Grainfather G40/G70 Discussion Thread: Questions, Tips and Tricks

[pvpeacock]

I've noticed discussion threads for various electric brewing systems such as the Brewzilla, SS Brewtech SVBS, etc. Since I just bought a Grainfather G40 for Christmas, I thought I would start a thread for the G40 and G70. To start it out, I have the following thoughts/observations:

• I bought a 55 barrel drum cart for my G40 which makes it easy to wheel in and out of the garage and wherever I need it. Amazon.com
• I replaced the plug at the bottom of the sight glass with a small ball valve which makes draining the G40 much easier. Amazon.com I also added a male camlock fitting and have an 8' silicon hose with a female camlock fitting. I have no problem pumping the wort through the bottom ball valve, through the hose and into my conical fermenters which are on a table approximately 3' off the ground. No more lifting heavy conicals!
• I love the delayed heat feature. I filled the G40 with my strike water the night before brew day and set the timer for a half hour before I woke up, so I could just get out of bed and dough in without having to wait. I love the fact that, unlike my prior propane set up, I can have it warm the water up while still in my closed garage and then wheel it out onto the driveway for the dough in and eventual boil. Recently, I planned to brew, but had to do some errands in the morning first. I filled the GF with my strike water, plugged it in and okayed remote access. Then, about half hour before I expected to get home, I turned on the heat from afar. How cool is that!
• I have learned from experience that water and grain will overflow the basket through the handle holes if you use too much strike water or have a grain bed that does not drain very well while recirculating. This happened when I tried to use more than 8 1/2 gallons of strike water and again with a Mexican Lager batch which had a ton of flaked corn. I now understand why there is talk of selling a grain basket top plate as an accessory.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts, suggestions, tips or tricks.

 

[pvpeacock]

P.S. I also bought this tub https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009370JSY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and a round Weber grill grate to put on top of it. When I'm done sparging, I set the grain basket on this to finish draining while the GF starts heating up toward a boil. The tub has a 3 gallon capacity which is plenty.

 

[agentbud]

• I love the delayed heat feature. I filled the G40 with my strike water the night before brew day and set the timer for a half hour before I woke up, so I could just get out of bed and dough in without having to wait.

I love the smell of dough-in in the morning

 

[pvpeacock]

 

[GoeHaarden]

I just bought a Grainfather G40

What are your thoughts so far? Any regrets? How is cleaning this thing?

Been trying to decide on an all-in-one for a while now. Really need more of a cruise-control type brew day that will let me walk away at times. Chasing the kiddos don't really allow many brewdays right now. I feel like the G40 is probably the best bang for your buck in the market right now. The ability to control remotely is huge (for me anyways)- SSbrewtech kinda dropped the ball.

Just curious if you'd buy it again or get something else? Or any other helpful info you care to share regarding this unit.

Cheers!

 

[pvpeacock]

I waited and waited and waited for the SS Brewtech SVBS to come out and gave up. Of course, as soon as I ordered my Grainfather G40, SS announced they were taking orders. However, after reading threads about the SS SVBS, I am glad I bought the Grainfather. For one thing, unlike the SS, there is no center recirculation pipe in the middle of the grain basket/kettle. Instead, the recirculation plumbing is on the outside.

Overall, I am very glad I switched from my 3 vessel propane system to the Grainfather G40. The main downside in my opinion was the cost for both the unit and for the electrician to install a 240V outlet in my garage. However, now that the cost is behind me, it is awesome.

The only other issue I have run into is that grain can flow through the handle holes in the grain basket while recirculating if the grain bill is large or you are using large amounts of flaked grains like corn which like to float to the top. That can be solved by using a BIAB bag in the grain basket or buying a second grain basket bottom to put on top of the grain after the mash in and before recirculation.

