Grainfather!!

[BrewMeister49]

Well, I got my Grainfather yesterday and had no clue what to expect. I had seen many reviews that are great and some not so regarding the boil on the US version. I added some reflectix as per fotofishers video ( Thanks!) and I even doubled up since I am right at sea level. It is still boiling as we speak. (10 minutes left.) Mash temp held well. I set it to 155* and it would drop to 153 and boost back up immediately. It rose to mashout 167 very fast and held very well. Grain basket lifted easily, sparge went well. Took about the recommended half hour. I immediately hit the boil settings once I lifted the basket and boil was had at roughly 40 minutes. Boil held great. Bounced between 212 and 213. Chilling is going very quick. Dang near immediate chill into carboy. I have to say, this is an awesome machine! Pre boil gravity was 1.050 and post 1.063! My target was 1.059! Efficiency was set to 72! Heres a video of the boil. https://youtu.be/vUAksBqhBlA

 

[BrewMeister49]

 

[iijakii]

Looks like a neat little system. How's cleanup?

 

[DarkUncle]

Thanks for sharing. Still on the fence between this and brew boss. The 110v is what's holding me back due to the boil issues some have reported. But because it's 110v I would be able to brew right in the kitchen like you appear to be doing. Very convenient! I only do 5 gallon batches because I like variety so the larger size of the brew boss is not an advantage for me.

Any idea how high in gravity the Grainfather can go with a 5 gallon batch?

 

[BrewMeister49]

I just finished. I ate lunch while some PBW went through the pipes and managed to watch two kids while cleaning up! It still was WAY faster than my old three tiered setup. I would say all in all, cleanup took 30 minutes. Maybe 40 but that is including all the interruptions and learning a new system. I also did not clean as I went along. I could have cut all the cleanup WAY down by cleaning the grain basket after the sparge. I just set it outside and tended to kids lol. It was very nice to not have to babysit it. Weird actually. It was very seamless and actually more fun than the three tier! Very happy with it.

 

[BrewMeister49]

It says it can hold 18 pounds of grain. Today was 11.50 pounds and I hit 1.063 very easily. There was plenty of room to spare. I would honestly say that I was on the fence getting this due to the boil reports. I saw Fotofishers video and just pulled the trigger. I really think the reflectix was key. And it was only $10 for a large roll. I did one cover on it and then during the mash I decided to make another! No issues with boil at all and I am as low to sea level as it gets (toughest to boil). I wouldnt be hesitant at all.

 

[DarkUncle]

Yeah I'm low in sea level as well. Out on Long Island.

Any issues with clogging? That's another thing I've seen with the pump clogging with hops debris.

Don't know if you've seen it but the makers of Grainfather just developed their own insulated jacket for this system. Think it's called the Graincoat or something creative like that.

 

[BrewMeister49]

Ha! I will have to check that out! I read the reports about clogging. I used hop bags. I did however use about a 1/4 ounce whole hops at the end because I hit a higher gravity than anticipated. No issues whatsoever! Super clear wort into the carboy! All in all, I was really not sure what to expect from some of the reports. I am very happy with it. I looked at the brew boss and just wasnt able to fork out 2K for a setup. I still had to get a HLT and the basic essentials as I was starting from scratch. With the cost of EVERYTHING needed (including a hop scale) I spent $1300! Includes grainfather, carboy carrier, bottle bucket, spare carboy, kettle ect.... I really think it depends on which one you feel would do the trick. That said, I would not at all hesitate on the Grainfather. I got mine from Williamsbrewing and they offer a 60 or 90 money back return.

 

[Caboose]

Thanks for the write up. I stumbled across the Grainfather this morning and I think it will be a perfect match for my needs!

 

[Andyoesq]

Welcome to the grainfather family!
I have one, and have put about 20 brews through it. I love it. Easy brew days.
I have two kids. I love the fact that a) the brew day is fast b) for most steps it is set it and forget it and c) makes tasty beers.
For those on the fence, this is my average brew day:
a) when I wake up in the morning, fill it with the required mash temp, program it to heat up to mash temp. Takes 2 minutes.
b) go make a cup of coffee while it heats up.
c) come back 10 minutes later, crush grains. by the time I get done crushing grains, it is at mash temp.
d) add grains. takes 3 minutes. Set the pump for recycle. Set timer on my iphone.
e) go do something else for an hour. Usually play football in back yard with boys.
f) when mashing is done, come back, sparge. I have a sparge water heater, with a ball valve on it. Open up the ball valve just enough to provide good flow for sparging. go do something else for 20 minutes. as soon as you start sparging, set the GF for boil.
g) by the time it gets done sparging, it is generally pretty close to boil temp.
h) set time for hop additions, or use beersmith. For do something else for an hour, coming back a few times to just add hops. Usually play Wii U here with the boys.
I) with boil ends, attach counter flow chiller, pump to fermenter.

