Low efficiency with Grainfather

[couchsending]

Thanks for your input. Do you start your sparge shortly after lifting the basket? Or do you let most of it drain before starting the sparge?

I wouldn’t say most of it drain but a fair amount. There won’t be any liquid left on top of the grain bed and you should have to push the top plate down to seat it on top of the grain bed. If you were to start your sparge right away the grain bed would be too loose and you wouldn’t be able to pull all the sugars out. Efficiency would take a serious hit.

 

[Jag75]

Yup always running the pump. Just shut it off when I stir and start it back up.

You shouldn’t start your sparge until A fair amount of the wort has left the grain bed. As it leaves the grainbed will naturally compact. Push the top plate down to the top of the grain bed and then push it down a little more to compact it even further. This should help to slow down sparge and up your efficiency. You should see over 80% mash efficiency with moderate grain bills. Larger grain bills will suffer regardless.

Cool thank you

 

[beervoid]

I have a different sparge method than most with my grainfather. I was never able to get better than 70% before. Now i take my first runnings, and pump them into a second vessle(I use a keg) i add the sparge water as the basket drains. Once the sparge water is in, i stir, and recirq through the grist. I have been getting 80% and the wort is increadibly clear from the sparge water getting vorlaufed. It is a bit time consuming, but it works great.

That sounds like something I would like to try!

I'm having trouble visualizing this..
Can you elaborate on your steps?
Do you pump all the wort out into the keg?
Do you stir and recirculate when the grain basket is lifted out?
cheers

 

[jaymosbeershack]

That sounds like something I would like to try!

I'm having trouble visualizing this..
Can you elaborate on your steps?
Do you pump all the wort out into the keg?
Do you stir and recirculate when the grain basket is lifted out?
cheers

I dont pump out all the wort, just enough that i can have an inch of sparge water abover the top of the grain bed once its all added. I add the sparge water as i am pumping out the first runnings. I think of it as a hybrid fly/batch sparge. I leave the basket down in the grainfather while i stir and recirculate. Then i lift the basket, and as its running into the kettle, i push the first runnings back into the kettle with co2. Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[beervoid]

I dont pump out all the wort, just enough that i can have an inch of sparge water abover the top of the grain bed once its all added. I add the sparge water as i am pumping out the first runnings. I think of it as a hybrid fly/batch sparge. I leave the basket down in the grainfather while i stir and recirculate. Then i lift the basket, and as its running into the kettle, i push the first runnings back into the kettle with co2. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Thank you for elaborating.
Do you heat your sparge water?

 

[jaymosbeershack]

Thank you for elaborating.
Do you heat your sparge water?

Yes. I mash out to 170 and sparge at 170

 

[thedon986]

I have a different sparge method than most with my grainfather. I was never able to get better than 70% before. Now i take my first runnings, and pump them into a second vessle(I use a keg) i add the sparge water as the basket drains. Once the sparge water is in, i stir, and recirq through the grist. I have been getting 80% and the wort is increadibly clear from the sparge water getting vorlaufed. It is a bit time consuming, but it works great.

I have been getting efficiencies in the 50s (brewhouse!) and just tried this method today and I got 77% mash efficiency! This is a great method. I used to batch sparge when I started brewing so this hybrid methodology is awesome. This is the highest efficiency I have ever gotten. I was getting 60s when crushing my own but I've been lazy.

 

[Jag75]

Man you guys shouldnt have to do anything different to get better efficiency. Maybe it's a crush issue . I dont do anything but mash in , mix really well the recirc . I'm getting 80 % efficiency

 

[sleev-les]

Man you guys shouldnt have to do anything different to get better efficiency. Maybe it's a crush issue . I dont do anything but mash in , mix really well the recirc . I'm getting 80 % efficiency

My efficiencies have been great now that I've got my water calcs spot on. Missed my numbers plenty of times as I was figuring out the system, but been great since I've gotten used to it.