Grainfather!!

[BrewMeister49]

Dude! That chronical with FTS is beautiful lol

 

[bford]

my hop filter - works great! I can add some other pics of it during and after the boil since I'm doing it right now.

How much does something like that run and where did it come from?

 

[scallopking]

amazon - search for hop filter its the 6x14 - $99 well worth it. I hated having the squeeze the bag of wort at the end to get everything out. now the small amount of wort left in the filter just dump it in.

 

[scallopking]

Dude! That chronical with FTS is beautiful lol

thanks!! I lucked out having the cooler, I can fit a carboy and bucket in there with the pump. the bucket is short enough with the bubbler it fits right underneath.

 

[scallopking]

okay so here's at start of boil, notice only 209. the boil is nice, no doubt but why not 212. a boil is a boil I guess...I am still running the extension cord but on a GFI this time. I notice a difference in heat time and pump output actually.

con - 1. it needs a longer cord!

hop filter @ 60 min addition - warrior .60 oz. i move the filter around the edge over now and then. still at 209 degrees.

 

[BrewMeister49]

Maybe try a water boil without the cord? Boils a boil though! All good! Try doubling up the reflectix!

 

[BrunDog]

Cheap extension cords will reduce your power. Make sure to use one as short as possible and as heavy duty as possible. That filter will also pull some heat out, at least initially.

-BD

 

[msaumure]

Don't they say that when the switch is set to boil it bypasses the controller? I'm pretty sure I saw this in one of their videos, they say not to worry about the temp read out during the boil.

 

[TexasWine]

amazon - search for hop filter its the 6x14 - $99 well worth it. I hated having the squeeze the bag of wort at the end to get everything out. now the small amount of wort left in the filter just dump it in.

@bford, FYI, Arbor Fab sells these for $75, free shipping. Save some coin!

https://arborfab.com/store/brewing-filters/6-brew-filter-stainless-steel-mesh

 

[BrewMeister49]

Don't they say that when the switch is set to boil it bypasses the controller? I'm pretty sure I saw this in one of their videos, they say not to worry about the temp read out during the boil.

They do actually! Good call. Mine still has a pretty accurate read out of temp but the ones you see on their videos and on YouTube just say HH when they boil.

 

[jbb3]

okay so here's at start of boil, notice only 209. the boil is nice, no doubt but why not 212. a boil is a boil I guess...I am still running the extension cord but on a GFI this time. I notice a difference in heat time and pump output actually.

FYI - Boiling point is 212f at sea level. The higher the elevation above sea level, the lower the boiling point.

 

[jdubdvdt]

I may look into getting one of those mesh stainless hop filters. I like my hop spider, but I think there will be better utilization in the stainless mesh filter. More wort will come through the stainless mesh at any given moment than the hop spider.

 

[pretzelb]

I may look into getting one of those mesh stainless hop filters. I like my hop spider, but I think there will be better utilization in the stainless mesh filter. More wort will come through the stainless mesh at any given moment than the hop spider.

There was someone posting that their SS hop spider would clog. I could never see how but something to consider. I hope to buy one myself in the future.

 

[BrewMeister49]

So then what is better? I have been using muslin bags. Looking at hop spiders and now these mesh ones that hang over the sides. Which one is best?

 

[Knkbrand]

My wife just let me pull the trigger on this, I am so excited, I can't wait to try it out! Merry Christmas to me!

 

[pretzelb]

So then what is better? I have been using muslin bags. Looking at hop spiders and now these mesh ones that hang over the sides. Which one is best?

There is no best. It's all just preference and opinion.

 

[TwistedLiquidBrew]

@bford, FYI, Arbor Fab sells these for $75, free shipping. Save some coin!

https://arborfab.com/store/brewing-filters/6-brew-filter-stainless-steel-mesh

Thanks for turning us onto this...just ordered! This will be much better than the bag I use now...

 

[BrewMeister49]

What is the difference (and preferred ) micron? 300 or 400?

 

[jdubdvdt]

What is the difference (and preferred ) micron? 300 or 400?

the difference is 100 micron.

 

[BrewMeister49]

Haha! Mic drop.

 

[DarkUncle]

Grainfather hath arrived [emoji3]
Now I have something to put this Graincoat on.

Think I'll savor the joy of this new toy over the course of several days. Unboxing, parts checklist and assembly tonight. Tomorrow, test the unit with just water and bring to a boil and clean the system with PBW.
And finally if I'm lucky have first brew this weekend.

Yeah I'm excited!

 

[BrewMeister49]

That's awesome!! Pics!

 

[Jkane101]

Grainfather hath arrived [emoji3]
Now I have something to put this Graincoat on.

