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I did Yoopers house pale and it had 3.75 hops, filter was loaded but still flowing fine. Did have to remove check valve, After that no problems Cooled 175 to 65 when running chiller.
 
dbrulet said:
I also bought mine for that 20% off deal on NB last week and had my first brew Sunday. Was a hoppy brew with 7oz of hops in the kettle. No clogs at all...ran like a champ and I hit target gravity spot on which I never do, so that's a pleasant surprise! No boil problems as I switched it over to "boil" or "normal" while sparging and it was up to 212 by the time I was taking the grain away. Also, the chiller worked great and brought it down quickly. Can't wait to use it again next weekend! I do wish I could see the volume markings while sparging as my HLT was leaking a bit so I needed to check the kettle for volume and to lift away the grain basket in order to see the boil volume was a pain, but that's nitpicking.
Click to expand...

Another one 20% off, nice! I can see how a sight glass could've helped you there, or fixing the HLT! :) I also would like gallon / liter markings down to 2, instead of 3 (another nit).
 
This idea popped into my head today.I got sick and tired of both buying and using DME for my yeast starters a long time back.Since I already brewed all grain I started doing a mini-mash on the stove in a saucepan with 750ML of water and a 1/2 pound of cracked 2 row.Bring the water up to 170 and then stir in the grain and let it mash for an hour then strain it and boil it for about 10 minutes then put it in the fridge over night to cool.

By just doing a mash with the GF with say 10 pounds of 2 row/4 gallons of water and letting it drain(skip the sparge) and then using the pump to tranfer it to 1 gallon growlers.Say you get 3 gallons,that makes for a huge number of 500ML yeast starters.

Night before the brew day you simply pour 600 ML into a saucepan and bring it to a boil then pour it into a sanitized erlenmeyer flask and put it in the fridge.Take it out first thing to get up to room temp and then get it going on the stir plate and add your yeast/nutrient.

Yes it is a couple hours of work but you get rewarded with 3-3.5 gallons worth of starter "mini beer".

What can I say,I like stuff done in bulk and I got into that mindset shortly after getting into brewing.I buy grain by the 55 pound sack/sacks and I buy my hops by the pound/pounds and the same for yeast(nothing wrong with a pound of Safale US-05) so by doing a "starter batch" you would get enough to last a very long time.

Thoughts please.

RMCB
 
RockyMountainCraftBrewing said:
This idea popped into my head today.I got sick and tired of both buying and using DME for my yeast starters a long time back.Since I already brewed all grain I started doing a mini-mash on the stove in a saucepan with 750ML of water and a 1/2 pound of cracked 2 row.Bring the water up to 170 and then stir in the grain and let it mash for an hour then strain it and boil it for about 10 minutes then put it in the fridge over night to cool.

By just doing a mash with the GF with say 10 pounds of 2 row/4 gallons of water and letting it drain(skip the sparge) and then using the pump to tranfer it to 1 gallon growlers.Say you get 3 gallons,that makes for a huge number of 500ML yeast starters.

Night before the brew day you simply pour 600 ML into a saucepan and bring it to a boil then pour it into a sanitized erlenmeyer flask and put it in the fridge.Take it out first thing to get up to room temp and then get it going on the stir plate and add your yeast/nutrient.

Yes it is a couple hours of work but you get rewarded with 3-3.5 gallons worth of starter "mini beer".

What can I say,I like stuff done in bulk and I got into that mindset shortly after getting into brewing.I buy grain by the 55 pound sack/sacks and I buy my hops by the pound/pounds and the same for yeast(nothing wrong with a pound of Safale US-05) so by doing a "starter batch" you would get enough to last a very long time.

Thoughts please.

RMCB
Click to expand...

I could be wrong, but you may need to can that if you plan on keeping it for any length of time. Don't think unfermented wort in a growler in the fridge is a good idea for more than a couple days. Some mason jars and a pressure cooker and you should be in business though.
 
