Braumeister/Grainfather Conundrum

[Cornel]

Hello all. I'm looking for some advice on a single vessel brewing system. My birthday is coming up next week and my wonderful wife is planning on getting me a Braumeister for my birthday but need to give her the thumbs up by tomorrow :). The conundrum however is, is this really what i want and need.

I've been looking into a single vessel brewing system for quite some time due to space constraints unfortunately. I've been brewing kits the past four years and recently tried a few all grain stove toppers to get a feel whether AG is something i want to move on to and must say i really like it.

Ultimately when it comes to off the shelf single vessel systems there are only two names. The Braumesiter and the Grainfather, both have pros and cons but one thing that is definitely for sure the Grainfather is up and coming and think in a few years they'll have a wonderful system and will give Speidel a run for their money.

My question is, do i go with the Braumesiter and fork out the £1200 or do I rather go for the Grainfather and add the cheeky SS Brewtech Brewmaster Conical fermenter and still come out cheaper than the Braumeister. A few things i've taken into consideration thus far is the Braumeister is the system I've been dreaming about for years, the 2015 version even more so but will there be any new release in 2016?? I'll be properly annoyed if i get the current model and the next one gets released later this year with additional features e.g. built in wifi module. Yes this is a available addon that can be purchased but the price is a bit hefty for something i'll probably only use once. The Grainfather works, doesn't have the same "curb" appeal as the Braumeister, but they really listen to their client base and have resolved the majority of initial flaws the system had.

Either way is quite a substantial amount to spend and want to get you guys thoughts on it if you were in my situation.

Cheers

 

[Dads_Ale]

Probably comes down to money in the end. The Braumeister is better quality but more expensive. Both do a similar job.
I trialed the Grainfather and really liked it. I haven't tried a BM but a chap at work swears by his.

Personally if money was no object I'd get the BM.

 

[Halfacrem]

What a nice conundrum to have :)

There are loads of comparisons and reviews for both units on Youtube and on this and other forums and I'm sure you'll get some help from owners here.

With regards to the fear of losing out on future upgrades, isn't that the eternal fear of buying any gadget?

FWIW, if it were me I'd go down the Grainfather plus the Conical fermenter.

There is another interim option. You'll need a kettle to brew your sparge water for your Grainfather or Braumeister, so you could consider a nice big brew kettle with a ball valve, plus the Conical fermenter and doing some all grain BIAB, then take the plunge with a unit at a later date, allowing you to wait for any potential upgrades..

Just some thoughts. Good luck with the choice!

 

[mickthetrick]

bm for me. the build quality is great.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Cornel have a look at this thread - http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=54878

 

[BreadMurderer]

It must be a special birthday! Wish I got presents like that... ;-)

I've looked into this quite a bit as I was dead set on getting a BM in the near future but had to look into the Grainfather system as well. This forum has a nice feedback thread with some users having tested the GF for free for a brew or two, that was some useful info. I've also read up and watched various videos for both systems.

I must say even though it's greatly more expensive I'm still sold on the BM. The quality of the build and having been much longer in the market sways it for me. The GF just looks a bit cheap and fiddly, in my opinion, and still in it's teething phase.

If it were me, BM all the way. (50L one too!)

 

[Notlaw]

Take a look at hoodbrewsupplies.co.uk they also give members 5% discount

£604 for the GF from there with the 5% discount... not bad.

How do you apply a discount code? I might have missed that post.

 

[Cornel]

Thanks for everyone's inputs and advice. I've had a long think about it and I've decided to go with the BM as it's something I've wanted for quite some time and it's a now or never situation. Even though the conical fermenter is also on the top of that list I'll just have to save up for it. Will let you guys know how things work out with the BM

 

[Hoddy]

I'll drop you a pm about brewuk shortly. But here's my videos on using the BM

https://youtu.be/qRVYJEE4JUk

 

[Hoddy]

And others I have on my channel.

 

[Cornel]

Thanks Hoddy, i also sent you a pm earlier this morning after i came across your video. [emoji1]

 

[Braufather]

I too am faced with the decision so could I bring back this thread to life?

I am completely new to brewing but highly experienced in drinking so thought I would fast track to grain. I really hope i can produce top tasting beer. Given the minimisation of human error the all in one systems seem to me the best bet for me. So the same question BM or GF. I've looked at all the forums and videos but it's still a hard decision.

GF customer service have been much more helpful whilst BM have yet to reply to me, is that a sign of things to come?

I am leaning towards to the 10litre BM, would anyone advise against this? My thinking is I would be doing lower volume but more often so would gain experience quicker with a wider variety of recipes. I could also achieve stronger results through double mashing. What about fermenting? Is it better to ferment at 20 litres plus or no difference for smaller batches.

The GF looked a bit fiddly on one of the demos, but is here an reason I should consider the 20 litre GF as opposed to the BM.

Ps what about the picobrew?