I love being able to set the temperature for mashing and being able to track it while doing other things around the house. No more overshooting my mash temperature and having to add cold water to reach the proper temperature. I love being able to recirculate during the mash without having to manually stir it every once in a while. I love not using propane, because I can now set a timer and have the G40 start heating my water in the garage while I'm still asleep. I also feel comfortable running to the store while it mashes or boils because I'm not dealing with open flames. I also won't miss finding out the wind blew out the flame and I've pumping propane into the atmosphere for who knows how long. NO MORE LIFTING HEAVY MASH TUNS, KETTLES AND FULL FERMENTERS!

Cleaning is a learning experience and I am still learning. The unit is too large to simply pick up and put in the kitchen sink like my brew kettle. However, I have learned a few tips so far. (1) I let the grain basket drain into a tub after I remove it to capture as much wort as possible. Once it is drained, I simply dump the grain in the trash can and hose the basket and bottom off with a hose. (2) Once I have pumped all the wort out of the G40 after the boil/chill, I roll it over to my trash cans and use a large stainless spoon to scoop out the hops/trub. Once I get as much out as possible, I remove the hops/trub screen and hose it off. I then hose off the inside of the G40 to try and get the remaining hops/trub to drain out of the bottom and into a bucket. NOTE: add a ball valve at the bottom to make this easy to drain. No need to use the pump. Once I get the hops/trub out, I use a soft scrub sponge and barkeepers friend to clean the inside of the G40 and then rinse. (3) After my first couple of uses, I put 5 gallons of water in the G40 with PBW, set the heat to 140 F, attached the recirculation hose and started the pump. I then let it warm up the water and circulate it for about 30 minutes after it hit 140F. It sure sparkled after that. Then I realized this was overkill after every brew. I now plan to do this every 5-6 batches or if it is really dirty.

I am still trying to figure out whether to use my hop spider or not to minimize the gunk at the bottom after the boil. I don't care if the hops/trub goes into the fermenter, but it can really clog up the hop/trub screen in the bottom of the G40 making it more difficult to pump out the wort. I have not had it get completely clogged yet despite large hop additions, but it did slow down near the end.

I would highly recommend a G40. It almost feels like your cheating after using a 3 vessel system for so long. Good luck.

 

[GoeHaarden]

I waited and waited and waited for the SS Brewtech SVBS to come out and gave up. Of course, as soon as I ordered my Grainfather G40, SS announced they were taking orders. However, after reading threads about the SS SVBS, I am glad I bought the Grainfather. For one thing, unlike the SS, there is no center recirculation pipe in the middle of the grain basket/kettle. Instead, the recirculation plumbing is on the outside.

Overall, I am very glad I switched from my 3 vessel propane system to the Grainfather G40. The main downside in my opinion was the cost for both the unit and for the electrician to install a 240V outlet in my garage. However, now that the cost is behind me, it is awesome.

The only other issue I have run into is that grain can flow through the handle holes in the grain basket while recirculating if the grain bill is large or you are using large amounts of flaked grains like corn which like to float to the top. That can be solved by using a BIAB bag in the grain basket or buying a second grain basket bottom to put on top of the grain after the mash in and before recirculation.

I love being able to set the temperature for mashing and being able to track it while doing other things around the house. No more overshooting my mash temperature and having to add cold water to reach the proper temperature. I love being able to recirculate during the mash without having to manually stir it every once in a while. I love not using propane, because I can now set a timer and have the G40 start heating my water in the garage while I'm still asleep. I also feel comfortable running to the store while it mashes or boils because I'm not dealing with open flames. I also won't miss finding out the wind blew out the flame and I've pumping propane into the atmosphere for who knows how long. NO MORE LIFTING HEAVY MASH TUNS, KETTLES AND FULL FERMENTERS!