RockyMountainCraftBrewing said:
This idea popped into my head today.I got sick and tired of both buying and using DME for my yeast starters a long time back.Since I already brewed all grain I started doing a mini-mash on the stove in a saucepan with 750ML of water and a 1/2 pound of cracked 2 row.Bring the water up to 170 and then stir in the grain and let it mash for an hour then strain it and boil it for about 10 minutes then put it in the fridge over night to cool.

By just doing a mash with the GF with say 10 pounds of 2 row/4 gallons of water and letting it drain(skip the sparge) and then using the pump to tranfer it to 1 gallon growlers.Say you get 3 gallons,that makes for a huge number of 500ML yeast starters.

Night before the brew day you simply pour 600 ML into a saucepan and bring it to a boil then pour it into a sanitized erlenmeyer flask and put it in the fridge.Take it out first thing to get up to room temp and then get it going on the stir plate and add your yeast/nutrient.

Yes it is a couple hours of work but you get rewarded with 3-3.5 gallons worth of starter "mini beer".

What can I say,I like stuff done in bulk and I got into that mindset shortly after getting into brewing.I buy grain by the 55 pound sack/sacks and I buy my hops by the pound/pounds and the same for yeast(nothing wrong with a pound of Safale US-05) so by doing a "starter batch" you would get enough to last a very long time.

Thoughts please.

RMCB
Click to expand...

This is why I harvest yeast, so much simpler and holds for months. In fridge! I too buy in bulk, just not buying yeast, unless I need a new strain. Harvest each time. The GF is great for getting "cleaner" yeast. Helps to have a conical too. I boil my mason jars in microwave for about 5 min, cool them and then capture. Only way easier are those "crazy" guys who pitch on a cake! Amazing that works without causing issues! Never done it myself.
 
Whirlpooling and letting it sit for 10min or so before beginning chilling/pumping will leave most of the hop and trub materials in a central cone and you won't have as many clog issues.. Removing the safety spring when it comes time to chill also removes further restriction (I've left mine out permanently)
No issues even with massive hop loads.
 
singybrue said:
You definitely need to pressure can jars of wort to keep it longer than a week or two.
Botulism can't be killed by boiling at 212
Here's the method I usehttp://www.maltosefalcons.com/tech/starter-made-easy-pressure-cooking-your-starter-wort-ahead-time
Click to expand...

I wrote a response only to lose it with the I'm not a robot validation..

My question, while I appreciate and understand the above approach, why not keep it simple and harvest yeast slurry each time? Two downsides I've read specific to this method are can't re-use "stressed" yeast from high OG batches and storage time (though that varies widely from what I've read). Neither of these have I read empirical evidence (it may exist). From my experience, I've used 2+ mos old slurry yeast with previous OG's from 60-69 with fine results- no starter, plenty of yeast harvested. Can't say for sure results would be better with 1st gen yeast- maybe, maybe not- my guess is the latter. Certainly you need new yeast if you require a new yeast strain, but as the commercial brewers practice this method (up to 15 generations I've read), I don't see why not to employ it as well. Yes, they brew more often, but I've not run into storage issues---yet! Would like to know what limits there are on storage time.

So, any thoughts on why not the KISS method here of harvesting slurry?
 
In the past I have saved some wort from the mash in a mason jar in the fridge, usually about 1.035 - 1.040 OG. I then boil this for 15 mins, chill and use for my starter. Is this not a good process? My current 2 IPA's on tap were done this way using old WLP-001 and seem to be fine. Am I taking a gamble?
 
these posts are still great! thanks everybody for sharing. In an attempt to get rid of old stock, I'm trying a pliny type double IPA clone with 13 lbs 2-row, 3/4 lb 60L & 3/4 lb caramunich (some malto dexterin & turbinado to boot)...the system holds 14.5 lbs grain & water to match perfectly. My hops is going to be off (needed to use up a few oz each of bravo, cluster & maybe some spalt or tettnang to balance it out, haven't decided yet)...here we go!!!
 
