Dedicated Grainfather Guide, Problems and Solutions Thread

[Killer Brew]

Just checked in my IBD text re hot water sterilisation and it suggests that above 85 degrees for 20 mins is required. Mind you that is sterilisation which is a higher standard than the sanitisation that we are looking for. But perhaps my 1 minute is pushing my luck a little. I wonder if I should run starsan through it prior to filling the GF on brew day? Or perhaps another way to get it through the chiller without using the GF. Otherwise I will need to look at adjusting all of my late addition hops.

 

[kaiserben]

Yeah ok, haven't read them in a while. Seems like overkill with 90 degree plus wort running through. Already worried that my late additions spend too much time at high temps.

I think I've read somewhere that 10 mins above 90C will kill 99.9% of stuff that might infect a beer (which is also why if you were making a yeast starter using DME you'd boil it for 10-15 minutes).

Your concern about that extra time is more than valid in some cases, but usually any beer of mine with late additions big enough to make a difference will get hit with more and more hops the later it gets - so any issues become negligible. But you could adjust your late addition timings back by 10 minutes. (ie. so an @15 minute addition as listed in your recipe would actually be added 5 mins before the end of the boil).

 

[kaiserben]

Don't bother with starsan on the hot side of your equipment. Just recirc for 10 mins and adjust your additions.

 

[kaiserben]

I've occasionally wondered if it's feasible to do that sanitisation recirc for the last 10 minutes of the boil? I'd assume if it was feasible that the GF people would've had the instructions tell us to do it like that instead of 10 minutes after the boil.

Does anyone have any ideas about that?

If nothing else it'd shave 10 mins off your brew day.

 

[Killer Brew]

More concerned with my flame out additions. Other option would be to add them in once chilling had commenced. Have seen commercial guys do this once a certain amount has gone through the heat exchanger as they have such a large volume to chill and want to get the timing of contact just right.

10 min recirc during last 10 mins of boil would work also. Whether it effects the strength of boil with a volume going out and coming back in marginally cooler would be my only question.

 

[Killer Brew]

Don't bother with starsan on the hot side of your equipment. Just recirc for 10 mins and adjust your additions.

? Chiller is cold side. Time saving of 10 mins would be worth the effort I think. Might give this a go next brew.

 

[BKBrews]

Which mash profile are you all using for the grainfather? I would have thought adding the grainfather equipment profile would also add a mash profile!

 

[Killer Brew]

In Beersmith?

 

[BKBrews]

In Beersmith?

Yep.

I was just messing around with a few recipes using the grainfather equipment profile, but couldn't figure out which mash profile to use. I also can't find the best settings for the equipment profile (deadspace, boil off etc). I can get the mash water calculations pretty close but not exactly as they are using the grainfather calculators.

 

[Killer Brew]

I read on here somewhere that the new version has an updated Grainfather profile that is more accurate now. Perhaps do a search under "Beersmith" here. I created my own profile a while back.

 

[BKBrews]

I read on here somewhere that the new version has an updated Grainfather profile that is more accurate now. Perhaps do a search under "Beersmith" here. I created my own profile a while back.

Ah right, I haven't downloaded the new beersmith version yet. Thanks! Will see how it compares.

 

[Goodbeer]

Hey guys

Doing my first high ibu beer on my gf this weekend, a black IPA.

Will be dropping 140g of pellets in during boil.

So far have dropped my hops straight in, just after any opinions on whether this many hops might clog the trub filter?

Was gonna get a hop spider, thought I'd try without and save myself $45 on the chance it might not clog.

I do have a large grain bag I could use as a sock, haven't used a sock so far, for some reason I'd rather not.

Cheers

 

[Coldspace]

Just use the sock mate. Especially with large amount of hops. Just use a peg to hold it up at the top.

 

[A.B.]

Yep sock it to those hops.

 

[wildwhitty]

I use the swimming pool skimmer socks from Cole or Woolies. Put each addition in it's own sock and hank them off the clips
Around the top.

 

[Chridech]

More concerned with my flame out additions. Other option would be to add them in once chilling had commenced. Have seen commercial guys do this once a certain amount has gone through the heat exchanger as they have such a large volume to chill and want to get the timing of contact just right.

10 min recirc during last 10 mins of boil would work also. Whether it effects the strength of boil with a volume going out and coming back in marginally cooler would be my only question.

I do something similar for hop stand additions. Turn off the element and start the chiller re-circulating. Takes about 5 minutes to get the wort down to 90C by which time the chiller should be sterilised. Throw the hop stand hop stand additions in at 88C and let it chill down. I don't let it fall any lower than 73C whilst in the hopstand as IIRC this is pasteurisation temperature. Sometimes I've stopped the re-circ and turned on the mash element if I'm doing an extra-long hopstand (eg. 40-60 minutes). Hopstand at these temps will not extract a lot of extra bitterness but will capture a good proportion of the volatile flavour/aroma compounds. Keeping above 73C hopefully avoids bugs contaminating. Has worked well for me in IPAs and hoppy Amber ales. Maximum flavour without mouth puckering harsh bitterness. IMO it is the the way to go, especially when paired with first wort hopping.

 

[Killer Brew]

Sounds good although I would have thought a few minutes above 70 degrees would be plenty and could then go lower without risk. I know that for pasteurising fruit you only need 2 mins at 70 degrees and hops are far less prone to bacteria being somewhat antiseptic.

 

[welly2]

Brewed an IPA with 210g of hops the other day, no problem with clogging the filter. The biggest problem I've had in the past was the ball and spring in the return pipe. Removed that and not had a problem since.

 

[BKBrews]

I pulled the trigger on a GF this morning.... Can't wait!!!

 

[kaiserben]

Which mash profile are you all using for the grainfather? I would have thought adding the grainfather equipment profile would also add a mash profile!

There's not one single mash profile that works for everything.

Mash profiles depend on your recipe and what you want out of it. Different beer styles are going to have different mash steps.

In BeerSmith it's up to you to decide those mash steps and profiles. (but you can save them and re-use them for similar styled beers if you want).

EDIT:
BeerSmith also has a range of pre-existing default mash profiles that you could choose from.