Cleaning is a learning experience and I am still learning. The unit is too large to simply pick up and put in the kitchen sink like my brew kettle. However, I have learned a few tips so far. (1) I let the grain basket drain into a tub after I remove it to capture as much wort as possible. Once it is drained, I simply dump the grain in the trash can and hose the basket and bottom off with a hose. (2) Once I have pumped all the wort out of the G40 after the boil/chill, I roll it over to my trash cans and use a large stainless spoon to scoop out the hops/trub. Once I get as much out as possible, I remove the hops/trub screen and hose it off. I then hose off the inside of the G40 to try and get the remaining hops/trub to drain out of the bottom and into a bucket. NOTE: add a ball valve at the bottom to make this easy to drain. No need to use the pump. Once I get the hops/trub out, I use a soft scrub sponge and barkeepers friend to clean the inside of the G40 and then rinse. (3) After my first couple of uses, I put 5 gallons of water in the G40 with PBW, set the heat to 140 F, attached the recirculation hose and started the pump. I then let it warm up the water and circulate it for about 30 minutes after it hit 140F. It sure sparkled after that. Then I realized this was overkill after every brew. I now plan to do this every 5-6 batches or if it is really dirty.

I am still trying to figure out whether to use my hop spider or not to minimize the gunk at the bottom after the boil. I don't care if the hops/trub goes into the fermenter, but it can really clog up the hop/trub screen in the bottom of the G40 making it more difficult to pump out the wort. I have not had it get completely clogged yet despite large hop additions, but it did slow down near the end.

I would highly recommend a G40. It almost feels like your cheating after using a 3 vessel system for so long. Good luck.

Thanks for the great reply. A lot of great info. Do you feel like you can walk away from it and trust it to complete the mash completely hands off? Do you ever run into stuck mash/overflow issues?

 

[pvpeacock]

Sorry for the delayed reply, but I have been out of town. Yes, I set the mash temp., dough in, turn on the recirculating pump and let it mash for an hour without touching it. Set and forget.

I got a stuck mash my first brew, so I adjusted my grain mill which solved the problem. I have had two 10 gallon batches overflow the grain basket into the kettle which was a pain. One overflow was caused by a substantial amount of flaked corn and the other just had a lot of grain. To prevent this, I bought a grain basket top plate, but have yet to use it.

Since I previously used a 3 vessel system (as opposed to a BIAB type system) I had no clue how heavy the grain basket would be when full of water and grain. While I can pull the basket up manually when making a 5 gallon batch, I learned that I definitely needed a pulley system for 10 gallon batches.

Happy to answer any other questions for you.

 

[Justintoxicated]

Just went back and fourth between the new SS Brewtech and the grainfather G40. I ended up with the G40 and it's on it's way. I'm currently trying to figure out how to export receipes from beersmith to something the grainfather can digest. I installed the grainfather app on my phone, but when asked to add an equipment profile I get an error that wifi does not work with android 12. I'm on android 13 and I have no idea what to do. Is the wifi going to be worthless because I don't have an old phone?

 

[pvpeacock]

I don't have an answer for you, but have to believe that the G40 will work for your phone. I would contact Grainfather support for help. https://grainfather.com/contact-us/

 

[Justintoxicated]

I don't have an answer for you, but have to believe that the G40 will work for your phone. I would contact Grainfather support for help. https://grainfather.com/contact-us/

their werbsite says I Just need to set it up with a compatible device (Android 11), and then the new phone will work.
Mine is an andoird 13, and is almost 2 years old, my wifes nearly 4 year old phone is on andoid 12, so I need to find one of my really old phones or buy an iphone I guess, I think I have a 5+ year old phone that is android 11 (pixel 2) still so I will try that one after it charges up, and I receive the GF.

Already hitting my first issue... Need an Iphone or ancient android phone to set it up (can't even import enter recipes without an equipment profile)

 

[huckdavidson]

Great machine the G40, I've been running one since they came out.

No problems whatsoever. The design lends itself to ease of use.

Added the drain valve and the whirlpool arm. Easy to setup, easy to use, easy to clean.

Fast heating, pre-heat, WIFI, recipes, etc...

Very temp stable when (step) mashing (two temp probes). The on screen temp matches the grain bed temp and stays put.

