Just saw this in my latest William's Brewing catalog. Very, very compelling for brewing in my country cottage. Looks to be a $300 Grainfather alternative.
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Brewer's Edge Mash & Boil
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lump42
The Lajestic Vantrashell of Lob
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.
OP
OP
No need for a pump with an immersion chiller! But I do wonder if step mashes would be feasible without circulating the wort.
Weezy
Well-Known Member
You could use a big coffee percolator for the sparge water. 
seabrew8
Well-Known Member
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.
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.
![Craft A Brew - Safale BE-256 Yeast - Fermentis - Belgian Ale Dry Yeast - For Belgian & Strong Ales - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [3 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51bcKEwQmWL._SL500_.jpg)
Yeah, at that size and cost it can't be vacuum insulated. But even an air gap will help.
Pantherjon
Well-Known Member
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!
skraeling
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it has no pump nor any way to mount one. as for where? I would imagine just like anything else on the ground heh.
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!
augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
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.
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.
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!
Just re-read it and no need for a separate stand on the M&B. Good design!
jonestrada
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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.
http://betatestbrewing.com/whirlpool-arm.html
http://betatestbrewing.com/whirlpool-arm.html
Mobius570
Well-Known Member
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.
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!
Mobius570
Well-Known Member
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.
1MadScientist
Well-Known Member
Looks like a glorified urn, souped up with some gubbins and paraphernalia. Urn's are used all the time in the UK and Australia.
Pantherjon
Well-Known Member
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!
augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
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.
kaizen33
Member
Any one seen a video of this product in action?
scottibones
Well-Known Member
Going to finish putting the system together tonight and brew tomorrow. I'll document that in another video.
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Ajae
Well-Known Member
How was brew day?
scottibones
Well-Known Member
Going to be brewing this afternoon stay tuned.
scottibones
Well-Known Member
Any questions just ask.
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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!
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!
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