Grainfather!!

[Kampenken]

Thanks to all contributors to this thread. Have learned a great deal from you all. Ordered my GF yesterday after a lot of research and am excited to get it in action.

Couple questions:
If an extension cord is needed could anyone share what they think is "best"? GF cord is 3 feet long so I might be close with it

I recall that some said cleaning could be easier but there are some tabs or agent that is really helpful. Any specifics on that?

TIA

-PCL

Congrats! I'm sure you will be pleased. Cord is 5' long, not 3 (unless that changed in the last year, but I'd doubt it). I'd get one rated for 20a, or build your own. No idea on tabs, I've put mine through about 20 brews and clean up with PBW is a breeze, and still looks great today!

 

[PCL]

Congrats! I'm sure you will be pleased. Cord is 5' long, not 3 (unless that changed in the last year, but I'd doubt it). I'd get one rated for 20a, or build your own. No idea on tabs, I've put mine through about 20 brews and clean up with PBW is a breeze, and still looks great today!

Appreciated!

 

[Kampenken]

I am getting close to a year in with the grainfather. It gets used weekly. If not brewing, does a great job sous vide steaks/chops etc. Not sure how easy these others are to multitask with but the gf is very easy to sous vide. Killer beer with a killer porterhouse !!!

Do you just place your sous vid cooker in the boiler? I presume not clamping it in like in a pot/Dutch oven. Been thinking about buying one (Anova, maybe w/blue tooth), but thought my heavy stock pot would be better choice (more efficient use of space?).

 

[actech]

No vacuum seal seasoned steaks. Pour couple gallons of water in the gf . Set the temp where you want it. Put the steaks in, attach recirq arm, turn on pump. Just use basket with the top plate installed on bottom so you dont have the overflow arm in the middle.

 

[elreplica]

Thanks to all contributors to this thread. Have learned a great deal from you all. Ordered my GF yesterday after a lot of research and am excited to get it in action.

Couple questions:
If an extension cord is needed could anyone share what they think is "best"? GF cord is 3 feet long so I might be close with it

I recall that some said cleaning could be easier but there are some tabs or agent that is really helpful. Any specifics on that?

TIA

-PCL

I believe the GF cord is five feet - not three. I put a Yellowjacket GFCI on the end - nor sure I needed it where I usually locate it but it's on. I would use a short as possible, heavy cord, say one meter 10 gauge grounded. If you cannot find one its not hard to wire one up. 60/40 Oxyclean/ TSP 90 will make cheap PBW...

 

[d-bone]

Just to clarify, by "bag brewing" do you mean no sparge/full volume mashing? As far as mash chemistry goes, I am not an expert by any stretch. Matter of fact, I'm not an expert in any of this stuff as it is just a hobby that occupies a portion of my garage, and time. But I would wager that the chemistry is exactly the same, thick or thin, but it's the rate at which it happens that is different.

And I do agree that mash thickness changes things. That's exactly the conclusion the Braukaiser article I linked is supporting.



I agree the brewing industry isn't stupid, but the reason they don't use the no sparge method is something we'll just end up disagreeing on. The reason the commercial brewing industry doesn't use no sparge brewing is a matter economics, not quality of wort. They need to make money, we don't, so things like efficiency, space and speed to market are a big deal to these folks.

On a commercial scale a few percentage points of efficiency can mean big bucks. High efficiency brew houses can achieve 95+% mash efficiency. This will not happen with no sparge. Have you measured your mash efficiency with your 3 vessel system? If you have I would guess that even on a really good day it never goes above 90%.

No sparge brewing also requires larger vessels. Larger vessels are more expensive. Larger vessels also need more space. More space is more money. On a homebrew scale, going from a 10 gallon to a 15 gallon kettle is inconsequential in most scenarios.



I don't think eBIAB, brewing with electricity and a bag, is really you're hang up. It's the no sparge mash you think is inferior. I will by no means get into a tinkle contest with much more acclaimed brewers than myself, I will say that with no sparge I have garnered some hardware along the way, including a Best of Show in a Pro-Am and enough medals to finish in a very respectable position in the Lone Star Circuit. I've never entered NHC, but maybe this will be motivation to do so



Agreed, to each their own. I don't squeeze and the bag isn't heavy, hot, or wet when I handle it. I pull the bag out with a ratcheting pulley, let it drain for 20 minutes or so, then move it to the garbage bag where I dump the grains. Easy peasy, and for me much simpler than trying to sparge.

that does not sound as easy as dumping water on a grain bed.

