Grainfather or not?

[Knee-deep in beer]

Hi All,

Ive joined this forum to get into all grain brewing and helping out the best i can with the knowledge I already have after only doing kits, turbo ciders and the odd country wine

Would you recommend an all in one as my next step or something else? I eagerly await your replies :)

Thanks.

 

[Tanglefoot]

I'd save your cash for other equipment such as fridge, inkbird, heat belt for controlled fermentation and just use a plastic fv until you have a few brews under your belt.
You could also get yourself kitted out with kegging set up and still have cash left over.

 

[ChilledGecko]

What Tanglefoot said.

My last purchase was my G40. I first decided how I wanted to store my beer, kegs.
So I purchased some kegs and made a keezer.
Hit the usual issues which focused on where I needed to spend next.
Purchased a pressurised fermentation vessel, mainly to enable clean beer with less risk.
Ended up with my Grainfather last.

You know where the biggest itch is regarding kit, so locate it and focus there.

 

[Agentgonzo]

Focus on what is important to you, and not what is important to forum members . I have a G30 and love it. I have a stainless steel conical fermenter and love it much more than my old plastic buckets. I don't have a keg setup and don't miss it. I don't have a setup to regulate the fermentation temperature and don't miss it in the slightest. It's pointless for me to say "I recommend doing what I did" because you're not me . As the gecko says, find your particular itch and focus on it.

I had a lot of fun on my old plastic 3-vessel system, but now I really love the low-hassle approach to brewing you get from an AIO. As for the Grainfather - I absolutely love my G30. The app is really good and everything is really easy to use and work with. It is expensive compared with other things, but you get what you pay for. "Value for money" is always subjective. A lot of the other all-in-ones are cheaper (half the price for some of them) but there compromises. For the 30l models, the grainfather still appears to be the gold standard, but the brewfather 4.0 (from what I have heard) is not far off the mark.

Pros for the G30:

• It just does everything you'd need it to
• The remote control via the app and recipe integration is pretty darn sweet. I create my recipe and mash profile on the web, then just connect the app and can do step mashes without having to interact with it.
• The CFC is pretty good - better than immersion chillers etc and better than no chiller that a lot of AIO's have
• the location of the control box is much better than a lot of other models. The GF one is on the side and easily readable/usable from a standing position. A lot of the other models have it right at the bottom, at floor level which is hard to use
• The pump/recirc is really good and dead easy to use to get clear wort.

Cons:

• The pump sticks out a bit
• The top and bottom plate with their silicone seals are a PITA for most people to get in. You can buy better plates as an extra addition (my ones that came with the GF are fine though and I don't get any problems)
• It's pricier than the others.

If you have the money to spare, I would heartily recommend the GF. If mine were to die suddenly, I wouldn't even worry about looking at the alternatives - I'd just go out and buy another one. But if money is an issue or your bum squeaks looking at the price, then maybe consider the other options.

 

[Bzee]

I'm so low tech I've 2 50 litre saucepans and a milk churn all stainless cos I don't like the idea of plastic and solder giving up some of their chemicals. I boil on our 5 ring kitchen gas hob and the milk churn fits in the saucepan which I then fill with cold water to chill. I'm fast and quick to clean but do have to stare at a saucepan intently and for long time till wort comes to boil.

 

[hoppyscotty]

Everybody's budget and available space/convenience is different. Ultimately you can create great wort in a plastic cooler. For me the most important part of the whole process is fermentation so I tend to focus on that and work my way back, but ultimately you work your way through the end to end process eventually, always working on the weakest link...well if you're like me a super anal and geeky about process you do. If all you want to do is brew decent beer then you can do that with far simpler kit.

But I'm not wedded to any particular brand and not dissing GF, I have some GF stuff myself and its great gear, but there are other similar and arguably as good alternatives out there for alot less money. GF is undoubtedly a higher quality product at a higher quality price point...you just need to decide if you value that quality sufficient enough to pay the premium. If you want a small car do you go for a Seat Ibiza or an Audi A1??, or a clapped out ten year old Ford Fiesta??? All will ultimately do the job as well as each other.

 

[The Baron]

Welcome to the forum.
Look at all the opposition rather than just the Grainfather, plenty as good and cheaper IMO

 

[Deadhead]

Ahh, see the thing with this hobby is that you keep spending money! You absolutely don't have to though! You just need to figure out what is important to you and what kind of beers you like to brew.

