Grainfather G70 My First Brew Experience Of Retail Release
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- Опубликовано: 19 окт 2024
- It is time to share with you all my first brew experience with the new final retail version of the Grainfather G70 with my usual level of detail.
If you are considering buying this system or are simply curious as to why this is so pricey then I believe you will find the answers you are looking for within this video. This video is totally unsponsored and simply gives you the truth about my experience.
Channel links:-
groups/Brewbeer
www.teespring....
Introduction music:- Drink Beer (Till The Day That I Die) by Dazie Mae
Since making this video I have heard from people in different parts of Europe and the UK who mostly have had the same experiences with the controller and software with the GF70. Hopefully GF will fix this soon and if you have a G70 yourself then I suggest you hold off brewing with it until fixes are in place. This is what I am waiting for now before I take my testing further.
That's a good way to run off the few loyal customers they have left! I feel like they really had to get this system right. Great video by the way!
Many thanks. Yes, this really was a last chance really for GF and I have to feel that very poor decisions yet again have ruined it. This could have been so much more for much less money.
Great review yet again David. Thank you ! Based on this review alone, I won’t be investing my money in a G70 (which was on my shortlist prior).
Thank you. Yes, I can understand why. It is a pity, this could have been so much more for less money.
Good and honest factual review. I'm one of the fortunate folk who have the G70 that works just fine. I got it before seeing your reviews so relieved I'm one of the lucky ones. The main reason I got it was due to nearly 80 faultless brews on the G30. I would have seriously questioned my choice if I didn't already have one. Couldn't justify the extra expense of the Brewtools one as I'm one of the married folk you refer to...!?
Great to hear Ben! I wish I had one of those! Sorry for the late reply, YT has some errors with message reporting recently so I only just got to see this!
@@DavidHeathHomebrew Thanks. The joys of social media. Keep up the good work. I've learnt a lot of the finer points of brewing thru your vids. Got to tell you I had a brew fermenting in the temp controlled fridge. Went away for the weekend and got home to the lights stuck on and 45°. Fortunately it was at then end of my ferment so gravity was good. 3 weeks after bottling it was flat and cloudy. Tried it last night after 5 weeks - 2 weeks inside in the warm (NZ winter right now), 3 weeks in the garage = cold. It was fine. Carbonated, clear and tasted ok. The hops had burnt off but was ok. Best thing is my record stays intact and have never had to throw a brew out after over 20yrs of brewing
Nice honest assessment of the system. I am pretty baffled by that bottom screen.. Why have it sit so tight? They could have created a domed screen or a mild conical shaped outlet in the bottom.. Not sure that would solve how fine the mesh is though. Cheers David!
Many thanks Brian. Yes, some really glaringly bad choices in design here. Hopefully by the time you get this the firmware and software works better. I am not going to be wasting my time and money on a brew until I see updates. Had that filter had a little more height in the screen then it would work. Simply incompetence sadly.
My oh my! I’m sad to see all of the issues with it. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Larry. Yes it sure is a pity.
I thought I might have jumped the gun on my Brew Tools system once I heard a new GF system was coming out... but I am glad this helped to solidify my decision. Thank you as always for your videos. 🍻cheers
Yes, no real competition here.
I wish I could say that I had expected a different result, but it appears to have shortcomings that arrive as a consequence to applying remedies to that which wasn't broke, rather than expanding on what made the smaller Grainfather so worthy. I love the BIAB simplicity, but continue to lean toward the larger footprint of a 2 vessel system, as once you get to a system of this expense, the consequence isn't only the process, but rather space of which I have no shortage. Great Video Sir. As expected the details were accompanied by evidence brewers can appreciate. It's productions like this that consumers will undoubtedly find useful, which can only translate into a growing audience. Cheers David.
Many thanks. Yes, I had my concerns also but I was shocked to be using it in this state. It is very hard to understand how a company can release a final product this bad.
I like the looks of that Grainfather conical, but once I saw the price point on Larry's Spike Flex, I was SOLD! Enjoy David.
