Grainfather G-40 info

[fgoulding]

I’m more interested in the size of the G40 in order to help me increase my production to 2 kegs at a time. It’s a shame about the price but I find the 65, 70 or 80L systems are just too big for my brewing space.

But at least I’m not considering buying a Spiedel as I would probably be killed in the comments!

 

[DocAnna]

Oh if you are going to go big on an all in one system, why not go properly large - I have a vague yearning for the 90 litre version of this
https://brewhaequipment.com/product...no-and-micro-breweries?variant=30190589640756

 

[Cheyne_brewer]

I just don’t get why GF are so much more expensive than the competition. My £399 45l Hopcat performs well every time and came with all the extras I wanted. GF are made in China like everything else these days.

I’ve never used program mode on my HC, and I’ve yet to find an AIO that will lift the grain pipe or throw a protofloc or hops in for me. If your pockets are deep enough and you want the brand that’s fine. Me, I have deep pockets and short arms.

 

[2Beers]

I would prefer a tad more than 40 litres to the fermenter(s) to fill 2 x 19 litre kegs.

 

[Brew_DD2]

I think they'll sell a load of the S40.

 

[Rodcx500z]

I can't see me swapping the 35L brewzilla it is a great kettle for the money, and i only use it in manual mode

 

[Brewnaldo]

I never thought I wanted an all in one but the S40 might tempt me. Does it have a grain basket or is it just a kettle with a pump?

 

[DocAnna]

I'm genuinely struggling to see the attraction in the more expensive but same volume Grainfather systems compared to the Brewzilla. The programmable step mash on the Brewzilla is really quite good and the extras I'd like are not available on the grainfather either. My wish list includes a sight glass - which I know I could modify the brewzilla to have but I'm not that brave; and a level sensor with pump shut off - so that the pump would automatically shut off if recirculation was too slow and so prevent flow down the overflow central tube. I suppose a larger bore of pump would be nice to reduce the risk of blockages. I'd love an extractor fan for managing humidity during the boil but that's not really something you could build in!

The problem no one seems to have solved nicely is how to clean the darn things quickly, there's too many nooks and crannies for bits to get stuck in - and that applies just as much to the grainfather as anything else.

Anna

 

[The Baron]

I have said for quite a few years Anna that the Grainfather was always way overpriced and the opposition has caught up but they still insist on their pricing policy which does not warrant to be so much higher as the Brewzilla/Angel Brew/Hopcat etc.
I have had my Ace which is the first version of the Angel Brew for probably over 4 years its never missed a beat in 150 plus brews and I was a the time told it was inferior it would break even though it had the same bonded element and pump as the Grainfather.
Maybe thats because they were £600 for Grainfather and mine was sub £300 so half the price for a system that was basically the same apart from the controller(same element same pump) and maybe some G owners had to justify the amount they had paid compared to me and as regards the Stainless being allegedly inferior and would rust its still nice and shiny without any rust spots?
In fact one of the Grainfather forums at the time would not let any owner of any other similar system join?

 

[Rodcx500z]

I am 6 brews in on a brewzilla 35L i have never had such good bhe and hit my numbers on every brew and if the pump fails you have backup a tap, i could not justify the cost of a gf the bz is a quality machine well made and easy to use, i am not knocking the gf each to their own but i could not justify that amount of money for something that gives the same end product

 

[krispn]

I see the price listed at £1099 RRP but not sure if that was for the S40 or G40 - does that mean it'll hit the shops about £850? I guess we'll know sometime overnight when the emails from GF start hitting the inboxes and the retailers can finally list the stuff on their sites. Some unboxing videos appearing on You Tube too and it looks like a decent unit with nice design features but I'll not be updating the trusty old G30 just yet.

 

[Deadhead]

Home brewing is a relatively cheap hobby. If I compare what I’ve spent on Home brewing equipment with my outlay on my other hobbies (golf and cycling), it’s negligible.