When step mashing it steps quickly and efficiently and doesn't overshoot.

Hasn't clogged even with a ton of hops.

The only complaint I can think of is that the crush needs to be a little courser for recirculation which lowers the mash efficiency to 60-65%.

AFAIK, that is common to all AIO systems.

I did purchase a BIAB for my system which also works well if I need to use a finer crush but have only used it twice.

If you end up ordering accessories they might ship from NZ but their US office is in LA and has been very responsive to every request I've made.

I did add a GFCI extension cord which plugs into the stove or drier outlet. Gotta have protection

The unit sits on a cart from Northern Tool making it easy to get out and put away.

 

[pvpeacock]

Thanks Huck. I just brewed a 10 gallon IPA this weekend and got my first chance to use the top plate in the grain basket. It worked great and kept the grain from overflowing into the kettle. My only concern was having the grain overflow after I doughed in and before I could put the top plate on. I used 9 gallons of strike water and had no problems. However, I used more grain, I would have to think about using less strike water.
I also discovered that the top plate made sparging easier and let me "squeeze" the wort out of the grain bed by pushing down on it.

 

[Justintoxicated]

I found a 6 year old phone and was able to setup the grainfather with it. My wifes 4 year old phone was still too new to work with it.

I brewed my first batch (saison) and ran into two issues. When lifting the basket allot of grain made it's way through the basket and into the boil. I spent about an hour trying to filter out the wort.

Second issue was that at the end of the brew day all the hop and grain matter really plugged up the pump, or maybe it was some dried orange peel that worked it way into there. I had to get out my air compressor to blow it free from the drain port.
The second issue is eaiser to address, but not sure what to do about the first issue. I get a pretty good crush, but nothing too crazy. I guess I should just adjust the gap on my mill a little wider? It's 2 wheel monster mill with 2" rollers.

Another idea I had is to pump out the mash into my old boil kettle, and just do the boil and chill steps on my old propane system. The wort was nice and clear before I lifted the basket.

 

[pvpeacock]

Did the grain slip through the holes in the basket or overflow through the handle holes or over the top? I have not had any issue with grain slipping through the basket itself. I only had problems when the wort/grain overflowed due the amount of grain or the when I had a stuck sparge due to high amount of flaked corn.

I have not had any problem with the pump clogging so far. In fact, in my last batch, I accidently pulled the hop filter off the bottom with my electric drill when was whirlpooling. It had no problem pumping the wort and trub.

 

[Justintoxicated]

Did the grain slip through the holes in the basket or overflow through the handle holes or over the top? I have not had any issue with grain slipping through the basket itself. I only had problems when the wort/grain overflowed due the amount of grain or the when I had a stuck sparge due to high amount of flaked corn.

I have not had any problem with the pump clogging so far. In fact, in my last batch, I accidently pulled the hop filter off the bottom with my electric drill when was whirlpooling. It had no problem pumping the wort and trub.

It was a 5 gallons saison so the grain was no where near the top holes. I just ordered a second bottom to use a top for when I do 10 gallon batches (I heard this solves that problem?). So it must have come through the basket. Maybe I need to start using rice hulls, I just haven't needed them before on my old system.

I think it must have been the orange peel that plugged the pump. Next batch is 5 gallons or porter that I was supposed to brew yesterday, but didn't have the time. I'll probably just add the hops right in.

Any cleaning tricks? I ended up laying the thing on it's side to get the bottom cleaned out.
It was also my first time using a counterflow chiller, I guess you are supposed to circulate back into the wort for a bit before you can pump into your fermenter. It didn't chill as well as I had anticipated, and that was using my old immersion chiller in a bucket of ice as a pre-chiller. Maybe a better counterflow chiller is in my future.

P.S.

On a positive note, it hit my mash temperature spot on (double checked with therma pen)

P.P.S

I also bought an extension cord with a GFCI. The cheapest place I found was McMaster Car for it. I had to buy the 14-30 to 6-20 adapter off amazon though, McMaster's 6-20 Adaper is different, and I didn't realize there are two different 6-20s so get the right one!

