Patent Abstract:
A process of mashing grain into fermentable sugar wherein two pots are used in the process. A first pot and a second pot is partially filled with water. Heat is added to the first pot. Heat is transferred to the second pot by transferring the water from the first pot to the second pot at a preestablished rate. Grain is added to the second pot which in conjunction with the water forms a wort. The wort is drained from the second pot to the first pot.

Full Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/987,078 filed Jul. 2, 2013, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates generally to a system or a process for mashing grain into a fermentable sugar. 
     BACKGROUND 
     It is well known in the art to use a 3 tier system to produce beer wort from crushed grains. A typical system utilizes a first vessel for boiling the finished wort. A second vessel called a mash and lauter tun for mashing the grains which will contain a false bottom or a slotted pipe manifold or a simple screen on the drain fitting. A third vessel called a hot liquor tank (HLT) is simply a tank for heating the rinse water for the spent grains. Although uncommon, sometimes a combined mash lauter tun is not used and the wort is transferred from the mash tun to the lauter tun for wort (unfermented beer) separation. To prepare the wort, the mash tun is filled with a preestablished quantity of water and heated to a preestablished temperature. Typically, a water to grist ratio of 1 to 2 quarts of water per pound of grain is used. The crushed grains are then placed in the tun and allowed to rest for a period of time which allows the starches in the grains to convert to sugars. At the same time, the HLT is filled and heated to a preestablished temperature. After the mash rest is completed, the contents of the mash tun are drained into a grant (a smaller pot) and returned to the top of the mash. This is repeated until the wort runs clear, and in the art is called a vorlauf or simply “setting the mash bed”. This step will allow the mash to act as the filter media for the wort, thus, clarifying the wort. The clarified wort is then directed to the brew kettle. Simultaneously, a sparging process is begun by draining the HLT water into the top of the mash tun thereby rinsing the remaining sugars out of the grains and into the brew kettle. For best efficiency it is known in the art that this process should take about an hour to perform. A rate much faster than this and extraction efficiency suffers. After the sparging process, a clear wort is drained into the brew kettle since nearly all sugars have been removed from the mashed grains. As a result, traditional 3 tier systems product a very clear wort free of undesirable proteins and do so with excellent efficiencies. Their main drawback is the extended amount of time needed to prepare the wort due to the clarification and sparging process. Additionally, brewers have a difficult time controlling temperatures in the mash tun to produce the desired wort sugar consistency. Therefore it is quite common to utilize a Recirculation Infusion Mash System (RIMS) in the mashing process for the preparation of beer wort which is well known in the art. A common variant of the traditional RIMS is to use a heat exchanger instead of directly applying heat. These systems are referred to as “Heat Exchanger Recirculation Mash Systems” or HERMS. Such systems utilize a mash tun which contains a false bottom or other filter system (screens, slotted pipe manifold to name a few). The wort is drawn off the bottom of the pot, then directly heated via an electric, gas or other heat sources and returned to the top of the mash. It is common to recirculate via a pump but gravity draining into a second container and manually returning the wort to the top of the mash is also common. HERMS systems indirectly heat the wort through a heat exchanger usually immersed to the hot liquor tank. This reduces the chances of scorching the wort which adds undesirable flavor and colors to the finished wort. When the preestablished rest temperature is reached the heater (or pump in the case of a HERMS system) is turned off. Also very common are numerous electronic control systems to automatically turn the pumps/heat on and off to maintaining a preestablished rest temperature, typically employing a temperature sensor and a meter, PID, PLC, switch or similar to turn on/off modulate the heat source to maintain preestablished temperature and, if desired, ramp to numerous temperatures through out the mashing process. 
     The “Brew in a Bag” (BIAB) method is also well known in the art to produce wort in an all grain system. The BIAB system are quite simple and are becoming more popular in the industry because of their ease of use, although they do have some deficiencies. Namely, lack of wort clarification and poor efficiency. In lieu of a pot and a false bottom. A porous bag filled with crushed grains is placed in a pot of heated water of a predetermined volume and allowed to steep for a preestablished time. Typical water to grist ratio&#39;s are 2 3 quarts per pound of grain. Noting, higher ratios may not be achieved since the grains consume a significant portion of the total volume of the mash and is limited by the size of the pot. This would require an oversized pot with a less than optimum size for good boil characteristics once the spent grains are removed. After this time