Brewer's Edge Mash & Boil

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I was excited that it might be a good winter session option to keep me out of the kitchen and trouble with SWMBO. The big difference I see is there is no pump or chiller. Easily rectified with a little brown pump though.
 
It has handles! lol It looks like a really nice and relatively cheap system. I think it will be popular. I could see me recommending this to someone who wanted to get into all grain brewing.

Love the spigot. Just need a hose to fill the system with water and a small step ladder to fill the grain basket with grains. IE have the unit elevated 4 to 6 feet. You don't need a pump but it would help alot and be a major upgrade.

I really like the system personally. For the value to cost. It doesn't get much cheaper for a solid system. If you cooled your wort overnight you would need no extras. Of course an immersion chillier would be high on my list if i had this unit.
 
I also noticed it's says double walled. I'd assume it's vacuum insulated and it it is that's a huge selling point. No need for reflectrix or a jacket.
 
Im definitely interested in this guy. Ill be keeping my eyes out for reviews.
 
Looks interesting! I saw it as well in the William's catalog..I have a March pump here I was going to use on a DIY single vessel system, just may get this and hook the pump to it and call it good! :)
 
I too am very interested in this....A Quick Question ......Where and how would you hook up a pump to this unit ??........Thank You
 
BEERDEN said:
I too am very interested in this....A Quick Question ......Where and how would you hook up a pump to this unit ??........Thank You
Click to expand...

it has no pump nor any way to mount one. as for where? I would imagine just like anything else on the ground heh.
 
BEERDEN said:
I too am very interested in this....A Quick Question ......Where and how would you hook up a pump to this unit ??........Thank You
Click to expand...

I've owned and enjoyed the Grainfather for a year now. If this was available a year ago I likely would've went this route, as I like still having the DIY aspect while I really like the separate boiler and grain basket that can raise without a pulley system. Well maybe I'd want some user feedback first! :) Now after a yr of brewing on the GF here's how I'd modify this to make it work nicely:

Build a small platform for the M&B to rest on top with locking casters and room for the pump to be bolted on. I'd likely build this about 12-18" tall (height dependent on allowing for you to easily pour sparge water into the grain basket. Then, I'd have enough silicone hose to run from tap to pump input and pump output to inside the grain basket. Two possible variations on this- one, might install a port to use a hop filter (get from GF!) on the inside of the boiler if the tap doesn't seem to work (though I figure the tap will be just fine, question then is can you retro fit a hop filter on the inside where the tap resides?). Then secondly, I might get one of those sparge rings that helps to separate the returning sparge water, as I'd expect this would help to avoid channeling if there is no top plate on the grain bed (like the GF).

That's it! Then build a CFC (plenty of builds here on HBT) if you need tips, some really good tips out here, and you'd be good to go!

Would love to hear user feedback and see what mods folks make.

Cheers! :mug:
 
augiedoggy said:
Its very similar to this australian device thats been on ebay for a couple months now... http://www.ebay.com/itm/161851824996?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT the heater switches, tap and all..only this ones 120v which is more ideal considering the power output of the 240v ebay one is really not much higher.
Click to expand...

Its that "power output of the 240v ebay one" that makes the difference here in the US & Canada. Otherwise looks quite similar. I wonder if the M&B requires the "stand" to be put into place on top of the boiler for the grain basket to rest on for the sparge? May sound insignificant, but this is one of the nice features of the GF that allows for this without having to fit in a separate stand. But this one does come with the IC, so it has that over the M&B.

BEERDEN said:
Thanks Kampenken
Click to expand...

You're welcome. I hope if you do purchase it you write back your experiences. It was quite helpful to read the GF reviews here prior to my purchase and for many others as well. Good luck!
 
I already have a Chugger pump, so I will rig up something like this to create a whirlpool and could probably do a similar build if fly sparging increases efficiency.

installed.jpg


http://betatestbrewing.com/whirlpool-arm.html
 
So I broke down and purchased this tonight. Might be a few weeks before I get to use it, but kind of excited to do so. If this works well, it will be perfect for my bar/brewery area. If not I guess it will sit on a shelf with my other equipment to collect dust.
 
Mobius570 said:
So I broke down and purchased this tonight. Might be a few weeks before I get to use it, but kind of excited to do so. If this works well, it will be perfect for my bar/brewery area. If not I guess it will sit on a shelf with my other equipment to collect dust.
Click to expand...

Cool, I wish you all the best and look forward to your thoughts on this. Have you seen the GF either in use or at your LHBS? If you mod this, let us know. I think others will be curious to hear your reports.

Just saw you're from Bloomsburg! My daughter just graduated there with a nursing degree last May. Great school for nursing! Plus you're close to my favorite place to camp - Rickett's Glen!
 
