RoboBrew, Grainfather or High Gravity Brew System

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.

Bwood1377

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2010
Messages
83
Reaction score
6
Location
East Islip
Hi all. So I'm looking to get rid of my top tier system and get a more simpler system as having 2 kids takes up time. I was all set on the High Gravity system (most likely the 240v) but I do like the ease of use of the other 2 systems as well as the robobrew being a cheaper option. The thing that scares me with the grainfather and robobrew are that they're more proprietary systems where as the high gravity evrything is pretty easily replaceable. Plus going onto different forums I feel like I've seen a lot of people with issues with the grainfather and robobrew and I dont want to have system where it craps out in the middle of brewing. Sorry for the long post but thanks for the info.
 
Everyone has their own way of brewing so you definitely need to take into account how and where you brew to help decide which system is best for you. All have a relatively small footprint and as I'm an HG owner and never used a Grainfather or Robobrew, I can't say which is better but I would read as many reviews as possible on all of them and then ask questions here or other forums specific to users of each one.
It may take some time but I believe all will make great beers.
 
If time is the primary driver go with the 240v BIAB system. Waiting for underpowered 110v systems and sparging are big time sucks.
 
I agree with what others have said. The 120v cheap coffee urns seem like a good idea but they are not built for the long haul and have tradeoffs in practice and being proprietary. Also good luck getting one shipped to you that is not all dinged and scratched up.

I did about a dozen brews on my Robobrew before getting tired of it. Took a long time constantly tweaking to dial it in. The sparging and constantly chasing crush, using rice hulls, and hovering during mash to make sure recirculation was going well drove me nuts. I just upgraded to a 240v Brew Boss system. Actually dont rule Brew Boss out. They still have their 25% Tax day sale up and are about the same as High Gravity system and are an upgrade with a cool COFI basket system and more automation if you like that sort of thing.
 
I went the electric route. I like being able to brew inside if I want . It doesnt take up much space . I looked into the 3 systems . Mash & Boil, Robobrew and the Grainfather. I elected in the end to go with Gf. I've had it for about a year and it's been awesome so far . All of the systems have issues of their own , you can read about . I haven't had any issues with mine . I know someone who has had a ton of brews on their Gf with no issues . From what I gather the M&B is just too small and basic , the Robobrew is motherboard/ panel frying and the Gf is the plug . If you get one of these it doesnt mean you will have issues .
 
I've also looked into the BrauSupply system as well. Although that system I would probably go the 120v route but upgrade to the dual element to speed up the boil process.
 
HG owner here. The all-in-one "coffee urn" type systems just seem too limiting (for me anyway). I typically make 5 gallon batches... several 10 gallon batches and a big barleywine once in a while. I guess it depends on what you like to brew and what you plan to brew in the future... how much space you have to brew in and how much you can spend.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top