Grainfather!!

[kryolla]

my plan was to mash at 1.75 q/lb of grain then let it sit at 152 for 30 min then start recirc..It didnt work out I was loosing too much heat so I started to recirc once it got to 149...I missed my pre boil gravity and had to add a lb of DME to make up for it..I guess next time I'll try a thicker mash..Other than that my brew day is going good Im digging the GF

 

[kryolla]

5 oz of hops and it was barely getting through it I def need a hop spider

 

[Diamonddave74]

I agree. Ipa could be rough on this filter. Check out some diy hop spiders. That's the route I'm going.

 

[AkBrew907]

I agree. Ipa could be rough on this filter. Check out some diy hop spiders. That's the route I'm going.

5 oz of hops and it was barely getting through it I def need a hop spider

I have used this multiple times with excellent results when I was propane. Will try with GF on first batch. The bag is a 5 gallon paint strainer bag. Cheap and always easy to get. Whole thing cost less than 10 bucks

View attachment 1462056433622.jpg

 

[StoutNoDoubt]

Well that's a shame. They should have made that button switch between C and F or had it switch between displaying current and set temp.

Apparently you can mess with some backend programming for the hysteresis programming for changing from Celsius to Fahrenheit. Here's a vid I found. Cheers!
https://youtu.be/NTIxjCD07vU

 

[Eichler]

On mine, if the re-circulation arm is not seated just right, water will not recirculate. I usually have to look straight on when I'm attaching the arm. If nothing comes out, taking off the arm and re-attaching normally does the trick.

I can't imagine why the hop filter would make a difference?

When you attach the arm and the ball valve is attached make sure to the arm connection push down straight into the ball valve to compress the spring. Compressing the spring, the screw the arm down into place.

Doing this carefully has helped solve both leaks and slow recirc for me.

 

[jbb3]

I have used this multiple times with excellent results when I was propane. Will try with GF on first batch. The bag is a 5 gallon paint strainer bag. Cheap and always easy to get. Whole thing cost less than 10 bucks

FYI - I have seen some have issues with the pvc version of the hop spider. Some have melted, others question whether having pvc exposed to heat is safe (fumes).

Just wanted to post an alternative using a stainless sink drain flange in case you/anyone have similar concerns.

 

[AkBrew907]

FYI - I have seen some have issues with the pvc version of the hop spider. Some have melted, others question whether having pvc exposed to heat is safe (fumes).

Just wanted to post an alternative using a stainless sink drain flange in case you/anyone have similar concerns.



View attachment 352614

That's excellent. Will pick one up from Lowes next time I'm out.

 

[Tozzi]

I am using this one for recipes with lots of hops.
It works really well and makes cleaning the GF after use a little easier, too.
But for recipes that are lower on hops I just throw them in.
I removed the spring and ball from the upper valve, since those tend to become clogged pretty easily.

My first post here. I'm from Munich, Germany, and new on this forum.
Got my Grainfather in March and have done 5 brews on it so far, an IPA, a Porter, Imperial Porter, Barley Wine, and a French Bière de Garde which is still fermenting...

Stephan

(And I've actually read each and every post in this thread, which took me days, but gave me lots of valuable input in the end...)

 

[Elkobrewer]

3rd Grainfather Brew today. The Yooper house pale ale. Hope it turns out ok. It was a tough brew stuck sparg and a few other thins went wrong total time with clean up. 5.5 hours.

 

[acott]

I have my trusty thermapen, so I've been keeping my sparge water to aroung 74-75 c.

But could it be the case that we are over sparging with the Grainfather, some people are sparging anywhere from 20-40 minutes...efficiency is through the roof, but at what cost?

I'm brewing a Black IPA this weekend, here's what I'm going to do : Treat my mash water with Lactic Acid, Cal Chloride and Magnesium sulfate (Mash pH calculated at around 5.4), I will then sparge with only 9ltrs of 75 c water then add the remaining water when coming up to the boil. I'm still unsure if I should treat my sparge water though.

My efficiency will take a hit, but the Black IPA is for a comp, so I really don't want those tannins!