Kampenken said:
Cool, I wish you all the best and look forward to your thoughts on this. Have you seen the GF either in use or at your LHBS? If you mod this, let us know. I think others will be curious to hear your reports.

Just saw you're from Bloomsburg! My daughter just graduated there with a nursing degree last May. Great school for nursing! Plus you're close to my favorite place to camp - Rickett's Glen!
Click to expand...

I have not seen the GF up close and personal, just what I've read online. I will grab a pump eventually to recirculate, but I'll start with using it as intended.

I grew up in Bloomsburg and it's still a great little town and the college is a great school. I was just on campus today actually for a kids carnival they do. The students are really good about involving the community. Congrats to your daughter! Well if you ever head to Rickett's Glen or pass through Bloom stop in and we will have a beer.

Edit: Cleaned up spelling errors. Typing on mobile makes me sound dumb.
 
It is very tempting to get..I have a Grainfather and love it! I also have a March pump sitting collecting dust..So tempting to get the Mash and Boil and hook up the pump to it...But, right now I just can't justify clearly the $$'s..Maybe after I get my old house sold I might..Then I can have 2 batches going at the same time..Just thoughts..Hope those that get it post their experiences with it! :)
 
There are at least 4 different versions of these loose grainfather copy inspired setups now that have grown in the last 2 weeks. some from china direct and some from australian distributors... alibaba has a couple and ebay has a couple.
 
Going to finish putting the system together tonight and brew tomorrow. I'll document that in another video.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks for the video. Two comments:
1. Your mash record probably could not regain temp because of all the splashing through that strainer. That exchange with the air will dump a lot of heat. Recirc to the top of the grain bed without splashing and your temp should be able to stabilize. It will also reduce the oxygenation of your wort which is not desireable.

2. I saw you mentioned a tap water pre-chiller. I also love in FL and have done a fair amount of testing and will tell you pre-chillers don't really work. The better way to chill would be to re-purpose that pre-chiller to be a secondary chiller. So your wort will go through the plate chiller, then through the coil (in the ice bath) then into your fermenter. This way your ice bath is only cooling the liquid you want, not the high volume of flush water you are dumping.

Have fun!
 
Good video scotti. I have been wanting to get the grainfather but this looks like it might do. I live in Oregon so winter temp would be a problem but can brew in garage. Question, is what was the batch size you did. How were your numbers for your preboil gravith, starting gravity did where they close to what you needed or off some. Also you said in the video I heard you say beersmith. What equipment profile did you use or did you input yourself. I really can't see spending the almost 900 bucks if this will do almost the same. I know it says it has a smaller grain bill capacity so would have to adjust for that on a couple beers I make.
 
vrodbrad said:
Good video scotti. I have been wanting to get the grainfather but this looks like it might do. I live in Oregon so winter temp would be a problem but can brew in garage. Question, is what was the batch size you did. How were your numbers for your preboil gravith, starting gravity did where they close to what you needed or off some. Also you said in the video I heard you say beersmith. What equipment profile did you use or did you input yourself. I really can't see spending the almost 900 bucks if this will do almost the same. I know it says it has a smaller grain bill capacity so would have to adjust for that on a couple beers I make.
Click to expand...

Im on the same boat! I want to go all grain but don't have the room for it. Was considering GF but eventually want a three pot system so this seems like a nice alternative to use in the meantime
 
vrodbrad said:
Good video scotti. I have been wanting to get the grainfather but this looks like it might do. I live in Oregon so winter temp would be a problem but can brew in garage. Question, is what was the batch size you did. How were your numbers for your preboil gravith, starting gravity did where they close to what you needed or off some. Also you said in the video I heard you say beersmith. What equipment profile did you use or did you input yourself. I really can't see spending the almost 900 bucks if this will do almost the same. I know it says it has a smaller grain bill capacity so would have to adjust for that on a couple beers I make.
Click to expand...

my question is how much did the rest of the stuff he bought cost? If you are 3/4 of the way to a grianfather why not just get something a little neater?
 
BrunDog said:
Thanks for the video. Two comments:
1. Your mash record probably could not regain temp because of all the splashing through that strainer. That exchange with the air will dump a lot of heat. Recirc to the top of the grain bed without splashing and your temp should be able to stabilize. It will also reduce the oxygenation of your wort which is not desireable.

2. I saw you mentioned a tap water pre-chiller. I also love in FL and have done a fair amount of testing and will tell you pre-chillers don't really work. The better way to chill would be to re-purpose that pre-chiller to be a secondary chiller. So your wort will go through the plate chiller, then through the coil (in the ice bath) then into your fermenter. This way your ice bath is only cooling the liquid you want, not the high volume of flush water you are dumping.

Have fun!
Click to expand...