 

[pvpeacock]

To clean, I scoop out as much of the hops/trub as I can with a large spoon. Then I tilt a bucket under the drain plug (to which I added a small ball valve) and use a hose and scrubbing sponge to clean and rinse the inside of the kettle. The water and remaining hops/trub drain into the bucket without needing to use the pump.

The first two times I cleaned it, I put 5-6 gallons of water in it, added PBW, set the heater to 150 degrees F, attached the recirculation hose, turned on the pump and let it clean itself for a half hour or so (grain basket included after being rinsed). However, I realized this was probably overkill after every brew and a waste of water. I now plan to use PBW and hot water every 5-10 uses or if I think it really needs it after a brew.

 

[Justintoxicated]

To clean, I scoop out as much of the hops/trub as I can with a large spoon. Then I tilt a bucket under the drain plug (to which I added a small ball valve) and use a hose and scrubbing sponge to clean and rinse the inside of the kettle. The water and remaining hops/trub drain into the bucket without needing to use the pump.

The first two times I cleaned it, I put 5-6 gallons of water in it, added PBW, set the heater to 150 degrees F, attached the recirculation hose, turned on the pump and let it clean itself for a half hour or so (grain basket included after being rinsed). However, I realized this was probably overkill after every brew and a waste of water. I now plan to use PBW and hot water every 5-10 uses or if I think it really needs it after a brew.

I also added the ball valve.

At which poin in the cleaning process do you remove the false bottom?

Do you end up with left over water in the counterflow chiller?

I did PBW as well, better clean that sticky! Probably somewhat overkill but I'll use as I deem necessary.

 

[pvpeacock]

After I scoop as much of the hops/trub out, I remove the false bottom, hose it off and set it aside. I then use a garden hose, nozzle and scrubbing sponge to clean and rinse the inside of the kettle. Everything just drains out the bottom and into the bucket.

When I have used the counterflow chiller, I pump fresh water through it after cleaning the kettle and then let it sit on a table to drain using gravity. I only use the CFC for 5 gallon batches and it gets my wort down to around 74 degrees going into the fermenters. When I make 10 gallon batches, I use my Jaded Immersion Chiller because it seems to use less water to cool that much wort below 100 degrees.

I also added quick hose disconnects to the CFC like those on my Immersion Chiller. It makes attaching garden hoses so much easier for cooling.

 

[huckdavidson]

I also discovered that the top plate made sparging easier and let me "squeeze" the wort out of the grain bed by pushing down on it.

I wasn't aware of the availability of a top plate. Is it just another mash basket false bottom used on top of the grain bed?

I found a 6 year old phone and was able to setup the grainfather with it. My wifes 4 year old phone was still too new to work with it.

I use a Samsung Galaxy S10+. Seems to work fine.

Second issue was that at the end of the brew day all the hop and grain matter really plugged up the pump, or maybe it was some dried orange peel that worked it way into there. I had to get out my air compressor to blow it free from the drain port.
The second issue is eaiser to address, but not sure what to do about the first issue. I get a pretty good crush, but nothing too crazy. I guess I should just adjust the gap on my mill a little wider? It's 2 wheel monster mill with 2" rollers.

I have a 2" Roller Monster Mill but forget what I've set it too. It might still be the factory default, perhaps around ~.040. The instruction manual has some advice on setting the gap.

I also bought an extension cord with a GFCI. The cheapest place I found was McMaster Car for it. I had to buy the 14-30 to 6-20 adapter off amazon though, McMaster's 6-20 Adaper is different, and I didn't realize there are two different 6-20s so get the right one!

Got mine from Grainger at the time and just wired on a 10-50P end.

