Grainfather or Robobrew owners...

[Cain]

I am looking at both of these systems.
My question is: assuming a basic 60 minute mash and 60 minute boil, how long is your average brew day from start to finish.
From watching endless Youtube videos, it seems like a fairly easy process to use both systems without too much babysitting, is this accurate? I am looking for an easy, low stress method of all grain brewing.
Thank you in advance for any help.

 

[BalloonGuy]

I have a grainfather. I am normally completely done, cleaned and put away in just about 5 hours. I almost always brew at night after the kids go to bed so it usually involves a cold one or two and some chatting with any neighbors that are up and wanting to play... It could probably go a little fast but not much without adding an additional heat element to get to the boil. I start that while sparging but it still takes at least 30 minutes.

 

[mongoose33]

I have neither of these systems, but my son has the Robobrew. He's had nothing but issues with it. He's now looking at getting a grainfather. I told him he should junk the Robobrew so he won't be tempted to fool with it any longer.

 

[deadwolfbones]

I'm hitting about 4 hours with the Robobrew. No issues.

 

[verboten]

I have a robobrew, I am also at about 5 hours for a brew day. I've had zero issues so far and have made about 10 batches since August

 

[treacheroustexan]

I don't have very accurate numbers because I usually split my brew day up in two days because of my work schedule but heres my schedule with my Grainfather.

Day 1:
10am: Fill up Grainfather and set the delayed heating so the water is ready when I get home from work.
11pm: Get home from work and mash in. Go to bed.

Day 2:
8am: Wake up and sparge
9am: Start the boil
~10:15am: Chill and pitch yeast.

Clean as I go and usually have everything cleaned, wort chilled, and yeast pitched by 11-11:30am.

If I brew on a Saturday or Sunday, it takes me 4-5 hours.

 

[SanPancho]

i have the non pump v3 robo, im at about 4-5 hours depending on things like mashout, sparge, whirlpool, etc.

from mash to boil takes about 20 minutes using both elements iirc, but thats for 3-4 gals of wort. (i do mostly 3.5gal batches)

 

[deadwolfbones]

I should add that I'm using the V3 Robobrew w/o the pump and I do 3 gal batches.

 

[Rev2010]

The biggest issue with these systems is weak power. Mine climbs 6 gallons at a rate of 2 degrees per minute. So reaching strike temp takes longer than it used to and so does reaching boil. Of course, if you're fly sparging you can start heating while sparging to eliminate that wait time but fly sparging takes a lot more time than batch sparging. I'm moving over to using the Robobrew strictly for mashing in and then I will be batch sparging and using my new Spike brew kettle with the HotRod heatstick on stovetop assisted with gas. That gives me a temp rise of 4.6 degrees per minute as tested with 6.5 gallons.

Up till now my brew days with the Robobrew have been about 5-6 hours and now I'm figuring it will be closer to 4 hours with the new setup.


Rev.

 

[speavler]

I have the Grainfather. I'm probably around 6 hours? I'm pretty in sync with the stages at this point. While strike water is heating, I'm making my coffee and then measuring and milling my grain. Take my time during mash in, plenty of stirring to avoid dough balls. Sparging takes what it takes - some sparges are longer than others - but i'm usually around 200 degrees by the end of it, time enough to measure out hops, dump the grains and do a little cleanup. Always whirlpool with my drill and allow time for sedimentation before pumping to fermentation vessel.

 

[Veets]

I have a Robobrew v3 with pump. I am also at about 4.5-5 hours for a brew day. I've had zero issues so far and have made about 6 batches since June. Yes, it doesn't heat as fast as my old natural gas burner, but there are many other advantages, and I've started pre-heating water now so the main disadvantage with the low wattage is not much of an issue any longer.

 

[Jag75]

Grainfather doing 5 gallon batches . From start to cleaned up is 4 to 5 hrs

 

[HarkinBanks]

5 hours (start to finish and clean-up) with the Robobrew v3 with pump, no issues. I use room temp water to sparge. I definitely recommend the system, but it requires a fair bit of user input. The only hands off part is the mash, and only after you fiddle with it and get the recirculation just right. There are time tricks that you learn. Really great bang for your buck option when you include the pump and the chiller. If you get the pump version, you must use a hop spider. I know others have had issues, but I have had nothing but success with mine.

