Help buying a Grainfather

[strange-steve]

Well I've finally caved and decided to buy a Grainfather. I've just bought a house so this is really a daft purchase but I can resist no longer, especially after going along to a Belfast Brewers Brewday and seeing it in action.

So advice from current owners would be greatly appreciated, is there anything I should know/be aware of/ look out for when buying?

Does it come with everything required to brew straight away or are there extra bits required? Hop filter for example?

Could someone please have a look at this link just to make sure it's all there, it seems to be the cheapest connect model I've seen (650 and free p&p) but don't want to buy it then discover there's a crucial part not included!

Thanks in advance.

 

[Razor]

Looks pretty similar to what I got last week. £650 from Get Er Brewed. I've only used it once so far and it has most of the basic equipment you need, however I would recommend getting something to heat sparge water if you don't have one and a hop spider or something similar for easier cleaning post brew. Enjoy mate.


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[strange-steve]

Looks pretty similar to what I got last week. ��£650 from Get Er Brewed. I've only used it once so far and it has most of the basic equipment you need, however I would recommend getting something to heat sparge water if you don't have one and a hop spider or something similar for easier cleaning post brew. Enjoy mate.


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I saw that on Geterbrewed however I'm pretty sure it's the older model, they also have the new one but it's priced at 750?

 

[Razor]

I saw that on Geterbrewed however I'm pretty sure it's the older model, they also have the new one but it's priced at 750?

Not sure it's the older model. Came with the connect box, wort chiller, and grain basket. It was a special offer for Father's Day. Also if you have an iPhone/iPad or android phone/tablet with Bluetooth the connect app is great.


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[strange-steve]

Not sure it's the older model. Came with the connect box, wort chiller, and grain basket. It was a special offer for Father's Day. Also if you have an iPhone/iPad or android phone/tablet with Bluetooth the connect app is great.


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Ah ok, I must have missed that deal because when you look at their page here they have the older model for 650 then below it the new one with connect box for 750, though that one has a "free" sparge heater.

 

[strange-steve]

Thanks for the advice, I can repurpose my old boiler as a sparge heater and I'm pretty sure I have a few muslin hop bags somewhere too, so those are covered.

 

[Razor]

Thanks for the advice, I can repurpose my old boiler as a sparge heater and I'm pretty sure I have a few muslin hop bags somewhere too, so those are covered.

I didn't have a big enough muslin and had to clean what was 182g of dried hops out of the bottom of my GF. It's amazing how much they swell up.:lol:


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[MyQul]

I'm pretty sure you also need the glycol chiller, grain brother, grain coat and alembic pot still attachment or it wont work properly :whistle:

 

[Razor]

I'm pretty sure you also need the glycol chiller, grain brother, grain coat and alembic pot still attachment or it wont work properly :whistle:

Shiny shiny shiny!


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[Pawlo7671]

I don't think that Imake are distributing the old box anymore, afaik all grainfathers come with the connect box now. some deals include a free spage heater ( £750 ) and some don't (£650 ) so its not really free is it !!!
I got mine from geterbrewed with free sparge heater as I needed one anyway, also got the hop spider, grain coat and some cleaner. They also had an offer on which included a free mash kit and I was able to use the forum discount code.

 

[Poochops]

The long paddle is a good idea but at 20 quid if you already have something that reaches the base then you could put the money to better use. Cleaner is a tenner although I'm sure something else would do the job equally as well but I've not researched it yet. You'll need some adaptors to connect the chiller to your tap, there is a spigot and a fitting to convert the end to accept a hozelock fitting but if you're brewing in the kitchen expect to have to buy some bits and bobs.
Only thing that concerns me about that advert is they're telling you to expect some dents where the grain tube lugs might bang on the boiler insides in transit. Now the fact they're stating that suggests they don't see it as an issue warranting replacement. Mine came from maltmiller and it was badly (in my opinion) dented but they arranged a collection and replacement without question. Excellent service, and I really wouldn't have been happy if I'd had to have a row about it after spending nearly £700.
Last thing, try it without the hop spider, I did at the weekend and apart from the fact I managed to knock the end off the hop filter during the boil, I'm reasonably certain it would have drained and filtered out the hops perfectly well. There's vids on YouTube showing it working fine even with pellets, just recirculate for a few minutes before emtying, the hops form a layer on the filter to help strain and produce clear wort. You could always buy one later.

 

[Norfolk79]

HBC have it for £675, included a mash kit and cleaner. When I bought mine they honoured the forum discount too [emoji3]

 

[strange-steve]

@Poochops some good info there. I also noticed that part about dents during shipping, agree it's a little concerning.
@Norfolk79 that's a good call, where did you get the discount code I can't seem to find it?

 

[Covrich]

I'm pretty sure you also need the glycol chiller, grain brother, grain coat and alembic pot still attachment or it wont work properly :whistle:

Apparently there is a good deal on that at the moment, get all of that and you get a divorce throw in.

 

[MyQul]

Apparently there is a good deal on that at the moment, get all of that and you get a divorce throw in.

Bargain. Where do I go?

 

[shepp]

A flexi tub is good for cleaning the grain tube and other bits while you are doing the boil.
I have never used a hop spider or needed one but I have only used hop pellets so can't comment on leaf. You need to give it a good whirlpool and let it settle for 15 mins before pumping.

 

[strange-steve]

A flexi tub is good for cleaning the grain tube and other bits while you are doing the boil.
I have never used a hop spider or needed one but I have only used hop pellets so can't comment on leaf. You need to give it a good whirlpool and let it settle for 15 mins before pumping.

It's good to know it doesn't clog up with pellets.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

@Norfolk79 that's a good call, where did you get the discount code I can't seem to find it?

The HBC code stopped working and we couldn't ask for a new one as they are not forum members.

.

 

[Goldthirst]

I don't think that Imake are distributing the old box anymore, afaik all grainfathers come with the connect box now. some deals include a free spage heater ( ��£750 ) and some don't (��£650 ) so its not really free is it !!!
I got mine from geterbrewed with free sparge heater as I needed one anyway, also got the hop spider, grain coat and some cleaner. They also had an offer on which included a free mash kit and I was able to use the forum discount code.

They wouldn't honour the discount code with me as mentioned in this thread. I had extra items too. I haven't used them since as I never got a satisfactory outcome. I've ordered quite a bit of gear from other suppliers and not had a problem like I first experienced.

I would get the smaller pipework for the Grainfather too for those lower grain quantity mashes.

 

[strange-steve]

I'm so close to pulling the trigger on this, but the only thing I've ever bought for myself at these sort of prices was a guitar when I was young, free and single. Doesn't feel right :?