 

[d-bone]

Thanks to all contributors to this thread. Have learned a great deal from you all. Ordered my GF yesterday after a lot of research and am excited to get it in action.

Couple questions:
If an extension cord is needed could anyone share what they think is "best"? GF cord is 3 feet long so I might be close with it

I recall that some said cleaning could be easier but there are some tabs or agent that is really helpful. Any specifics on that?

TIA

-PCL

I got a three ft 10g chord. works great. you just want to make sure the extension is same gauge or bigger. as for cleaning, I just wipe away any any solids and recirc. pbw. 15 min with the chiller, another 20 with the arm. and rinse. I just save my water from chilling and use that. pretty easy since you only have one vessel to clean. I dont see how it could be any easier other than someone else doing it for you.

 

[skraeling]

So has anyone considered insulating the exterior malt pipe? Its probably way overkill, but could be kinda fun to do I think.

 

[jrcrilly]

The key to mash temperature control in any recirculating system, whether RIMS (as in the Grainfather), external RIMS (as in many homebrew systems) or HERMS (as in many homebrew and commercially available systems) is a good volume of flow through the mash. If the flow through the mash is adequate, temps throughout the mash should be consistent. This is, after all, why we recirculate in the first place. If flow is too restricted by compacted grains and/or too fine a crush, temperature control will be ineffective. In a conventional system the stuck sparge will be obvious. With BIAB (either brew in a bag or brew in a basket) the wort will continue to flow - it just won't flow through the mash where it is needed. If the operator fails to notice and remedy this, both temperature control and mash efficiency will suffer.

 

[RedlegEd]

How do you get that ? I measured 10.5" ID x 17" ish deep. 6.37 gallons or so.

I don't see the volume of the mash tun in the manual.

That's because it's not really a mash tun in the true sense of the word. It's a basket inside the boiler/kettle. As you pointed out in your previous post, the dimensions of the basket are about 10.5"x~17", which provides you enough volume to put a max of about 19-20 pounds of milled grain (or about 6.37 gals.) There will be about 0.9 gal of dead space under the basket to allow enough wort volume to feed to the pump and provide space for the temp probe, as well as about 0.5+ inch space between the sides of the interior wall of the kettle and the grain basket, so there is also wort not in direct contact with the grain. With a mash tun (as well as BIAB,) almost the entire amount of wort is in direct contact with the grains, but static (unless you stir or recirculate.) The way I see it in the GF, you have a more "dynamic" mash process where the wort is constantly flowing through the grain bed, so you can get away with a slightly lower qt/lb ratio. But, that's just my thought. I also do full volume BIAB (both bag & basket) with recirculation, and I've found my conversion efficiency tends to be slightly higher than with the GF. Hope that answers your question. Ed

 

[brewman !]

No need to rig up the controller for a comparison of existing probe location temp and grain bed. We've already done that. We know the issue well. This is why, like in the old cooler MLT days, I hit with a strike temp +10F or so. Even then, like now, I've never missed my mash temp by 10F! With a proper strike temp and continuing circulation, grain bed swings are minimal and do not need high power, the controller is preset for 2F swings, you can adjust to 1F. That is a point for folks who desire the new controller for PID, I could care less on this point, it's so minor that my taste buds will not detect a difference.

How do you know your taste buds wouldn't detect a difference ?

How do you know your bed is tracking what the controller reads ? Have you plotted both temperatures for the duration of a mash ?

Do you ever do step mashes ? What is happening with the bed temps then ?

 

[brewman !]

Is the GF UL approved ?

 

[bigtex52]

Don't over think this. The proof is in the drinking/tasting. Is is as good as it COULD be? Who knows? It's up to you whether or not the beer is to your liking or is as perfect as it needs to be. I have not had any complaints thus far.
I also have a full blown Cal's Clone Electric Brewery that I built from scratch, and still bought a Grainfather to simplify my brew day. I still use big brother some but a two hour cleanup afterwards is really too much like work. Besides, not having to stand on my patio or in my garage brewing when it is 100 degrees (or 25 )outside, I think this thing is wonderful based on the beer it has turned out for me to date. YMMV.

 

[brewman !]

I think you are a great candidate for buying the Mash & Boil for $300 and make mods.

That thing is pretty limited.
- Power limited to 120VAC, so 1800 watts, max. It probably puts out 1500 watts.
- The boil kettle is smaller than the GF, 7.5 gallon versus 8.
- The mash tun is even smaller than the GF MT, 9.5" in diameter, versus 10.5"
- No pump, no CFC, no discharge pipe, no overflow pipe, no top screen, no hop filter, very limited controller.