Yambor44 said:
In the past I have saved some wort from the mash in a mason jar in the fridge, usually about 1.035 - 1.040 OG. I then boil this for 15 mins, chill and use for my starter. Is this not a good process? My current 2 IPA's on tap were done this way using old WLP-001 and seem to be fine. Am I taking a gamble?
Click to expand...

At least according to this google search of botulism in wort, you may wish to re-think your process: http://beerandwinejournal.com/botulism/
The author has strong credentials, read the comments section too. My favorite comment, made me feel good about my KISS slurry method:

"The pH of yeast starters or yeast slurries would be below 4.6, so you don’t have to worry."
 
Kampenken said:
"The pH of yeast starters or yeast slurries would be below 4.6, so you don’t have to worry."
Click to expand...

You might want to play it safe there, however. There is a difference between an already-fermented "starter" and "slurry," and an unfermented wort. The latter is most likely going to be at a higher pH than something already fermented. The quote above would only apply to fermented beer IMO.
 
I agree, a slurry, already fermented is lower pH than wort (not fermented). That's what I use and one reason I'm suggesting wort method is not ideal- to ensure safety requires additional steps, not to mention wort creation, while slurry is "there for the taking". Seems obvious unless someone can point me in a new direction.
 
Sorry--I misread your post. I see now that your are advising against keeping uncanned wort and proposing just using slurry. Totally agree.
 
rawlus said:
Whirlpooling and letting it sit for 10min or so before beginning chilling/pumping will leave most of the hop and trub materials in a central cone and you won't have as many clog issues.. Removing the safety spring when it comes time to chill also removes further restriction (I've left mine out permanently)
No issues even with massive hop loads.
Click to expand...

Thanks rawlus, i will be trying this tomorrow. Simple solution which is my MO. :)
 
Greetings to all fellow GF owners! I got one for Xmas from my wife (Best gift ever!) and have only brewed up one batch due to some life getting in the way. But that is going to change in the up coming weeks. After browsing thru this thread, someone was talking about using some "tabs" to clean the GF with instead of PBW. Were those the growler tabs or the Keg/Carboy ones? I am very interested to hear how cleaning this way went instead of the PBW process.
 
JBurger538 said:
someone was talking about using some "tabs" to clean the GF with instead of PBW. Were those the growler tabs or the Keg/Carboy ones? I am very interested to hear how cleaning this way went instead of the PBW process.
Click to expand...

I use generic oxyclean and it works great
 
rawlus said:
Whirlpooling and letting it sit for 10min or so before beginning chilling/pumping will leave most of the hop and trub materials in a central cone and you won't have as many clog issues.. Removing the safety spring when it comes time to chill also removes further restriction (I've left mine out permanently)
No issues even with massive hop loads.
Click to expand...

This worked great. I let the wort sit for 30min or so untiil the STC readout reached 85C. Best pump rate i've had after 8 brews.

Not really saving time but piece of mind. :D The pump stopped! :tank:
 
Hey again folks, hows everyones efficiencies? I done 2 batchs the last few days and one was a 6 gallon blonde that according to brewersfriend was %68 but yesterday i done a 5 gallon red ale that came out to %73..

I was wondering if the smaller batch size is a factor. The red was actually mashed higher temp then the blonde.

I was also wondering if people hand mix the different malts before putting it in the grain basket. I done it for the first time with the red ale.
 
seabrew8 said:
I was also wondering if people hand mix the different malts before putting it in the grain basket. I done it for the first time with the red ale.
Click to expand...

Last week was first all grain. Is mixing an issue? mine were mixed in grinder hopper.
 
actech said:
Last week was first all grain. Is mixing an issue? mine were mixed in grinder hopper.
Click to expand...

Depending on your mill setting, sometimes it's good to keep smaller grains like wheat or rye separate, so you can run them through twice.
Some people believe their beer is better if they don't mash their crystal and dark malts with their base malts, and add them at vorlauf/sparging time.
Otherwise, it's all gonna mix when you stir it in.
 