Ok, so I brewed my Black IPA on Friday and let me just say it was a disaster! I decided to try a no sparge, but I won't be trying this again as no sparge just isn't an option....my efficiency was only 55%, I was supposed to have a SG of 1.063, in fact it was only 1.045.

So next test will be to treat the sparge water to lower pH and sparge with only a small quantity of water.

 

[d-bone]

Quick update......using a triple false bottom. Not one piece of grain in the boil. Not a problem with recirculation. I do control flow so nothing goes down the overflow.

do you have a source for the mesh you are using?

 

[Tang10]

do you have a source for the mesh you are using?

I bought the flexible mesh on Ebay. I got good results with just using a 10 inch dome false bottom on top of the Grainfather bottom. No mods needed, just slide down the overflow pipe to sit on top.

Jamie

 

[kryolla]

I bought some wilser hop bags but it'll be awhile until I can try it out. My next brew is a Belgium black ale so not a of hops then my pipe line wil be full

 

[bmorosco]

Brewed a Belgian white! Love the control you get with this

 

[AkBrew907]

Moved the GF down to the brew room. Eventually going to build some custom cabinets, counters and bar but this will work for now. My induction plate came in also to heat sparge water in. Will build a small platform so it's high enough to gravity feed when doing my mash.

 

[CMcK]

Moved the GF down to the brew room. Eventually going to build some custom cabinets, counters and bar but this will work for now. My induction plate came in also to heat sparge water in. Will build a small platform so it's high enough to gravity feed when doing my mash.

Is that a the A79 cooktop? Like it.

 

[WesM63]

I finally brewed on mine this past weekend. I love how simple everything is.

No major issues, just a few minor ones.

- boil problems outside on a 50F rainy and windy day. Ended up moving it just inside the door to keep the boil going. I'll stick to the garage next time. I preemptively bought a graincoat that missed brew-day by 1 day.
- 4oz of pellets clogged the pump, didn't realize it till I was chilling and wondered why it was taking so damn long. I preemptively bought a hop spider from Utah Bio-Diesel, which will be here in the next day or two, ready for my next brew-day.

 

[RockyMountainCraftBrewing]

I bought some wilser hop bags but it'll be awhile until I can try it out. My next brew is a Belgium black ale so not a of hops then my pipe line wil be full

I managed to get in a brew day on Sunday.I wont go into the grain bill etc but I did use the 4"X6" cotton drawstring bags I got off Ebay.I opted for 3 hop additions that were 1 ounce each.3 types of hops and 3 bags.I weighed out the pellets on a scale then put them in a bag and cinched it tight then went 3 times in opposing directions with each string then tied a square knot.Other than some very fine hop dust there was no leakage or escapage(possible new brewing word :rockin of the hops.Very wicked hop utilization and the nose is the proof.

I did not bother to clean the bags because it was not worth the time involved.I bought a lot of 50 of them for $10 including shipping which works out to 20 cents each.10-15 minutes of my time is worth a lot more than 20 cents.Nice thing about the bags is they also work for other stuff like bitter orange peel/corriander seed etc though I would not use one for a couple of star anise.

It was a good brew day with the Grainfather and the wort came out super clear and quite fast through the CF chiller due to no hop debris....all told I think it took 20 minutes to transfer and it was 17C when it was going into the corny to ferment.Clean up was easier as well as there was no hop junk etc.

Throw away hop bags are the way to go IMO.Clearer wort/faster cooling-transfering/easier cleaning are the benefits and all for a paltry 20 cents per ounce of hops(if you buy hops by the pound you lose maybe 5% of the savings)

Standard brewing for me is using hop bags because it = less work and clear wort.

RMCB

 

[AkBrew907]

Is that a the A79 cooktop? Like it.

Haven't even plugged it in yet lol. Yup A79

I liked the larger size compared to the others I looked at.

Should be brewing this weekend and will see how it does.

 

[AkBrew907]

Anyone play with the app yet? On Android?