has passed the bag is lifted and allowed to drain back into the pot. While the advantages of simplicity, low cost, and speed are clear and obvious advantages, there are equally clear disadvantages to the BIAB system. Firstly, the elimination of recirculation precludes the clarification of the wort from the grains acting as a filter media and the resulting worts are significantly cloudier than those of 3 tier type systems and contain undesirable proteins and particulate matter which negatively impact beer quality, Secondly, it is not possible to readily perform a step mash (resting at various temperatures) since the bag impedes the heating action and leads to scorching. This precludes the brewer from making certain beer styles since they require multiple temperature rests. Therefore only beers capable of being brewed in a simple step infusion mash are suitable of being brewed in a BIAB system. Thirdly, significant quantities of wort sugars remain in the spent grains since the sparging process described above is eliminated, and the wort is more concentrated than the present invention. Therefore cloudy wort with significantly lower efficiency (more grain is required to produce the finished beer) are produced with BIAB systems. And lastly, the brewer must lift the hot bag of spent grains above the brew kettle to drain out the contained wort. This a cumbersome, heavy and a somewhat dangerous operation. 
     The present invention is directed to overcome one or more of the problems as set forth above. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect of the invention a two pot process of mashing grain into fermentable sugar is comprised of the following steps: placing a first preestablished quantity of water into a first pot; placing a second preestablished quantity of water into a second pot; applying a preestablished quantity of heat to the first pot; transferring at least a portion of the heated preestablished quantity of water within the first pot into the second pot, resulting in heating the preestablished quantity of water within the second pot; adding the grain to the second pot not being heated; circulating the preestablished quantity of water from the first pot being heated to the second pot forming a wort; controlling the circulating step defining a preestablished flow rate of the wort; draining the wort from the second pot not being heated into the first pot; and removing the grain from the second pot not being heated. 
     In another aspect of the invention a two pot process of mashing grain into fermentable sugars includes a first pot being a mash tun and a second pot being a boil kettle; the mash tun being elevationally positioned above the boil kettle; the boil kettle having a lid positioned in contacting relationship and being positioned in an open top of the boil kettle; the mash tun being elevationally positioned above the boil kettle; the boil kettle having a lid positioned in contacting relationship and being positioned in an open top of the boil kettle; the mash tun being in contacting relationship with the lid; a drain line communicating from the mash tun near the closed bottom of the mash tun into the boil kettle; a flow control mechanism being positioned in the drain line; and a heating unit transferring heat to the boil kettle. 
     In another aspect of the invention a two pot process of mashing grain into fermentable sugars comprises the steps of: adding water to each of the two pots; heating one of the two pots with a heater; circulating the water being heated in the one of the two pots to the other of the two pots using a pump; adding a grain to the one of the two pots not being heated by the heater; forming a wort; circulating the wort between the two pots; controlling a flow rate of the step circulating the wort using a flow control mechanism; and draining the wort into the one of the two pots being heated. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a prior art schematic view of the 3 tier system of converting grain into wort; 
         FIG. 2  is a prior art schematic view of the Brew in a Bag system of converting grain into wort; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic view of a two pot process including a first pot or boil kettle having a second pot or mash tun located elevationally above the boil kettle; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view of a two pot process including a first pot or boil kettle having a second pot or mash tun located elevationally below the boil kettle; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view of a two pot process including a first pot or boil kettle having a second pot or mash tun located substantially elevationally in the same plane; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic view of a two pot process including a first pot or boil kettle having a second pot or mash tun elevationally located above the first pot or boil kettle; 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic view of a two pot process including a first pot or boil kettle having a second pot or mash tun elevationally located above the first pot or boil kettle, and the second pot or mash tun being supported by the first pot or boil kettle; and 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic view of a two pot process including a first pot or boll kettle positioned on a stand and a second pot or mash tun being positioned on the stand and at an elevation above the first pot or boil kettle, and the first pot or boil kettle and the second pot or mash tun being offset one from the other. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the prior art schematic of  FIG. 1 , a conventional 3 tier system  2  is shown. The 3 tier setup includes a preestablished amount of water  4  placed in a first pot, a mash pot  6  and heated by a heating unit  8  to a preestablished temperature. Grain  10  is added at the preestablished temperature and the preestablished temperature is stabilize. Separately, a preestablished amount of sparge (rinse) water  4  is added to a second pot, hot liquor tank (HLT)  12 . The hot liquor tank  12  is heated to a preestablished temperature and held at that temperature until needed for sparging at the end of a mashing process  24  within a third pot  14 . Thus, the 3 tier system uses three (3) pots  6 ,  12 ,  14 . 
     In the prior art 3 tier system of  FIG. 1 , a predetermined volume of water  4  is placed in the hot liquor tank  12  and a remainder of the water  4  is placed in the mash pot  6 . In general, about half of the total water  4  needed for the brew is added to each pot  12 ,  6 . It is recognized that this ratio can vary significantly without effecting the operation or outcome of the beer. Typically overall water  4  to grain  10  ratio will be 1 2 quarts of water per pound of grain  10  so the wort is much more concentrated than the BIAB or the present invention. One pot  6 , to second pot  12 , to third pot  4  is preferably located one above the other so it can gravity drain into the consecutive other pot. It is further preferred to locate the hot liquor tank  12  above the mash tun. 
     In the prior art schematic of  FIG. 2 , a conventional Brew in a Bag system  16  is shown. In the conventional Brew in a Bag system  16  no sparging is performed and a mashing step  18  and boiling process  20  are done in a single vessel or pot  22 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the mashing process  24  of the present invention uses a two pot process and has a first pot or boil kettle  34  and a second pot or mash tun  30 . In this configuration, the mash tun  30  is placed above the boil kettle  34 . The boil kettle  34  has an open top  35  and a closed bottom  36  and the mash tun  30  has an open top  37  and a closed bottom  38 . The mash tun  30  has the water  4  and the crushed grain  10  positioned therein, a false bottom or other filter system  39  (screens, slotted pipe manifold to name a few) and an outlet  40  positioned therein. In this application an on/off valve or modulating valve or on/off modulating valve  44  is positioned therein; however, other throttling devices such as a restrictive tube, orifice, pinch valve, variable flow pump etc. could be incorporated. The boil kettle  34  has the water  4  positioned therein and an outlet opening  42 . In this application another on/off or modulating valve  41  is positioned in the outlet opening  42 . A line  44  communicates from the outlet opening  42  in the boil kettle  34  to the mash tun  30 . A pump  46  is located within this line  44 . The pump  46  can be manually controlled or electronically controlled as is known in the art. The heating unit  8 , in this application, is positioned under the boil kettle  34 . A line  48  extends from the on/off or modulating valve  41  in the boil kettle  34  to the mash tun  30 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the two pot mashing process  24  of the present invention has the boil kettle  34  and the mash tun  30  reversed. The boil kettle  34  is positioned above the mash tun  30 . The heating unit  8  remains located under the boil kettle  34 . However, the line  44  extends from the mash tun  30  to the boil kettle  34  and has the pump  46  therein. And, the line  48  extends from the on/off or modulating valve  41  in the boil kettle  34  to the mash tun  30 . The heating unit  8  remains located under the boil kettle  34 . The mash tun  30  has the water  4  and the crushed grain  10  positioned therein, the false bottom or other filter system  39  (screens, slotted pipe manifold to name a few) and the outlet  40  positioned therein. In this application the on/off or modulating valve  41  is positioned in the outlet opening  40 ; however, other throttling devices such as restrictive tubes, orifices, pinch valves, variable flow pumps etc. could be incorporated. The boil kettle  34  has the water  4  positioned therein and the outlet opening  42 . In this application another on/off or modulating valve  41  is positioned in the outlet opening  42 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the two pot mashing process  24  of the present invention has the boil kettle  34  and the mash tun  30  elevationally located generally at a same elevation or in the same plane. The heating unit  8  remains located under the boil kettle  34 . The line  44  extends from the on/off or modulating valve  41  positioned in the mash tun  30  to the boil kettle  34  and the pump  46  remains therein. The line  48  extends from the on/off or modulating valve  41  in the boil kettle  34  to the mash tun  30  and has a pump  50  positioned therein. The pump  50  can be manually controlled or electronically controlled as is known in the art. The mash tun  30  has the water  4  and the crushed grain  10  positioned therein, the false bottom or other filter system  39  (screens, slotted pipe manifold to name a few) and the outlet  40  positioned therein. In this application the on/off or modulating valve  41  is positioned in the outlet opening  40 ; however, other throttling devices such as restrictive tubes, orifices, pinch valves, variable flow pumps etc. could be incorporated. The boil kettle  34  has the water  4  positioned therein and the outlet opening  42 . In this application another on/off or modulating valve  41  is positioned in the outlet opening  42   