It is a bare bones system, not even a good starting point because it is too small capacity wise. By the time you add a pump ($120), CFC ($100), discharge pipe, overflow pipe, top screen, hop filter and upgrade the controller, what are you saving ?

MT volume = 9.5 x 17 = 5.2 gallons. You aren't going to make a beer much over 1.060 with it.

 

[skraeling]

That thing is pretty limited.
- Power limited to 120VAC, so 1800 watts, max. It probably puts out 1500 watts.
- The boil kettle is smaller than the GF, 7.5 gallon versus 8.
- The mash tun is even smaller than the GF MT, 9.5" in diameter, versus 10.5"
- No pump, no CFC, no discharge pipe, no overflow pipe, no top screen, no hop filter, very limited controller.

It is a bare bones system, not even a good starting point because it is too small capacity wise. By the time you add a pump ($120), CFC ($100), discharge pipe, overflow pipe, top screen, hop filter and upgrade the controller, what are you saving ?

MT volume = 9.5 x 17 = 5.2 gallons. You aren't going to make a beer much over 1.060 with it.

My GF should be showing up by the end of this week supposedly. Ill give you my thoughts on it when it arrives. I still have my 2.5ish tier setup for doing up to 10g batches if I ever have the need. It will be interesting to see how the brew days compare. I too looked at the M&B but for the price its ok, just didnt have enough features for my taste frankly.

Im even rebrewing as my first batch a recipie I just did (holiday ale) so ill even be able to compare 1:1 gravity readings, brew day, taste etc. Should be cool.

 

[Teesquar]

So has anyone considered insulating the exterior malt pipe? Its probably way overkill, but could be kinda fun to do I think.

Grainfather has their own version ... a Graincoat. Or you can make your own with Reflectix.

 

[TheHopfather]

Grainfather has their own version ... a Graincoat. Or you can make your own with Reflectix.

The Graincoat/Reflectix only covers the boiler though. The post you are responding to is talking about insulating the exterior wort return pipe from the pump up.

 

[SirSpectre]

Just picked up a GF this weekend. Going to brew my first batch with it tonight!

I was cleaning it with the solution and water yesterday and I started the pump to cycle through a little and stopped it. I hooked up the chiller and it worked for a little while, but then when it ran low and I added more water, it wouldn't flow again. I had to blow back through it to get it to work again. I don't want to do this when I am actually brewing. Anything I should look for?

 

[benjo]

I have a few brews done now but can't seem to master the sparge efficiency. I feel like I'm using too much water for my mash (17.5L for a 6kg grain bill) and creating a loose grain bed allowing the water to just fall through in like 5-10mins. I'm just curious if anyone else has dealt with this? Do I use less water and risk a stuck mash or sparge?

Cheers

 

[bigtex52]

What is your brewhouse efficiency running? I sometimes feel like my sparge is going too fast as well but find I am running low to mid 80's in the BHE. You might also taste your grains afterward. Mine have no perceptible sweetness left.

 

[Teesquar]

The Graincoat/Reflectix only covers the boiler though. The post you are responding to is talking about insulating the exterior wort return pipe from the pump up.

No, he said malt pipe. But, whatever. Thought I'd at least provide an answer. Maybe he will expound on whether or not it was helpful.

 

[actech]

Is the GF UL approved ?

yes it is

 

[Kampenken]

How do you know your taste buds wouldn't detect a difference ?

How do you know your bed is tracking what the controller reads ? Have you plotted both temperatures for the duration of a mash ?

Do you ever do step mashes ? What is happening with the bed temps then ?

My experience. Measured, not for duration, but have seen GF settle in to expected mash temp and verified by wort temp (granted not bed temp). This is my point with your mod of a one point location 2-3" below surface-very limited, don't see value add. No I don't step mash, but do mash out.

Don't over think this. The proof is in the drinking/tasting. Is is as good as it COULD be? Who knows? It's up to you whether or not the beer is to your liking or is as perfect as it needs to be. I have not had any complaints thus far.
I also have a full blown Cal's Clone Electric Brewery that I built from scratch, and still bought a Grainfather to simplify my brew day. I still use big brother some but a two hour cleanup afterwards is really too much like work. Besides, not having to stand on my patio or in my garage brewing when it is 100 degrees (or 25 )outside, I think this thing is wonderful based on the beer it has turned out for me to date. YMMV.