 

[Rev2010]

If you get the pump version, you must use a hop spider.

I've never used a hop spider with mine and have not had any issues. I find the false bottom does a really good job of keeping the hop material in the kettle.


Rev.

 

[skleice]

I have twin 4 year old boys and brew often. I went with the Grainfather almost a year ago and I have no regrets.

The Grainfather Connect is a game changer. Last night I prepped everything and set the delayed heating for 3:00. I got home from work and my water was ready to go. Quickly mashed in and now I'm writing this. The controller will take care of the mash (long step mashes in my case) and I can sit and have pizza and watch a movie with my kids. I can monitor everything on my phone or iPad. I pop downstairs to sparge and add hops, but overall it's incredibly easy.

When I got into brewing I knew my wife wasn't gonna go for me spending the day in the garage while she watches the kids. Now I can brew anytime I want. Sometimes my wife isn't even aware that I'm brewing cuz it doesn't impact anybody.

 

[AnthonyTD]

I don't have very accurate numbers because I usually split my brew day up in two days because of my work schedule but heres my schedule with my Grainfather.

Day 1:
10am: Fill up Grainfather and set the delayed heating so the water is ready when I get home from work.
11pm: Get home from work and mash in. Go to bed.

Day 2:
8am: Wake up and sparge
9am: Start the boil
~10:15am: Chill and pitch yeast.

Clean as I go and usually have everything cleaned, wort chilled, and yeast pitched by 11-11:30am.

If I brew on a Saturday or Sunday, it takes me 4-5 hours.

This confuses me? So you mash in the night before and do a 12 hour mash? Then at 8am you do a 1 hour sparge? Doesn't that affect you the wort?

 

[AnthonyTD]

I am using the grainfather, the connect controller can really reduce time spent in the mash.

For me I set it up for delayed heat on Saturday night. I plan it to be up to mash in temperature at around 5am Sunday morning.
On Sunday I wake up 5am and add the mash and then go back to bed, setting my alarm for the duration of the mash.

When my alarm wakes me it is time to sparge and start the real brewing.

 

[treacheroustexan]

This confuses me? So you mash in the night before and do a 12 hour mash? Then at 8am you do a 1 hour sparge? Doesn't that affect you the wort?

Technically a 9 hr mash, but no it doesn't affect anything. Then I start sparging in the morning while ramping up to a boil. By 9am I am boiling.

 

[_HH_]

Get a Grainfather. I’ve done over 30 brews on mine and it’s a joy to use. I have looked at the Robobrew, and it just seemed a bit flimsy. Thinner metal for the grain pipe, the display units were far more dented than the GF, and it doesn’t seem to fit together as well. Now these would have been the v2 units, and things may have changed with the v3 so if you can see one in the flesh I would encourage you to do so. Better yet find a friendly home brew shop that has them side by side. Like others here I loooove the connect controller on the GF. It means my brew days are now ‘days I do normal stuff as well as brew’ rather than have to spend all my time monitoring a pot.
The GF gets a big thumbs up from me.

 

[RePete]

I have the Robobrew v3 with pump. As others have said, about 5 hours. I haven’t tried any of the automatic settings, only manual. It’s been great so far, no problems.

 

[Dave T]

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but I’m now confused. New to all grain, one batch under my belt, but I was under the impression that when mashing temp must be below 170f. How is it that when sparging, temps can go up to 200?

 

[skleice]

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but I’m now confused. New to all grain, one batch under my belt, but I was under the impression that when mashing temp must be below 170f. How is it that when sparging, temps can go up to 200?

170+ will stop enzyme activity. So, in that way, it doesn't matter if you sparge at 200 cuz the mash is done. However, tannin extraction and off flavors would be more of a concern.

 

[WBB]

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but I’m now confused. New to all grain, one batch under my belt, but I was under the impression that when mashing temp must be below 170f. How is it that when sparging, temps can go up to 200?

When you’re done mashing on the GF, you lift the mash basket and rest it on the tabs on top of the unit while it drains and you sparge. The grains do not come in contact with 200* water while you sparge and it’s heating up.

 

[rjdutch]

Robobrew Brewzilla 65 here.

 

[rjdutch]

Robobrew Brewzilla 65 here.

4 hours or less by myself. Love it!

