Honest opinions G40 vs BZ G4 65L

[jambop]

OK just looking for honest opinions. So money is not the issue what are the opinions GF G40 or BZ G4 65L . I am tempeted to go for the G40 because of quality but is this actually right? The BZ does make a larger volume if required so that is a plus on its side if I want to fill two fermenters the G40 cannot do that unless I back liquor. I think the BZ ticks boxes in terms of features but not sure of build quality really.

 

[Rwilts]

Have you seen this thread ?

Thread 'Best all-in-one brewing system' Best all-in-one brewing system

 

[jambop]

Yes you are right I have even commented on it eejit or what To be fair though this is more about one size and focused on build quality and just between two different brands... does that get me out of jail ?

 

[Rwilts]

Well, having neither (!) But being very happy with my BZ 3.1.1, if the BZ is less expensive and offers more volume possibilities then that would be my choice

 

[MashBag]

Yes you are right I have even commented on it eejit or what To be fair though this is more about one size and focused on build quality and just between two different brands... does that get me out of jail ?

Nope It's still a Bz did you want a different answer?

 

[jambop]

Nope It's still a Bz did you want a different answer?

These thing are all knocked together in China and as such the quality should be similar but the GF I currently have is a stout bit of kit, double walled kettle which actually negates the need for a thermal jacket! Any way one vote for the Bz it would seem

 

[Rodcx500z]

I have had a BZ gen 3.1.1 for 3 years, quality wise is up to the job = yes, i will get whatever BZ gen what ever when this breaks, bought a jacket it's still cheaper than a G30

 

[The Baron]

Yes you are right I have even commented on it eejit or what To be fair though this is more about one size and focused on build quality and just between two different brands... does that get me out of jail ?

No real difference in quality at all, they are all pretty good so do not fall for the better quality business. What you may take into account is where you buy it from so the warranty is applied with assurance that it is honoured

 

[foxy]

Quality the Grainfather wins hands down, I had one I had to repair and was very impressed with the finish and build it was a 70-litre, and the first time I had seen under the base, really neat. Would I buy one? No, I wouldn't. I have a 70 litre Guten for 40 litre batches, neither the 70 litre Brewzilla or Grainfather would produce a beer any better than I already make.

 

[jambop]

Not like me but I have had a rethink on capacity I know what you are muttering... make your F'n mind up will ya However I think I have a good reason. I really enjoy my brewdays so naturally want to brew frequently. The G40 is too small a volume to make two fermenters worth I need 50L plus for that. So the G40 makes no sense other than faster heating. The Bz 65L will do the volume easily but if I do make larger volumes I brew less frequently. So my thought is to go with the G30 or Bz 35L as either will hit my useable conical fermenter volume of 28L . I am leaning to the Bz to be honest it is €200 cheaper than the GF and youtube videos seem to suggest a little more tweekable as to temperature monitoring with the RAPT BT thermometer and it has a conical central drain for wort transfer.

 

[foxy]

Not like me but I have had a rethink on capacity I know what you are muttering... make your F'n mind up will ya However I think I have a good reason. I really enjoy my brewdays so naturally want to brew frequently. The G40 is too small a volume to make two fermenters worth I need 50L plus for that. So the G40 makes no sense other than faster heating. The Bz 65L will do the volume easily but if I do make larger volumes I brew less frequently. So my thought is to go with the G30 or Bz 35L as either will hit my useable conical fermenter volume of 28L . I am leaning to the Bz to be honest it is €200 cheaper than the GF and youtube videos seem to suggest a little more tweekable as to temperature monitoring with the RAPT BT thermometer and it has a conical central drain for wort transfer.

I have been looking at the saccharification times for base malts and with some there is not a lot of time to tweak some of the more modified malts. Pilsner malt and pale malt can reach saccharification in 5 minutes. Pale ale and Vienna 10 minutes with Munich light and dark 20 and 40 minutes respectively.
What I would like to know is what happens to the times when a light Munich is mashed with a Pale malt? Does the higher diastatic power of the Pale malt help the Munich malt convert faster?

 

[RoomWithABrew]

It's very easy and quick to make a 23 or so litre batch in a large unit. I have guten 70 and mostly batch to 21-25 litres.
Bigger element ramps faster, lots of headroom and so low boil over risk on smaller batches. Wide and thin mash bed so recirculation and sparge easy.
Plus can easily do 50 litres to fermenters if needed. No problem with high gravity batches. I'd go for a brewzilla 3 65 litre in UK and spend the savings on other bits and pieces. Can always modify it later with SMARTPid etc.

