Grainfather sales now live in U.S.! Woohhooo

[Andyoesq]

The Grainfather went on sale last night in the US.
Ordered one, can't wait for it to arrive.

 

[r4brewery]

Let me know what you thought no when you get the new brewery!!

 

[kh54s10]

If I ever go electric biab this is one that really interests me.

 

[ArcLight]

I wonder if it's distilling feature will help sell it.

 

[bobbytuck]

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr2Qlh5YKwo[/ame]

This video gives me second thoughts.

 

[Andyoesq]

I don't know, I watched all three videos in this series. I think he gives pretty good reviews to both. On the up side, he appreciates the greater efficiency of the GF vs. the BM, and actually picks the GF brew at the end of the day taste wise. the main downside is that is it less programmable than the BM, and he liked the cooler of the BM more. He liked the BM build quality more, but had some pretty positive comments about some of the new inovations of the GF. I think both look pretty good, but at about a third of the price, I opt for the GF.
for me in the US, another factor not mentioned in the video is that it BM requires euro wiring, which means you also need an electrician to run a dedicated line, GF will run off a standard US household outlet.
Either way, both systems look pretty awesome, and I'm looking forward to getting my GF and giving it a whirl.

 

[Bellybuster]

Personally, I'd be wary of the STC200's ability to maintain mash temps without over and undershoot. The money asked for the system I would want a bit better than a $15 controller

 

[andysim]

I also purchased the Grainfather. Hoping to brew in August with it.

 

[Tin4]

Anyone have a link to the sales? I've been following their progress closely and haven't seen any word that they have made it to our shores yet.

 

[andysim]

http://www.grainfather.com/#!online-store/c8k/!/Grainfather/p/47641226/category=12375700

These are pre orders. They are not shipping until end of July.

 

[rawlus]

Personally, I'd be wary of the STC200's ability to maintain mash temps without over and undershoot. The money asked for the system I would want a bit better than a $15 controller

I think the long term plan is to offer a PID upgrade - but the unit is simple enough that if you wanted to do that yourself, it looks pretty easy... its the setup of the pump and arms and grain basket and silicone seals, perforated discs and counterflow chiller that are nice to have mass produced and all the engineering work done for you beforehand.... i dont see a reason why you cant upgrade the existing controller with anything you desire pretty easily.

 

[Andyoesq]

http://www.grainfather.com/#!online-store/c8k/!/Grainfather/p/47641226/category=12375700

These are pre orders. They are not shipping until end of July.

I actually talked to the staff in New Zealand today, very friendly folks. sounds like they are on the ship as we talk, waiting to land in the US in late July, and ship to us then.

 

[bobbytuck]

Can US customers order the distilling hood?

I realize home distilling is ... um, highly frowned upon in America -- like, highly, highly frowned upon -- but I was curious if the distiller part was for sale.

I'm not looking to buy -- just curious.

So the grainfather has no PID when you purchase the system? It's just a straight temp controller like a Ranco?

 

[Andyoesq]

looks like 2 left in stock

http://www.grainfather.com/#!online-store/c8k/!/Alembic-Pot-Still-Attachments/p/47641232/category=12375701

 

[xandersaml]

I don't know, I watched all three videos in this series. I think he gives pretty good reviews to both. On the up side, he appreciates the greater efficiency of the GF vs. the BM, and actually picks the GF brew at the end of the day taste wise. the main downside is that is it less programmable than the BM, and he liked the cooler of the BM more. He liked the BM build quality more, but had some pretty positive comments about some of the new inovations of the GF. I think both look pretty good, but at about a third of the price, I opt for the GF.
for me in the US, another factor not mentioned in the video is that it BM requires euro wiring, which means you also need an electrician to run a dedicated line, GF will run off a standard US household outlet.
Either way, both systems look pretty awesome, and I'm looking forward to getting my GF and giving it a whirl.

I really like the GF, as far as what I've seen. It's not as automated as the BM, also need separate HLT for sparging, but GF does bigger beers easier.

I don't see the cost as 3x more for the BM though. Morebeer has BM 20L for $1799.99 with free shipping. The GF pricing I have seen is $890 + shipping.
I do like the alembic pot still setup option for GF

 

[mattd2]

Can US customers order the distilling hood?

I realize home distilling is ... um, highly frowned upon in America -- like, highly, highly frowned upon -- but I was curious if the distiller part was for sale.

I'm not looking to buy -- just curious.

So the grainfather has no PID when you purchase the system? It's just a straight temp controller like a Ranco?

It's not highly frowned upon, it's illegal That just reminds me of Ross on Friends

 

[gwapogorilla]

I am really pumped about the GF. But, won't be buying one anytime soon, as we will be buying a house next year. Once I get my "hobby room" built...I'm getting one!

 

[Andyoesq]

http://us8.campaign-archive2.com/?u=ccba2b8b21c27d9056584bbcb&id=d643a0b005&e=b3fc00d135 kickstarter units are shipping now

 

[josh-h]

I just finished my first brew day on the grainfather. Everything went great. Very pleased.

 

[Andyoesq]

when did you get yours? I ordered online, not kickstarter, and still waiting for mine to be delivered

 

[josh-h]

I got mine last week, kickstarter.

 

[Andyoesq]

how is the ramp up to mash and to boil?

 

[josh-h]

It's not too bad. It helps that I start with pretty hot water, brew in a hot kitchen, & start ramping up the boil during sparge.
It's a huge improvement over my existing pieced together systems. Best efficiency I have ever gotten as well. All in all very happy with the system.

 

[andysim]

I just finished my first brew day on the grainfather. Everything went great. Very pleased.

How long did it take to get the wort boiling?

 

[Jon_TWR]

I got mine (east coast Kickstarter backer) yesterday. Today I unpacked it, put it together , cleaned it and am doing a test boil (just water) to see how long it takes to reach a boil with 7 gallons of (cold) water.

It was about 1:15 to get from 73° to 165°, and I'll report back how long to get from there to a boil.

 

[sdufford]

How vigorous was the boil? I am this close to ordering the Grainfather (US version), but I have read about and seen videos of the boil being a little weak. Wouldn't want this to affect the final quality of the beer.

 

[Bobby_M]

I've had several grainfather customers call me asking for custom bends on our Hotrod drop in heat stick because they weren't happy with the heat time and boil intensity.

 

[Hello]

1:15 to get from 73° to 165°? That seems very slow.

 

[BrunDog]

Thought that was a typo!

-BD

 

[sdufford]

Bobby_M, do you offer the Hotrod heat stick pre assembled with a chosen heating element?