 

[brewman !]

4 hours or less by myself. Love it!

Batch size ? Pics ? Review ?

 

[rjdutch]

Batch size ? Pics ? Review ?

No pics yet but I can post some if you're interested. I hope to be brewing again tomorrow night after work.
My first batch size was a 5.5 g. I purposely kept it a small batch so I could just spend time learning the system. Don't have time right now for a full review but here are a few thoughts.
1- Its a little trickier setting up the equipment profile in BeerSmith3 and I'm still working on getting it right.
2- Takes up WAY less space than my old 3 kettle system
3- Cleanup was a snap, probably half the time of my old system.
4- Controlling mash temp was easy and accurate
5- It runs on 220v so heating up and getting to boil were fairly quick.
Just a few thoughts. As I said, not a full review. The rig itself seems well made except for the cam lock on the recirculating arm which I will replace. Doesn't have a sight glass so I've found some hacks for that online. Other than that its a great little setup. I'll be posting more about it as I brew more.

 

[verboten]

Robobrew Brewzilla 65 here.

I kind of want one of those. But I know what I want to build won't be too much more and will be very capable. Is the heating element replaceable on the new ones?

 

[brewman !]

I kind of want one of those. But I know what I want to build went be too much more and will be very capable.

I felt exactly the same way and thus built Thing1. Would I do it again now that Brewzilla 65 is available ? I don't know. I'd have to see. I welded up the stand and started building the electronics for Thing1 2 years ago. It was a no brainer to finish it. FWIW, I started out with the intent to build a big 3V system.

I definitely love the advantages of the all in one. I used to dread brewday because of being outside, propane, all the work, constant watching, etc. But with an all in one, it is relatively painless. So easy, in fact, that I now look forward to brewday. And it allows brewing to fit in with family life.

I couldn't bring myself to go with the Grainfather because of its many little pitfalls - mainly not enough power and pump issues, but also the limited capacity and price, actually. Then Robobrew came along and Mash and Boil. Hmmm... still too small. So I built Thing1. But now Brewzilla is here. It will be very interesting to see how the market responds.

I find Brewzilla to be kind of an odd size. How many kitchen brewers need capacity to brew 10 gallon (finished) batches ? I guess that won't matter if it still does a good job of doing 5 gallon batches. What Robobrew and the Grainfather needed was slightly more capacity, way more heat power and a better pump. Brewzilla finally fixed the power issue but the pump seems to be the same. So that is still an issue.

I'd love to buy a Brewzilla without the pump and even controller. I'd add a TDS5 pump and replace the controller with CraftBeerPi. And put it on a stand. That would be the ultimate all in one brewing system, short of Thing1, of course.

I'm very surprised that Grainfather hasn't responded with an upgraded version that addresses the heating power and pump. I guess they have enough market share to be complacent. Kudos to the powers that be for bringing out Brewzilla.

If Brewzilla catches on, I think it basically spells the death of 3 vessel systems. What do they do that Brewzilla won't do ?

 

[rjdutch]

I felt exactly the same way and thus built Thing1. Would I do it again now that Brewzilla 65 is available ? I don't know. I'd have to see. I welded up the stand and started building the electronics for Thing1 2 years ago. It was a no brainer to finish it FWIW, I started out with the intent to build a big 3V system.

I definitely love the advantages of the all in one. I used to dread brewday because of being outside, propane, all the work, constant watching, etc. But with an all in one, it is relatively painless. So easy, in fact, that I now look forward to brewday. And it allows brewing to fit in with family life.

I couldn't bring myself to go with the Grainfather because of its many little pitfalls - mainly not enough power and pump issues, but also the limited capacity and price, actually. Then Robobrew came along and Mash and Boil. Hmmm... still too small. So I built Thing1. But now Brewzilla is here. It will be very interesting to see how the market responds.

I find Brewzilla to be kind of an odd size. How many kitchen brewers need capacity to brew 10 gallon (finished) batches ? I guess that won't matter if it still does a good job of doing 5 gallon batches. What Robobrew and the Grainfather needed was slightly more capacity, way more heat power and a better pump. Brewzilla finally fixed the power issue but the pump seems to be the same. So that is still an issue.

