Brewers, this is amazing! Since the purchase, I have brewed six 5 gallon all grain batches from my kitchen. Mashing grains has never been easier or cleaner. The only reason I haven't brewed more is that I've filled all my kegs.

The process still takes about 4 hours from mash to final cleaning. Still, the Bluetooth functionality from your phone allows you to walk away and get other things done around the house.

A couple of things to know:

1. I have brewed from 7% beers to 5% beers, IBU's from 25-70. For higher ABV beers, the mashing takes longer and for big hoppy beers, trub permeates the system. This unit can handle big beers, just make sure you run a good cleaner and sanitizer after each use.

2. I use the hop spider rather than mesh bags or directly pitching the hops. I have not noticed any loss of hop flavor or bitterness. Quite a bit of trub makes it out of the spider, but it reduces the clutter around the pump filter and the machine runs more smoothly. I've also used the hop spider for other ingredients added for flavor.

3. The grainfather website and app are amazing. They keep all your recipes on file and step you through the whole process from mash to drink. It's a free database that records the OG and FG and finally ABV. It also helps calculate the style of beer you want, quantity of grains and hops for ABV, IBU, color and clarity.

4. I brew at 4,500 ft altitude. Boil temp at this altitude is 206, not 212. I can adjust the grainfather to hit the boiling target I want. I would recommend placing the lid on the grainfather and covering the hole on top to increase the boil roll. This requires high temp gloves or pot holders to remove and replace the lid.

5. The wort chiller is phenomenal! I can plug the blue cool line to my sink, run the red expel line back into the sink, turn on the pump and cool the wort from 206 degrees tp 65 degrees in 35 minutes. So amazing!

This unit with the control box is totally worth the investment in time, quality of beer brewed, and experimentation. Brew on my friends!

It was a gift for my husband. He likes it, however, he had tons of problems in the beginning until he could set if right. Few to none customer support. Once he got it right, he did a couple of batches and he is very satisfied with the results.

I am handicapped and confined to a wheel chair. Brew days have had their challenges in the past. 4 casters and a piece of plywood made it possible to move from cleaning to brewing and back. Per other reviews of people having trouble reaching temps I also purchase the Grain Coat. I did have to flip the element to normal to hold a 158 mash temp but had no trouble reaching and holding a good rolling boil. The Grain Father has made my brew days much more enjoyable and knocked at least an hour off the total time. The wort chiller works like a charm and I was able to pitch my yeast within 15 minutes of flame out. I can see a Grain Brother in my future as soon as I can afford it. Cheers!!!

Purchased the Grainfather through Anazon. It showed up quickly in perfect condition. I assembled it and cleaned it according to their instructions. No leaks, everything went well.
I've always been an extract brewer wanting to go all grain but was intimidated by all the equipment. Hence the Grainfather.
It is perfect for my needs and has been a great way to switch from extract to all grain. I love it! I've heard people complaining about the "hop mud" getting all over the filter screen. I use one of their stainless hop containers and have never had a problem. The Grainfather has been a very worthwhile investment for those who like to brew 5 gallons of great beer per session. Would buy again!

The unit came on time with all the parts. I have currently brewed 3 beers and I am happy with the results.
I emailed Grainfather to explain an issue I was having with the controller. The issue being that the controller did not behave in a way that was expected according to the directions. They tried to assist me but ended up referring me back to Amazon. Amazon acted very quickly and sent an entire unit to me as they don't have spare parts.
The " problem " with the controller was simply that when put into boil mode th instructions say that the display will read " 'O' than 'HH' when it reaches boil and will beep. To stop beeping press the set button. " This did not happen on either controller. Maybe the instructions are accurate on all but American controllers.
Amazon currently doesn't carry any spare parts such as mash basket gaskets, Grainfather does have parts so check their website.