 

[Soton]

There is also the Brewferm beer 25 to consider
https://www.brouwland.com/en/our-pr...ettles/d/brewferm-beer-brew-25-2#.V7ywDHh4WrU

 

[F00b4r]

I have trialled the GF and own a BM, if you can afford it I would get a 20L BM but also get the short malt pipe so you can brew smaller batches. The Grainfather is a nice bit of kit too but if money isn't the issue then go BM, just make sure you get some kind of hop filter as well (I went for the BAC hop spider myself).

 

[Crystal_Ball]

I too am faced with the decision so could I bring back this thread to life?

I am completely new to brewing but highly experienced in drinking so thought I would fast track to grain. I really hope i can produce top tasting beer. Given the minimisation of human error the all in one systems seem to me the best bet for me. So the same question BM or GF. I've looked at all the forums and videos but it's still a hard decision.

GF customer service have been much more helpful whilst BM have yet to reply to me, is that a sign of things to come?

I am leaning towards to the 10litre BM, would anyone advise against this? My thinking is I would be doing lower volume but more often so would gain experience quicker with a wider variety of recipes. I could also achieve stronger results through double mashing. What about fermenting? Is it better to ferment at 20 litres plus or no difference for smaller batches.

The GF looked a bit fiddly on one of the demos, but is here an reason I should consider the 20 litre GF as opposed to the BM.

Ps what about the picobrew?

I have had the BM 20 for a few months now and I love it and the beer that it is helping me create. I find the beer doesn't last long enough when both I and SWMBO is drinking it so glad I never went for the 10L.

I can't compare to a 3 vessel system or BIAB but human error will always slip in somewhere as it has done with me on a couple of occasions!!

I have always fermented at 20 L as I started off with kits before moving onto the BM so can't comment based on experience on smaller batch brewing but I can't see that it is a problem in a 5 gallon FV.

You may well be advised by others to start with a couple of kits to get them under your belt to get you started.

 

[Crystal_Ball]

I have trialled the GF and own a BM, if you can afford it I would get a 20L BM but also get the short malt pipe so you can brew smaller batches. The Grainfather is a nice bit of kit too but if money isn't the issue then go BM, just make sure you get some kind of hop filter as well (I went for the BAC hop spider myself).

I too have got the BAC hop spider and have used it for 2 brews. How do you find using it? Do think hop utilisation is not as great? Squeezing those near boiling temperature hops at the end to get every last drop out is a bit of a killer on the hands!

 

[Braufather]

I have trialled the GF and own a BM, if you can afford it I would get a 20L BM but also get the short malt pipe so you can brew smaller batches. The Grainfather is a nice bit of kit too but if money isn't the issue then go BM, just make sure you get some kind of hop filter as well (I went for the BAC hop spider myself).

Trouble is going for the 20 litre, adding the shorter malt pipe plus the chiller, plus that hop thingy makes an expensive option super expensive. Thinking 10 litre may be more palatable. Or should. Just bite the bullet.

Also on official dem video they add hop pellets on the 10 litre. Anyone know why?

 

[F00b4r]

I too have got the BAC hop spider and have used it for 2 brews. How do you find using it? Do think hop utilisation is not as great? Squeezing those near boiling temperature hops at the end to get every last drop out is a bit of a killer on the hands!

I just love how easy it is to clean! I havn't noticed much difference so far but am moving to using mostly pellets. TBH I just use a stainless steel paddle and give the leaf hops a quick squeeze at the end but I also have silicone BBQ gloves that can be used if needed

 

[Crystal_Ball]

I just love how easy it is to clean! I havn't noticed much difference so far but am moving to using mostly pellets. TBH I just use a stainless steel paddle and give the leaf hops a quick squeeze at the end but I also have silicone BBQ gloves that can be used if needed

What do you clean it with?
I've got quite a stock of leaf hops at the moment but will move over to pellets as I can imagine they are easier to use and clean up after with the hop spider.

 

[Crystal_Ball]

I too am faced with the decision so could I bring back this thread to life?

I am completely new to brewing but highly experienced in drinking so thought I would fast track to grain. I really hope i can produce top tasting beer. Given the minimisation of human error the all in one systems seem to me the best bet for me. So the same question BM or GF. I've looked at all the forums and videos but it's still a hard decision.

GF customer service have been much more helpful whilst BM have yet to reply to me, is that a sign of things to come?

I am leaning towards to the 10litre BM, would anyone advise against this? My thinking is I would be doing lower volume but more often so would gain experience quicker with a wider variety of recipes. I could also achieve stronger results through double mashing. What about fermenting? Is it better to ferment at 20 litres plus or no difference for smaller batches.

The GF looked a bit fiddly on one of the demos, but is here an reason I should consider the 20 litre GF as opposed to the BM.

Ps what about the picobrew?

Currently discounted at brewuk
https://www.brewuk.co.uk/equipment/braumeister-systems/brewing-systems.html