Grainfather!!

CornyKegs 728
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elproducto said:
Woohoo, mine shipped from Everwood today. Was hoping it will be here (Ontario) by the weekend, but I'm not counting on it.
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Will likely be there Monday or Tuesday as I previously prognosticated...rarely under five days...unless Priority or courier...but here's proof they're real and on the east coast...Dave and all others in NS only got them no earlier than Monday March 20th...I drove immediately to the warehouse in Dartmouth and picked up my preorder. Here's my preflight warmup...View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1490369134.479700.jpg
 
My first all grain is a jalapeno cream ale.... warming up for the mash now!

...and I'm trying to kick the 5g keg of Goose Island Bourbon County RIS clone I made last summer. It's a fine winter sipper at 12.4% :) It's a fine companion to this one, but I need to pay attention since this is my first all grain brew.
 
UglySister said:
I have the Grainfather, I don't understand what makes the connect worth the upgrade. As far as I understand all it does is save me from having to adjust the temp during the mash. Is there more to it than that. I think I saw one at my lhbs the other day. (I'm sure you guys that are waiting don't want hear that)
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I'm in exactly the same camp. I don't mash step, other than a mash out(it helps to shorten time to boil from mash to boil). The delay start is a great advantage but I can do that with a much cheaper timer. It's indeed a nicer look but I see it mostly as a gadget I don't need, however I do get why so many here are opting for it. The PID mash temp control is pointless when it measures below the grain bed and really how finite control on this will make any difference in the beer is beyond me. Get it for the coolness factor or to replace a broken controller, not to change beer quality / consistency.
 
So you guys are right. Unlikely the new controller will make better beer but for me it will provide a better brew day experience. For me the convenience, control and ui are worth it.
 
The triac temp control is a lot more accurate as it will vary the power of the heating element accordingly, so less temp swing like you get on the pid controller.

I've also used the online recipe creator and run the brew session via the connect app for my last 2 brews, I was also skeptical at first but it is really good to have all the timings automated. The 2 brews have hit efficiency and volume perfectly too, I'll never use beersmith for my GF equipment / recipes again.
 
Will the new Connect controller make better beer? Probably not, but neither will the Grainfather. I know I bought mine because I like gadgets, especially gadgets that help make aspects of my life a little easier.

The GF lived up to that, and then some. This little gadget brought the joy of brewing back for me. I know that sounds silly, but it's true. The new Connect controller is just icing on an already delicious cake.
 
I was on Williams Brewing website last night and saw they had one in stock. I pulled the trigger.
 
I have few questions,
If the recipe calls far a dual temp mash, say 30 min @130° then 60min @ 150°, it takes the Grainfather some time to increase 20°. Should it still be 90 min total or 30 minutes at lower temp, then heat to higher temp before starting timer for additional 60 min?
Also I think I am sparging wrong. I have sparged every batch with the sparge water at mash temp. I've since noticed that recipes on the Grainfather app are sparging at 167°. What should I be doing? All my recipes so far have been from the 200 clones book and it does not specify sparging temp.
 
johnsma22 said:
Will the new Connect controller make better beer? Probably not, but neither will the Grainfather. I know I bought mine because I like gadgets, especially gadgets that help make aspects of my life a little easier.

The GF lived up to that, and then some. This little gadget brought the joy of brewing back for me. I know that sounds silly, but it's true. The new Connect controller is just icing on an already delicious cake.
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Yup...it definitely rekindled the buzz. I'm with you on gadgetry and it definitely maintains the temperature more accurately than the original one. Its flexibility in downloading or uploading various recipes from an iOS device is worth the price of admission alone, let alone the step mashing and delayed start. I worked through it manually for my first session and whilst I dropped the ball on a couple of things, it had nothing to do with the Connect whatsoever. All things told, it's the controller that should've shipped with the Grainfather but thankfully the upgrade path was relatively painless. Plenty of three vessel people migrating to the GF from what I understand.
 
UglySister said:
I have few questions,
If the recipe calls far a dual temp mash, say 30 min @130° then 60min @ 150°, it takes the Grainfather some time to increase 20°. Should it still be 90 min total or 30 minutes at lower temp, then heat to higher temp before starting timer for additional 60 min?
Also I think I am sparging wrong. I have sparged every batch with the sparge water at mash temp. I've since noticed that recipes on the Grainfather app are sparging at 167°. What should I be doing? All my recipes so far have been from the 200 clones book and it does not specify sparging temp.
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timer shouldnt start till you hit your intended temp.

sparge water temps have beena matter of debate lately. you can use cold water if you want but that will jus tmean a longer time to heat to boil after sparging.
 
crusader1612 said:
anyone used a blichmann therminator plate chillerwith the GF? My currentl GF chilelr is leaking and its becoming a pain, and for the same price i can get a plate chiller (good quality, that will bolt into place on my GF stand.

