Recent content by Jettison

Well, today has been without doubt the worst experience with the Grainfather so far. I've had issues with the pump before, but never so early in the brew day, and never so persistent. Strike water, added grains, put top plate on and go to start the mash.... nothing. Well, the usual humming...

No signs of caving in for me. Chilling down to about 3 degrees Celcius from 18-20 degrees. Bung stays well in place. I only crash for 2-3 days though.

I cold Crash with a solid bung, no issues. This was after I got the inevitable suck-back leaving the blow off tube in place

Second this. My LHBS grain crush is perfect for GF. Hitting 90% mash efficiency consistently. Had to adjust for this ion the recipe creator to obtain accurate OG forecasts, as I was hitting 5 points over at times

Haven't had it happen to me personally, but have heard of the issue before. Manufacturer recommends prying the lid open on one side only, to prevent the vaccuum effect and the seal dropping off into the wort. Works for me when opening to add sugar solution prior to bottling - hope this...

Thanks for the reply - I did tilt the GF to get maximum wort from the pump. The flow really slowed down quite a lot and was pumping out very milky-looking liquid when I decided to switch it off. I didn't measure, but I expect there was maybe 1L of gunky liquid that I tipped out down the...

Performed my first Grainfather brew yesterday with the Connect bluetooth unit. I haven't had any exposure to the original GF, so don't have a real comparison, but my word - does the Connect work wonderfully! I got a free Mangrove Jack's grain kit with my purchase, so it was a stock-standard...

Finally got around to ordering the new Grainfather Connect. Excited to kick off All-Grain brewing with this system. Got the Sparge Water heater and a Mangrove Jacks grain kit for the Helles Lager as well, all up AUD$1,476 delivered

Hi all, Only bottled my 2nd batch last week before heading on vacation to Cook Islands. Whilst here, my wife and I checked out a local craft brewery. They make a habit of overfilling their bottles so that no oxygen is left within. They obviously use CO2 for carbonation, whereas I bulk...

Thanks for the advice. With the above in mind, and given the takeup of hop oils is lower at cold temperatures, should I save dumping the hop sediment and leave it at lagering temps til bottling? Or as I was planning - dump the hop sediment after Day 7 before lagering. Trying to avoid...

After reading this thread, I think I screwed up. Dry hopped my pilsner with 15g of Saaz in secondary. Planning to lager for 4 weeks (while away on vacation) and bottle when I return. Do you think I should dry hop again for a week when I return, or bottle as originally planned? N.B. I'll be...

Is that true? I thought if the valve was on upside-down, you wouldn't have the clearance to open the valve (handle would foul on the fermenter)?

Second this. Dumped my dextrose solution into the Catalyst and gently stirred through with sanitised spoon. Just a tip to limit the amount of oxygen introduced when bottling. I left the hose clamp open when opening the Catalyst valve so that the path of least resistance for any air is out the...

It's not been a week, but I threw another bottle in the fridge midweek to chill for a football match tonight. Sad to say the beautiful hoppy aroma and flavour was far more subdued. I'd out another bottle in earlier this afternoon, and tried that as well. Same result. It's still beer...

After letting my first batch carbonate for a week, I just couldn't wait to see if I'd screwed it up. Great news, it was really good! I'm sure it's not a patch on what most everyone brews around here, but I am just so happy it tastes like a good beer. FWIW, it is a kits and bits Sierra Nevada...