Second brew done, 85% efficiency!!!!!!
Grainfather
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ManseMasher
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That is some going! Happy with the purchase I should imagine?!!
Delighted, first brew didn't go as well as I'd have hoped but yesterday's was a walk in the park....although I've had to wort sitting at 14 degrees over night so I've still managed to make a mess of it! Whoops.
ManseMasher
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Every day's a school day! Did you go with Campden in the end?
I did, added 1/4 to the boiler and 1/4 to the sparge water.
ManseMasher
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Images of waking up to a half empty bag of poorly crushed Maris Otter on your pillow perhaps?!
MyQul
Chairman of the Bored
:lol::lol: - That made me chuckle
"Just when I thought I was out of homebrewing...they pull me back in"
MyQul
Chairman of the Bored
You make it sound like a darlek
MyQul
Chairman of the Bored
I'm on to brew 7 now, still love it and really impressed by the results. Here's a quick summary:
#1 - The Kernel Double Citra IPA - bloomin fantastic, way above any other brew I've done. Made loads of mistakes so efficiency was poor but mostly user error.
#2 - Vanilla Porter - lovely drink although not enough vanilla flavour, efficiency very high.
#3 - English IPA - very drinkable, very good efficiency again.
#4 - HBC ESB recipe pack - not something I'd normally brew but turned out very nice, lovely malty flavour. Smashed the predicted OG so great efficiency again.
#5 - American Session Pale Ale - my first own recipe and it's not as good as my other AG brews because of the mistakes I made with the recipe (mark 2 is going to be the nuts tho! :)). No idea on the efficiency because I got quite drunk during the brew and smashed my hydrometer.
#6 - Milk Stout - hit about 80% efficiency so less than 2, 3 & 4 but matched exactly with the recipe...I think the fact my grains aren't as fresh as they once were contributed to the decrease. Unfortunately I got a yeast infection so I'll never know how good it would have been.
#7 - 60 minute IPA - this is fermenting now but smells good. Efficiency hit 80% again.
Biggest win for me is space required and ease of use. I'm down to trial a Braumeister so it'll be interesting to compare the two.
I got a Grainfather a couple of months ago and am really impressed with it. Made four brews so far: two are in bottles and came out great; two are fermenting.
Plus points:
Very easy to use, doesn't take up much space and easy clean-up.
Minuses:
Big one - hops clog up the pump filter very easily and can also clog the spring in the recirculation arm valve, so pumping wort via the cfc takes a long time and you end up losing a couple of litres. There is a new filter which is supposed to deal with this, but it doesn't seem to be available via the UK Grainfather website yet. I'm going to order a big hop spider from the US to deal the problem though.
Smaller one - the cap which sits on the overflow pipe to stop grains going down it is very easily dislodged and also once you have grain in, it's difficult to know how far you can pull up the extendible bit of the overflow pipe. Again, Grainfather has a solution for this, but it doesn't seem to be available in the UK/Europe yet.
None of these are dealbreakers for me, especially given the modifications that should hopefully soon be available.
Plus points:
Very easy to use, doesn't take up much space and easy clean-up.
Minuses:
Big one - hops clog up the pump filter very easily and can also clog the spring in the recirculation arm valve, so pumping wort via the cfc takes a long time and you end up losing a couple of litres. There is a new filter which is supposed to deal with this, but it doesn't seem to be available via the UK Grainfather website yet. I'm going to order a big hop spider from the US to deal the problem though.
Smaller one - the cap which sits on the overflow pipe to stop grains going down it is very easily dislodged and also once you have grain in, it's difficult to know how far you can pull up the extendible bit of the overflow pipe. Again, Grainfather has a solution for this, but it doesn't seem to be available in the UK/Europe yet.
None of these are dealbreakers for me, especially given the modifications that should hopefully soon be available.
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Hi markcc just my take on the problems you have encountered..
1) hop filter clogging, bagging the hop filter may help, its solved a few clogging issues in the past for folk, and a grain bag makes a simple hop spider the US SS mesh jobs are imho a bit ott and may rust where the mesh has been welded..
2) pull the tube up to its max height before you add any grain
and cap the hole with a bung
hope thats useful..
1) hop filter clogging, bagging the hop filter may help, its solved a few clogging issues in the past for folk, and a grain bag makes a simple hop spider the US SS mesh jobs are imho a bit ott and may rust where the mesh has been welded..
2) pull the tube up to its max height before you add any grain
and cap the hole with a bung hope thats useful..
Soton
some random guy
The new model Grandfathers have a long capped off tube that slides over the over flow pipe to stop grain going down the overflow when mashing in, its quite long so it can't be knocked off, I've made a couple of brews and the new filter has yet to get blocked up, some grain husks have found there way into the ball valve spring and slowed recirculation but it takes just a minute to pop it apart and clean it (just separate it carefully so as not to to drop the ball bering and it being a ball its bound to roll under something)