 

[MashBag]

Not like me but I have had a rethink on capacity I know what you are muttering... make your F'n mind up will ya However I think I have a good reason. I really enjoy my brewdays so naturally want to brew frequently. The G40 is too small a volume to make two fermenters worth I need 50L plus for that. So the G40 makes no sense other than faster heating. The Bz 65L will do the volume easily but if I do make larger volumes I brew less frequently. So my thought is to go with the G30 or Bz 35L as either will hit my useable conical fermenter volume of 28L . I am leaning to the Bz to be honest it is €200 cheaper than the GF and youtube videos seem to suggest a little more tweekable as to temperature monitoring with the RAPT BT thermometer and it has a conical central drain for wort transfer.

I personally think, little and often and slick brewing is much better than big and longer brewday. Which will also need extra kit, typically a hoist.

 

[stripeyjoe]

I have a G40, it is a lot heavier than the G30 or BZ35 and also, like me, shorter and fatter. it has a boil size of around 45l so you can get 40 litres of wort out of it from a max grain bill of (I think) 13Kg, with a bit of liquoring back that should get you 2 lots of 22l of roughly 5% beer. I think the minimum batch size is 10l. Also comes with an excellent counterflow chiller.
The BZ (both 35 and 65) have a lower minimum batch size as there is less deadspace under the grain basket. You could get the BZ35 and the boil extender for the times you want to do a double batch.
one thing I like about the G40 is it’s larger diameter means I can neatly pack away all my brewing stuff inside it with the CF chiller for storage.

 

[MashBag]

Storage? I put a towel over mine and come back tomorrow

 

[jambop]

I have been looking at the saccharification times for base malts and with some there is not a lot of time to tweak some of the more modified malts. Pilsner malt and pale malt can reach saccharification in 5 minutes. Pale ale and Vienna 10 minutes with Munich light and dark 20 and 40 minutes respectively.
What I would like to know is what happens to the times when a light Munich is mashed with a Pale malt? Does the higher diastatic power of the Pale malt help the Munich malt convert faster?

I think ,like yourself, that the first 10 to 30 minutes is the most vital time for temperature monitoring especially since I use an S40 which does not control the heating very well. I do mostly English style beers, strange you may think for a Scotsman , which are all single infusion mashes. I recently watched a video of a discussion given by Charlie Bamforth where he completely poo hoo'd fancy step mashes and decoctions as completely unecessary because modern barley malt varieties are so well modified. He actually laughed at Pilsner Urquell's decoction process saying it was totally unnecessary !

 

[jambop]

I have a G40, it is a lot heavier than the G30 or BZ35 and also, like me, shorter and fatter. it has a boil size of around 45l so you can get 40 litres of wort out of it from a max grain bill of (I think) 13Kg, with a bit of liquoring back that should get you 2 lots of 22l of roughly 5% beer. I think the minimum batch size is 10l. Also comes with an excellent counterflow chiller.
The BZ (both 35 and 65) have a lower minimum batch size as there is less deadspace under the grain basket. You could get the BZ35 and the boil extender for the times you want to do a double batch.
one thing I like about the G40 is it’s larger diameter means I can neatly pack away all my brewing stuff inside it with the CF chiller for storage.

I truely think GF kit is a better standard of kit, I currently use a S40. If I had the know how I would try to mate a modern PID bluetooth control unit to it as it is very well made... but I lack the knowhow to do it even if it is possible. I did think the Bz boil extender was a good option for a larger batch but I have found that 28L is the largest volume I can actually fit in my fermenters. The G30 and Bz 35 are my best options to hit this volume but it must be said the G30 is a bit long in the tooth now and must be due a proper redo soon.

 

[stripeyjoe]

I tend to do 25l into the fermenter which the G40 manages with ease. The only limitation I've found so far was trying to do a small batch of London Brown, the 3kg minimum grain size meant, for a 3% beer, I'd have to brew 25 litres. Could have probably tried with less than 3kg but unsure how that might turn out.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

Perh

I tend to do 25l into the fermenter which the G40 manages with ease. The only limitation I've found so far was trying to do a small batch of London Brown, the 3kg minimum grain size meant, for a 3% beer, I'd have to brew 25 litres. Could have probably tried with less than 3kg but unsure how that might turn out.

Perhaps a full volume mash with no sparge might help in the low gravity beer scenario?

 

[jambop]

I think the best plan is for a 35L kettle to be honest. I have a 40L for bigger brews and it can be used for a sparge water heater with pumping facilities onboard . Think I am going down the Brewzilla 35L route .