The Grain Father

[Peter Smith]

http://www.grainfather.com/

Mangrove Jacks new all grain unit - its nice

[John H]

Collected mine from LHBS yesterday. Assembly was easy-peasy.

There was 1 doozy - couldn't find the hose clamp required for the hot wort line into the chiller (pump connector end), until I carefully read that you need to remove the clamp from the cold wort out hose. Nice one guys!!!

The water in connectors supplied with the kit offered a few options, unfortunately my supertub washing machine connections are hard to get to I will end up using the standard garden hose connector.

Otherwise all set for an election day inaugural brew - Epic Pale Ale Clone.

[Mark Weusten]

Hey John, I am in exactly the same boat as you doing a Epic PA clone on election day. We must have a bottle swap. You following the Jamil recipe?

[John H]

Sounds like a plan, mate. My recipe is based on the Brewing Network podcast.

[Dene McDonald]

I really don't like the look of those cables hanging down. A cheap stainless steel cover would have made it look so much better.

Plus the fact that every machine has the clips for the distilling hood. 99.9% or people will never use them.

[Mark Weusten]

Both valid comments Dene. I can't remember are the clips riveted on?

[Dene McDonald]

I've also just noticed that it doesn't have handles meaning that you can't move it once it's full or hot.  

Not picking holes but things I'd modify for future models!

I'm interested to hear from people what the trub is like. That's the main reason I moved from my BIAB recirc system. I have a feeling this will be better as it will create a stable mash base and filter more of the rubbish out.

Will also be interested if any one recircs though the chiller to whirlpool and to eliminate cold break in the fermenter.

[John H]

Working around IT geeks I have access to lots of surplus velcro tape used for tidying data cabling into server racks. I'll have a play and see if that makes it look tidier.

A cable cover would look tidier but would be harder to clean. There is a lot to be said for the KISS approach.

[John H]

My first brew on the GF went pretty well. This unit is going to turn me into a softie - It was fun brewing in the kitchen for a change, looking outside at the rain. No more huddling for cover under the eaves watching that the gas burner doesn't blow out in the weather.

I only had a few leak issues with the Recirc pipe connection and the Chiller cold water inlet connection. Otherwise the unit worked pretty well.

Efficiency was a touch lower than I thought it would be. I ended up with around 75% but then I didn't do any ph adjustments and I under-sparged (Operator error with new HLT) so I was happy with this as a first brew.

The wort after the mash was WAAAY clearer than I usually get with BIAB, but more cloudy into the fermenter - more fine hop residue got through the pump .  Next time I'll try and do a longer circ - hoping that the hop buildup on the pump strainer inlet will filter out more material. On the other hand I'll see how it goes in the fermenter.

The wort stays quite covered/protected in the whole process - it only really gets any exposure to nasties as you fill the fermenter. This is way less that my BIAB rig outdoors in the wind.

SO on the whole I was quite happy with the brewday and the unit.

How are the rest of you finding it?

[Dene McDonald]

I had a look at a GF at my LHBS and was disappointed with the build quality. It seems to be cheap components (eg thin stainless steel, STC 200 controller that cost $15 on AliExpress) and you can tell they were built in a hurry as there were burrs on the stainless steel where holes had been punched. In fact there were a lot of sharp edges, and the stainless dints and scratches really easily.

The quality reminded me of the chinese made urns on Trade Me. There's been a few grumbles on Facebook about leaks, capacity and the power of the element too but I'm sure these will be refined in future versions.

But having said that the build quality reflects the price. If you try to compare with the Braumeister you will be disappointed, but the Braumeister is more than three times the price. 

I was toying with the idea of buying one but seeing it in person made me realise that it's not the right tool for me. I don't want to appear too negative as they It will appeal to a lot of people - those who want a quick way of making beer. But for those who want a bit more out of the brew day experience you will probably want to sell this and move on after a while.

I'm sure there will be a few people who bought off the concept that are a little disappointed. So my advice would be get out and see one so you know what you are getting into. They will be a great little starter device for those who are looking for an all in one unit that works out of the box.

[John H]

Your opinion is valid, however I thought the build quality on the main parts of mine was pretty good and solid.

I've got a cheap Chinese Trademe urn and the GF is really solid in comparison.

I haven't seen a Braumeister close up so I take your word on that.

[Mark Thomas]

I think it's reasonable value. It certainly isn't a Braumeister! You could easily spend near $1000 making your own 3 stage system, and you'd have to do all your own testing etc (which is part of the fun too I guess). I've come from BIAB and I'm glad to get out of that messy process!

I've come in with my eyes open, I know I'm an early adopter/guinea pig. It will be interesting to see if Imake come up with a better connection for the recirculation pipe, I see a few of us have had leaks. They seem to have a very open positive attitude though. And the Grainfather system is quite easy to understand and could easily be adapted to different processes in future.

Anyway, sounds like you're not in a hurry, so see if we're still singing its praises in a year's time! I'm quite keen to see future generations of the picobrew - maybe one day they'll be a similar price to a domestic breadmaker.

[ben murphy]

I did mine yesterday and it went ok, it was my first time all-grain brewing so was a bit of an experience but I think the brew will turn out. I had the same issue with the recirc pipe, leaked quiet a bit and I couldn't work out a way to stop it. (still don't). Also exactly the same cold server spraying everywhere but once I took it off, cut the tube slightly and rejoined that part worked better.