Braumeister VS Grainfather

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by OldBrewer, Jan 15, 2016.

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  1. OldBrewer

    OldBrewer Maven (1,385) Jan 13, 2016 Canada (ON)

    :slight_smile: Ironic, isn't it? Age is so relevant. I feel - and have been told, look - much younger than people 10-15 years younger. No baldness at all, full head of hair, very little grey, and luckily no beer gut (not to say that a beer gut is a negative thing - especially for homebrewers :slight_smile: ). Then I know a 35-year old who often gets mistaken for a 50-year old.
     
    #21 OldBrewer, Jan 16, 2016
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2016
  2. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    I would think you could brew a smaller volume higher ABV beer using these systems. For example brew a 2.5 - 3 gallon 120 minute IPA.

    Cheers!
     
    #22 JackHorzempa, Jan 16, 2016
  3. OldBrewer

    OldBrewer Maven (1,385) Jan 13, 2016 Canada (ON)

    Excellent point! That could easily solve the problem. It wouldn't fill a keg, but I could always go back to bottling, or brew two consecutive sessions of 2.5 gallons. Then again, a half keg of this would last just as long as a full keg of a lower gravity beer.
     
    #23 OldBrewer, Jan 16, 2016
  4. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Is it a requirement that the keg be completely filled? Couldn't you package 3 gallons of beer in a 5 gallon corny?

    Cheers!
     
    #24 JackHorzempa, Jan 16, 2016
    ChrisMyhre likes this.
  5. OldBrewer

    OldBrewer Maven (1,385) Jan 13, 2016 Canada (ON)

    You're right - see my edit to my message which I was changing as you sent this message.
     
    #25 OldBrewer, Jan 16, 2016
  6. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    There is a great video entitled "How to brew on the PicoBrew Zymatic" that you can watch here: https://www.picobrew.com/About/brewingvideos.cshtml

    Pretty nifty design with lots of cleaver features (e.g., auto-clean).

    Cheers!
     
    #26 JackHorzempa, Jan 16, 2016
  7. OldBrewer

    OldBrewer Maven (1,385) Jan 13, 2016 Canada (ON)

    That's an awesome system - very simple, logical, compact. Interesting how they also utilize a keg directly. At $699 (sale price), that's not bad. The only problem is that it only brews 5 liters at a time. Solves the "heavy lifting" issue, but since there's not really anything to carry with this system, a larger size would be more versatile.
     
    #27 OldBrewer, Jan 16, 2016
  8. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    #28 JackHorzempa, Jan 16, 2016
  9. pweis909

    pweis909 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,250) Aug 13, 2005 Wisconsin
    Pooh-Bah

    All that wasted space would keep me awake at night.
     
    #29 pweis909, Jan 17, 2016
    JackHorzempa likes this.
  10. Jduche17

    Jduche17 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2015 Canada (QC)

    Hi I had the same questions a while back as to which would be best out of both machines considering the price of each machine , where I live they are more expensive as the grain father retails for about 1099$ and the braumeister approx 2900$ . I found this video which was helpful comparing both machines side by side
    http://youtu.be/Nr2Qlh5YKwo
     
    #30 Jduche17, Jan 17, 2016
  11. OldBrewer

    OldBrewer Maven (1,385) Jan 13, 2016 Canada (ON)

    2.5 gallons would be more practical, but that's a fairly hefty price, approaching the price for the much larger Braumeister system.
     
    #31 OldBrewer, Jan 17, 2016
  12. OldBrewer

    OldBrewer Maven (1,385) Jan 13, 2016 Canada (ON)

    Thanks - that was an excellent comparison!
     
    #32 OldBrewer, Jan 17, 2016
  13. jkane101

    jkane101 Savant (1,161) Sep 22, 2007 New Jersey

    I have a Grainfather and its fantastic!
    There are quite a few people who own it and talk about it on another homebrew site, go check it out
     
    #33 jkane101, Feb 1, 2016
  14. OldBrewer

    OldBrewer Maven (1,385) Jan 13, 2016 Canada (ON)

    Which site? Did you have any problems chilling the beer?
     
    #34 OldBrewer, Feb 1, 2016
  15. jkane101

    jkane101 Savant (1,161) Sep 22, 2007 New Jersey

    Homebrewtalk dot com. No issues at all chilling the wort, the counterflow chiller that comes with it works great
     
    #35 jkane101, Feb 2, 2016
  16. AngryDutchman

    AngryDutchman Zealot (693) Aug 8, 2015 Pennsylvania

    I have a three gallon carboy that I experiment with. Also have several gallon jugs that I could use if I decided I couldn't juggle the 3 or 5 gallon fermenters anymore.
    As long as my sons are around I could impose on them to help me out, I guess.
    But...I don't plan on getting THAT old lol
     
    #36 AngryDutchman, Feb 2, 2016
  17. OldBrewer

    OldBrewer Maven (1,385) Jan 13, 2016 Canada (ON)

    Good to hear - I saw a comparison video between the Grainfather and the Braumeister, and they had all sorts of difficulty with the chiller pump - the line kept getting clogged, stopping the pump. I wonder if they've fixed the problem since?
     
    #37 OldBrewer, Feb 2, 2016
  18. OldBrewer

    OldBrewer Maven (1,385) Jan 13, 2016 Canada (ON)

    From one crazy Dutchman to another - one of my sons has moved too far away to be of any help, and the other is also planning to move far away. So far, I can still lift a heavy 50 liter stainless steel pot filled with 10 gallons of wort. But I can see the day when I may have to go to 5 gallons and then 3 gallons and then one.
     
    #38 OldBrewer, Feb 2, 2016
    AngryDutchman likes this.
  19. jmdrpi

    jmdrpi Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,989) Dec 11, 2008 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    My local homebrew store is running a promotion for the Grainfather, looks like they sell it for $899 for 8 gallon system:

    "THE GRAINFATHER
    Sad news for all of you Godfather fans (that's everybody, right?): Abe Vigoda, aka Sal Tessio, passed away last week. We're honoring the late great actor with an offer you can't refuse. Come in to either store any time between now and Sunday, February 14 to pick up the Grainfather, an amazing all-in-one brewing system, and we'll throw in one of our all grain ingredient kits for free! (You can also get the same deal over the phone and have your order shipped.)

    First check out the Grainfather:
    http://www.keystonehomebrew.com/shop/the-grainfather-all-in-1-complete-all-grain-system.html

    Then choose from our terrific selection of all-grain brewing kits:
    http://www.keystonehomebrew.com/shop/beer/ingredient-kits/keystone-all-grain-kits.html

    Sure this is a great promotion in Abe's honor, but it's not just business. We always liked him."
     
    #39 jmdrpi, Feb 3, 2016
  20. OldBrewer

    OldBrewer Maven (1,385) Jan 13, 2016 Canada (ON)

    I saw a video that showed some important shortcomings of the Grainfather. Several weeks ago, I contacted the people at Grainfather to ask if they had addressed these issues, and I received no response whatsoever. They seem to be dodging the issues and have no respect for potential customers. I would not buy from them.
     
    #40 OldBrewer, Feb 3, 2016
    jmdrpi likes this.
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