Grain father to pour process

[tommos76]

I'm a novice to the brewing scene and after making a couple of brews using the grain father and spending countless hours looking at you tube and various Brewing websites I've come up with my interpretation of a process from brew day to serving the beer. I need some advice as to whether I'm on the right path or way off the mark.
So below is how I perceive it .
Make a yeast starter and harvest 500ml of yeast 3 days prior to brewing from a total of 1.5l


Sanitation of equipment
Water treatment with correct mash starting ph (5.4)
Add Camden tablets to remove chlorine
Mash
Mash out
Take refractor reading
Sparge
Boil
Add hops when required by recipe
Protofloc 15 mins before end
Cool wort
Transfer to fermentation with inline filter
Airate wort with paddle or drill wand
Take refractor reading for og
Add yeast starter and seal fermenter
Place at correct temperature
Add dry hops
When fermentation is finished take refractor reading for fg

Leave in fv for approximately 2 weeks after complete

Kegging
Clean keg and sanitise
Open lid carefully and add carbonation solution.
Replace lid
Purge with co2
Connect ball valve fv to beer quick connect with inline filter.
Insert carbonation cap on top of fv connected to co2

Connect gas quick disconnect to keg with tubing into a jug filled with star San
Open fv ball valve and turn gas on to approximately 2psi
When beer starts to come out of gas disconnect, turn off gas and ball valve.
Connect gas to keg quick disconnect and purge around 5 times to remove any oxygen.

Connect spunding valve To gas disconnect and set correct psi
Keep keg at 18 degrees to carbonate for approximately 3 weeks.

Cold crash for 24 hours then move keg to serve at correct temperature discarding first pint.

Martin

 

[Zephyr259]

Looks fairly sound although I can't comment on kegging since I bottle. Couple of comments below.

Taking an SG reading after the mash btu before the sparge is fine for interest (I often do it so I have some data for an eventual partigyle) but the reading that's more important is after the sparge before the boil as this is the pre-boil SG which gives your mash/lauter efficiency. You can work out what this should be in theory as follows, I've assumed a 2L dead volume in the grainfather although mine is closer to 1.5 and it has to be done with gravity points (sg-1)x1000 so 1.040 = 40.

Target Gravity points x (Batch Size + 2) / Pre-boil Volume = Pre-boil Gravity (now for an example
40 x (15+2) / 20 = 34 = 1.034 pre-boil (these are the figures for a 15L batch of my bitter)

You can also work that backwards to figure out OG from the pre-boil.
Pre-boil gravity points x pre-boil volume / (batch size +2) = OG
34 x 20 / (15+2) = 40 = 1.040

Hope that makes sense, and if you already knew that then no worries. :-)

The other big one is you always say refractor reading so I assume you're using a refractometer, this if fine for readings before fermentation (as long as it's been checked against a hydrometer as they're generally 1-5% out as they're not designed for wort) but it won't be accurate after fermentation without using a calculator like this one. I use a digital refractometer, which after a year of comparing to a hydrometer I trust is accurate enough with the conversions I've landed at.

Good luck.

 

[Leon103]

First thing I would query is the yeast. Why are you only taking 500ml from the starter. A number of variables here. Are you sure you are pitching enough yeast for the brew?

 

[tommos76]

Looks fairly sound although I can't comment on kegging since I bottle. Couple of comments below.

Taking an SG reading after the mash btu before the sparge is fine for interest (I often do it so I have some data for an eventual partigyle) but the reading that's more important is after the sparge before the boil as this is the pre-boil SG which gives your mash/lauter efficiency. You can work out what this should be in theory as follows, I've assumed a 2L dead volume in the grainfather although mine is closer to 1.5 and it has to be done with gravity points (sg-1)x1000 so 1.040 = 40.

Target Gravity points x (Batch Size + 2) / Pre-boil Volume = Pre-boil Gravity (now for an example
40 x (15+2) / 20 = 34 = 1.034 pre-boil (these are the figures for a 15L batch of my bitter)

You can also work that backwards to figure out OG from the pre-boil.
Pre-boil gravity points x pre-boil volume / (batch size +2) = OG
34 x 20 / (15+2) = 40 = 1.040

Hope that makes sense, and if you already knew that then no worries. :-)

The other big one is you always say refractor reading so I assume you're using a refractometer, this if fine for readings before fermentation (as long as it's been checked against a hydrometer as they're generally 1-5% out as they're not designed for wort) but it won't be accurate after fermentation without using a calculator like this one. I use a digital refractometer, which after a year of comparing to a hydrometer I trust is accurate enough with the conversions I've landed at.

Good luck.

Hi zephyr259 ,
The calculations are all new to me so I will be studying how to do that later on this week and yes I meant refractometer lol that's the trouble with posting late at night after a couple of beers . I decided to use a refractometer as it uses less wort so I get more finished product .Thankyou for your feedback I'm now building up a clearer picture on processes

 

[Zephyr259]

Hi zephyr259 ,
The calculations are all new to me so I will be studying how to do that later on this week and yes I meant refractometer lol that's the trouble with posting late at night after a couple of beers . I decided to use a refractometer as it uses less wort so I get more finished product .Thankyou for your feedback I'm now building up a clearer picture on processes

That's cool, I knew what you meant. Ask away, lots of helpful folks here and quite a few grainfather users.

 

[tommos76]

First thing I would query is the yeast. Why are you only taking 500ml from the starter. A number of variables here. Are you sure you are pitching enough yeast for the brew?

Hi Leon103,
Sorry I didn't explain it properly on the post .I was going to make up a 1.5l starter with water,DME and a pack of yeast and put on a stir plate for 24-36 hours. I would then transfer 500ml into a sterilised mason jar and place it in a fridge along with the 1litre in the conical flask. I would bring the flask out 4 hours before pitching to get it back up to temperature and the 500ml would be stored ready to make another starter

 

[tommos76]

That's cool, I knew what you meant. Ask away, lots of helpful folks here and quite a few grainfather users.

