All Grain Brewing System reviews.

[Oneflewover]

^^ really helpful thanks, I've made my mind up that I'm going down the bulldog brewer route, just as soon as I've got the readies ready!

 

[IainM]

Well, a quick update on the Bulldog Brewer. Hambleton Bard repaired the unit quickly, collected and delivered in prearranged time slots, and sent it back with a complementary stainless steel mash paddle. They completely changed the electronics, so now instead of having three power settings (700W, 1800W and 2500W), it can be set in 100W increments up to 2500W. I've got at least a couple of weeks to wait until the RIS is ready to bottle, but then I'll test it out properly with a Rye IPA.

 

[Oneflewover]

^^ really helpful thanks, I've made my mind up that I'm going down the bulldog brewer route, just as soon as I've got the readies ready!

I got the Brewer:thumb: from the homebrew shop @ £378. Seems Hambleton bard have changed the power settings on the latest model as IainM says. Should be a useful development. Gave it a trial run, heating water to mash temp and then boiling. All seems to work. The pump seems a bit hit and miss, needed to turn it off and back on to get it to work properly. Might just be a knack to it.

Really looking to the first brew with it, got my recipe sorted and grain, hops and yeast in:grin:

 

[Fil]

I got the Brewer:thumb: from the homebrew shop @ �£378. Seems Hambleton bard have changed the power settings on the latest model as IainM says. Should be a useful development. Gave it a trial run, heating water to mash temp and then boiling. All seems to work. The pump seems a bit hit and miss, needed to turn it off and back on to get it to work properly. Might just be a knack to it.

Really looking to the first brew with it, got my recipe sorted and grain, hops and yeast in:grin:

looking forward to reading your brew reports.. am sure it will work well for you..

 

[IainM]

I got the Brewer:thumb: from the homebrew shop @ �£378. Seems Hambleton bard have changed the power settings on the latest model as IainM says. Should be a useful development. Gave it a trial run, heating water to mash temp and then boiling. All seems to work. The pump seems a bit hit and miss, needed to turn it off and back on to get it to work properly. Might just be a knack to it.

Really looking to the first brew with it, got my recipe sorted and grain, hops and yeast in:grin:

Yeah, let us know how you get on.

 

[serum]

Nobody seems to have reviewed it yet but I had a really good month in February and splashed out on a Braumeister Plus 20L.

The upgrades on top of a normal one are a cooling jacket and a second tap on the bottom to allow you to drain it out with no dead space.

The main reasons I went for it are:

- It's tried and tested and I've seen little or no criticism of it
- It's compact. I need to save space in the loft which is where I store all this stuff
- The automated step mashing means I can do other stuff while I brew which is really important as I work part time, run a business and have a child to look after

When it arrived it was clear the build quality is absolutely incredible, very heavy duty and you know it will last a lifetime. The joints are all very nicely done and strong. The plumbing is very simple with a thick pipe running under the main pot with a pump. Setting up a mash schedule on the controller was really easy too.

I've done two brews so far and the mashing is so easy and I can do tons more than I could with my old two vessel system which was a 50L boiler / HLT and a 33L cool box mash tun. If I wanted to step mash I had to top up with boiling water and I ran out of space trying to do a second step and mash out. Now I can just program the BM and let it do its thing.

It's a bit more efficient than my old rig and it was easy to find a BM profile for beersmith to get planning my beers. Cleaning is a doddle compared to scooping out my old mash tun. Once you've taken the malt pipe out you can just tip it upside down and then give it a good soak in the sink. Job done. Once you've drained the unit after the boil you can tip the hops and break material out, then fill it with hot water and your choice of cleaning product and turn the pump on to circulate it before giving it a wipe down. It was really easy to get it shined back up.

The cons so far are that you need a hop filter or a bit of luck if you use whole cone hops. On my first brew the unit drained well but on the second both taps got blocked. You can solve this with a hop bag and there are several other options like a hop spider, bottom manifold or a tap filter. I've picked up a hop spider after that incident.