Thanks for the video David! It´s been releasing to see someone else is having same issues as I do with the system. I am right now on my second brew and you can probably tell how upset I was when I noticed that there were some grains as well on the top of the basket, although I was very gentle while stirring in and putting the top plate oto the basket. Like you also mentioned, the temperature controller seems to be not working properly. I´ve been heating up from 57 C to 63 C and while it took an adequate time to heat up 62C, the last dregree took over 30 minutes.
Yes, plenty of others having the same and worse but also better. Sadly its a real lottery even now.
Thanks for the review, nice to know... Too bad with the change of ownership, incredible what that can do.
Thanks again for your effort.👍🍺👍
Many thanks Allan. Yes, it really is. I had hoped it would improve things but sadly not.
Hi David. Love all your videos. I’ve just upgraded to the G70 after using the G30 for years. This was to double my batches as I’m selling to a local shop. I’m now concerned by the app/controller. I’ve always quite liked the app. Did they fix it do you know?
Ive not tried it since these videos. I would hope that it is better now
Methinks there is a sweet spot between totally manual brewing and automated brewing and the GrainFather is a Bridge Too Far. Thank you for a great and honest experience review!
Much appreciated Dave, glad you found this useful. Yes, I am not trusting of it these days personally.
Very useful video David, I wasn’t intending buying this system as my three year old Grainfather is still going strong.but I do think at a price of £1449 Grainfather should have put out a first class product. Considering you can get a Hopcat 65 litre system for around £499 this makes the Grainfather G70 a bad purchase but hey what do I know? I rely on people like you to inform me.
Thank you mate and all the best👍👍👍
Many thanks, much appreciated. Yes, I think the price would be too much even if this worked and was designed well. As it stands now it's daylight robbery.
Excellent review as per usual, after looking at this evaluation i am absolutely delighted i went with my instincts and sold my G30 and bought the awesome Brewtools B40pro, yes its more expensive overall, but the quality difference and brewing experience is quantum imo, 5 brews in I'm nothing short of delighted with my B40pro, yes i've had a few issues and difficulties with a couple of my brewdays, but the help and backup from Brewtools and the Brewtools online community is fabulous and gives you more confidence going forward...thanks for all you do for our community bud...
Thanks Gary. Yes, the Brewtools is without a doubt a far better choice. Great to hear that you are enjoying it :)
@@DavidHeathHomebrew I'd take it to bed with me if SWMBO would allow it :-) on a slight aside, and rather importantly, the finished beer i've produced with it [2 drinkable beers in kegs] have been superb with no little off tastes or issues, which its what its all about...
Thank you david for this brew-review. Definately, having to buy a new system today, that would not be a Grainfather. Thank you for this explanation about the change about the ownership. It helps me to understand.
Thank you Yannick. Yes, it certainly is a pity. That is for sure.
Thank you for doing an HONEST review as it is truly appreciated. I've been having tons of connectivity problem with my two original Grainfather connect units and I am starting to think that Grainfather should consider handing off the software (recipe management and connectivity parts) to Brewfather as it would make a great partnership and allow them to focus on the equipment as obviously they didn't fully their prototype as they should have. Thank You.
Thank you Mike. The only people not appreciating my videos are those that have a financial interest as I see it. Yes the GF software leaves a lot to be desired for sure. I agree that GF clearly need some assistance when it comes to software and firmware. Whatever they are doing now is simply not working and just damages the brand further. Pity.
I’ve done one brew on this system and had none of the problems with the pid that you did. I did get a stuck sparge and been told to throttle the recirculation. The sight glass is absolutely fine. The big hop filter works great and the chiller is amazing, 98c in the unit to 14.7 in the fermenter in one hit.
The cleaning filter is ridiculous though. I don’t see why you shouldn’t just pump it out empty and then pass cleaning solution through and ignore the tiny screen.
I am glad to hear that. Clearly the PID issue depends on your electrical supply type but this is the result that I got. This should be ready for all supported nations. I guess the sight glass depends on the individuals height but for me it was very awkward. There are good things about this system, that is for sure but the quality vs price kills it for me, even if it was working 100%.