I really appreciate the advice as it can be a minefield when looking on the net for the correct way to do things .

 

[Zephyr259]

Hi Leon103,
Sorry I didn't explain it properly on the post .I was going to make up a 1.5l starter with water,DME and a pack of yeast and put on a stir plate for 24-36 hours. I would then transfer 500ml into a sterilised mason jar and place it in a fridge along with the 1litre in the conical flask. I would bring the flask out 4 hours before pitching to get it back up to temperature and the 500ml would be stored ready to make another starter

That's essentially the "easy-no-math" version of what I do and should work fine for most average strength beers as long as the yeast isn't kept too long between brews.

I really appreciate the advice as it can be a minefield when looking on the net for the correct way to do things .

No worries, we've all been there (although some learned to brew before you had internet at home...), one of the biggest pet peeves is when you finally find a good thread discussing something, then they go off to brew with the promise of "I'll report back" and that's were the thread ends... *facepalm*

 

[tommos76]

I will definitely be giving updates of my results and I want to make a couple of videos to contribute to the forum as I like to give back from what I've learned to hopefully help others .

 

[chesters-mild]

Good to see you on the forum Martin, +1 from me on the refractometer advice, they are great for pre fermentation gravity readings, you could do as I do and get a 'Finishing Hydrometer' - this has a scale from about 0.990 to 1.020, (rather than the usual 0.995 to 1.080 odd) and are therefore so easy to read and will give a very accurate FG reading.
Happy Brewing!

 

[tommos76]

Good to see you on the forum Martin, +1 from me on the refractometer advice, they are great for pre fermentation gravity readings, you could do as I do and get a 'Finishing Hydrometer' - this has a scale from about 0.990 to 1.020, (rather than the usual 0.995 to 1.080 odd) and are therefore so easy to read and will give a very accurate FG reading.
Happy Brewing!

Thanks Chesters-mild I didn't know that one existed and can see that would be a lot easier to read. I'm hoping to get a yeast starter made this weekend and get a brew on the middle of next week. I'm trying to get the room finished in between work and 2 kids under 4 which is proving impossible ATM lol. I'm down my dads now so will take some new pictures and talk through what I've done so far.

 

[tommos76]

Here are a few pics of the shed when I started and a couple from this morning.

After making a few brews in my kitchen and nearly flooding it a couple of times my dad offered up his shed so we could install permanently. I planned out where I wanted the equipment to go first on a bit of paper and listed all the items I needed to go into the shed .

I installed the electric and plumbing myself and wanted it to be convenient without the need to use jugs etc when filling.
I made the sink myself as it was around £300 to buy one so I bought a 4' stainless table and a sink complete with all the waste pipes and added a removable tap so I could clean the equipment at the end easily. That all came in for less than £90.

I made the fermentation chamber out of 3 X 2 and insulated with boards given to me by a builder friend . I've sealed it as best I can with expanding foam, installed a tube heater connected to an st1000 unit and I was given the window as it was a miss measure.
Either side of the window I've used an old white board so I can write what brews were added to the chamber and when .

The other table is 5' which I cut out a hole for the grain father and put rubber edging on the cut steel to make it safe. The sparge kettle Stool was home made as with the sparge head with stuff I had lying around .
I managed to pick up some remnants of altro flooring on eBay for £40 so the only major cost was the plasterboard and the timber frame and screws.

I replaced the old window which was originally in the shed and made a 3 X 2 frame and got a double glazed unit made for around £45.

For a first attempt and a design that was in my head I'm quite happy with the way it's turned out so far. I can't wait to get a brew on and start learning.

 

[tommos76]

Here are a few pics of the shed when I started and a couple from this morning.

After making a few brews in my kitchen and nearly flooding it a couple of times my dad offered up his shed so we could install permanently. I planned out where I wanted the equipment to go first on a bit of paper and listed all the items I needed to go into the shed .

I installed the electric and plumbing myself and wanted it to be convenient without the need to use jugs etc when filling.
I made the sink myself as it was around £300 to buy one so I bought a 4' stainless table and a sink complete with all the waste pipes and added a removable tap so I could clean the equipment at the end easily. That all came in for less than £90.

I made the fermentation chamber out of 3 X 2 and insulated with boards given to me by a builder friend . I've sealed it as best I can with expanding foam, installed a tube heater connected to an st1000 unit and I was given the window as it was a miss measure.
Either side of the window I've used an old white board so I can write what brews were added to the chamber and when .

The other table is 5' which I cut out a hole for the grain father and put rubber edging on the cut steel to make it safe. The sparge kettle Stool was home made as with the sparge head with stuff I had lying around .
I managed to pick up some remnants of altro flooring on eBay for £40 so the only major cost was the plasterboard and the timber frame and screws.

I replaced the old window which was originally in the shed and made a 3 X 2 frame and got a double glazed unit made for around £45.

For a first attempt and a design that was in my head I'm quite happy with the way it's turned out so far. I can't wait to get a brew on and start learning.

I've also tried to futureproof by adding a cold water and waste In the fermentation chamber if I was to upgrade the fv in the future .

 

[tommos76]

This part is completed apart from replacing the silicone hoses on the wort chiller.

 

[pottsworth]

It sounds like you’re doubling up on carbonation.

You only need the carbonation sugar if you are carbonating naturally (ie by extra fermentation, such as in bottles). If you are force carbonating with CO2 you can skip this.

 

[tommos76]

Thanks pottsworth. That would suit better too as there would be no need to open up the keg and allow oxygen entering .