2 very good points that's why I love this community! Yes this was a very preliminary run with some fine tuning needed. The first will be this addition
hqdefault.jpg
adjusted to rest directly over the grain bed. As far as the chiller I am very happy with the chill time and that is one nasty coil that I re purposed and would never run wort through it. Plus the pool always needs topped up and that's where the waste water is going. Thank you for your comments!
 
vrodbrad said:
Good video scotti. I have been wanting to get the grainfather but this looks like it might do. I live in Oregon so winter temp would be a problem but can brew in garage. Question, is what was the batch size you did. How were your numbers for your preboil gravith, starting gravity did where they close to what you needed or off some. Also you said in the video I heard you say beersmith. What equipment profile did you use or did you input yourself. I really can't see spending the almost 900 bucks if this will do almost the same. I know it says it has a smaller grain bill capacity so would have to adjust for that on a couple beers I make.
Click to expand...

My batch size into bottles was 2.2 gallons. I started the mash with 3.8 gallons and it was a full volume mash. I lost 1/2 gallon to absorption and 1/2 gallon to the boil. The gravity was perfect both pre and post boil. I did use Beersmith and set up a profile for the Brewer's Edge. The pot has a large dead space but I added a piece of 3/8 silicone hose and was able to lower the dead space volume to 1 quart. I shot video but it got inadvertently left out. Stay tuned I will upload a tips and tricks video hopefully later today. I used a BIAB mash profile in Beersmith as well. Thanks for the comments!
 
skraeling said:
my question is how much did the rest of the stuff he bought cost? If you are 3/4 of the way to a grianfather why not just get something a little neater?
Click to expand...

This is a very good point. If you are going to buy a pump $140 and a chiller $100 and probably another $150 in fittings and hoses you are approaching Grainfather prices. You will still need a chiller of some sort for the Grainfather but if you go immersion chiller route you will spend much less overall with this unit. Then the only variable would be the pump for recirculating which you could live without by just using a pitcher and recirculating by hand. The only drawback with an all in one unit is replacement parts I don't know anything about the Grainfather but I would hope if the pump fails it is replaceable and won't break the bank. Just my 2 cents.
 
scottibones said:
This is a very good point. If you are going to buy a pump $140 and a chiller $100 and probably another $150 in fittings and hoses you are approaching Grainfather prices. You will still need a chiller of some sort for the Grainfather but if you go immersion chiller route you will spend much less overall with this unit. Then the only variable would be the pump for recirculating which you could live without by just using a pitcher and recirculating by hand. The only drawback with an all in one unit is replacement parts I don't know anything about the Grainfather but I would hope if the pump fails it is replaceable and won't break the bank. Just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...
In that case would make more sense just to buy this with a built in pump and chiller right? Its like $570 with shipping but still a lot more reasonable than the grainfather.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-35L-Rob...729408?hash=item25cc6176c0:g:qBoAAOSwopRYah59

It more powerful but the drawback here is this requires at least a 15A 220v plug... which is easier to do with existing wiring by changing the breaker and outlet and rewiring the connections at each end if one has a dedicated circuit in their home already...
 
scottibones said:
This is a very good point. If you are going to buy a pump $140 and a chiller $100 and probably another $150 in fittings and hoses you are approaching Grainfather prices. You will still need a chiller of some sort for the Grainfather but if you go immersion chiller route you will spend much less overall with this unit. Then the only variable would be the pump for recirculating which you could live without by just using a pitcher and recirculating by hand. The only drawback with an all in one unit is replacement parts I don't know anything about the Grainfather but I would hope if the pump fails it is replaceable and won't break the bank. Just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...

Those are some expensive pumps and chillers you're buying! You can get a MK-II pump for $70, or a cheap 24v pump for less than $30. Stainless immersion chillers can be bought for $50. Fittings can be as simple as barbed connections and a valve, so maybe $30-40 in fittings.

So you would be all in at $300 + $160
 
TexasWine said:
Those are some expensive pumps and chillers you're buying! You can get a MK-II pump for $70, or a cheap 24v pump for less than $30. Stainless immersion chillers can be bought for $50. Fittings can be as simple as barbed connections and a valve, so maybe $30-40 in fittings.

So you would be all in at $300 + $160
Click to expand...

I was basing it off the parts out of his video. Thats not a mkII pump and not a stainless immersion chiller he is using... now is it.
 

Similar threads

M
Brewers Edge Mash & Boil leak
Replies
1
Views
534
cubalz
cubalz
Guinjasp
Bourbon Barrel Aging with Oak Spirals and Boil Time
Replies
3
Views
519
Bobby_M
Bobby_M
R
Grainfather G30 Sight Glass?
Replies
6
Views
921
phbern
P
G
Trying to narrow down options for a new AIO
Replies
7
Views
585
Bobby_M
Bobby_M
hilljack13
Equipment profile..G40
Replies
0
Views
478
hilljack13
hilljack13
InkBird 300

Latest posts

Back
Top