Thanks for the very informative summary! What is your opinion, which is The best brew machine in the 30-50 category? I mean the one almost full automated and more or less precise?
Thank you. It really depends on what is available in you market. Here in Europe I suggest the Brewzilla 35L. It's solid and works well and has great value.
Many thanks once again for a very helpful piece of work. There is another 70litre model called a Brewly. It is sold by the Home Brewery in Sweden - have you ever come across it??
Yes, this system is very commonly rebadged and has various names throughout various markets. Ive not tried the 70L but the manufacturer is well known to me. Very budget type stuff, usually with various issues. Better to spend more in the start and avoid issues.
@@DavidHeathHomebrew So, so helpful! The search continues!
Thnx for the vid David. When i look at all this i,m sure happy to brew with my trusty old 30 ltr gf.
Thanks Wim, yes that one works! :)
Dear David, thank you for all of your amazing content. Being a novice brewer, knowing I can get completely honest reviews from somewhere is incredibly valuable. These systems are not cheap and it is therefore critical to do research. I'm wondering if you feelings have changed about the product at all recently? I need to be honest that I really, really want to like this product. The idea of it is incredibly appealing but I wonder if I am placing too much emphasis on the app integration? At the end of the day if I am going to spend this kind of money I need to be happy with my purchase. I know you gave a very favourable review to the grainfather conical fermentor and this is one of the reasons I was so excited about this product. However, as I'm getting ready to ake a decision between brewzilla, brewtools, grainfather I must admit I am getting cold feet. Maybe this is too simplistic of a question but: If you were going to pick one product that produces the best outcomes overall what would it be? I understand everything has its pluses and minuses but in watching other prominent youtubers reviews (I consider you the most honest reviewer out there but respect other viewpoints as well) I hearing a lot of positives, with the main negative being that it simply isn't worth the price. So, with that said, which system in the G70 class would you consider to be the best in terms of final product?
Hi Ryan, I really wanted to like it also but that became very hard. I just kept having issues. I tried it a couple more times since making these videos but the problems remained. Disappointing sadly. I have a comparison video that covers 3 systems in this volume size that I think will help:- ruclips.net/video/a3VhlUXZkJU/видео.html
@@DavidHeathHomebrew thank you so much for your advice. Honestly, I was so stuck on Grainfather because of what I wanted it to be but when purchasing equipment this expensive one has to be honest with themselves. My hope is in that 3 years time they will have worked out the kinks and I can take another look then. For me, my decision came down to value for my dollar and at the end of the day I went with the Brewzilla 65L. Came today along with my Fermzilla and I have all the items ordered to brew your American Session IPA.....My wife thanks you too for making me see the light. She wasn't so keen on me dropping that amount of money just because I love the idea of an app-controlled system.
As always thank you. I love your channel and this hobby has been a wonderful distraction from my actual work. We all need hobbies :)
Great to hear :) Yes we do :) Though this is my work and hobby :p
@@DavidHeathHomebrew yes sir, you are living the dream :)
Hi David, thanks for your review... Very informative... Would you be planning to review the Brewzilla 60l system at any time? It seems an interesting compromise at half the price of the GF... Thanks !
Thank you Baz. Actually, I already have:- ruclips.net/video/KKTL7EjUHI8/видео.html
It is 65L :)
@@DavidHeathHomebrew Thanks David! I'll check it out!
So glad I choose the BT B80pro. You don’t seem like a fan of the G70 at all.
I really hoped this would just be overpriced but work well. Sadly not.
Interesting findings, some odd behaviors for sure. There is a note on their specs page which states you will need an optional micro pipework to achieve the 8kg min grain capacity.
Thank you :) RE The pipework ;- That's odd because the G70 FAQ says the supplied pipework. I showed this on screen at the start.
@@DavidHeathHomebrew could be an mis-match of content between pages?? Here's the link where I found the info under specifications shop.grainfather.com/grainfather-g70.html
I didn't know about the ownership change. That explains a lot, thanks!
This also tells me that I need to get my recipes and brewing history off their website if I want to keep it. When things start to go bad in a company it can go very rapidly down the drain and who knows if it's still around in a year or even 6 months. It's not unthinkable that the new management are not happy with the progress and in order to cut costs will cancel the recipe builder or start charging for it or something. You never know but it's better to be safe than sorry.