 

[huckdavidson]

To clean, I scoop out as much of the hops/trub as I can with a large spoon. Then I tilt a bucket under the drain plug (to which I added a small ball valve) and use a hose and scrubbing sponge to clean and rinse the inside of the kettle. The water and remaining hops/trub drain into the bucket without needing to use the pump.

After I scoop as much of the hops/trub out, I remove the false bottom, hose it off and set it aside. I then use a garden hose, nozzle and scrubbing sponge to clean and rinse the inside of the kettle. Everything just drains out the bottom and into the bucket.

Removing the filter will usually pull most of the hop material out then I just open the drain valve into a bucket, turn the pump on and hose it out. If there' s a large excess of hop material I'll scoop it out with my hand or a spoon.

When I have used the counterflow chiller, I pump fresh water through it after cleaning the kettle and then let it sit on a table to drain using gravity. I only use the CFC for 5 gallon batches and it gets my wort down to around 74 degrees going into the fermenters. When I make 10 gallon batches, I use my Jaded Immersion Chiller because it seems to use less water to cool that much wort below 100 degrees.

I'll generally do the same process but every so often I'll pump PBW solution followed by a Starsan solution through the CFC, only because I'm cleaning the unit with those same solutions.

 

[Justintoxicated]

I wasn't aware of the availability of a top plate. Is it just another mash basket false bottom used on top of the grain bed?



I use a Samsung Galaxy S10+. Seems to work fine.



I have a 2" Roller Monster Mill but forget what I've set it too. It might still be the factory default, perhaps around ~.040. The instruction manual has some advice on setting the gap.



Got mine from Grainger at the time and just wired on a 10-50P end.

Yea, it's really just another bottom plate. If I would have known I would have ordered it at the same time as the G40, but instead I have to ship twice. Also waiting for the whirlpool arm to become available.

What OS is the S10+ on? Both my Pixel 6 and Pixel 4 are on Android 13 and 12, I had to go back to Pixel 2 to get android 11 like the grainfather needs to setup. Heck I'll probably buy a pixel 8 later this year, so It's very disapointing I needed to use such an old phone in order to configure the grainfather. Had I known that I may have not purchased it, because it shows a serious lack of software support... Glad I was able to find an old phone to charge up to configure it though.

 

[pvpeacock]

Yes, the top plate is just another grain basket bottom plate, but it works great.

Why the whirlpool arm? Doesn't it just do the same thing as the recirculating silicon hose that came with the G40?

I have a brand new Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max and it works fine with the GF. I love that I can turn on the heating element when I'm away, so the water is ready to dough in when I get home from other morning activities.

 

[Spivey24]

I do really like the G40 and the software it uses, but I ended up ditching the basket for a brew bag and a small grate for a false bottom. My recipes regularly have 25lbs grain and I was constantly getting overflows or stuck mash alerts. I would be constantly fiddling with the flow control to get it just right. I would stick stoppers in the handle holes but still didn’t work. The bag is not perfect but easier to mange with my hoist, and honestly way easier to dump and clean than the basket. Maybe I will give the basket another try with a top cap.

 

[Justintoxicated]

Yes, the top plate is just another grain backet bottom plate, but i works great.

Why the whirlpool arm? Doesn't it just do the same thing as the recirculating silicon hose that came with the G40?

I have a brand new Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max and it works fine with the GF. I love that I can turn on the heating element when I'm away, so the water is ready to dough in when I get home from other morning activities.

It does sorta do the same thing, but the hose does not seem to want to stay pointing where I want it to once you remove the basket. The arm just targets the bottom of the kettle for the whirlpool I believe. I think it would help with clean in place too.

 

[pvpeacock]

That makes sense. The silicon hose does sort of sink without the grain bracket in place.

 

[Christ71]

Yea, it's really just another bottom plate. If I would have known I would have ordered it at the same time as the G40, but instead I have to ship twice. Also waiting for the whirlpool arm to become available.

