[BrewBama]

I  use a Brewzilla now, so I have repurposed my HERMS to cool my wort following my boil.  By using this method, I can pitch my yeast immediately in my fermenter as I can drop temps to 70F degree range.

+1. I use my HERMS to regulate heat during the mash recirculation and once the mash is complete I transfer the wort to the boil kettle.

I clean the mash tun as the wort in the kettle is coming to boil temp and once clean, move the hot water from the HERMS vessel into the mash tun to hold for final brewday cleanup.

I add cold water into the HERMS vessel so that after the boil I can whirlpool thru the HERMS coil to cool the wort.

As the heat transfers from the wort to the water, I move it into the mash tun and refill the HERMS vessel with cold tap water.

It usually takes three iterations of moving/refilling with the final fill being an ice bath in the HERMS vessel to get the wort to pitch temp. 

I easily get to both Ale and Lager temps(~65° and ~55°F respectively) this way.

I am repurposing water and don’t have to clean another piece of equipment (wort chiller).

[Richard]

Brilliant!

[brewthru]

I  use a Brewzilla now, so I have repurposed my HERMS to cool my wort following my boil.  By using this method, I can pitch my yeast immediately in my fermenter as I can drop temps to 70F degree range.

+1. I use my HERMS to regulate heat during the mash recirculation and once the mash is complete I transfer the wort to the boil kettle.

I clean the mash tun as the wort in the kettle is coming to boil temp and once clean, move the hot water from the HERMS vessel into the mash tun to hold for final brewday cleanup.

I add cold water into the HERMS vessel so that after the boil I can whirlpool thru the HERMS coil to cool the wort.

As the heat transfers from the wort to the water, I move it into the mash tun and refill the HERMS vessel with cold tap water.

It usually takes three iterations of moving/refilling with the final fill being an ice bath in the HERMS vessel to get the wort to pitch temp. 

I easily get to both Ale and Lager temps(~65° and ~55°F respectively) this way.

I am repurposing water and don’t have to clean another piece of equipment (wort chiller).

Hmm... stole my way of doing things ;-) ... HLT has many uses.

[mabrungard]

Recirculating wort and having some form of heat input is a 'nice to have' addition to your brewing. Recirculating your wort is actually the best way to achieve homogeneity in both temperature and composition. Having a way to add heat means that you can readily perform temperature steps and a mash out step. But neither of those facts mean that you can't brew beer without them.

I spent a couple hundred bucks a couple of decades ago to create my RIMS and haven't been sorry for the investment. One thing that my RIMS also enables me to do is produce a low dissolved oxygen wort (LODO) by having the wort return to the tun under an impermeable mash cap. I find that LODO isn't worthwhile for some beer styles, but there are some where it makes a huge difference.

[goose]

Recirculating wort and having some form of heat input is a 'nice to have' addition to your brewing. Recirculating your wort is actually the best way to achieve homogeneity in both temperature and composition. Having a way to add heat means that you can readily perform temperature steps and a mash out step. But neither of those facts mean that you can't brew beer without them.

I spent a couple hundred bucks a couple of decades ago to create my RIMS and haven't been sorry for the investment. One thing that my RIMS also enables me to do is produce a low dissolved oxygen wort (LODO) by having the wort return to the tun under an impermeable mash cap. I find that LODO isn't worthwhile for some beer styles, but there are some where it makes a huge difference.

+1.  I built my RIMS system years ago and have never looked back.  It is a great way to maintain temperature control in the mash and gives me crystal clear wort in the kettle.  Although I am not a LODO brewer per se, allowing the wort to recirculate into the mash tun under the top of the liquid level doesn't hurt to keep the oxygen levels down during the conversion and mash out steps.