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the two pot mashing process  24  of the present invention has the first pot or boil kettle  34  and the second pot or mash tun  30 . In this configuration, the mash tun  30  is placed above the boil kettle  34 . The boil kettle  30  has an open top  35  and a closed bottom  36  and the boil kettle has an open top  37  and a closed bottom  38 . The mash tun  30  has the water  4  and the crushed grain  10  positioned therein, the false bottom or other filter system  39  (screens, slotted pipe manifold to name a few) and the outlet  40  positioned therein. In this application the on/off or modulating valve  41  is positioned therein; however, other throttling devices such as a restrictive tube, orifice, pinch valve, variable flow pump etc. could be incorporated. The boil kettle  34  has the water  4  positioned therein and the outlet opening  42 . In this application another on/off or modulating valve  41  is positioned in the outlet opening  42 . The line  44  communicates from the outlet opening  42  in the boil kettle  34  to the mash tun  30 . The pump  46  is located within this line  44 . The pump  46  can be manually controlled or electronically controlled as is known in the art. The heating unit  8 , in this application, is positioned under the boil kettle  34 . The line  48  extends from the on/off or modulating valve  41  in the mesh tun  30  to the boil kettle  34 . However; a level or float control valve  52  to monitor the height of the water  4  is positioned in the mash tun  30  below the open top  37  and above the closed bottom  38  of the mash tun  30 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the mashing process  24  of the present invention again uses the two pot process and has the first pot or boil kettle  34  and the second pot or mash tun  30 . In this configuration, the mash tun  30  is placed above the boil kettle  34 . The boil kettle  30  has the open top  35  and the closed bottom  36  and the boil kettle has the open top  37  and the closed bottom  38 . The mash tun  30  has the water  4  and the crushed grain  10  positioned therein, the false bottom or other filter system  39  (screens, slotted pipe manifold to name a few) and the outlet  40  positioned therein near the closed bottom  36 . In this application the on/off or modulating valve  41  is positioned in the outlet  40 ; however, other throttling devices such as restrictive tubes, orifices, pinch valves, variable flow pumps etc. could be incorporated. The boil kettle  34  has the water  4  positioned therein however the outlet opening  42  has been removed. The heating unit  8 , in this application, is positioned under the boil kettle  34 . The line  48  extends from the on/off or modulating valve  41  in the mash tun  30  to the boil kettle  34 . As an alternative, shown in phantom, a flow control mechanism  60  has been added to the line  48 . A lid  62  and/or adapter lid  66  is positioned on the boil kettle  34  over the open top  35 . The lid  62  and/or adapter lid  66  has an opening  64  positioned therein. The lid  62  and/or adapter lid  66  supports pots of different diameters and an adapter ring, not shown, is used to support pots of substantially the same diameter. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , the mashing process of the present invention used two pots. However, in this application, a stand  70  on which the mash tun  30  is positioned above the boil kettle  34  and supports each of the pots  30 , 34 . The stand  70  has a pair of vertical uprights  72  having slotted holes  74  therein which position a plurality of shelves  76 . Nested or sliding legs  78  are attached to the vertical uprights  76 . And, a plurality of wheels or casters  80  are attached to the legs  78 . In this configuration, the mash tun  30  is placed above the boil kettle  34 . The boil kettle  30  has an open top  35  and a closed bottom  36  and the boil kettle has an open top  37  and a closed bottom  38 . The mash tun  30  has the water  4  and the crushed grain  10  positioned therein, the false bottom or other filter system  39  (screens, slotted pipe manifold to name a few) and the outlet  40  positioned therein. The boil kettle  34  has the water  4  positioned therein and the outlet opening  42 . In this application the on/off or modulating valve  41  is positioned in the outlet opening  42 . The line  44  communicates from the outlet opening  42  in the boil kettle  34  to the mash tun  30 . The pump  46  is located within this line  44 . The pump  46  can be manually controlled or electronically controlled as is known in the art. The heating unit  8 , in this application, is positioned under the boil kettle  34 . The line  48  extends from the outlet  40  in the mash tun  30  to the boil kettle  34 . 