Well, if they keep making these mistakes then I cannot see a bright future. Had I bought this then I would have taken it back for a refund.
Thank you David. I'm glad I went for the Brewzilla 65L
Yes, you could buy 2 BZ65L systems for the price of this and still have change!
@@DavidHeathHomebrew Any ideas where to get a brewzilla 65 L unit in central europe? tried several official distributors without success...
Tricky, might be an idea to send Kegland themselves an email asking.
Thank you for this review. I'll absolutely be purchasing the BrewTools B80Pro Brewing system.
Glad that you found it useful :)
@@DavidHeathHomebrew I've been waiting for this to come out, and just based on your initial video know I would be very disappointed with this system. This and the Clawhammer unit were high on my list, but now it's clear that BrewTools is a well thought out, and premium product. THANKS!!
Thanks for the honest review. It is a shame that the quality and reliability of the Grainfather systems are going down. When I first heard of the G70 I was a bit excited for the release but after seeing this, I am disappointed.
Many thanks Jennifer. I think you would be a great deal more disappointed had you bought one :p
David Heath Homebrew you’re very right. I would have been upset.
That boil looks exactly like the US GF boil....lol
Hahahaha you had to close the bathroom door so wife won't see what's going on in there, I laughed so hard.
Haha, she would have gone mental had she seen that mess :P
Very honest intial review, I used to think you were a Grainfather fan boy but seems they have very much fallen out of favour and it's definately not the case.
Thank you. I was a fan for some time but then they changed. It is a pity but the truth needs to be heard.
"customer service" seems to be a new way to say "call in sales team" any more. So sad to see this has so many issues still.
Yes, it really is a great pity.
Fantastic to see another honest video about the G70 from you David after all these obvious sponsored videos. I had no idea they changed ownership but now I think of it this seems obvious now with the stupid decisions made by the company in the last year or so. Ive no idea why they would think people would buy or be happy with such a badly designed and ugly brewer.
Thank you Alan. Yes I am shocked also.
Hi David, just a small thing, you say there is a problem with the sight glass but only mention that it has gallons on one side and metric on the other side, not why this is actually a problem. I couldn't see from your video why it was difficult to read, certainly not more difficult than lifting out the grain basket.
It is the angle and height that makes it difficult.
Another great "without BS" review!
ATTA BOY :-)
Many thanks Ferry. Yes, it had to be done:)
Hummm! I am confused about the boil flickering between 99-100. Full on is full on. The diameter of the vessel will govern the boil-off rate but the actual boil is governed by the power of the heater. I never understood why they set the target temperature of the boil at 100C. The wort will not go higher than 100 so set the setpoint at some setting way above that and in any case full on is full on the PID algorithm dose not matter.
Regarding the first poor control of the PID. The PID has to be tuned. (I have a lot of experience in this field) for auto tuned devices (not my favourite) this normally involves starting the heating at som lower temperature and applying full heating until some value of temperature at say 50-60% of the required. The power is then monitored (by the software) and the rate noted. At a representative P value, normally 5% from setpoint the heating power begins a proportioning exersise and the temperature rise rate monitored. If the rate is higher than expected the power is reduce to below what it was expecting and the opposite if above. This continues in steps untill setpoint. It is silly but in order to know what to do at setpoint the temperature has to be allowed to go above otherwise it cannot calculate the D (differential) setting. Finally I (Integral) is found by where the actual varies from the set (above or below) and the offset appled.
I must have manually set thousands of PID temperature controllers and a few hundred pressure/flow controllers and I have NEVER found an auto-tune that got it right first time. And as they do this every time they run you need to switch off auto-tune after a few hours of running so that it remembers where it is at and does not do it again. Or you can do it manually (preferred).
Lokking forward to Brew-2.
Yes, they simply have not tuned this PID correctly. Pretty crazy really. Hopefully they fix this soon. I feel like I would be wasting my time and money using this as it is.