I’ve probably spent about £1k on home brew equipment over a couple of years, I have:

70L kettle with gas burner (second hand), immersion chiller, magnetic pump, 2 tall larder fridges (1 fermentation, 2 kegerator), 5 corny kegs, Keg King 60L fermenter, Ispindel, and assorted brewing paraphernalia.

If you’ve seen the price of Road bikes, or Mountain bikes today, this is nothing. So if some people want shiny stainless steel brewing equipment, and are happy to pay a premium for Grainfather, that’s up to them. Everyones budget is different and for some, it’s not a huge amount of money.

You pay your money, you make your choice.

This! We all pick and choose what we want, what budget we have, how much we care, etc.

I've had a GF before there were any other similar systems out there. And when it came out everyone went oh, it's soooooooo expensive and 'you can brew in a bag' for so cheap. And you still can, of course! But you know, the GF been awesome. I went from a coolbox type of kit and I was trying to find the best way to step mash and I created a strange type of 'herms' system that was really not cutting it. So the GF was just fantastic when I got it all those years ago. And I still love it. I don't have any reason to upgrade to the bigger ones, but I'm sure there will be folks who will want to go to a 40L one to fill 2 cornies, etc.

 

[nickjdavis]

Looks like the pricing is G40 at £1099 and the S40 at £449

 

[RoomWithABrew]

Ouch Seems expensive, my Guten 70 cost me 800 NZ dollars so 400 pounds.
With a coolossus and a smart pid, hop missile and a conversion for inbuilt whirlpool thats still working out at 400 pounds less than a G40. That buys a lot of malt and hops and a grain mill, wet yeast, stirplate, flask, regulator, gas, taps, ferment fridge, controller and build an Ispindel or two plus a pressure fermenter or two. If you watch the second hand market you'd get even more stuff and I'd probably get two batches of 25 litres out of one brew session maybe even more.

 

[2Beers]

This! We all pick and choose what we want, what budget we have, how much we care, etc.

I've had a GF before there were any other similar systems out there. And when it came out everyone went oh, it's soooooooo expensive and 'you can brew in a bag' for so cheap. And you still can, of course! But you know, the GF been awesome. I went from a coolbox type of kit and I was trying to find the best way to step mash and I created a strange type of 'herms' system that was really not cutting it. So the GF was just fantastic when I got it all those years ago. And I still love it. I don't have any reason to upgrade to the bigger ones, but I'm sure there will be folks who will want to go to a 40L one to fill 2 cornies, etc.

Is 40l nailed on to fill 2 cornies though? I need about 23l after the boil to fill 1. I get it for higher abv, but I'm not sure that it's the strongest part of the marketing - the 2 x 19l claim.

 

[Matt_W]

Is 40l nailed on to fill 2 cornies though? I need about 23l after the boil to fill 1. I get it for higher abv, but I'm not sure that it's the strongest part of the marketing - the 2 x 19l claim.

I was wondering that. It doesn’t seem to leave much room for trub loss or large dry hops soaking it up.

 

[Deadhead]

Is 40l nailed on to fill 2 cornies though? I need about 23l after the boil to fill 1. I get it for higher abv, but I'm not sure that it's the strongest part of the marketing - the 2 x 19l claim.

No, I'd imagine not, actually. Hmmm.

 

[The Baron]

A misleading bit of advertisement in my mind as it is virtually impossible to get 38 Ltrs out of a 40ltr pot. with boil off and trub loss etc.
It is possible to get around it but that is not what they are advertising is it

 

[borischarlton]

A misleading bit of advertisement in my mind as it is virtually impossible to get 38 Ltrs out of a 40ltr pot. with boil off and trub loss etc.
It is possible to get around it but that is not what they are advertising is it

Er, its max pre boil volume is 46 litres.

 

[Deadhead]

Er, its max pre boil volume is 46 litres.

That makes more sense then to fill 2 cornies.