I like to mix up my grains in a bucket and then crush them.Never had any problem.Still it always makes me think of that scene from Monty Pythons Meaning Of Life....where the Maitre De recites the menu and Mr.Cresote says "Give me the lot"...."and how would you like them sir...piled high or all mixed up in a bucket?"...."yeah all mixed up in a bucket and dont skimp on the pate".

Got my starter done tonight and doing my best to empty a keg so as to clear up the beer glut in my pipeline.....3 kegs ready to rock and 5 are sitting on fermented beers.

RMCB
 
I need to test my refractometer because according to it I got 1.056 on a 9.5# Blonde recipe last week and 1.060 on a 9.5# Pale Ale.
 
I've always hit at least 72% but tend to hover around 78%. My grains are crushed at the LHBS and mixed well. Then I dough in at 133 while it is rising to my mash temp and let it mash for 70 mins or so with the recirc pump going the whole time.
 
Did a German pilsner yesterday and got 84.1% according to Beersmith.

Previous batch, I did a Maibock and only got 67.7%.

The difference was last time I crushed with a gap of .25" and yesterday changed it to .30". I believe the finer crush of the Maibock slowed the recirculation during the mash, but I also followed a different mash schedule: I mashed the Maibock at 152 degrees for 90 mins with no mashout. Yesterday I mashed at 148 for 60 mins, 158 for 30 mins, and a 10 min mashout at 168. So that could have affected it also, but it's anybody's guess.

The January batch, a Saison, I got 77.6% and did a single step mash of 148 for 90 mins, with a crush of .30".

Best I can deduce from these three data points is, too fine of a crush hurts efficiency (contrary to what you might expect).
 
Kampenken said:
At least according to this google search of botulism in wort, you may wish to re-think your process: http://beerandwinejournal.com/botulism/
The author has strong credentials, read the comments section too. My favorite comment, made me feel good about my KISS slurry method:

"The pH of yeast starters or yeast slurries would be below 4.6, so you don’t have to worry."
Click to expand...

From your link..."If the wort can be refrigerated, the risk of botulism drops, but is not eliminated. Likewise, if the pH of the wort could be adjusted downward — by adding food-grade acid — to 4.5 or lower, the threat would eliminated. Of course, this would be impractical and may lead to overly tart beer. Also, wort that has been stored could be reheated to 185 °F (85 °C) for 5 minutes, as a precautionary measure, although this requires the wort to be chilled again"

This is the method I use. Refrigerate mash wort, boil for 15 mins, chill, add yeast, 2 days in a flask, refrigerate, decant, pitch.
 
I see a lot of variables when speaking of efficiency. First, which efficiency is being quoted- Mash, Kettle (beginning or ending) or Brewhouse- the latter especially. Prior to the GF I had almost no drop between ending Kettle and Brewhouse (other than wort shrinkage from cooling). Now, with the GF I lose a bit due to pump out (tipping limits that!) & residual remains in CFC*. Also, time of year will change your boil off (e.g. Northern winters=drier air, higher evaporation). This is new to me, looking for more information. Next up imo, is water chemistry. A high mash pH will kill efficiency. So really to compare efficiency we need to know the brewer's mash pH. As this certainly can be driven by style of beer if no water additions are included (lighter beer = higher pH) its also important to know the style, if no water additions. I figure with the GF we should all have very similar efficiencies if we're clear on the above, starting with which one.

Having said all that (whew!) I just missed my OG by 10pts! :mad: It was my first time using corn, heard I could substitute corn meal, didn't hear I needed a cereal mash! My 150F mash temp likely converted zero into sugars! Don't ask my efficiency, :). Instead of a mildly hopped easy drinker (4.5%) I expect I will end with a more hop forward light beer (3.4%)! Also I ended with 5.75g of this yellow water, instead of 5.25g. I swear the GF's low grain bill calc needs adjustment. Anyone else?

*Curious on how you're all cleaning/clearing out your CFC. I've been making sure to toss down the sink the first pumping of the CFC prior to the recirc on my next mash- so I basically am getting rid of ~1 cup (~237ml Seabrew!) of water until I see the mash wort come through. I am being lazy, I've got an air compressor, but haven't run it through. Anyone doing this? Or anyone using the blow through it method as I saw on a You-Tube vid?