Think I'll savor the joy of this new toy over the course of several days. Unboxing, parts checklist and assembly tonight. Tomorrow, test the unit with just water and bring to a boil and clean the system with PBW.
And finally if I'm lucky have first brew this weekend.

Yeah I'm excited!

Outstanding!! I'll post some pics too, as soon as I get a chance

 

[DarkUncle]

And here we are.....[emoji481][emoji481][emoji481]View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1447814416.603895.jpg

 

[Jkane101]

And here we are.....[emoji481][emoji481][emoji481]View attachment 316797

grainjacket looks good man!

 

[BrewMeister49]

Man! That looks sharp!!

 

[DarkUncle]

Definitely looks good. The Graincoat is thicker and heavier than I thought it would be and fits very snug. I would imagine this will hold heat quite well. Hoping to run a test batch on Sunday. Will report back with my results.

 

[pagrider]

congrats curious to hear about the grain jacket i am about to pull the trigger

 

[BrewMeister49]

Same here. So far nobody has done a review comparing to reflectix!

 

[jpb2716]

I'm interested to see if the boil is noticeably more intense with the graincoat installed.

 

[DarkUncle]

I'm going to try to do just a simple water boil tonight to test the system but won't be able to do an actual brew until the weekend.

 

[scallopking]

thanks for sharing the pic, I haven't seen one with the coat on yet - looks better but does it function better. I sooo want to buy one too!! interested on your feedback as well.

 

[jdubdvdt]

I'll probably buy the jacket if you notice a major difference!

 

[bford]

And here we are.....[emoji481][emoji481][emoji481]View attachment 316797

That is a pretty sexy and compact brew rig. I needs one.

 

[normonster]

There are lots of variables that affect the time....volumes and temperatures to begin with. So take what I say with an allowance....."Your results may vary."

Saturday we demo'd this device at Learn to Homebrew day. We followed the GF water calculations (I have the Beersmith settings that a guy in England came up with but it's just as easy to use the GF guidelines) and heated 5.2 gallons of RO water that was 82F to begin with to 152F. We set it on BOIL and NORMAL and wandered off.....came back in 20 minutes and it was at 164F!!!! Yikes....no sweat, add some ice, turn it to MASH and pump out a bit of water to maintain the proper volume. Added 13.5 lbs of grain, mostly pilsen. Temp dropped a degree and then bounced back and forth between 151 and 152 for sixty minutes. Had 3.x (can't remember exactly) gallons of 168F sparge water in an elevated pot ready for sparge. Raised the GF basket, set the GF to BOIL/NORMAL, put the recirc arm in and turned on pump while dribbling sparge water on the upper plate. Left for 30 minutes (recommended sparge time by Grainfather) and came back to boiling wort!
A nice gentle roll...and if you put the lid on and turn on the pump during the boil you can get a boil over! (We were brewing very close to the road and I wanted to keep crap out so I put the lid on but ended up cocking it about 1/3 open to prevent a boil over.)

So that gives you some indication of time....

Another batch with the same recipe was done but the pump was not utilized during the sparge....we had not hit boil in 30 minutes but were at 198F. I popped in my heat stick and wham...within 5 minutes we were boiling and the heat stick came out and we lost boil for about a minute while the GF built back up.

I have brewed over 10 batches now since July....I am learning to trust it and getting a better sense of time needed to get to temp. I like it!!!

A cleanup tip....the Craftmeister Tablets do wonders on this thing. Add 2-3 gallons, heat to 135 and drop in a tablet and turn on the pump. Anything on the bottom gets removed without any scrubbing.

Visit your LHBS and buy one!

That sounds like a nightmare. Buy one? Maybe when they figure it out. [emoji16]

 

[DarkUncle]

Well, here's a boil with plain water at the 7 gallon mark which is probably more than I will actually be boiling with wort. It'll surely do especially considering the convenience factors. I look forward to a first brew.

View attachment Boil.MOV

 

[Jkane101]

Yup thats a boil for sure, and all you need!

 

[Knkbrand]

Yes sir, looks like a boil to me. How long did shipping take? I ordered mine on Monday, and this is definitely exercising my patience

 

[DarkUncle]

I'm quite happy. An all in one unit that boils like that on a 110v line is sweet. Both pump and heater actually working on a single line. I can brew right in my kitchen next to the sink for quick cleanup. Heat the sparge water up right there next to me on the stove. Doesn't get any more convenient. No more cold garage brewing for me in the winter. [emoji1]

 

[DarkUncle]

I ordered 11:00pm on the 10th and received it on the 17th.