     In all of the various configurations shown, temperature control systems can readily be adapted to the present invention by adding a temperature sensor to either pot (but preferable to heated pot) or even in the recirculation lines  44 ,  48  to sense the temperature of the wort. This information is utilized to turn on or modulate the heat source  8 . Since a thin mash  10  is used, scorching risk of the wort sugars is significantly reduced. 
     Additionally a transfer mechanism such as a pan, bucket or an automated grant (a simple tank with an outlet) could be used in conjunction with or in place of the boil kettle  30  and can be utilized to allow the mash tun or pot or vessel  34  to be drained into the grant vial gravity and when the grant is full a switch activates a pump which transfers the wort from the grant into the second pot or vessel or mash tun  34 . 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     In operation, as best shown in  FIG. 3 , the mashing process  24  of the present invention utilizes one less pot  14  than the conventional 3 tier system, but one additional pot  30  over the conventional the Brew in a Bag (BIAB) system. In the present invention or process a predetermined volume of water  4  is placed in one of the boil kettle  30  and a remainder of the water  4  is placed in the mash tun  34 . In general, about half of the total water  4  needed for the brew is added to each pot  30 ,  34 . It is recognized that this ratio can vary significantly without effecting the operation or outcome of the beer. Typically overall water  4  to grist ratios will be 2 3.5 quarts of water  4  per pound of grain  10  so the wort is much less concentrated and is at or close to the initial specific gravity of the beer. While less water  4  can certainly be used, it does reduce the mash lauter efficiency. One pot, the mash tun  34  is preferably located above the second pot, the boil kettle  30  so the mash tun  34  can gravity drain into the boil kettle  30 . It is noted that the invention will also function with the boil kettle  30  above the mash tun  34  as shown in  FIG. 4 . For overflow prevention of the mash tun  30 , it is advisable to size the mash tun  34  such that it will contain all the water  4  and grains  10  without overflowing should the upper pot  30  be inadvertently drained into the mash tun  34  from a malfunction or maladjustment of the wort flow equipment  41 . If this gravity drain arrangement is not desired, a second pump  50  can be utilized and either pot  30 ,  34  can be located at virtually any level with respect to each other as shown in  FIG. 5 . This is particularly useful for very large pots where access to the top of the pot may be impeded or impractical due to the height. The recirculation pump  46  is turned on and heat is added (electric or gas heating applied to the bottom of the pot  34 , gas and electric are the two most common with electric immersion, steam jacketing, induction heater etc, all possible) to boil kettle  34  to raise the temperature of both vessels  30 ,  34  to the desired temperature. The pump  46  is preferably continuously recirculating the wort and heat is added as needed to maintain a more even and equal temperature throughout the mash bed  10 . However, it is also possible and advantageous to modulate the pump  46  flow as needed or desired. To maintain about half of the water  4  in each pot  30 ,  34  the drain valve  41  (or other throttling device such as a restrictive tube, orifice, pinch valve, variable flow pump etc.) and pump  41  must be adjusted so that the exit rate is balanced with the entrance rate. Alternately, as shown in phantom, item  60 , in  FIG. 7  and shown in  FIG. 6 , as item  52 , one or two flow and/or level control valves  52 , 60  can be utilized to automatically maintain this balance. When the prescribed temperature of the water  4  is reached, the grain  10  is added to the mash tun  30 . Alternately the grain  10  could be added first and then heated and recirculated; however, better results usually happen adding the grain  10  after heating the water  4  to the desired temperature. While the pump  46  may be intermittently turned on and off during the brewing process to distribute the heat, the pump  46  is preferably allowed to continuously recirculate. This continual recirculation sets the grain  10  filter bed much better thereby clarifying the wort during the entire mashing process. Since the wort is clarified concurrently during the mashing process. The need to vorlauf (recirculate) afterwards is eliminated and a significant time savings is realized. At the end of the prescribed mashing time the recirculating pump  46  is turned off and the drain valve  41  from the boil kettle  34  is closed. This allows all the wort from the mash tun  30  to drain (or is pumped in two pump systems) into the boil kettle  34 . Concurrent with the draining process, the boil kettle  34  heater  8  is turned on (no longer modulated) and the wort currently in the boil kettle  34  and the wort entering from the mash tun  30  is heated to the boiling point. Since the wort is concurrently heated while the mash tun is being drained additional time savings are realized. The higher water to grist ratio that is typically used (higher than both the BIAB and the 3 tier system) allows a higher efficiency than the BAIB process since a more diluted (lower specific gravity) wort remains in the mash bed  10  after draining. The volume of wort absorbed by the grain  10  is virtually the same in either system; however, the present invention utilizes a thinner wort so the remaining absorbed liquid contains less total sugar. Therefore, the overall mash efficiency is significantly more efficient than a BIAB system and approaches that of a traditional 3 tier system. Although not required, further improvement in mash  10  efficiency can be had by a slower draining time of the mash  10  into the boil kettle  34 . This allows more wort to drain from the mash tun  30  and does not add significant time to the overall process since the boil kettle  34  takes time to heat to a boil and this being done concurrently with the draining. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the two pot process of mashing grain  10  has the first pot or boil kettle  34  positioned on the bottom and the second pot or mash tun  30  position directly above the boil kettle  34 . The lid  62  and/or adapter lid  66  is positioned about the open end  35  of the boil kettle  34 . And, the mash tun  30  is positioned on the lid  62  and/or adapter lid  66 . Thus, in this embodiment an extremely compact and cost effective system, particularly attractive to brewers with limited brewing space is provided. The wort from the upper pot  30  is drained into the lower pot  34 . While the opening  64  could be placed in the lower pot, (and the upper support being as simple as a flat sheet) it is preferred to leave kettle  34  without openings to prevent overflow during the boiling process. Although not necessary to the basic function of the invention, a flow setting orifice  60  can be placed in the drain tube, as shown in phantom, to simplify setting the desired flow rate to avoid compaction from flowing too quickly and allowing a more repeatable flow rate from batch to batch. While the orifice  60  is clearly optional, it is preferred in lieu of throttling the valve  41  manually since setting the valve  41  batch to batch can be quite variable. Using the orifice  60 , the valve  41  can then solely be used to turn the flow on or off. After the mash process is completed as describer previously, the wort is allowed to drain into the boil kettle  34 . Simultaneously the boil kettle heat can be turned up to bring the wort to a boil. After the wort has been drained, the spent grains  10  can be removed from the mash tun  30  and the mash tun  34  subsequently removed from the boil kettle  34 . Typically this is finished well before the wort in the brew kettle  34  has reached a boil so no time is added for draining and grain removal. The wort is then further processed in the boil kettle  34  as any other brewing process. 
     Another alternative is shown in  FIG. 8 , the stand  70  allows a compact, portable, and versatile way to perform the aforementioned two pot process. Since the shelves  76  can be installed in any desired position, on either side of the vertical upright  72 . The lower shelf  76  may also be positioned in any desired position and on either side of the stand  70 . Optionally, nested or sliding legs  78  can be utilized to provide anti tipping capability so that the upper shelf  76  can be installed on the opposite side, yet be retracted for compact storage. This feature is particularly useful in apartments or small structures. In operation the upper pot  30  is preferably the mash tun  30 , although it can be configured so that it is the boil kettle  34  on the upper shelf  76  as shown previously in  FIG. 4 . While the stand  70  can be operated with the upper pot  30  directly over the lower pot  34  as shown in  FIG. 7 , it is more convenient to have access to the lower pot  34  for monitoring. While the upper pot  30  can be placed high enough over the lower pot  34  to gain access to the lower pot  34  it does increase the overall height of the product making it harder to add and remove grain  10  etc. But it does eliminate the need to fully extend the legs  78  allowing the stand  70  to fit into a smaller location. Typically, through, it is preferred to extend the legs  78  (which provide a tipping counterbalance force) and install the upper pot  30  on the opposite side of the stand  70  as shown in  FIG. 8 . This will allow for a much lower overall operational height, and yet for storage after use, it remains compact since the shelf  76  can be quickly moved to the opposite side of the stand  70 . This is particularly advantageous for brewers living in apartments or having other storage or operational space limitations. 
     The present invention overcomes the deficiencies of the “Brew in a Bag” (BIAB) system by allowing wort clarification through recirculation and improved efficiency since a thinner mash is used. In addition, the process time is virtually identical to that of the BIAB system and much faster than the 3 tier fly sparge system since the sparging process is eliminated. It also eliminates the unsafe and inconvenient removal of the hot bag of spent grain  10 . The present invention also provides a compact system for space conscience brewers by eliminating a third (3 rd ) pot required in a 3 tier system. Lastly, the present invention will easily accommodate step mashing and automated temperature control systems that are difficult and impractical in BIAB systems. 
     LIST OF ELEMENTS 
     Title: Improved Recirculation Infusion Mash System 
     File: Improved Recirculation Infusion Mash System—Easybrew 
     
