Dedicated Grainfather Guide, Problems and Solutions Thread

[butisitart]

there's some bloody good stuff coming through here recently - lots of food for thought.
just clocked another sparge timed at 4m 50secs. and that felt slowish, had a slightly sluggish grainbed that i had to pull the mash apart and re-stir going from 63 to 68C. but yeah - i would think that if you're doing much over 5mins on a sparge, to hit the sparge as soon as you lift the cylinder out of the mash and keep the water flow between the top grain filter fins.

 

[nads]

This forum has been such a wealth of information and my brews have improved as a result. My sparge time on my last Citra APA was just over 5 mins compared to the previous identical brew which was around 1/2 hour. Only difference is starting the sparge immediately after lifting the inner basket as well as increasing sparge water temp from 76 to around 78 - 80 deg.

 

[butisitart]

good to hear, nads... i had a wobbly theory on gf sparge, which seems to be starting to bear some fruit. i think (from memory) it were coodgee that had similar sparge times. waiting to hear from carniebrew on his next. that makes me pretty bloody happy if that's the solution.

 

[arzaman]

Here short guide to upgrade grainfather equipment with Open ArdBir controller providing full brewing process automation and much more !

enjoy
Davide

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzJctwTmh10[/media]

 

[HeavyNova]

Thanks for those links to upgrade guys, I'll check them out when I get home today.

Yep, Rawlus, that's basically what I mean, however I'd like to avoid messing around with the pump outlet. Ideally, a QD installed immediately after the ball valve with the corresponding end on the other side of the recirculation arm and anything else that you wanted to pump out to (e.g. chiller or hopback). I've seen this on YouTube but haven't found any follow up info on the parts required to do it.

Trial and error will likely get you there but if possible, I would like to avoid buying a bunch of unnecessary parts just hoping one of them will fit. I'm slowly getting somewhere with the office Grainfather crew, but we seem to be taking forever to decide on which thread I'm talking about.

On a side note, I put the first Grainfather brew down on the weekend and it was a pleasure. Very easy to work with, no issues with sparging and had an efficiency of 80%. Loved it. Looking forward to getting the end result in a glass.

 

[welly2]

Had my first grainfather brew day. It went very well! I'm really pleased. Made an English Special Bitter and made my first yeast starter which is looking good. I'm cube chilling it so waiting for it to chill before I pitch the yeast.

All the numbers worked out as expected. About 28L pre-boil, about 23L post boil. And I'm not sure how, I'm yet to figure out, but the efficiency was off the scale. 91.2%. Estimated OG was 1.046. Actual OG ended up being 1.058. I didn't weigh the grain before it went in the Grainfather but the only thing I can assume is that my grain supplier weighed out too much grain. They've always been reliable though so can't really explain that one.

The sparge went on for about 1/2 hour which was perfect timing for getting up to boil temperature. Overall, chuffed to bits. Can't wait to try the beer!

 

[fishingbrad]

I also had my fist grainfather brew day yesterday. Did a German Style lager. no chill cubed as the yeast wasn't ready (on the stir plate). How great are these things. I have come from Biab using 2 pot method and the grain father just blew me away.

I did find my 19lt Big W pot was the perfect size to place the malt pipe in to carry out to the compost.

Does anyone else have a better cleaning method. I found the protein really stuck to the bottom (not that there was much)and needed more than what they show you in the videos. I had to use a green scrubbing pad to get it off.

Cheers.

 

[nads]

I have the same problem with a lot of gunk stuck to the bottom and it's been the same with all 6 brews I've done. I also use a green scrubbing pad and a lot of elbow grease to remove it. Tried bicarb and lemon juice as suggested but it did not work for me.

 

[fotofisher]

First of all, thanks to all those who blazed the trail ahead of me by posting some really helpful GF brewing tips. I recently received my GF here in the States and put it through 3 back-to-back batches (barley wine, Belgian trippel, imperial dunkelweizen) this past weekend. I was consistently near 80% efficiency with some complicated multi-step mashes and hit or exceeded all my OGs. I have been brewing since 1990, and seasoned as homebrewing goes, but really I am a newbie with the GF unit. I am already a more efficient brewer with the GF, but I know it can be pushed further. I learned alot from this board and from doing non-stop brewing this weekend. I made a video of some of my tips which may (or may not) be helpful for others in the US that are just now receiving their GF units. >>> https://youtu.be/WV8dVWvrpzY.