Yambor, looks like you're safe, glad to hear you're handling it that way! Any thoughts about just collecting slurry, and pitch that?
 
Yeah, I never have a problem with boiling like some. It's not a high rolling boil like you get with gas, but also I never have a problem with scorching. I'm into the fifth brewing session with it within a 6 week time frame, and that is a miracle for me! So far, I've brewed an alt beer, IPA, double IPA, ESB, and now an unknown (--cleaning out the grain, hops and yeast supplies). The system is extremely brewer friendly and very easy to clean.
 
Looking to see if people have tested the grain bed temperature once your system is mashing? I did a run today with 9.5 pounds for grain and tested the grain bed temp 4 times to see what its actual temp was. Mine was at least 5 to 6 degrees below the controllers set temp. The controller was reading the correct temp, but actual grain bed was cooler.

I have done about 4 batches on the system. All my batches have had a FG below what I expected. This tells me the system is mashing in the lower temps.

Has anyone else done testing?
 
Kampenken said:
So really to compare efficiency we need to know the brewer's mash pH. As this certainly can be driven by style of beer if no water additions are included (lighter beer = higher pH) its also important to know the style, if no water additions. I figure with the GF we should all have very similar efficiencies if we're clear on the above, starting with which one.
Click to expand...

Brewhouse efficiency. pH=5.4. Lighter lagers (pilsner, helles, Bock, etc). RO water with 1 tsp CaCl per 5 gal.
 
Kampenken, I have done/do that. I just like trying different things sometimes. I am actually going to save the slurry of my current fermenting IPA. I usually do it after dry hopping and no secondary. This time I think I am going to secondary the beer to dry hop to keep the yeast a little cleaner of the dry hop debris.
 
Kampenken said:
*Curious on how you're all cleaning/clearing out your CFC. I've been making sure to toss down the sink the first pumping of the CFC prior to the recirc on my next mash- so I basically am getting rid of ~1 cup (~237ml Seabrew!) of water until I see the mash wort come through. I am being lazy, I've got an air compressor, but haven't run it through. Anyone doing this? Or anyone using the blow through it method as I saw on a You-Tube vid?

Yambor, looks like you're safe, glad to hear you're handling it that way! Any thoughts about just collecting slurry, and pitch that?
Click to expand...

I've got ya beat on lazy: I just drained my finished beer out of the fermenter into the keg, and pumped the new wort right in without collecting slurry or cleaning the fermenter. Already started bubbling within about 4 hours.

As far as cleaning the CFC: after use, I hook up the wort-out tube to my water faucet and run water through it for a few minutes. Then, with a hot PBW solution in the Grainfather, I hook it back up to that and pump it through a few minutes, followed by another cold water rinse from the faucet. Takes all of 10 minutes while I'm cleaning the Grainfather anyway. Hang it up to dry and your good to go next time. I don't bother blowing it out or discarding water: whatever nasties are in there are sanitized by your hot wort anyway, assuming you're recirculating wort through it for ten minutes before chilling to your fermenter. Of course this is coming from someone who didn't clean his fermentor, so take it with a grain of salt.
 
My CFC cleaning is about the same with the exception of pumping a cup or so down the sink as Kampenken does. I know it will be sanitized, but just in case a bug or two get in there I started doing it.

Post some pics of that krausen when it peaks. I bet it gets pretty vigorous!
 
Just for you Kampenken!

image.jpg
 
While we are on th subject of yeast and whatnot, in the past I have had a couple of IPA's that came out tasting like a Hefeweizen. Three times it was with yeast slurry (made a starter, 1 US-05 and 2 with WLP-001) with DME and once it was from a yeast slurry that I pitched 2 heaping tablespoons of straight into the wort. The most recent started out tasting like a hefe, but settled right out after keg conditioning for a week.

This is over a course of 8 years of brewing. I am pretty anal with my cleaning and sanitizing but am open to the idea that I missed something along the way. Anyone else ever experience this?
 

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