Anyone?
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I have a plate chiller and use it with my grain father. I didn't like the connections on the counter flow chiller that came with it and the plate chiller works well.
 
Jratt said:
I have a plate chiller and use it with my grain father. I didn't like the connections on the counter flow chiller that came with it and the plate chiller works well.
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how is it cleaning wise?
I've heard reports that it can be a pin to clean?
or do you just go through the standard cleaning process of the GF when you do it?
 
Got this from AiH today when I inquired about the Connect and the back order.

"Thanks for reaching out to us. grain Father had run into some production issue that delayed the shipment to the US further than expected, and they had not passed this information along to us right away. We got tracking information that the controllers will be delivered by the end of business tomorrow and we;ll be processing orders out for shipment through the end of the week, and over the weekend for shipping early next week. As soon as your order has shipped, you'll receive tracking information sent to your E-mail. Let us know if you need a hand or have questions on anything else and we'd be glad to help, Cheers!"
 
elreplica said:
I was only kidding lol. I was shocked that we in eastern Canada beat out many brew bros stateside getting these gizmos.
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Eastern Canada? I got mine last Friday here in Ontario! Two batches down with it already, with the third due Sunday!
 
Howdy folks! I have read through most of this massive thread but couldn't find an answer to my question and messaging the Grainfather people hasn't been a help.

I am wondering how to tell which is the latest generation of Grainfather when shopping around? I know there have been at least 2-3 iterations released since its inception. There are some pretty good deals on eBay for units, but I want to make sure I get the newest model and design. I assume (which is probably wrong) that if I order a unit that comes with the Connect controller, it will be the latest design of the actually kettles/chiller?

On the other hand there are some good combo deals that include the alembic pot still attachment but have the old controller. Then I could just order the new Connect controller separate. I'd only do this if I knew that the rest of unit (besides the controller) was the latest generation.

Any insight? Thanks!
 
macabra11 said:
Howdy folks! I have read through most of this massive thread but couldn't find an answer to my question and messaging the Grainfather people hasn't been a help.

I am wondering how to tell which is the latest generation of Grainfather when shopping around? I know there have been at least 2-3 iterations released since its inception. There are some pretty good deals on eBay for units, but I want to make sure I get the newest model and design. I assume (which is probably wrong) that if I order a unit that comes with the Connect controller, it will be the latest design of the actually kettles/chiller?

On the other hand there are some good combo deals that include the alembic pot still attachment but have the old controller. Then I could just order the new Connect controller separate. I'd only do this if I knew that the rest of unit (besides the controller) was the latest generation.

Any insight? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Ask the seller if the GF comes with a check valve on the recirc tube. This is the 2nd gen that contains a ball and spring. I think this is only one before the connect came out. Good luck!
 
macabra11 said:
Howdy folks! I have read through most of this massive thread but couldn't find an answer to my question and messaging the Grainfather people hasn't been a help.

I am wondering how to tell which is the latest generation of Grainfather when shopping around? I know there have been at least 2-3 iterations released since its inception. There are some pretty good deals on eBay for units, but I want to make sure I get the newest model and design. I assume (which is probably wrong) that if I order a unit that comes with the Connect controller, it will be the latest design of the actually kettles/chiller?

On the other hand there are some good combo deals that include the alembic pot still attachment but have the old controller. Then I could just order the new Connect controller separate. I'd only do this if I knew that the rest of unit (besides the controller) was the latest generation.

Any insight? Thanks!
Click to expand...

For what it's worth, I recently bought mine from igobru32 on eBay and it came with the most recent Grainfather body, both the old and new controllers, the Grainfather hop spider, and free shipping. I did "Name Your Price" and we ended up at $975 for the whole package (it was listed at $1,040). Had a great experience with that seller!
 
ratbastrd05 said:
For what it's worth, I recently bought mine from igobru32 on eBay and it came with the most recent Grainfather body, both the old and new controllers, the Grainfather hop spider, and free shipping. I did "Name Your Price" and we ended up at $975 for the whole package (it was listed at $1,040). Had a great experience with that seller!
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That is who I'm looking at. Thanks for sharing your experience (and pricing)!
 
ratbastrd05 said:
For what it's worth, I recently bought mine from igobru32 on eBay and it came with the most recent Grainfather body, both the old and new controllers, the Grainfather hop spider, and free shipping. I did "Name Your Price" and we ended up at $975 for the whole package (it was listed at $1,040). Had a great experience with that seller!
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In my opinion - and based on my upgrades and the Canuckbuck...you stole it...
 

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