.fotofisher.

 

[butisitart]

cleaning the stuck bits off the bottom.....
i leave a thin film of trub/beer over the bottom as i pour the dregs through a filter into the fermenter.
then IMMEDIATELY (before everything goes completely cold and seriously stuck) i use a stainless steel (eg $3 from woolies) egglifter and lift all the black/burnies off. like lifting oil off the bbq. comes off easily and fast, but you need to do it while it's still hot. i suspect leaving a thin film of trub over it may keep the burnt bit from hardening up too fast.
note - don't then filter the last bit of trub into a fermenter unless you like a smoky burnt flavour in your beer. i only did it twice, now i have 2 rauschbiers whether i wanted them or not.

yep - done the bi-carb and vinegar - this is sooo much easier and quick

 

[butisitart]

further note on getting stuck on the bottom of gf.
i don't know if milling a bit too fine helps cause this or not. to date, i don't yet have a mill so have to rely on whatever my supplier does. any scientific finds, observations, refinements on milling differences would probably be appreciated by all.
happy brewing

 

[fotofisher]

I made a video of some of my tips which may (or may not) be helpful for others in the US that are just now receiving their GF units. >>> https://youtu.be/WV8dVWvrpzY.

.fotofisher.

I also published a few DIY Grainfather brewing tips: https://youtu.be/B-Da6HKW1No

 

[welly2]

I also published a few DIY Grainfather brewing tips: https://youtu.be/B-Da6HKW1No

Some good tips in both your videos and I'm enjoying the porn music. It brings back fond memories.

 

[meathead]

Is anyone in Oz selling the upgrade kits yet?

 

[tugger]

I tried biab,ing in the Grainfather.
I milled 10kg of grain but chickened out at 9.5kg. I probably could have fit the lot in, mabee next time.
All went well.

 

[Coodgee]

The bottom of my grainfather never burns and is really easy to clean! This is with preboil gravities of about 1042. Wonder why?

 

[carniebrew]

I tried biab,ing in the Grainfather.
I milled 10kg of grain but chickened out at 9.5kg. I probably could have fit the lot in, mabee next time.
All went well.

ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1440401995.383500.jpg

ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1440402019.290786.jpg

ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1440402046.118814.jpg

Why are you using a bag?

 

[butisitart]

Posted Today, 05:41 PM
I tried biab,ing in the Grainfather

nope. don't understand that one.
isn't that like tossing the engine out and shoving a donkey under the bonnet?? :unsure:


coodgee - i can only think milling grades. but i can't tell until i get my own mill and start experimenting, unless somebody out there does the hard yards first. i get the odd one that's clean, but most have a crescent moon of slightly burnt powder.

 

[tugger]

Just experimenting.
I have done around 60 brews on the gf the normal way.

 

[WhiteLomu]

The bottom of my grainfather never burns and is really easy to clean! This is with preboil gravities of about 1042. Wonder why?

Your gravity is too low for any scorching. Mine are around 1.06 and there's always a bit of scrubbing needed. Not burnt though.

 

[carniebrew]

Just experimenting.
I have done around 60 brews on the gf the normal way.

Nice. So what did the experiment show? Any advantages or major drawbacks? Would certainly be easier to clean I guess?

 

[tugger]

I was trying to stuff as much grain in as I could for a high gravity beer without having most of the grain end up in the boil through the recurc and side holes.
I added some lme up to 1.095 post boil.
I think it was 1.076 at 27l pre boil.
I had to get 23l into a cube when finished so there was 24.somthing post boil.
It really helps having the graduation marks to know when to stop the boil.
I used the malt pipe with the tube missing so that ment I could use the sparge locking ring and sparge normally with the bag sitting on the bottom plate.
In the mash I could stir old school style while recirculating then recirculated back to the bag towards the end of the mash and in mash out. (Using old school brewing methods, mash stir recurculate drain sparge)
Everything went well.
I would do it again.