It is soooooo easy.
The last couple of weeks, I have been knocking out two batches a brew day. Start the first batch around 7:30 am, done with clean up by 4:00. all in, maybe an hour and a half of actually doing something. rest of the time doing other stuff with the boys or around the house.

 

[BrewMeister49]

Thanks! Yeah, I just kept pacing lol I felt like there was more I needed to do. I do however need to get a new kitchen faucet adapter. The one that comes with is pretty cheap and leaks. But thats no big deal. Two brews in one day! Thats a feat lol. Whats the most amount of grains you have placed in it? I am going to do a 16.5 pound bill next brew that Im curious about! When I was running sparge water through ( Just pouring it on with measuring cup ) I was shocked at how evenly it was draining and how slowly it was draining. Which is great! Beersmith2 says based on my OG I was shooting for 1.59 and got 1.063 placing me from 72% eff to 92%! I didnt think it was that big of a jump but thats what it is saying.

 

[Andyoesq]

yeah, you will find that your efficiency will go way up with the GF. It really is great.
For what it is worth, I usually mash for an extra 15 minutes, or for a total of 75 minutes. Mainly under the theory that it can't hurt any, you don't have to do anything to mash it for longer, and it gets you even higher (although only marginally) efficiency.
I haven't done any monster brews in it. My biggest grain bill was 14 pounds, which was plenty big for a 5 gallon batch, and it handled it easily.
I don't like the faucet adapter, but I just drape a hand towel over the faucet, and it prevents any water from spraying anywhere

 

[Andyoesq]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1445960860.109542.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1445960889.542042.jpg this is how I sparge. Induction heater on a kettle, adjust the flow on the ball valve, and you are good to go. (these aren't current photos, taken at two separate stages of construction, I don't have a recent one on my phone, but just to give you the idea of how it works)

 

[BrunDog]

That boil looks ok and will get the job done. You don't want to see what all 5500W into 7 gallons looks like!

-BD

 

[DarkUncle]

Were you able to hit your target gravity after boil? That would typically be the issue with a weak boil. Not enough evaporation leading to low post boil gravity.

**Edit. Just re-read your original post. I see you did better than your target. Geez, I may just pull the trigger on this thing after all.

 

[BrewMeister49]

Ha! Yeah. I got better. Actually way better. Was planning on 5 gallons post boil and got 6 gallons post boil and better OG!

 

[jdubdvdt]

I still haven't gotten my efficiency back up. I was hitting 80-90% easy before switching to the grain father. Now I'm at 75%... I might not be getting the boil I need. Will try insulating the boiler.

 

[DarkUncle]

I'm debating on just getting it now or waiting until next year when a new model is released. Say a 220v version. [emoji6]

 

[eber1988]

I have been debating getting one of these. My concern is only an 8 gallon capacity. Is it able to handle a big grain bill for a high gravity beer and still produce a 5 gallon batch

 

[TexasWine]

I still haven't gotten my efficiency back up. I was hitting 80-90% easy before switching to the grain father. Now I'm at 75%... I might not be getting the boil I need. Will try insulating the boiler.

Keep in mind, boil off rate does not impact efficiency.

 

[DarkUncle]

There are other ways to get the OG up on a 5 gallon batch. I've heard of people doing a double mash on the Braumeister systems that can easily be applied to the Grainfather. Basically after the mash cycle is complete, empty the grain basket and insert new grains and mash again without adding additional water. Just using the now converted mash liquid. Would definitely take some trial and errors in gauging what kind of gravities you'd end up with.

 

[jdubdvdt]

Keep in mind, boil off rate does not impact efficiency.

Not exactly, but your final volume will be different than what you were shooting for... effectively changing your gravity.

 

[BrewMeister49]

I still haven't gotten my efficiency back up. I was hitting 80-90% easy before switching to the grain father. Now I'm at 75%... I might not be getting the boil I need. Will try insulating the boiler.

75% is still a great efficiency! Maybe it's just dialing in the crush or slow the sparge down a bit?

