuff up the stairs from the basement and then lug it all back down again after I was finished.  I am also tied to brewing outside with this setup because you can't use the propane burner in the hose.  That means you are at the mercy of the weather and basically can't brew in most of the winter month unless you are a glutton for punishment.

I started looking for an alternative that would allow me to change some of the ways I do things.  Like most inventions, homebrewing advancement stems from the want to do less work.  I originally was thinking about building a propane rig that would automate a lot of the process but it would still leave to brewing outside.  Then a few years ago a lot of people started converting to electric brewing rigs.  I have spent a long time doing research into this and also saving cash to work towards building an electric setup.  I have decided to go with an EHERMS setup.  That is Electric Heat Exchanged Re-circulating Mash System.  Details on how this works is in an earlier post.  This will allow me to not only brew indoors but will allow most of the equipment to stay in one place at all times and not need to be moved.