I'd love to buy a Brewzilla without the pump and even controller. I'd add a TDS5 pump and replace the controller with CraftBeerPi. And put it on a stand. That would be the ultimate all in one brewing system, short of Thing1, of course.

I'm very surprised that Grainfather hasn't responded with an upgraded version that addresses the heating power and pump. I guess they have enough market share to be complacent. Kudos to the powers that be for bringing out Brewzilla.

If Brewzilla catches on, I think it basically spells the death of 3 vessel systems. What do they do that Brewzilla won't do ?

And this is where I landed. I was brewing on a 3 vessel system, kegs actually, using propane. I built a stand for it about 7-8 years ago and brewed in the garage. I moved to Michigan 5 years ago and brewing in the garage in the winter is no fun!

So I started looking at converting my original system to electric. $$$ and time. I want to brew not build brewing equipment. So along comes the Brewzilla. Set up a brewhouse in an empty room in the basement. Wired in a 220v outlet to run it. Now I can brew inside any time. Do I think the Brewzilla is perfect? Nope. But it allows me a bit more freedom to brew and also not freeze in the winter when I brew.

Time will tell if the Brewzilla can hold up. I plan to brew alot so it will be put to the test. In the mean time I am getting back to one of my favorite hobbies.

 

[brewman !]

Some thing with me ! I stopped brewing because I hated brewing outside with a 3V running propane. And it took me forever to get brewing again because I didn't have time to build something big and fancy. And even if I built a 3V, I was going to be in the garage or, at best, in the basement. I have a young family and spending the day in the basement doesn't work for me. Spending 4-5 hours near the kitchen, that is a totally different story.

 

[brewman !]

Brewzilla looks pretty sweet if you ask me.


The Youtube user (Short Circuit Brewers) reviewing the Brewzilla removed the video, probably because it had some technical inaccuracies.

 

[rjdutch]

Just watched the video. Interesting that everyone who got in on the first shipment was missing the lock nut for the ball valve. Mine was missing too. Now I want to see Brian's equipment and mash profiles to see if I am even close.

 

[brewman !]

Just watched the video.

When I try to play it, it states "Video unavailable. This video has been removed by the user.". How can you watch it?

New link:

 

[jdauria]

Wife and I are going to be downsizing over next few years and I have been already looking at what to buy when going from garage brewing to inside a condo brewing. I really like the Grainfather and the fact that you can set the water to heat before you get up. But also like the Unibrau system in the fact that it eliminates the need to sparge as you can do basically full volume Brew in a Basket and you don't need an additional pot. Ss Brew Tech's eBrewing 1 vessel system with controller would allow me to still do BIAB also, but requires 240, and they are coming out with a single vessel Brewing System (like a Grandfather, RoboBrew) in near future that could be interesting too. Choices, choices.

 

[rjdutch]

Weird. Watched it this morning, no problem. I'll look again.

 

[Althozgraz]

Robobrew Brewzilla 65 here.

how do you like the brewzilla? whats the highest OG beer you have made on it? im currently a grainfather user and i know im going to have to replace it at some point.

 

[speavler]

Just picked up a Brewzilla 65L and did a brew yesterday, with the Grainfather doing HLT duties for sparging. Did some creative fittings to use the GF counterflow chiller with the Brewzilla. Everything worked pretty well. I couldn't find an equipment profile for the Brewzilla, so I just doubled everything I typically do with the GF. Held a boil of 13 gallons with only the 2000 watt element. The malt pipe and perforated screens seem a little flimsy compared to the GF, but they did the job.

Here's the extension cord/adapter I used to plug into my dryer outlet:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PZ5LDGS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[sail681]

speavler - I'm currently validating my ability to add 220v to my brew room. If I find that I can do the power, based on videos I have seen, I am 90% in on the 65L brewzilla. Thoughts/feelings/recommendation about the product?

 

[speavler]

I've done 2 brews on the Brewzilla 65L and so far so good. The process is similar to brewing with the Grainfather, on which I've done something like 70 brews. It is more hands-on than the GF: Manually set the temp, manually turn on some or all of the 3 heating elements, etc. And the location of the controller makes it harder to see and set. But it holds a very steady temp during the mash and has plenty of power for a nice boil, and at the end of the brew day, you've made twice as much wort. Hopefully it holds up as well as the GF. If so, it's an easy rec.