The Grainfather

[iambj]

Am I right in assuming that there are no units anywhere left for sale in Aus at the moment?

http://www.nationalhomebrew.com.au/grainfather-brewing-system/equipment-pots-hardware-grainfather

 

[Bomber Watson]

Awesome mate.

 

[MastersBrewery]

also one on display at country brewer, didn't ask about stock, though maybe I NEED to h34r:

 

[Mattrox]

There was one on display in the LHBS on Henley Beach Rd here in Adelaide. Impressive looking kit. A bit more compact IRL than I imagined.

I'll have to either squirrel money away or be a very good boy.

 

[Linz]

Sodium meta silicate and a chelating agent. Good cleaner, but wear gloves.

Used some this morning and it's certainly a bloody good cleaning agent.

Andrew.....yup.

Spoke to one of the guys who got an early Christmas present about a half hr ago . 0.012 points OG over his BIAB recipe favourite and he's stoked.

So will the sodium percabonate(nappy wash) do any damage?

 

[drtomc]

I'm not a chemist, but.... I think sodium per carbonate should be fine, but it probably won't be as effective as their cleaner.

T.

 

[wambesi]

So will the sodium percabonate(nappy wash) do any damage?

Nope, the machine is SS and copper (chiller) and I think sodium percarbonate based cleaners should be fine - I used PBW this morning on mine.

Reference: Palmer - http://www.howtobrew.com/appendices/appendixB.html

 

[Snow]

Just wondering - is it really necessary to run the cleaning solution through the system after EVERY brew? Just thinking a bit of hot water would suffice with a chemical clean every third brew or so. I can imagine it would get pretty expensive using the grainfaher cleaner after every brew.

Cheers - Snow.

 

[wambesi]

Just wondering - is it really necessary to run the cleaning solution through the system after EVERY brew? Just thinking a bit of hot water would suffice with a chemical clean every third brew or so. I can imagine it would get pretty expensive using the grainfaher cleaner after every brew.

Cheers - Snow.

What do you do with your current system? My old system used to get a bit of a scrub with some recirculated PBW then water - pretty much the same as this one.

You could get away with hot water in between, at the end of the day it's pre-cooling contact but I figure it's not that expensive - mind you I'm using PBW on mine.

 

[HBHB]

As far as I know sodium percarbonate doesn't do any harm to soft metals when it's used as it should be ie washed or soaked as needed and then rinsed off. About a month ago I took a disused sparge head and dropped it in sodium percarbonate and left it in there until today. Not pretty. Moral of the story is if you use it, clean and then rinse well. Should add, I've never seen Sodium percarbonate make his sort of mess before and 1 month sitting in it is rather extreme exposure.

At the end of the day, what you use is up to you. The manufacturers have put together a cleaning agent that won't hurt your gear, works well and will stop the build up of scale in the plumbing and pump. Those who use ball valves will know all too well the familiar brown scale/stone that builds up in them from malt.

 

[wambesi]

As far as I know sodium percarbonate doesn't do any harm to soft metals when it's used as it should be ie washed or soaked as needed and then rinsed off. About a month ago I took a disused sparge head and dropped it in sodium percarbonate and left it in there until today. Not pretty. Moral of the story is if you use it, clean and then rinse well. Should add, I've never seen Sodium percarbonate make his sort of mess before and 1 month sitting in it is rather extreme exposure.

At the end of the day, what you use is up to you. The manufacturers have put together a cleaning agent that won't hurt your gear, works well and will stop the build up of scale in the plumbing and pump. Those who use ball valves will know all too well the familiar brown scale/stone that builds up in them from malt.

image.jpg

I spoke with the reps from NZ and it's only SS and copper that is in contact with the liquid. Palmer says himself in his book that PBW and other percarbonate cleaners are fine with all that.

But you're right - I wouldn't leave it soak for a long time. With the metals I've always recirculated (with the HERMS system) with PBW, then a rinse (water) recirculation so it's really no different.

My fermenters soak in PBW for a day or so though - they come out very nice and clean with minimal effort.

 

[stevodevo]

Just checking out the US Kickstarter promo video. If I'm not mistaken, it looks like they're testing a flow control valve for the re-circulation pipe on the model they're standing next to That's one of the first mods I was thinking I'd do if I decide on a Grainfather.

https://d2pq0u4uni88oo.cloudfront.net/projects/1603201/video-491848-h264_high.mp4

I'm currently doing my own head in big time trying to decide between this and a Braumeister. The BM is what it is... but damn the GF in my opinion just seems a bit more versatile, especially if/when they add a PID controller to automate things a bit more.

