Is it worth it?

[user 47933]

Ok so I’m thinking of getting one of these as I don’t know how much time I will have to brew from all grain or whether it’s really going to be my thing.
Just asking in general are they worth it or is it best to wait and get something like a Grainfather g30

 

[jof]

Hmm. Only you can answer that question.
Yo u can get expensive or cheap brewing equipment & get similar results.
The real consideration is the time you have available to devote to brewing & often will you use it. You don't want to spend big for something you use 2 or 3 times the decide it takes too long & I might as well just buy beer from the supermarket.

I know my brew day will take up most of the day, so I schedule it in as a day's activity.
Sure you can fit stuff round it & in between waiting for things to heat up, but I need to set phone timer to remind me when I need to attend to the next step in my brewing process.

 

[foxy]

Ok so I’m thinking of getting one of these as I don’t know how much time I will have to brew from all grain or whether it’s really going to be my thing.
Just asking in general are they worth it or is it best to wait and get something like a Grainfather g30

You have to approach a hobby like any other hobby. Be prepared to learn as much as you can, much like learning about canaries.

 

[Rodcx500z]

I started with a klarstein fullhorn biab, 4 years ago i still have it along with a brewzilla gen3, i found the klarstein to be very good and made some fantastic brews with it, if you don't like it you can always recoup some of your money

 

[user 47933]

Hmm. Only you can answer that question.
Yo u can get expensive or cheap brewing equipment & get similar results.
The real consideration is the time you have available to devote to brewing & often will you use it. You don't want to spend big for something you use 2 or 3 times the decide it takes too long & I might as well just buy beer from the supermarket.

I know my brew day will take up most of the day, so I schedule it in as a day's activity.
Sure you can fit stuff round it & in between waiting for things to heat up, but I need to set phone timer to remind me when I need to attend to the next step in my brewing process.

Thanks for that, was also wondering if anyone has got/used one? As in are they any good or not worth the money, hope this makes sence and not sound like I’m repeating myself

 

[user 47933]

Thanks for that, was also wondering if anyone has got/used one? As in are they any good or not worth the money, hope this makes sence and not sound like I’m repeating myself

Hmm. Only you can answer that question.
Yo u can get expensive or cheap brewing equipment & get similar results.
The real consideration is the time you have available to devote to brewing & often will you use it. You don't want to spend big for something you use 2 or 3 times the decide it takes too long & I might as well just buy beer from the supermarket.

I know my brew day will take up most of the day, so I schedule it in as a day's activity.
Sure you can fit stuff round it & in between waiting for things to heat up, but I need to set phone timer to remind me when I need to attend to the next step in my brewing process.

As in the Klarstein I mean

 

[tigertim]

As you mention the G30, it's worth remembering that they've been around for quite a while and are excellent, leaving very little to be desired in terms of making great beer with minimum hassle. And with minor factory modifications over the years, they've also stayed current.

As such, it means they tend to hold a pretty stable second hand value, so you could acquire a G30 for £300-£400 from a well-known internet auction site, spend six months experimenting and, if it turns out not to be your thing, you could still sell it for pretty much what you paid for it.

 

[Stu]

I have a maischfest. Very happy with it. If you’re doing American IPAs or stouts with lots of wheat and oats, I’d recommend a bag inside the filter bin or it gets clogged up. Much easier to tidy up afterwards that way too.

they have a ridiculous sale on their website at the moment for the 35L one. £148 delivered (it automatically adds the code taking 35% off)

https://www.klarstein.co.uk/Home-Ap...500-3000W-35l-LCD-Stainless-Steel-35-Ltr.html

 

[jof]

I'm still using my klarstein fullhorn BIAB that cost me about £130 and see no point in spending £500 for an AIO as I can make good beer with what I have.
Others on here swear by PICO boilers or converted tea urns.

On the other hand you may want to do bigger batches that require a hoist to lift the grain bag/pipe and a pump to transfer the wort as it would be too heavy to lift.

As long as you have some basic working kit, it's you skill as a brewer that will make the biggest difference.

 

[jof]

I have a maischfest. Very happy with it. If you’re doing American IPAs or stouts with lots of wheat and oats, I’d recommend a bag inside the filter bin or it gets clogged up. Much easier to tidy up afterwards that way too.

they have a ridiculous sale on their website at the moment for the 35L one. £148 delivered (it automatically adds the code taking 35% off)

https://www.klarstein.co.uk/Home-Ap...500-3000W-35l-LCD-Stainless-Steel-35-Ltr.html

Damn it stu, it's months until my birthday.
Why do their sales never come round at the right time for me.
(Not that I need an upgrade)

 

[tigertim]

the 35L one. £148 delivered

That’s outrageously good when you consider the 18 litre Grainfather sparge water heater is £120.

It’s almost worth having one as a sparge water heater which also doubles up as a very capable backup system if anything were to go wrong with the primary brewing system in the middle of a brew day.

 

[hoppyscotty]

they seem to work just fine by all accounts. Personally my view is fermentation is where it's at so best to direct the bulk of whatever your budget is towards fermentation. That is where the beer is made and usually where spoiled beer is spoiled.

 

[rybinss]

+1 for Klarstein. I bought a maishfest thru their website offer last year for £170, very happy with it, well made and easy to use. Only criticism is the bazooka filter mesh is too fine and constantly clogs, simple £10 fleabay fix for a new one. Cust service is pretty good too. I bought a s/s fermenter and it arrived with a tiny dint in the lid that happened in transit. Annoying but not a biggie, mentioned it in the feedback email and they offered to replace or knock 30% off price, so with reduction and discount I got the fermenter for about 30 quid!
if you can get this for 150 quid, nab it.!

 

[jof]

@Stu I'm not seeing additional discount on klarstein link you sent. & It's not automatically applying any codes.

Edit: I found another discount voucher site that gave me the code KS-SA3-LE5

So I've treated myself.

 

[user 47933]

You have to approach a hobby like any other hobby. Be prepared to learn as much as you can, much like learning about canaries.

That would be football not the bird!

 

[user 47933]

+1 for Klarstein. I bought a maishfest thru their website offer last year for £170, very happy with it, well made and easy to use. Only criticism is the bazooka filter mesh is too fine and constantly clogs, simple £10 fleabay fix for a new one. Cust service is pretty good too. I bought a s/s fermenter and it arrived with a tiny dint in the lid that happened in transit. Annoying but not a biggie, mentioned it in the feedback email and they offered to replace or knock 30% off price, so with reduction and discount I got the fermenter for about 30 quid!
if you can get this for 150 quid, nab it.!

What filter mesh did you buy?

 

[Stu]

@Stu I'm not seeing additional discount on klarstein link you sent. & It's not automatically applying any codes.

Edit: I found another discount voucher site that gave me the code KS-SA3-LE5

So I've treated myself.

Sorry :) Nipped out.
Glad you found it. That's an absolute bargain. I got my 30L one for £178 last year on a similar deal and I was happy with that!

@rybinss I'm also interested in the mesh filter you got. As above, I'm working with a bag in the filter bin.

 

[MashBag]

+1 for klarstein, a mate swears by it

 

[marshbrewer]

You have to approach a hobby like any other hobby. Be prepared to learn as much as you can, much like learning about canaries.

You have to approach a hobby like any other hobby; remember, it's a hobby and meant to be fun.

 

[foxy]

You have to approach a hobby like any other hobby; remember, it's a hobby and meant to be fun.

And rewarding. A lot of people who take up a hobby don't bother to learn the fundamentals get disappointed and then give it up.