Precisely! Interesting to read a Kal clone user finding the GF simplicity, this is what I imagine would occur with me. I like to keep my life simpler, less cluttered.

That thing is pretty limited.
- Power limited to 120VAC, so 1800 watts, max. It probably puts out 1500 watts.
- The boil kettle is smaller than the GF, 7.5 gallon versus 8.
- The mash tun is even smaller than the GF MT, 9.5" in diameter, versus 10.5"
- No pump, no CFC, no discharge pipe, no overflow pipe, no top screen, no hop filter, very limited controller.

It is a bare bones system, not even a good starting point because it is too small capacity wise. By the time you add a pump ($120), CFC ($100), discharge pipe, overflow pipe, top screen, hop filter and upgrade the controller, what are you saving ?

MT volume = 9.5 x 17 = 5.2 gallons. You aren't going to make a beer much over 1.060 with it.

A 1/2 gal less in boiler is not an issue- I've had more than 1g capacity room on the GF and brewed in the 70s OG. Power you were planning to mod on GF, so that's a non-issue. Mash tun size I agree (why I want to read reviews!), however brews at 15-16# should fit and that, for me at least, is max so far. The GF is intended for up to ~6.5g brews, so M&B at 6 is still beyond most folks avg 5g brews here. Of course it's bare bones, at 300 you have to expect that! Your costs are out of line. Ok, I was wrong you may not be an ideal candidate to mod the Mash & Boil. I will work on recruiting someone else here.

 

[dgently]

Ah, thanks. I preordered mine too...$179 canuckbucks

Where can you pre-order it in canada?
Thanks

 

[Kampenken]

So has anyone considered insulating the exterior malt pipe? Its probably way overkill, but could be kinda fun to do I think.

No. It's a small surface area and would only be relevant during the mash, where there is no temp holding, or ramp issue. Insulate the boiler, besides better performance you get the safety of no hot surface (well, ok except the standpipe! ).

 

[skraeling]

No, he said malt pipe. But, whatever. Thought I'd at least provide an answer. Maybe he will expound on whether or not it was helpful.

I was in fact, meaning the exterior pipe that the pump is connected to. Im fully aware of the graincoat. The GF I ordered is actually coming with one for free so yay.

 

[PCL]

Thanks all for your input on earlier questions.

GF showed up today, put it together and will clean and get in running tomorrow. Ordered from AIH, free shipping. Looks sturdy, well designed (as expected) and came in perfect condition.

What does the group think of the additional sparge water heater? A worthwhile adjunct to GF?

 

[RedlegEd]

Thanks all for your input on earlier questions.

GF showed up today, put it together and will clean and get in running tomorrow. Ordered from AIH, free shipping. Looks sturdy, well designed (as expected) and came in perfect condition.
What does the group think of the additional sparge water heater? A worthwhile adjunct to GF?

Hi. I wouldn't want to comment on whether it's worthwhile because everyone's needs/desires are different. I got a Graincoat that many think is over priced compared to Reflectix. I did not buy an additional sparge heater, rather, I bought a 5 gallon water cooler to use as a Hot Liquor Tank (HLT.) I replaced the stock spigot with 1/2" bucket spigot and use a piece of 1/2" silicone tubing to reach the basket to sparge. What I do is heat all the water of a batch to strike, then pump off the sparge amount into the cooler. It stays nice and hot while I mash. The spigot is great to control the flow. Hope that helps. Ed

 

[elreplica]

Where can you pre-order it in canada?

Thanks[/


Noble Grape is the national (Canadian) distributor for iMake...Grainfather parent company. Call 1-844-913-2739 for assistance Mon to Fri 8am - 4:30pm (AST). They didn't have it set up online as of yet, so I guess "reserve" is the better word. I'm sure they'd put your name on a list and they do ship nationally. Buying through Noble Grape means you should be one of the first to get the controller. It's been that way for all Grainfather products. Being the national distributor, others have to order from them and so it makes sense they'll be first to have it on the market. Doing some investigation online, I found a bill of lading tracing a shipment from New Zealand to New York. I believe the Canadian order tags on to the US order (Brewcraft USA) and lands in Halifax, NS. From there, stuff is distributed to the rest of country.

 

[Kampenken]

Thanks all for your input on earlier questions.

GF showed up today, put it together and will clean and get in running tomorrow. Ordered from AIH, free shipping. Looks sturdy, well designed (as expected) and came in perfect condition.

What does the group think of the additional sparge water heater? A worthwhile adjunct to GF?