According to the kickstarter promo, they'll be using some of the funds raised to go towards R&D of a phone app. I'd love to be a fly on their boardroom wall so I knew how far away the next round of revisions are. Personally, I'd pay a bit more for a few of the wish list items that people on here have discussed. Read into that, I'm not a good early adopter that copes well when something is superseded soon after taking the plunge. Hey I'm willing to frop $2.5K for a BM, but I'm just not convinced it's an overall "better" unit at its core (when you strip away the automation and bling) than the GF. I'm happy to be convinced otherwise, because I'd love a good reason to justify the BM I'm currently looking around for some good leads on people using a replacement controller with success (mathos/ardbir etc). That would pretty much seal the deal on a GF for me I reckon.

Sorry... this was just supposed to be a quick post to point out what I spotted on the video... took the opportunity to vent some of my analysis paralysis. And with that, I'm heading back to find more "BM vs XYZ" discussions...

 

[stux]

I'm currently looking around for some good leads on people using a replacement controller with success (mathos/ardbir etc). That would pretty much seal the deal on a GF for me I reckon.

Enoch has done it

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/59563-mathos-controller/page-75#entry1260629

 

[Cervantes]

As a BM owner - a question to others who run a BM - would you consider selling up and getting one of these?

No

 

[hughbert]

Enoch has done it

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/59563-mathos-controller/page-75#entry1260629

The new BrewPi Spark should be able to do it too.

 

[Blind Dog]

Just checking out the US Kickstarter promo video. If I'm not mistaken, it looks like they're testing a flow control valve for the re-circulation pipe on the model they're standing next to That's one of the first mods I was thinking I'd do if I decide on a Grainfather.

https://d2pq0u4uni88oo.cloudfront.net/projects/1603201/video-491848-h264_high.mp4

I'm currently doing my own head in big time trying to decide between this and a Braumeister. The BM is what it is... but damn the GF in my opinion just seems a bit more versatile, especially if/when they add a PID controller to automate things a bit more.

According to the kickstarter promo, they'll be using some of the funds raised to go towards R&D of a phone app. I'd love to be a fly on their boardroom wall so I knew how far away the next round of revisions are. Personally, I'd pay a bit more for a few of the wish list items that people on here have discussed. Read into that, I'm not a good early adopter that copes well when something is superseded soon after taking the plunge. Hey I'm willing to frop $2.5K for a BM, but I'm just not convinced it's an overall "better" unit at its core (when you strip away the automation and bling) than the GF. I'm happy to be convinced otherwise, because I'd love a good reason to justify the BM I'm currently looking around for some good leads on people using a replacement controller with success (mathos/ardbir etc). That would pretty much seal the deal on a GF for me I reckon.

Sorry... this was just supposed to be a quick post to point out what I spotted on the video... took the opportunity to vent some of my analysis paralysis. And with that, I'm heading back to find more "BM vs XYZ" discussions...

I dont see why it should be doing your head in. They both make wort, they both do it bloody well (BM from personal experience; GF from reports here and elsewhere), the pros and cons of each are different but I've yet to find a fatal flaw in the BM and haven't heard of one for the GF. They are built to different price points, but that's stating the obvious. Try to see both in action, assess what you want to achieve with the unit you choose, and then buy it. BM or GF, reckon you'll be as happy as a pig in s*** either way :beerbang:

(edit - PS: what's with the bloke randomly wobbling around at the start of the video?)

 

[Paulbroad]

[SIZE=small]I only found out about the GF when I dropped into my LHBS to buy a hydrometer and had to wait a couple of minute to pay for it. I asked the guy what the flash looking rig was on the shelf, was told about the GF and the price, and I went away and read about it. I’d had some money burning a hole in my pocket for a little while, and was fortunate enough to be able to buy one the same week.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=small] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=small]I ran my first brew through it on Sunday (a Black IPA with an OG of 1067) and have to admit that I’m more than just a little bit smitten with my new brew rig. I can’t get over just how easy it makes a brew day, and in particular how easy it is to clean.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=small] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=small]I hit up near 80% efficiency, where my previous BIAB setup I’d only hit 65%. I’ll admit to a likely amount of user error on the BIAB system, but this just blew me away. I told my wife that I’d save a heap of money on grain with the improved efficiency, to which her only response way “Don’t’ think you’re brewing every weekend to try and recoup the money you spent on the system!”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=small]Safe to say a very happy brewer here. Thanks to the guys who have posted the Beer Smith profile as well. It’s made things even less complicated.[/SIZE]

 

[JB]

To the guys who've taken the plunge already, is this a system you'd feel confident recommending to a friend who was looking to get into brewing?

 

[wambesi]

To the guys who've taken the plunge already, is this a system you'd feel confident recommending to a friend who was looking to get into brewing?

Without a doubt.

 

[Cervantes]

Grainfather - Quality Control.

I hope the QC on the build is better than it is on the advertising.

I notice in this edition of BYO Magazine the advert claims that the Grainfather can hold up to 2lb of grain.................