(Totally agree with @Agentgonzo - What is important to you?)

Me, I have a Grainfather G30 (bought before any of the other cheaper systems came out) and immediately loved it! Such a great upgrade versus my boiler, coolbox system! I'm sure if the cheaper ones were out when I bought it, I may have gone for one of those, but honestly I've been so happy (other than the seals, but I've asked Santa for the rolled plates) and making some good beers.

I upgraded to the GF conical fermenter and glycol chiller system a couple of years ago. I saved and saved and sold old equipment and this was a huge upgrade from my system of a plastic bucket in another bucket with water/fish tank heater for control. And then my beers leaped from good to amazing (and award winning now) and I am loving making lagers!

Guess what I don't do? I don't keg! I keep saving up for bits and pieces for kegging and then I end up spending my savings on grain, hops and yeast. HA! Maybe some day.

 

[AJA]

I'm so low tech I've 2 50 litre saucepans and a milk churn all stainless cos I don't like the idea of plastic and solder giving up some of their chemicals. I boil on our 5 ring kitchen gas hob and the milk churn fits in the saucepan which I then fill with cold water to chill. I'm fast and quick to clean but do have to stare at a saucepan intently and for long time till wort comes to boil.

I'm surprised that actually boils the wort at all at those volumes. Mine won't give a rolling boil beyond 20 litres, so I do a split boil in 2 x 20l pans.

 

[Bzee]

I do 25 litre brews started bigger outside with propane

 

[Rodcx500z]

I started with plastic buckets and wilko kits and bottles, then i bought a klarstein biab thingy i loved it and still have it, then a brewzilla 35L which is really good only fault for me is the bottom plate it lifts on the boil, then i got 4 pressure barrels a big mistake, then came a 2 keg corny setup fridge and gas then 2 more cornys and reg and second gas bottle and finally 2 kegland allrounders, if i had sat down after i retired from baking i would have worked out a bread recipe is basically the same as an ale one a lot of flour and bits and bats and yeast, if i were to start now what i know i would have gone all in all grain and saved a packet, so all you new brewers think long and hard were you start and were you aim to be

 

[Chippy_Tea]

@Knee-deep in beer

Have a look at this thread -

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/all-in-one-systems.97494/

 

[Chippy_Tea]

@Knee-deep in beer

This may fit the bill -


https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/kegland-brewzilla-3-1-1.100856/

 

[starseeker]

Also take a look a the Darkfarm brew tanks ,i have just upgraded to a 40l set up and it is beautifully made ,

 

[Old Fart At Play]

We are all different on here. Agentgonzo said it. I have a G40 which I totally love, but I control fermentation temperature by choosing which room to put FV in and I always bottle. No kegs, refridgeration or pressure.

It comes down to budget, space, and what interests you. You can make great beer with very simple kit.

Have fun, that's the main thing!

 

[Rento]

As others have said, everyone has different budgets and needs! Budget is really important, not just to start but ongoing as it can be an addictive hobby!

I went from kits to kegging, then BIAB with a cygnet boiler, fermentation fridge, pressure fermenting, then to G40 a few years later as well as a recent small batch setup of 12 litre kettle and induction hob. I dread to think of the thousands spent! Realistically though the beer quality is the same in all these setups you just have slightly different processes, volumes and efficiency.

Take time to look through the brew day posts and see people’s setups for ideas and a good few hours on YouTube. For new all grain brewers I’d always recommend a small batch setup as the more you brew the more you learn. You can make great 5 litre 1/2 hour boil smash beers with a cheep 8-10 litre stock pot and a mesh bag on your cooker top.

I did I a demo for my mate recently and literally all I took was grains, hops and a mesh bag with me. He had only ever done turbo ciders before so only had basic sanitation and fermenting kit but had everything else in his kitchen to make a 5 litre all grain batch!

 

[Knee-deep in beer]

Thanks All! I didnt expect such replies from my first post , looks like ive found the right place for the help i need . Looks like ive got some thinking to do.

 

[Jordang]

Also take a look a the Darkfarm brew tanks ,i have just upgraded to a 40l set up and it is beautifully made ,

It is fantastic stuff!

 

[Birdsnestbrewery]

I love my GF conical fermenter but for mashing and boiling I have a custom solution, cool box mash tun etc. That fermenter has temperature control, which was the most important thing for me when I got it.

 

[homebrewdev]

Hey @Knee-deep in beer
It's been a while since the last time, did you get something?