I agree with Ed. I still manually sparge with a pitcher, water heated on stovetop in a kettle (warmed up about 15 min into mash). My intention is to rig up kettle with valve and "auto" sparge as well. Also on my next lower gravity brew I will attempt a no sparge.

 

[elreplica]

Thanks all for your input on earlier questions.

GF showed up today, put it together and will clean and get in running tomorrow. Ordered from AIH, free shipping. Looks sturdy, well designed (as expected) and came in perfect condition.

What does the group think of the additional sparge water heater? A worthwhile adjunct to GF?

I initially used a GF fermenter with a 1000W heatstick and had a Reflectix jacket. They both were fine but I like the sleek looks of the fellow equipment and figured in for a penny, in for a pound. Plus, one of my fermentors is free for beer.

 

[d-bone]

Thanks all for your input on earlier questions.

GF showed up today, put it together and will clean and get in running tomorrow. Ordered from AIH, free shipping. Looks sturdy, well designed (as expected) and came in perfect condition.

What does the group think of the additional sparge water heater? A worthwhile adjunct to GF?

meh, I bought the sparge water heater, and while its nice, I would have spent the extra and got this: https://www.williamsbrewing.com/-MASH-WATER-HEATER-WITH-KEG-KING-DUAL-CONTROLLER-P4222.aspx

the later has a nice digitial readout, and ball valve so I can set up a fly sparge.

 

[BrewinSoldier]

meh, I bought the sparge water heater, and while its nice, I would have spent the extra and got this: https://www.williamsbrewing.com/-MASH-WATER-HEATER-WITH-KEG-KING-DUAL-CONTROLLER-P4222.aspx

the later has a nice digitial readout, and ball valve so I can set up a fly sparge.

I have both..The Williams I use with my 3 V setup. The Williams is nice because it has a ball valve that you can control the sparge with, but the digital controller on mine started going haywire and wouldn't control the temps anymore. It just started making the element max out and boil the water. I called Williams and tried diagnosing it over the phone with them and they didnt want to help. I ended up buying a new controller off of Amazon(different brand) and it fixed it. You also have to put something underneath it because it gets very hot on the bottom, and doesn't have a stand like the grainfather sparge heater.

The grainfather sparge heater is more compact, and you don't have the extra bulk of the controller to get in the way. On the downside, it has an analog built in controller that you have to dial in and play with a bit, but it's pretty accurate. The other downside is that there is not control over the flow of the sparge. It's either an open or closed valve. You also have to watch out not to touch the controller because it moves very easily and when you go to sparge, you will have way overshot your sparge water temp without even knowing. You also have to calculate celcius to farenheight because the controller is in celcius only. I also had problems with my tubing popping off of the valve because I didnt have a clamp to hold it on, and I made a big mess.

Out of the two, I like the Williams better but definitely was not happy with their customer service.

 

[jonesry09]

I have both..The Williams I use with my 3 V setup. The Williams is nice because it has a ball valve that you can control the sparge with, but the digital controller on mine started going haywire and wouldn't control the temps anymore. It just started making the element max out and boil the water. I called Williams and tried diagnosing it over the phone with them and they didnt want to help. I ended up buying a new controller off of Amazon(different brand) and it fixed it. You also have to put something underneath it because it gets very hot on the bottom, and doesn't have a stand like the grainfather sparge heater.

The grainfather sparge heater is more compact, and you don't have the extra bulk of the controller to get in the way. On the downside, it has an analog built in controller that you have to dial in and play with a bit, but it's pretty accurate. The other downside is that there is not control over the flow of the sparge. It's either an open or closed valve. You also have to watch out not to touch the controller because it moves very easily and when you go to sparge, you will have way overshot your sparge water temp without even knowing. You also have to calculate celcius to farenheight because the controller is in celcius only. I also had problems with my tubing popping off of the valve because I didnt have a clamp to hold it on, and I made a big mess.

Out of the two, I like the Williams better but definitely was not happy with their customer service.

Is it not possible to change that "tap valve" on the GF heater to a ball valve? I am asking because that is what I was planning on doing to mine. Was hoping it had been done before.

 

[elreplica]

I have both..The Williams I use with my 3 V setup. The Williams is nice because it has a ball valve that you can control the sparge with, but the digital controller on mine started going haywire and wouldn't control the temps anymore. It just started making the element max out and boil the water. I called Williams and tried diagnosing it over the phone with them and they didnt want to help. I ended up buying a new controller off of Amazon(different brand) and it fixed it. You also have to put something underneath it because it gets very hot on the bottom, and doesn't have a stand like the grainfather sparge heater.