What OS is the S10+ on? Both my Pixel 6 and Pixel 4 are on Android 13 and 12, I had to go back to Pixel 2 to get android 11 like the grainfather needs to setup. Heck I'll probably buy a pixel 8 later this year, so It's very disapointing I needed to use such an old phone in order to configure the grainfather. Had I known that I may have not purchased it, because it shows a serious lack of software support... Glad I was able to find an old phone to charge up to configure it though.

My Pixel 7 Pro operates on Android 13 and it works like a charm, it must be some other issue than the updated operating system.

Coming from a Speidel Braumeister 20l myself, I'm very pleased with the design, the quality, the ease to use, basically everything about the Grainfather G40. Great piece of equipment!

 

[pvpeacock]

Despite brewing multiple 5 and 10 gallon batches since getting my G40 and using the Grainfather app to turn on and adjust the heat, I never actually used the recipe part of the app until this weekend. On Saturday, I input a stout recipe into the app that included a 2 step mash (120F for 20 minutes and 150F for 60 minutes) and two hop additions (FWH and @15 minutes). I then added my strike water to the G40 and weighed and milled the grains. On Sunday morning, I pulled up the recipe, tapped the beer mug icon in the bottom left corner and then tapped the "Start Brew" tab. Voila, the Grainfather App started heating the water for the 120F mash in and walked me through the brewing process step by step. It told me when to add the grains and, once I confirmed I had, it held the mash at 120F for 20 minutes and then increased the temp. to 150F for an additional 60 minutes. It told me to remove the grain basket after the mash and, once I confirmed I had, it started heating the water to 207F while I sparged. Once I confirmed the sparge was done, it raised the temp. to boiling and started the boil timer and told me when to add my hops. To be honest, it felt like cheating.

I liked the fact that I could input the SG and volumes pre-boil and post-boil and it calculated my mash efficiency and brewhouse efficiency. I did not like the fact that I could not change the recipe while brewing it. My recipe originally called for 1/2 oz. of East Kent Golding hops at 15 min., but I decided to use 1 oz. instead. The App would not let me change the recipe for the brew in progress.

 

[Christ71]

Despite brewing multiple 5 and 10 gallon batches since getting my G40 and using the Grainfather app to turn on and adjust the heat, I never actually used the recipe part of the app until this weekend. On Saturday, I input a stout recipe into the app that included a 2 step mash (120F for 20 minutes and 150F for 6 minutes) and two hop additions (FWH and @15 minutes). I then added my strike water to the G40 and weighed and milled the grains. On Sunday morning, I pulled up the recipe, tapped the beer mug icon in the bottom left corner and then tapped the "Start Brew" tab. Voila, the Grainfather App started heating the water for the 120F mash in and walked me through the brewing process step by step. It told me when to add the grains and, once I confirmed I had, it held the mash at 120F for 20 minutes and then increased the temp. to 150F for an additional 60 minutes. I told me to remove the grain basket after the mash and, once I confirmed I had, it started heating the water to 207F while I sparged. Once I confirmed the sparge was done, it raised the temp. to boiling and started the boil timer and told me when to add my hops. To be honest, it felt like cheating.

I liked the fact that I could input the SG and volumes pre-boil and post-boil and it calculated my mash efficiency and brewhouse efficiency. I did not like the fact that I could not change the recipe while brewing it. My recipe originally called for 1/2 oz. of East Kent Golding hops at 15 min., but I decided to use 1 oz. instead. The App would not let me change the recipe for the brew in progress.

I tried writing a recipe in the GF app, but it's actually easier and quicker to do that in Brewfather and then to export it as an XML-file to the GF app. You can then change whatever you want in Brewfather.

 

[Craiginthecorn]

I've had the G40 since it was first released. My one frustration has been that when used as designed, my wort is filled with bits of grain. As a result, I started putting a BrewBag around the grain basket, which collected all those bits of grain. While that worked fine, it still frustrated me that I had to use it at all.