The cooling jacket isn't as good as an immersion chiller. I already had one of these from my old setup so I didn't need to buy one. It was far quicker than the jacket and got the wort cooler. I would probably just opt for the standard unit if I were to buy it again but not a huge issue for me as I already had a chiller I could use.

If you need automated step mashes with a minimum of fuss and a really heavy duty bit of kit you really can't beat this. It's expensive but the workmanship is really really good. If I was making a style of beer that didn't need step mashes then I might go for something cheaper or just carry on with the old setup but this has meant I can do exactly what I want and taken a lot of the fuss out of it.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

@serum - You've done it now Bri is going to read this and his shinyometer is going to red line and he will buying one before the night is out. :lol:

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[Hoddy]

Nobody seems to have reviewed it yet but I had a really good month in February and splashed out on a Braumeister Plus 20L.

The upgrades on top of a normal one are a cooling jacket and a second tap on the bottom to allow you to drain it out with no dead space.

The main reasons I went for it are:

- It's tried and tested and I've seen little or no criticism of it
- It's compact. I need to save space in the loft which is where I store all this stuff
- The automated step mashing means I can do other stuff while I brew which is really important as I work part time, run a business and have a child to look after

When it arrived it was clear the build quality is absolutely incredible, very heavy duty and you know it will last a lifetime. The joints are all very nicely done and strong. The plumbing is very simple with a thick pipe running under the main pot with a pump. Setting up a mash schedule on the controller was really easy too.

I've done two brews so far and the mashing is so easy and I can do tons more than I could with my old two vessel system which was a 50L boiler / HLT and a 33L cool box mash tun. If I wanted to step mash I had to top up with boiling water and I ran out of space trying to do a second step and mash out. Now I can just program the BM and let it do its thing.

It's a bit more efficient than my old rig and it was easy to find a BM profile for beersmith to get planning my beers. Cleaning is a doddle compared to scooping out my old mash tun. Once you've taken the malt pipe out you can just tip it upside down and then give it a good soak in the sink. Job done. Once you've drained the unit after the boil you can tip the hops and break material out, then fill it with hot water and your choice of cleaning product and turn the pump on to circulate it before giving it a wipe down. It was really easy to get it shined back up.

The cons so far are that you need a hop filter or a bit of luck if you use whole cone hops. On my first brew the unit drained well but on the second both taps got blocked. You can solve this with a hop bag and there are several other options like a hop spider, bottom manifold or a tap filter. I've picked up a hop spider after that incident.

The cooling jacket isn't as good as an immersion chiller. I already had one of these from my old setup so I didn't need to buy one. It was far quicker than the jacket and got the wort cooler. I would probably just opt for the standard unit if I were to buy it again but not a huge issue for me as I already had a chiller I could use.

If you need automated step mashes with a minimum of fuss and a really heavy duty bit of kit you really can't beat this. It's expensive but the workmanship is really really good. If I was making a style of beer that didn't need step mashes then I might go for something cheaper or just carry on with the old setup but this has meant I can do exactly what I want and taken a lot of the fuss out of it.

Let's be honest. Anyone who buys a BM is never disappointed.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Oneflewover]

Yeah, let us know how you get on.

1st brew on the Bulldog today, 'twas a breeze! I put together a EKG, fuggles and cascade pale ale, used a generous 3.5l per kg for the mash. Reached 65 deg in about 20 mins. Doughing in was easy enough except I knocked the peg for blanking off the overflow into the grain basket and had to fetch it out by hand - ouch! Pump worked without problem.

Heated the sparge water up on the hob and used a jug to pour it over. I can see that it will be easier to get an electric urn in future. Heated up to boil no sweat, and kept a good rolling boil at 1800w. Having power settings at variables of 100w is very useful as I was able to dial in just enough power to get the boil I wanted.

Took an age to cool with the (basic) chiller, got stuck at 44 deg, and so took a temp reading with a thermometer. It read 25 so not sure if the temperature sensor is out? Drained fine and the bazooka didn't get too clogged, probably because I used fine nylon bags for the hop pellets.

overall, I am well pleased. It is not engineered to the highest standard, but at this price point you can't expect it to be. It is straightforward to use, and very adaptable.

Learning points:
- I underestimated how much liquor I'd lose to grains and kettle loss (does everyone?). I used a total of 30 litres and got 21 in the fermenter.
- Small /medium nylon bags for hop pellets are not the best, I'm concerned about utilisation. Might try whirlpooling next time, or probably invest in a fine mesh spider. Possibly use my biab bag?
- I need to get to grips with efficiency to understand my brewing better. I used 4.8kg grain and ended up with 21l (+losses) at spot on 1050, but have no idea about the efficiency.

An enjoyable brew day, and managed to cook a lamb dahnsak and look after a toddler whilst doing it. :thumb:

 

[IainM]

1st brew on the Bulldog today, 'twas a breeze! I put together a EKG, fuggles and cascade pale ale, used a generous 3.5l per kg for the mash. Reached 65 deg in about 20 mins. Doughing in was easy enough except I knocked the peg for blanking off the overflow into the grain basket and had to fetch it out by hand - ouch! Pump worked without problem.

Heated the sparge water up on the hob and used a jug to pour it over. I can see that it will be easier to get an electric urn in future. Heated up to boil no sweat, and kept a good rolling boil at 1800w. Having power settings at variables of 100w is very useful as I was able to dial in just enough power to get the boil I wanted.

Took an age to cool with the (basic) chiller, got stuck at 44 deg, and so took a temp reading with a thermometer. It read 25 so not sure if the temperature sensor is out? Drained fine and the bazooka didn't get too clogged, probably because I used fine nylon bags for the hop pellets.

overall, I am well pleased. It is not engineered to the highest standard, but at this price point you can't expect it to be. It is straightforward to use, and very adaptable.

Learning points:
- I underestimated how much liquor I'd lose to grains and kettle loss (does everyone?). I used a total of 30 litres and got 21 in the fermenter.
- Small /medium nylon bags for hop pellets are not the best, I'm concerned about utilisation. Might try whirlpooling next time, or probably invest in a fine mesh spider. Possibly use my biab bag?
- I need to get to grips with efficiency to understand my brewing better. I used 4.8kg grain and ended up with 21l (+losses) at spot on 1050, but have no idea about the efficiency.

An enjoyable brew day, and managed to cook a lamb dahnsak and look after a toddler whilst doing it. :thumb:

Easy eh. Glad to hear it went well. I much prefer it to BIAB. The BIAB bag is a good choice for hop sock. I use a 5 gallon nylon bag and give it a good squeeze. If it was 4.8kg pale malt then 21L at 1.050 would be 70% brewhouse efficiency, which isn't bad at all, and it would be a bit higher still if there was anything with lower extract potential like non-base malts, crystal/cara/chocolate etc...

 

[Oneflewover]

Easy eh. Glad to hear it went well. I much prefer it to BIAB. The BIAB bag is a good choice for hop sock. I use a 5 gallon nylon bag and give it a good squeeze. If it was 4.8kg pale malt then 21L at 1.050 would be 70% brewhouse efficiency, which isn't bad at all, and it would be a bit higher still if there was anything with lower extract potential like non-base malts, crystal/cara/chocolate etc...

Thanks for the reply. I'll give my biab bag a go with the hops next time.

RE efficiency, do you calculate from what you end up with in the FV? I had between 23 and 24 litres post boil in the Brewer, didn't manage to get the last 2 or 3 litres out.

 

[IainM]

Thanks for the reply. I'll give my biab bag a go with the hops next time.

RE efficiency, do you calculate from what you end up with in the FV? I had between 23 and 24 litres post boil in the Brewer, didn't manage to get the last 2 or 3 litres out.

Yes. Brewhouse efficiency is based on what you get into the fv. You can also calculate mash efficiency which is based on what you get after lautering. I tilt the BB to get an extra litre or so out, though in the future I might just pour the lot into the fv, break material and all.

 

[Oneflewover]

Yes. Brewhouse efficiency is based on what you get into the fv. You can also calculate mash efficiency which is based on what you get after lautering. I tilt the BB to get an extra litre or so out, though in the future I might just pour the lot into the fv, break material and all.

Cheers. I was pretty happy with 21l so decided not to push it (plus my fv us only 25L capacity). I've read about the benefits (or at least lack of drawbacks) of pouring everything into the fv.

 

[Manxnorton]

Hi pal,
I feel I'm repeating myself about the GF.
For me (not the price!) was the development of the gf and as people made there first brews and Ines after that, any probs were instant pointed out not only to other Gf users but to the developers!
Gf 1 came the gf 2 and some of the probs rectified...now to the gf3 with Bluetooth controller.
Now I've made multiple brews with the large and small piping and experience from lagers to dark beers I feel the tinkering and getting the mash n sparge calculations spot on.
There is a big GF community now, face book, gf site, the Bluetooth gf and the mobile recipe maker.
When is the gf going to change from 'devolment' Lol? Think it Like any systems be in going.
Still feel the probs with the filter (blocking and bang off!) would be sorted...and a dedicated sparge arm set up..be nice..
Think the gf makers were quick to the challenge and wanted to listen to us HB'er...
Like any system there's good n bad..not only with the kit but help and advice from the makers...but specially help and advice from us users...for me it's a no brainier!! I could of choose a BM (with it's Gucci way of serculation, that I watch over n ova again lol)
But they all do the same, don't u think?
Quality, ease of operation etc is marred by two thing (what to choose! And the PRICE)
Food for thought me thinks...if you ask me have I nade a mistake buying the GF?
Knaaa! Tbh! With one hand disibilty and other brain probs...if I can use it and churn out reasonably results...I've made the right choice
Not everybodied the same...we take the plunge!
Good luck with your home brewing.
Sorry about my woffle lol.
Bri

 

[Chippy_Tea]

The reviews here starts with Grainfather vs Braumeister then brewster (post 30) + brewcrafter (post 85) + bulldog brewer (post 125) + Ace micro brewer (post142).


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[Ale]

I want an anser to 2 questions.

Which is the best?

Which is the best value for money?

Maybe it needs a voting/rating system

Pluses and minuses for each system would be good as well. At 18 pages on here its a lot of information to try to go through to make a decision.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Which is the best?

Unless a member has used two or more different systems over a period of time i would say that there is no way they can answer this.

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[F00b4r]

I've used both the GF and BM and would say the BM is superior but with accessories it is double the price and you may prefer to take the extra cash. If you search my posts for this thread you will see more detail.

 

[Oneflewover]

During my last brew using the bulldog brewer last Saturday morning the pump packed up. Didn't affect the brew, but annoying. I contacted the homebrew shop, where I purchased it from, on Saturday afternoon, and by Tuesday I had a replacement pump awaiting me when I got back from work. :thumb:

Brilliant, no quibble, service from the homebrew shop. I'm still happy with the bulldog, and don't regret the purchase in the slightest. :grin:

 

[Linalmeemow]

During my last brew using the bulldog brewer last Saturday morning the pump packed up. Didn't affect the brew, but annoying. I contacted the homebrew shop, where I purchased it from, on Saturday afternoon, and by Tuesday I had a replacement pump awaiting me when I got back from work. :thumb:

Brilliant, no quibble, service from the homebrew shop. I'm still happy with the bulldog, and don't regret the purchase in the slightest. :grin:

I had a problem with the pump too - if it's the same issue I fixed it by opening the casing, giving it a good wash out (the sticky wort is not good for the inside of these pumps) and putting a spot of WD40 in the central magnetised section. Good as new after I'd run a few litres of water through it to rinse the WD40 out.