Wanna go AG? Looking for a brewing system?

[Aussiekraut]

Not a bad deal at all but not what I am after at this point.

https://hoppydaysbrewingsupplies.com.au/product/the-grainfather-g30/

Edited March 9, 2023 by Aussiekraut

[Pale Man]

7 minutes ago, Aussiekraut said:

Not a bad deal at all but not what I am after at this point.

https://hoppydaysbrewingsupplies.com.au/product/the-grainfather-g30/

Thats very cheap for that unit. I'd definitely look at it if I didn't have my BZ.

[NBillett09]

So the Grainfathers generally twice the price of the Brewzilla, are they actually twice as good? Why would you chose a vastly more expensive Gf over the BZ?

[Pale Man]

13 minutes ago, NBillett09 said:

So the Grainfathers generally twice the price of the Brewzilla, are they actually twice as good? Why would you chose a vastly more expensive Gf over the BZ?

I cant speak for Grainfather owners, but my Brewzilla so far has been faultless and a breeze to use for me. I dont know where the GF is made and if parts are superior to BZ?

Obviously the BZ is Chinese made. 

But I can vouch it makes damn good beers. 

[ozdevil]

1 hour ago, NBillett09 said:

So the Grainfathers generally twice the price of the Brewzilla, are they actually twice as good? Why would you chose a vastly more expensive Gf over the BZ?

 try purchasing a braumeister  20l  starting cost $2700    grainfather g30 around $1100 (there is new version coming out i believe)  bz 35 gen4  $699  bz 35 3.1.1 $399

they all make good beer  

i have both bz35l gen4 and the 3.1.1 models  and no complaints from either 


Grainfather is New Zealand made i believe

[ben 10]

1 hour ago, Pale Man said:

But I can vouch it makes damn good beers. 

Bollocks > you make good beer

2 minutes ago, ozdevil said:

they all make good beer  

Nah, it's the brewer

[ozdevil]

1 minute ago, beach_life said:

Bollocks > you make good beer

Nah, it's the brewer

well ya right there   its the brewer at the end of the day

[Uhtred Of Beddanburg]

2 minutes ago, ozdevil said:

Grainfather is New Zealand made i believe

Thats strange they are heaps more expensive then I heard NZ pay crap wages. And that's why heaps of them move over to Aus. Now China are getting a good middle class going will be interesting years to come.

[kmar92]

7 minutes ago, Uhtred Of Beddanburg said:

Thats strange they are heaps more expensive then I heard NZ pay crap wages. And that's why heaps of them move over to Aus. Now China are getting a good middle class going will be interesting years to come.

Grainfather is an American designed and manufactured unit, from what I know they are a quality unit. They are also very expensive, as would be expected with an American import.

[Uhtred Of Beddanburg]

Just now, kmar92 said:

Grainfather is an American designed and manufactured unit, from what I know they are a quality unit. They are also very expensive, as would be expected with an American import.

I really had no idea mate i was going off what OD said about being NZ made. I have worked with heaps of people from NZ that say they come here because of crap wages. So If was true was making point bit dodgy

[ozdevil]

14 minutes ago, kmar92 said:

Grainfather is an American designed and manufactured unit, from what I know they are a quality unit. They are also very expensive, as would be expected with an American import.

for some reason i thought they was made across the ditch  in nz ,   learned something new  tonight

[kmar92]

OK I am wrong, further looking and I see that Grainfather is actually from NZ - sorry.

[NBillett09]

@ozdevilat $600-$700 the BZ Gen 4 does look like excellent value. I am looking forward to getting one in a few months time hopefully.

As an aside, is there a reasonable amount of stock of them around or is there a bit of a lead time?

[Shamus O'Sean]

3 hours ago, NBillett09 said:

So the Grainfathers generally twice the price of the Brewzilla, are they actually twice as good? Why would you chose a vastly more expensive Gf over the BZ?

Hmmm.  Maybe not twice as good.  I have a Grainfather G30.  Had it for nearly 3 years.  Bought when it was the only all-in-one system Grainfather made.  Probably done 50 brews in it.  Cost me around $1,000 for the same system Hoppy Days is selling for $699, just because the box is damaged.  That is outstanding value.

At the time I bought, the main competitor for my dollars was the BZ Generation 3.1.1 35L.  For me, the programmability of the Grainfather, the recipe software and the way it holds your hand through the brewing process was worth the extra $400-500.  The Generation 4 BZ's are now available and I think they have made some great improvements.  If I was contemplating the move to AG brewing today, the decision would be much more tricky.  $1,000+ for a GF G30 or $$604.95 (Kegland's current price) for a BZ G4 35L.  The BZ G4 probably wins.  But a GF G30 for $699, with a damaged box you are going to chuck anyway, is outstanding value and I would pick it over the BZ G4 35L.

However, now, given my brewing process knowledge, my next brewhouse system would be a BZ 65L.  I do not need the hand-holding that Grainfather has.  Plus the BZ G4's seem to have much better programming capability  than they used to.  When I move to the 65L system, my GF G30 will make an expensive sparge water heater.

[NBillett09]

That’s a very helpful answer @Shamus O'Seanthank you for that!

[ozdevil]

9 hours ago, kmar92 said:

OK I am wrong, further looking and I see that Grainfather is actually from NZ - sorry.

you got 1 thing spot on they are made from quality stainless   steel 

though the only downfall i dont like   is the malt pipe  overflow   ,  the pump on the outside of the unit    

it wouldn't stop me buying one if i could afford the grainfather

[BlackSands]

"Our journey started in New Zealand with the Grainfather G30, but we soon decided that our brewing equipment was just too good not to share. Our head office is still based in New Zealand, but we’ve gone global and we now have a team of beer enthusiasts in Australia, Europe, the UK and the USA too." - Grainfather

 

Back in 2018, when I was managing one of the LHBS here the Grainfather rep came in to have a chat, they were concerned about their pricing and being competitive - Robobrew/Brewzilla was a big threat to market share at the time.  They appeared to be interested in knowing customer perceptions.   I think they market themselves as a premium product, but at the end of the day, plenty of people are getting the job done on much cheaper systems. 

Edited March 19, 2023 by BlackSands