 

[acarey]

I was trying to stuff as much grain in as I could for a high gravity beer without having most of the grain end up in the boil through the recurc and side holes.
I added some lme up to 1.095 post boil.
I think it was 1.076 at 27l pre boil.
I had to get 23l into a cube when finished so there was 24.somthing post boil.
It really helps having the graduation marks to know when to stop the boil.
I used the malt pipe with the tube missing so that ment I could use the sparge locking ring and sparge normally with the bag sitting on the bottom plate.
In the mash I could stir old school style while recirculating then recirculated back to the bag towards the end of the mash and in mash out. (Using old school brewing methods, mash stir recurculate drain sparge)
Everything went well.
I would do it again.

The other week I did a DFH 90 min IPA clone with a grain bill of 9.6kg in the grainfather. It was touch and go, I had to disregard the water calcs as I'd tried them before with this amount of grain and it went pear shaped..

I just put a bit of water in initially to cover the bottom of the mash pipe, then gradually added grain and water alternately while stirring until I had reached max capacity. Just as much wort was going down out the side holes as through the centre pipe. I didn't have issues with grain ending up in the mash though (no more than usual anyway, which isn't much).

Then made it up to volume by sparging. Went well in the end but the efficiency took a hit. Ended up with 69% which is ok. that's why god invented dex.

 

[butisitart]

makes sense in the circumstances.
i do a few 46L batches to get my reserves up, so i use around 6-7kg grain, then throw in a 1.5kg pale unhopped malt right on the end of the boil. it then ain't all grain, obviously, but it's pretty convenient. and 6-7kg doesn't stress me or the gf.

that produces around 24L concentrated wort, so 50/50 into each fermenter, then top up with cold water and voila.

(remembering to add enough hops for a 46L brew.) h34r:

 

[Spookism]

So, I brewed some Coopers kit brews a few years ago, so naturally I've made the step up to a Grainfather.
I'm doing much trawling through the interwebs for tips, how to's etc. and this has been a great wealth of information - even if I'm still unsure of some of the terms used.

 

[butisitart]

if you don't know the terms used, just post a list. they'll all be cleared up. and if they aren't clear to you, then they're not clear to somebody else.

 

[nads]

The following will be my next brew but it is a one step mash according to the recipe. Would it be beneficial to do a mashout for say 10 min

.http://beersmithrecipes.com/viewrecipe/732117/dr-smurtos-golden-ale-grainfather

 

[butisitart]

The following will be my next brew but it is a one step mash according to the recipe. Would it be beneficial to do a mashout for say 10 min

.http://beersmithrecipes.com/viewrecipe/732117/dr-smurtos-golden-ale-grainfather

sounds a good brew - but i thought it were funny that an american doing an american ipa with american ingredients and american hops and in american measures, should then turn around and call it 'one of the most widely home-brewed beers in australia' quote-unquote. i would never have known that.
most recipes are best taken as a guide - unless you've found something you know to be really specific (like standard true irish dry stout will probably only have ale malt, roast barley and rolled barley.)
personally - i mashout everything in the gf at 76C for 5-8mins. no particular reason - just habit, and cos i can. but after reading something about mash-out temps from one of the published authors, apparently the 76c mixed with a 78c fly sparge water temp helps the sparge.
so if you feel comfortable with the mash -out, i'd go for it.
you also need to remember that guys who post recipes may be working with a system that gets a bit awkward with step mashing.. so i'd consider if you want the bigger flavour (higher temp mash) or bigger ferment (lower temp) and go with the mash cycle that suits either your experimental learnings, or your gut feeling.
but it do sound like a good one to brew.

 

[nads]

Thanks butisitart I'll take your advice and follow mashout and sparge suggestion. All my previous brews ( 6 ) were step mashed and quite time consuming hence my reason for making this one step mash my next brew.

 

[Coodgee]

for me the multi-step mash capability of the grainfather is one of the key differentiators so I do it cos I can :lol: