all in one brewing system

[BRYBO]

hi guys am thinking of buying a all in one brewing system and would like your feedback on which one to buy i got £400 to play with many thanks Bry

 

[crowcrow]

I have a one below this (no pump) Mundschenk Mash Tun Beer Brewing Set and seems to be a good bit of kit. (this is the one I have Maischfest Boiler Mash Kettle)

But at your budget a brewmonk and grainfather are both great - though I've not had experience of either myself.

I guess questions for you:

How much volume would you like to brew at a time?
What type of beers (higher alcohol means more grain and needs a bigger bit of kit)
What limitations do you have other than £ - size, etc
How many brews will you do a year?
Do you want to do 'other' stuff with it? (some can be converted to a still) etc
Have you tried stove top brew in a bag first?

 

[BRYBO]

I have a one below this (no pump) Mundschenk Mash Tun Beer Brewing Set and seems to be a good bit of kit. (this is the one I have Maischfest Boiler Mash Kettle)

But at your budget a brewmonk and grainfather are both great - though I've not had experience of either myself.

I guess questions for you:

How much volume would you like to brew at a time?
What type of beers (higher alcohol means more grain and needs a bigger bit of kit)
What limitations do you have other than £ - size, etc
How many brews will you do a year?
Do you want to do 'other' stuff with it? (some can be converted to a still) etc
Have you tried stove top brew in a bag first?

done biab on stove but took ages and did not get to a good boil am gunna use biab in summer on propane rnd back garden am only going to be doing 23 litre batches once a month maybe many thanks

 

[Falco]

I found David Heaths series of videos on all-in-one systems very helpful, the one below is part one, parts two onwards deal with systems at different price points.

 

[BRYBO]

I found David Heaths series of videos on all-in-one systems very helpful, the one below is part one, parts two onwards deal with systems at different price points.

ty many thanks

 

[The Baron]

The Grainfather is still well overpriced compared to the opposition and really not worth the extra as they do use a lot of the same parts like bonded heating elements same pumps. You would not get it anywhere near your budget of £400 but if you shop around will get what you want and a little change too. I got my Ace (£280 when the grainfather was £650) and it has done over 100 brews with no issues which has been further developed into the Angel Brew and a few others with different badges on them
So do take a good look out there as plenty in the sub £400 category this of course in the sub 35Ltr size

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Playing devils advocate if all these systems are basically the same why haven't they brought out a cheaper version of the Grainfather to match them or reduced the price of the original to try and steal customers from the budget brands?

 

[Gerryjo]

Playing devils advocate if all these systems are basically the same why haven't they brought out a cheaper version of the Grainfather to match them or reduced the price of the original to try and steal customers from the budget brands?

I would assume it's down to quality build and repair options though I maybe wrong.
I've only used my brewzilla a few times and I'm on the fence about the benefits of my old system Burco and mashtun.

 

[The Baron]

good marketing thicker stainless steel quality with a better programmable unit and aftersales in the early days. The pumps and heating elements were the same I believe so no jump on the opposition there but as I have said the alternative manufacturers have really upped there game in recent years. I think the Grainfather still has a lot of loyal owners but it would be interesting to see if the majority would buy the same again knowing that the opposition has closed the gap and are at a premium price nowadays

 

[Chippy_Tea]

A few members have them it'll be interesting to see if they would replace their GF's with a new one or go for something cheaper.

 

[foxy]

The Grainfather was the first Chinese make on the market, knowing the whole sale price of the other Chinese units, the guys at Imake, now Bevie made an absolute killing on the profits. So much so they bought out SPL International in the UK who were repackaging the MJ yeast and malt extract. Not a bad effort for what started as a home brew shop in NZ.
As baron says they made a name for the Grainfather with a lot of loyal followers, and they even skimped on the tap!
I would advise the OP not to look at promotional videos as has been suggested, read what the end users have to say. They are the ones who have nothing to gain, a lot of the videos are either from those who are selling the units, or have been given one for free.
I am on my 4th year with the Brew Devil, Guten, etc etc and have the 40 and 50 litre. I also have the 60 litre Hop Cat and 20 litre BM. Performance wise I cant fault any of them.

 

[The Baron]

Exactly my sentiments Foxy some of the Grainfather owners/reviewers (not all) went to the lengths to try and rubbish/discredit the opposition as they were half the price and initially the Grainfather was a slightly better unit but at what cost - twice the price and not to forget the unit is only as good as the brewer and for all intents One Brew Systems are just a automated BIAB and some of the best brewers and pioneers did and still do BIAB

 

[aamcle]

I have a GF, don't buy one there's nothing wrong with it but it's several hundred pounds too expensive.