 

[BrewMeister49]

I'm debating on just getting it now or waiting until next year when a new model is released. Say a 220v version. [emoji6]

Did they announce something? honestly, either way I think you will be happy!

 

[BrewMeister49]

I have been debating getting one of these. My concern is only an 8 gallon capacity. Is it able to handle a big grain bill for a high gravity beer and still produce a 5 gallon batch

My next brew is a 16.5 pound grain bill. It says 19 pound max and people I have asked on the Facebook page said it handles them just fine. We will see! What gravity are you shooting for?

 

[DarkUncle]

Did they announce something? honestly, either way I think you will be happy!

I messaged them through their Facebook page. It's in development where we will have a choice between 220 or 110. They responded back to look for it next year.

Honestly I might just go with the 110 just for the convenience of kitchen brewing. But it's nice to have that option. From the looks of it and reviews the boil is sufficient enough to make a damn good beer as is.

 

[BrewMeister49]

220 would be pretty cool! No way to plug in anywhere though. Not sure what I would choose? I would have to slide my stove out every brew day. 110 does just fine. Not sure about the grain coat costing $50 + tax and shipping! Just get reflectix and you'll be fine.

 

[jdubdvdt]

75% is still a great efficiency! Maybe it's just dialing in the crush or slow the sparge down a bit?

I am just going to recalculate for my boiloff rate and not add as much water I suppose. My 80-90% efficiency would come from consistently using a modified batch sparge (no stir and trickling through the grain bed), takes about 10 minutes.

 

[BrewMeister49]

I was surprised at how slow the sparge water was draining through my GF. I'm glad it took a bit because I'm sure that's where a lot of my efficiency came from.

 

[bford]

This might seem silly to some, or a dumb question..ha.. but would it be easy to do 2-3 gallon batches with the Grainfather?

I was looking hard at the Zymatic, but the price is certainly better for this public school teacher and ease of use seems to be great.

I currently BIAB batches between 2-2.5 gallons on my gas stovetop.

 

[BrewMeister49]

I don't see any issues with small batches. What size grain bills do you use? On their website they have water calculations for small batches.

 

[bford]

I don't see any issues with small batches. What size grain bills do you use? On their website they have water calculations for small batches.

I really knew it shouldn't be a problem. The biggest beers I've made have been around 8 pounds of grain for a 2 gallon batch barleywine that was right at 10% ABV.

I use 3.2 gallon Speidal fermenters. I would pick up one larger fermenter so I could do the occasional five gallon batch also!

At this point I'm pretty sure its the system I'm going to go with. I've looked at Brew-boss and the Baumester and Zymatic also.... I still love the idea of the Zymatic but not at twice the price or more. This also gives me the option for larger batches.

 

[BrewMeister49]

thats actually not a bad idea. Small, high abv batches! I've never Brewer an imperial anything although my next brew is borderline imperial stout (cavatica stout recipe 1.084 OG). 16.5 pounds! I'm stoked Lol. Small batches will be the same as normal, just smaller amounts of water and you just move the top plate on the grain basket down further. No difference between that and a normal 5 gallon batch.

 

[blizzard]

Is it possible to do a full volume mash instead of sparging? I'm wondering why they include a sparge step and if you could mash with the full water volume like you would with BIAB.

 

[BrewMeister49]

You could. But with a sparge you will get better efficiency.

 

[DarkUncle]

Here's a question. Is this unit serviceable in any way as far as the heating element or pump goes? Looks like a cheap proprietary pump that could be replaceable if needed. But what about the element? It's a hidden element from what I can see but is it removeable? Wouldn't want to spend a grand on this, have the element take a crap 6-12 months in and find out you'd need to buy a whole new system. Lot of money for a disposable unit.

 

[TexasWine]

Is it possible to do a full volume mash instead of sparging? I'm wondering why they include a sparge step and if you could mash with the full water volume like you would with BIAB.

Your batch size would need to be reduced without a sparge step.

 

[gwapogorilla]

I am wanting a GF sooooo bad! Thanks for all of the info guys....keep it coming!:rockin:

 

[BrewMeister49]

That's a great question DarkUncle. Honestly, I would assume. It has a full warranty for 1 year. I would email Estee at GF and see. Their email is [email protected] . I blew them up with questions before I bought one. I know you can get parts at different carrier shops like williamsbrewing and such. Let us know what you find out!

 

[Jkane101]

Mine arrived today! Hoping to put it to use this weekend, next weekend latest