         
           2  3 Tier System 
           4  Water 
           6  Mash Pot 
           8  heating Unit 
           10  Grain 
           12  Hot Liquor Tank 
           14  Third Pot 
           16  Brew in a Bag 
           18  Mashing Step 
           20  Boiling Process 
           22  Single Vessel or Pot 
           24  Mashing Process 
         
           26 
         
         
           28 
         
           30  Second Pot or Mash Tun 
         
           32 
         
           34  First Pot or Boil Kettle 
           35  Open Top—Boil Kettle 
           36  Closed Bottom—Boil Kettle 
           37  Open Top—Mash Tun 
           38  Closed Bottom Mash Tun 
           40  Outlet—Mash Tun 
           41  Valve 
           42  Outlet Opening Boil Kettle 
           44  Line—Drain Bottom to Top 
           46  Pump—Line  44   
           48  line—Drain Top to Bottom 
           50  Pump—Line  48   
           52  Level or Float Control Valve 
         
           54 
         
         
           56 
         
         
           58 
         
           60  Float Control Mechanism 
           62  Lid 
           64  Opening Lid 
         
           66 
         
         
           68 
         
           70  Stand 
           72  Upright 
           74  Slotted Holes 
           76  Shelves 
           78  Legs 
           80  Wheels or Casters 
         
           82 
         
         
           84 
         
         
           86

Technology Classification (CPC): 2