Just entered a recipe. Went to open it up again after clicking save and all my grain measurements and hop measurements changed....

what was 4lbs is now 3 lbs 15.85oz and so and and so on for all them.

 

[elreplica]

Anyone play with the app yet? On Android?

Just entered a recipe. Went to open it up again after clicking save and all my grain measurements and hop measurements changed....

what was 4lbs is now 3 lbs 15.85oz and so and and so on for all them.

I have played with on iOS... Not impressed at all, as nothing saves...you apparently cannot do incremental saves on any version. Very disappointing, as this was a cornerstone of their pitch. I still love the gear but the software sucks hard!

 

[AkBrew907]

I have played with on iOS... Not impressed at all, as nothing saves...you apparently cannot do incremental saves on any version. Very disappointing, as this was a cornerstone of their pitch. I still love the gear but the software sucks hard!

Yea, I will continue to use Beer Smith. I loaded the equipment profiles in, will try it out this weekend.

 

[elreplica]

Yea, I will continue to use Beer Smith. I loaded the equipment profiles in, will try it out this weekend.

I'm a tech guy but confounded by the myriad differences in mash and sparge volumes...I mean I can work easily in Imperial, metric and US measures but the discrepancies are bull****...being new to all grain makes this important to do baseline calculations and scares most people off. I'm sticking with the GF US calcs as they best resemble my go to "beersmith" beer guy's calcs on his recipes (using Beersmith I believe)... And my calcs from the US manual closely match his

 

[elreplica]

I'm a tech guy but confounded by the myriad differences in mash and sparge volumes...I mean I can work easily in Imperial, metric and US measures but the discrepancies are bull****...being new to all grain makes this important to do baseline calculations and scares most people off. I'm sticking with the GF US calcs as they best resemble my go to "beersmith" beer guy's calcs on his recipes (using Beersmith I believe)... And my calcs from the US manual closely match his

Lol! Love it how this site is auto modded! My bull**** was asterisked out!

 

[AkBrew907]

Still deciding what I want to brew this weekend but once I figure it out I will enter it into Beersmith with the GF profiles I have and then check it against what the GF website says I need for water. Hopefully they are spot on or very close.

 

[gotbeer74]

The numbers listed somewhere in this long post come out very close. The amount of water needed is right on but the mash and sparge amounts don't match between GF app and Beersmith. I have been using the BS numbers on my last two batches and have been spot on. I now need to figure out my mash efficiency.

 

[CMcK]

Haven't even plugged it in yet lol. Yup A79

I liked the larger size compared to the others I looked at.

Should be brewing this weekend and will see how it does.

Cool! Let me know how you like it. The price is right anyway

 

[RockyMountainCraftBrewing]

I prefer the Mad Scientist method of brewing.I start by heating 6.5 gallons of strike water and then crush my malt.I start with the base malts...such as pale and two row and maris otter/ESB for an english/american IPA or a mix of vienna/munich/pilsner for a german ale.Then I take a look at my specialty grain bank and decide which crytals/caras etc that I want to add for color/malt and flavour profiles.Get it all crushed and dough in and let it mash.I then take a look at the hop bank and go crazy with combinations of what I have depending on what I think the beer should taste like and how many IBU's I want as well as the aroma.Finally I opt for the extras such as corriander seed/bitter orange peel etc to give it a tweek/twist.

I have only ever made to batches that were not drinkable with one that got infected and the other just plain had too much bittering hops.

My grain bills are usually 14 pounds and my hops are a minimum of 3 ounces.

I rarely bottle my beer and give it out but every time I have done so I have been told that I make awesome beer.

RMCB

 

[elreplica]

D

 

[elreplica]

I prefer the Mad Scientist method of brewing.I start by heating 6.5 gallons of strike water and then crush my malt.I start with the base malts...such as pale and two row and maris otter/ESB for an english/american IPA or a mix of vienna/munich/pilsner for a german ale.Then I take a look at my specialty grain bank and decide which crytals/caras etc that I want to add for color/malt and flavour profiles.Get it all crushed and dough in and let it mash.I then take a look at the hop bank and go crazy with combinations of what I have depending on what I think the beer should taste like and how many IBU's I want as well as the aroma.Finally I opt for the extras such as corriander seed/bitter orange peel etc to give it a tweek/twist.



