New to the forum

Hi,

Just dropping a line to introduce my self to the forum. I'm a keen homebrewer, based in Melbourne, Australia, slowly growing my equipment collection as finances allow. I'm now getting into all-grain, BIAB until I get my hands on the new Grainfather recirculating mash tun/kettle. I just today got a grain mill, having previously relied on an electric food grater/blender, which was laborious and time-consuming, as well as inefficient. I have a 40L stove-top pot, a bag (of course), and three 30L plastic fermenters (and one 20L mini), a bottle-capper, and a drying tree. No wort-chiller, no stainless steel fermenter, but plenty of books, and enthusiasm.

I'm a member of the UK Brewery History Society, and very interested in the history of brewing science. I was lucky enough to get a place in the Malting & Brewing short course offered by Federation University (in Ballarat, Victoria), and now aim to get into the post-graduate course in Brewing. I hope to get to know a few like-minds on this forum, and share the enjoyment of beer and brewing.

Hi Dean,

Peter Northway (Pilgrim) here in Wanganui New Zealand. I have just sold my 3 tier gravity system and have ordered a GrainFather. I was one of the first to order one of these when they were released at Beervana in Wellington. Just heard today that I should be receiving mine in the next couple of weeks. One of the questions asked on the GrainFather forum was about an equipment profile for it and they answered that they had sent details to BeerSmith and hoped to get one published.

Cheers
Pete.

Does anyone know how long it takes to get the profiles added to Beersmith? I've ordered my Grainfather as well and I'm quite looking forward to it shipping. I just want to be able to hit the ground running when it gets here by having the profile already entered.

Welcome tot he forum! I completely understand your enthusiasm for your new brewing system. Congratulations! It sounds pretty slick. However, I think you may misunderstand the role of BeerSmith in this purchase.

The preloaded profiles of BeerSmith are a collection of common set-ups. They are not, nor ever were intended to be a comprehensive list of every brewing system. They are merely a starting point. Every brewer and every system has unique preferences.

What you want to do is pick a profile that is close to the one you're purchasing, then modify the parameters according to your methods and experience.

Alternatively, you can start from scratch and use the profile wizard to set the starting point, if there isn't a setup close to what you are purchasing.

Every system I've ever owned or been employed to run has started with a water batch and then a very stripped down, middle of the road recipe. The water batch tells me how long things take to heat or cool, how much boil off and where the dead spaces lie. It also lets me go backwards in the process if I encounter a problem.

The beer is not a style that's too dependent on color or OG or bitterness. Something like a light ale, most often a basic wheat beer (20%) or pale ale, right in the 1.050, 35 IBU range or so. This lets me evaluate the right crush, the right mash ratio, the best sparge rate or technique, the whirlpool and the overall system efficiency. Pretty much any style that has a wide target. Even if the gravity is low and the bittering is high, it's still drinkable, but it tells me how to adjust the recipes that really matter.

Best of Luck with it! We'll all be here for your questions.

G’day, I’m Lindsay, living in Cronulla – a southern suburb of Sydney. Though I began all-grain brewing in the 1960’s I moved to kit brewing so didn’t learn much till 2 or 3 years ago. What a waste of 40-odd years! Since I discovered the benefits of partial mash I haven’t looked back and am now hoping to add further to my enjoyment of this absorbing hobby with the help of Beersmith and all concerned.