Grainfather All Grain or Corn?

Any hardware used for mashing, fermenting or aging.

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rickbw123
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Grainfather All Grain or Corn?

Post by rickbw123 »

I have a new Grainfather and attempted the George Washington Rye recipe this weekend. Ended up having a horrible mess..... After getting everything in the H2O at about 160 degrees, stirred and everything seemed OK. After getting the top screen in place, I attempted to run the circulation pump but ended up getting alot of the mash thru the bucket into the bottom of the grainfather (don't ask how, just my stupid mistake). Anyway, I got so much under the basket that the pump clogged up and I just mashed by stirring every so often for 90 minutes and gave up on any circulation. I did sparge, but the unfortunate issue was that I could not run the pump to cool the mash and ended up having to wait a couple hours to cool. I have my fingers crossed that I get a fermentation as straining the wort thru a mesh bag etc, could have introduced more issues............

Anyway, after that long explanation, has anyone used the grainfather for a corn mash and used a high percentage of flaked maize? I'm not sure if it is possible, or not, and would love anyone's experience or opinion. Thanks!
AB Normal
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Re: Grainfather All Grain or Corn?

Post by AB Normal »

rickbw123 wrote:I have a new Grainfather and attempted the George Washington Rye recipe this weekend. Ended up having a horrible mess..... After getting everything in the H2O at about 160 degrees, stirred and everything seemed OK. After getting the top screen in place, I attempted to run the circulation pump but ended up getting alot of the mash thru the bucket into the bottom of the grainfather (don't ask how, just my stupid mistake). Anyway, I got so much under the basket that the pump clogged up and I just mashed by stirring every so often for 90 minutes and gave up on any circulation. I did sparge, but the unfortunate issue was that I could not run the pump to cool the mash and ended up having to wait a couple hours to cool. I have my fingers crossed that I get a fermentation as straining the wort thru a mesh bag etc, could have introduced more issues............

Anyway, after that long explanation, has anyone used the grainfather for a corn mash and used a high percentage of flaked maize? I'm not sure if it is possible, or not, and would love anyone's experience or opinion. Thanks!
Ok, I'll bite.

Worked my way through a 50 lb sack of flaked corn and every single session was a nightmare with the Grainfather. Even when I pulled it back to only 20% of the grain bill with an equal amount of rice hulls it led to a stuck mash every time.

So here's what works for me with liquid enzymes and a bit of help from a BIAB for a 5 gallon batch into the fermenter.

Ditch the flaked. Go buy a 50 lb sack of cracked corn. At my local feed store it's about 5-6 pieces per kernel for $9 a bag. I don't bother grinding it any finer. Fill the Grainfather with 4.5 gallons water and put another 2 gallons in a BOP. Set your temperature to 190* and bring it up to temperature with the 'normal' coil. When it gets to about 165* add 5 ml SebStar HTL to let it get thoroughly mixed with the strike water. When it reaches 190* turn the pump off and switch to the mash coil. Insert the mash cylinder with the lower perforated plate in place but no pipes. Line it with a BIAB or large paint strainer and add 11 lbs cracked corn. Stir well. Do NOT use the perforated top plate. Close the ball valve on the pump entirely and turn the pump on. Open the valve only a bit. If it looks like it's flowing ok after a while, open it a bit more. If water starts to pool on top back it off IMMEDIATELY. Pooling seems to lead to stuck mashes for me when working with corn. After about 45 minutes check and adjust your pH to 5.2 - 5.6. In my experience the pH seems to drift until the corn begins to gelatinize - YMMV. Keep at ~190* for 2 hours total then reset the temperature to 145* and allow it to cool. Optional - when it hits about 148* I sometimes add 2 lbs barley malt or some rye for flavor.

When it hits 145* add 5 ml SebAml GL and adjust pH to around 5.2. SebAml's range is 2.8 - 5.5 but I've had problems with stalled ferments if I go much lower than 5.2. If you timed it right and your mash hasn't stuck you can now let it run & go to bed. Otherwise, I usually let it run for around 2 - 3 hours. At some point I start warming the sparge water to ~175* (old AG brewer). I never seem to get a clean iodine test with cracked corn, maybe because it continually releases starch into the mix no matter how long I wait. Don't worry about it too much. When you're satisfied, lift the mash cylinder. Toss the sparge water in about 2 quarts a time and allow it to drain. Typically takes about 45 minutes until I think it's drained enough.

A couple benefits of using the BIAB. At this point you can now press down on the bag (not too hard!) and nearly all of the water will drain into the unit. The bag keeps the clogging crap contained so it won't screw up the pump. Another benefit, if you end up with a stuck mash or sparge, you can insert your paddle between the cylinder and the lining, twist, and it will release your wort back into the main unit.

Next steps are optional because I'm an old AG brewer and you need to get off my lawn now. Boil for 15 minutes. You can add Irish Moss or whatever else you think might be beneficial at this time. After 15 minutes hook up your wort cooler and run it for 5 minutes to sanitize it. Turn off the coils, turn on your cooling water, and bring the wort down to pitch temperature. Pump into your sanitized fermenter, add another 5 ml SebAML GL to work off the leftover starches and complex sugars, and pitch your yeast.

All in all, I'm not sure the Grainfather's a vast improvement over my old methods for bourbon but its ability to hold a temperature for hours without scorching is great. Best of luck & let us know how it goes for you!
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still_stirrin
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Re: Grainfather All Grain or Corn?

Post by still_stirrin »

Its the "rye". Full of beta glucans....its a "stuck mess" waiting to happen. Unless you used enzymes or went through a glucan rest, a stuck mash is inevitable. You were warned.
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