I have only ever made to batches that were not drinkable with one that got infected and the other just plain had too much bittering hops.



My grain bills are usually 14 pounds and my hops are a minimum of 3 ounces.



I rarely bottle my beer and give it out but every time I have done so I have been told that I make awesome beer.



RMCB

You are indeed, the Grainfather Mad Scientist ...any "weedhop" additions yet lol?

 

[CMcK]

Update. I am 8 batches in on this baby and making the best beer in my 10 years of all grain. Still getting the occasional stuck sparge and grain in the boil, but those are easy fixes. The most valuable aspect to this system is the repeatable process, which allows to dial in recipes and make the same recipes with consistency. Love this thing! Next steps are to build a stand and go all electric (moving away from heating sparge water on the stove). Seems like everyone is off the fence at this point, but if not, what are you waiting for?!

 

[MeanLowerLow]

Update. I am 8 batches in on this baby and making the best beer in my 10 years of all grain. Still getting the occasional stuck sparge and grain in the boil, but those are easy fixes. The most valuable aspect to this system is the repeatable process, which allows to dial in recipes and make the same recipes with consistency. Love this thing! Next steps are to build a stand and go all electric (moving away from heating sparge water on the stove). Seems like everyone is off the fence at this point, but if not, what are you waiting for?!

I'm curious, what kind of beer are you getting stuck sparges on? I've never had one in 20+ brews on the GF. Is it your crush?

I started using rice hulls on my wheat-heavy recipes to avoid the "eternal sparge"

I've also discovered controlling the flow of the mash, as described earlier, has improved my efficiency, my temp control, and eliminated any stray grain from getting into the wort.

 

[CMcK]

I'm curious, what kind of beer are you getting stuck sparges on? I've never had one in 20+ brews on the GF. Is it your crush?



I started using rice hulls on my wheat-heavy recipes to avoid the "eternal sparge"



I've also discovered controlling the flow of the mash, as described earlier, has improved my efficiency, my temp control, and eliminated any stray grain from getting into the wort.

My crush is 40 so I don't think it's that. I have been using rice hulls lately and not having any issues. The weird thing on the last stuck sparge was it was a small grain bill pale ale...

Have been controlling the flow on the mash as well.

 

[CPT_Tater]

I just brewed on my GrainFather for the first time. My water calculations are way off. Is the GrainFather's calculator on their website for target fermenter volume or what?

 

[d-bone]

My crush is 40 so I don't think it's that. I have been using rice hulls lately and not having any issues. The weird thing on the last stuck sparge was it was a small grain bill pale ale...

Have been controlling the flow on the mash as well.

are you using the micro pipework for small grain bills? I was getting stuck sparges on grain bills<10 lbs, got the micro pipework and havent had one since. cant say enough great things about that accessory. I would recommend everyone with a GF get one.

 

[elreplica]

are you using the micro pipework for small grain bills? I was getting stuck sparges on grain bills<10 lbs, got the micro pipework and havent had one since. cant say enough great things about that accessory. I would recommend everyone with a GF get one.

Please tell me any advantages of the micropipework. None of my beers likely will be less than 10 lbs. - if anything I'd want to increase capacity and output. I guess if you wanted beer less than 5% or doing small batches perhaps? Other than that, I'm not sure why it's a great accessory.

 

[treacheroustexan]

Following above post ^ I want to try a few 2.5 gallon batches so any tips are appreciated.

 

[AkBrew907]

First brew on the grainfather last night. Things went well and I like that I don't have to babysit it the entire time. Mash went great, ended up with 84% efficiency.

Will use a hop spider next time though. Make for even easier clean up.

 

[pepindavid]

I have a question for those using the Grainfather inside. I'm in Canada and I don't have a garage, so I would most likely have to use it inside (in the kitchen) from October to May, roughly.

How do you handle the humidity during boil, since the unit is not directly beneath the hood?