@@DavidHeathHomebrew Yes sorry about the short lecture. I hadn't realised until after I clicked the send flag.
Thing is that liquids in the same environment are predictable so you can be reasonably certain that the setting are repeatable for such an installation.
A great video David! What a seriously disappointing device! I would have thought the issues with the pump filter would have been obvious to the designers? Same as all the other issues high lighted. Anyway thanks mate!
The issue with filters appears to have always been a blind spot with GF. I expressed irritation with the original filter with them almost immediately, like 3rd/4th brew when I had only recently migrated from the Coolbox/Boiler (which I still have) arrangement. My boiler had a strainer on it (I used whole hops) with 2-3mm holes in it and the hop bed was the effective strainer. Their strainer clogged with the small particulate because the holes were/are small. Response was the classic. "No one else has had this problem - here is a solution" and for a while the newer strainer seemed to be better. Sometimes what seems like an obvious problem cannot be seen. Governments are like that !!!
Thanks Ken. Yes, I am amazed at the incompetence myself. Very sad.
Thanks James. Yes, true that!
Yeah, I see what you mean about the sight glass now... 🧐
Good. Perhaps it is fine for shorter people.
I'm so glad that Grainfather doesn't manufacture cars or aeroplanes!
Ha ha, yup!
Have you tried out the Brewzilla 65L? I feel Kegland did a much better job and just enhancing what they already had, plus it's under $1000 US dollars.
I am a big fan of it and use it regularly. Here is my review:- ruclips.net/video/KKTL7EjUHI8/видео.html
Definitely missed that video
I would hope that the pid evens out after a few uses. If it's an automatic calibration PID. I'd run it with water only a couple of times through a mash scheduele for that reason. Still it looks very much liek a glorified tea urn quality wise.
I already did water tests and cleaning before this brew. They will need to fix this at the firmware end.
@@DavidHeathHomebrew Then it's really bad especially since they have made working stuff in the past. Seems very unproffessional.
Different company now sadly since the buy out.
@@DavidHeathHomebrew Yeah but seems backwards to buy one of the best in the business to instantly make it worse. But I guess that's how it goes in all parts of the brewing industry at the moment.
Very interesting as always. How sad to see this waste of such potential.
Thanks Daniel. Yes I totally agree. This could have been so much more.
Thanks Dave, can't see many G30 GF brewers looking to upgrade with those issues. That boil was shocking for a half brew.
Thanks David. Well hopefully they can actually fix this! Yes, very poor.
Looks like the new fancy display is really slow to update and the boil issue is very disappointing. Also it seems the temperature probe problem you mentioned in the previous video really does affect the brewing process.
It would be interesting to see a side by side comparison with the BrewTools B80, I suspect it would handle this volume and even a full volume much better.
Thanks. Yes, very poor. I will wait for firmware and software updates before I waste any more time and money on this.
You, swearing? I can't imagine what that would sound like. :P Thanks for the review. Also, time to take the grainfather off the list of things to purchase.
Lol. Oh I do but only when annoyed :p Glad you found the video helpful.
Well. well well....the fantastic New Zealand company Grainfather has been bought by a US company.
Yup, sad but true
The temperature issue probaply comes from poor engineering. To get the volume up to 100°C in a reasonable time they chose the minimum requirement. A 2750Watt single element. To ensure a consistent and correct temperature, you should at least choose a heating system that has 120% power of the minimum requirement. This way the system can still heat up, when the tempreture is going down. Compared to the BT80pro: 2 elements with 3000Watt each. They don't need to be on 100% power all the time, but they can ensure a correct temperature.
You could well be right. Not really something I know much about really. Hopefully it is something they can fix with firmware. If not then this is super doomed in places with less than 240v.
Wow is it just me or has the competition shook them so much the forcing to hit a date???
Seems so. The trouble is releasing a product like this is just going to blow up in their face.
Just validates my thoughts on going electric. No thanks
Do not let this system experience put you off, there are systems out there that work very well.
I will definitely share this video as much as possible just to make sure no-one buys this POS ! 😡
Great, thank you. People really need to be warned about this. Hopefully more independent videos come out soon also.