What is it?
A top-end homebrewing kit that will have you making beer to rival the likes of BrewDog, Williams Brothers or Stewarts.
How will it change my life?
Homebrewing is the world's greatest hobby, and the Grainfather's all-in-one and easy-to-use boiler, pump and cooling system means you can make beer from scratch, using the all-natural ingredients of malted grain, hops, yeast and water (and anything else you fancy). The kit gives you ultimate control of your beer, meaning you can tailor you own recipes, make clones of your favourite beers, concoct specials for Christmas, or brew up a batch for parties. It probably won't make you richer, but it will make you more popular.
Good points?
The Grainfather's big plus is that the metal urn works as both a mash tun (where you stew the malted grains to make the wort) and a kettle (where you boil the wort with the hops). Being able to accurately control your mashing temperature is key – a couple of degrees can make all the difference to the wort. The boil is a doddle (just switch on and set your timer). The draining and chilling systems are robust and work well too. ll in all, a brew minus the cleaning (again, easy), can be done in under four hours.
The Grainfather guys also sell a distilling attachment for making your own spirits … craft gin anyone?
Bad points?
Some children do not appreciate the rich pungent smells of mashing grains and boiling hops. Weird.
What else? The water gauge could and should be transparent; the pump can get blocked if you're not careful (hop bags solve this); a sparging arm (for rinsing the grain) might help; the fitting of the plastic cover on the control unit could fit better (am getting desperate here...).
Best for ...
People who love good beer and want to commit to a brilliant, rewarding hobby; seasoned homebrewers who want rid of that ubiquitous homebrew twang and to turn a hobby into a craft but who maybe don't have confidence or time to build their own system; and advanced and wannabe professional brewers who can use it to test out recipes on small batches.
Avoid if ...
Sorry, what?
Score
8/10. A couple of points off for the price tag, internal water gauge and occasional (small) issues with the pump.
The Grainfather (about £600)
Grainfather.co.uk
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