I had thought about not using the hop filter in the bottom during the mash, then inserting it after sparging. After all, with the pump recirculating the wort, shouldn't any grain that fell through the holes in the grain basket be recirculated and deposited on top of the grain bed? Not if the hop filter is preventing the grain from entering the pump! Of course, that meant having to put my hands in relatively hot wort and I wasn't sure that my brewing gloves were long enough.

Well yesterday, opportunity struck when I forgot to put the hop filter in. It worked perfectly -- no grain bits! Any bits that got through the grain basket were recirculated and deposited on top of the grain bed, just like they should. And while wearing my long brewing gloves, I had no problem putting the hop filter in with 27L of 172F wort in the kettle.

 

[Spivey24]

I’ve been using a brew bag with a small grate on the bottom now for over a year. Latest one is a custom 17x14 400 micron which is perfect. I tried that blasted basket again a few weeks ago and instantly remembered why I hate it. It makes me mad to not use it but the bag is just easier. And easier to dump and clean to boot. I could see how removing that bottom grate would be better though - never thought of that. But that basket is staying in the basement. Lol

 

[pvpeacock]

I’m curious if the grain is slipping through the holes in the basket or through the handle holes. I had the latter problem until I bought a top plate for the basket. I have not had problems with grain escaping the basket otherwise.

 

[Spivey24]

I’m curious if the grain is slipping through the holes in the basket or through the handle holes. I had the latter problem until I bought a top plate for the basket. I have not had problems with grain escaping the basket otherwise.

For me it was always through the handle holes. If I plugged them then it would eventually spill over the top of the basket and splash down.

How is the efficiency with the top plate? Does the liquid flow through the grain ok? Do you lift the top plate and stir at all? Just curious.

 

[pvpeacock]

I had the same issues you described with grain, escaping the basket, either through the handle, holes or over the top of the basket. The top plate successfully prevented the grain from escaping through the handle holes. To prevent an overflow over the top of the basket, I adjusted my grain mill to have a more coarse grind particularly when using a lot of flaked oats or wheat. This solved the problem for me.

My efficiency has actually gone up since using the top plate.
In addition, I do not stir during the mash. Instead, I rely on the pump recirculating the wort through the grain basket top.

 

[Christ71]

For me it was always through the handle holes. If I plugged them then it would eventually spill over the top of the basket and splash down.

How is the efficiency with the top plate? Does the liquid flow through the grain ok? Do you lift the top plate and stir at all? Just curious.

I stir the grains only once with large grain bills, then place the top plate. Circulation and efficiency are fine really. The grist is held in place nicely as you can see in attached pic. This allows the wort to trickle through evenly. If your grains are flowing through the top holes, perhaps you milled too fine? Also, restrict the circulation flow a little, find the sweet spot. If the grind is right, you can open the valve all the way.

 

[pvpeacock]

I echo the restrict the recirculation flow if necessary by adjusting the ball valve. This weekend, I made a 5 gallon batch and received a high water alarm on my phone while mashing/recirculating. Sure enough the grain bed was not allowing water to flow through it as quickly as the pump was trying to recirculate it. So, I adjusted the flow rate with the ball valve to solve the problem. I didn't even know there was a high water alarm or whatever they call it. Nice.

 

[Christ71]

Yeah, I like the software and all its little perks. Job well done if you ask me.

 

[hilljack13]

Does anyone use a brewbag with their G40? I'm thinking of doing this to get smaller grain crush. Correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Spivey24]

Does anyone use a brewbag with their G40? I'm thinking of doing this to get smaller grain crush. Correct me if I am wrong.

I use a 400 micron bag instead the basket, custom 17x14. I get a decent crush. A bag with the basket will be very difficult to get flow through.

 

[Craiginthecorn]

I’m curious if the grain is slipping through the holes in the basket or through the handle holes. I had the latter problem until I bought a top plate for the basket. I have not had problems with grain escaping the basket otherwise.

In my case, no. I use a top plate and am making batches that are too small for liquid levels to reach anywhere near the handle holes.