The grainfather sparge heater is more compact, and you don't have the extra bulk of the controller to get in the way. On the downside, it has an analog built in controller that you have to dial in and play with a bit, but it's pretty accurate. The other downside is that there is not control over the flow of the sparge. It's either an open or closed valve. You also have to watch out not to touch the controller because it moves very easily and when you go to sparge, you will have way overshot your sparge water temp without even knowing. You also have to calculate celcius to farenheight because the controller is in celcius only. I also had problems with my tubing popping off of the valve because I didnt have a clamp to hold it on, and I made a big mess.



Out of the two, I like the Williams better but definitely was not happy with their customer service.

Easy enough to put a small valve on some silicone tubing for fly sparging in fact, that's what I'll likely be doing. Or replacing the tap on the GF sparge vessel. With one that can handle the heat and control the flow. And I totally agree with the finicky knob whilst dialling in temps on the GF sparge heater.

 

[brewman !]

How many people brew with the GF in the kitchen ? How do you handle drips and spills ? How do you sparge ? What does your SO think of you brewing in the kitchen ?

Thanks

 

[SirSpectre]

How many people brew with the GF in the kitchen ? How do you handle drips and spills ? How do you sparge ? What does your SO think of you brewing in the kitchen ?

Thanks

Just brewed last night in the kitchen with it. She loved the smell!



OK issue at hand. I had my first brew day with the GF last night. Had a few issues. First, the sparging seemed to go REALLY fast. Like I could not keep up with the water level dropping. Normal?

Next, I'm not sure if I had the equipment profile wrong, or it was just something else. My OG was WAYYYYYY off. 13 points off. But I am 90% sure it was due to boil off. I wanted a 5.25 gallon batch. I collected 5.7 Gallons of wort in my fermenter. The GF had like 2.5 gallons left in the kettle. The boil was pretty pathetic, so I'm not sure it actually hit the proper boil off level. The kettle was over the scale inside, so I'm not 100% sure how much was being boiled.

12 pounds of grain, asked for 5 gallons of water, and 3.75 gallons of sparge water.

 

[bigtex52]

How many people brew with the GF in the kitchen ? How do you handle drips and spills ? How do you sparge ? What does your SO think of you brewing in the kitchen ?

Thanks

Floor in the kitchen is hard surface, so spills/drips are no big deal. Actually, SO doesn't mind at all since the kitchen ends up cleaner than when I started.
I put a 20qt kettle on the stove for sparge water and carry it over to the counter for sparging, with a 4 cup glass measuring cup. Works slick.

 

[lewandowski46]

Looking at grain absorption, .13gal per lb, you would lose 1.56 gallon to 12 lbs of grain via absorption. If you wanted 5.25 gallons into the fermenter, with trub losses of 1 gal, and boil off of .6 per hour, I see 5.25 + 1 + .6 + 1.56 = or 8.41 total volume of water.

With a mash thickness of 1.33 quarts/lb, that's 15.96 quarts or 3.96 gallons, + .9 in deadspace below mash pipe. That's 4.89 gallons of strike water, and 8.41-4.89 = 3.52 gallons of sparge or so? Not far off I don't think. Of course my calculations could be a bit off so there's always that.

Maybe a combination of lack of boil off with maybe too large of a crush or something that the grain didn't absorb as much? What were the pre/post boil volumes?

 

[SirSpectre]

Looking at grain absorption, .13gal per lb, you would lose 1.56 gallon to 12 lbs of grain via absorption. If you wanted 5.25 gallons into the fermenter, with trub losses of 1 gal, and boil off of .6 per hour, I see 5.25 + 1 + .6 + 1.56 = or 8.41 total volume of water.

With a mash thickness of 1.33 quarts/lb, that's 15.96 quarts or 3.96 gallons, + .9 in deadspace below mash pipe. That's 4.89 gallons of strike water, and 8.41-4.89 = 3.52 gallons of sparge or so? Not far off I don't think. Of course my calculations could be a bit off so there's always that.

Maybe a combination of lack of boil off with maybe too large of a crush or something that the grain didn't absorb as much? What were the pre/post boil volumes?

Preboil was a decent ways above the scale. Boil off was still well above it. Only about 3/4" boiled off. It definitely wasn't .6 gallons boiled off. I thought the mash looked really thin as well. I've used the same crush as I always have in my cooler system and never had an issue with it.