GrainFather and Anvil Foundry Compared - Watch before buying.

Warning this is a 30 minute video but it will be worth your time if you are considering buying an Anvil Foundry or a GrainFather system.
#Anvilfoundry #Grainfather #robobrew
I've owned two GrainFathers and I currently use an Anvil Foundry so I will give my honest opinion and try to be as non-bias as humanly possible as I feel both systems are great in their own but each one does have either advantages or features the other one may not have at this time.
If you find this video help please consider using one of my links below to make your purchase as it helps with my costs for producing this channel.
Thank You.
David Heath Homebrew Channel
/ @davidheathhomebrew
GrainFather G30 (new series)
www.homebrewing.org/The-Grain...
Anvil Foundry 10.5 Gallon All-in-One brewing system with recirculation pump kit
www.homebrewing.org/105-gallo...
RoboBrew - Brewzilla v3.1.1
www.homebrewing.org/Robobrew-...

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Many thanks for the mention and always nice to see other unsponsored content :)

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Thank you and keep up the great work.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

@@BitterRealityBrewing You also :)

[@edwinvoorhees1952]

Lol. Wandering cat tail at 21:50...😁👍. Extra points for difficulty level. Great video!

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

2nd person to spot that and think it was my cat's tail which I do have a cat but that was a page from a list of hot buttons aka topics I wanted to ensure I didn't forget taped just under the camera. Although I should do a contest to see who can find both our dog and cat in different videos as both have made a few background cameos. Still impressed as most people never notice those little things. Thanks for watching.

[@TheWolfyDaddy]

I am glad that I just found your channel, and many thanks for this very informative comparison. I very recently purchased the Anvil system and it is still sitting in its box in my basement. I especially appreciate your tip regrading the basket support ring. I think I will come up with some way to tether the ring to the handles to keep it from dropping into the hot wort.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Thank you for the appreciation but I must ask, why is it still sitting in the box in your basement? (Wish I had a basement but in Florida you can't dig more than a few feet before being under water) If you were looking for time off to brew, the holidays usually help with that matter.

[@rickpfarr5401]

Great video. I’ve been looking to buy an electric, all-in-one system, and those two were top contenders on my list. You made my choice much easier. Thank you!

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

I brew on a ton of systems, but prefer to use my Anvil Foundry systems for the ease of use, cleaning, and simplicity. Not to mention I've made a ton of great tasting beers on my Anvil systems without any crazy technology headaches.

[@dirtchicken0629]

first i want to say I really enjoy your videos Its like talking to an old friend. I use to homebrew years ago. it was a real pain between keeping the temps the mess and all the other nonsense I gave up. I ran across your video on youtube. being a fan of good beer and Knowing how much better homebrew is then anything you can buy I bought a foundry. I can not believe how amazing it is. It. Im just dumb founded as how easy it is compared to how I did it years ago.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

So true and when I first thought about buying an electric all in one system to help me keep my mash temps stable people kept telling me it was cheating and now many of those same people own electric all in one systems from the Grainfather to the Anvil. 😂

[@scraffen]

Great video, waiting for my anvil to arrive on backorder. Based on your video I made the right choice.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

My 2nd one just arrived on Wednesday so if you ordered yours during the pre-order it should be arriving soon. I will be starting some videos doing side by side comparisons using 2 Anvil Foundry systems.

[@scraffen]

@@BitterRealityBrewing Great!. I bought the inner ring to help with efficiency. When you sparge do you drip it slowly? I plan on using my hot liquor tank from my original all-grain system and the sprayer I use for that manual system to sparge hoping it makes the efficiency close to what I've had using the coolers to mash, etc.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

@@scraffen I would say drip but I do ensure it runs slow enough to avoid any liquid build up on top of the mash. If I'd have to guess I'd say I put the flow at a little less than a 1/4 of what is is capable of and it seems to work really well.

[@danion6840]

Awesome video. You hit on a lot of the things that made me choose the anvil over some other systems. Like you most of my efficiencies hit around 60% on the Anvil. I do use a brew bag which is really nice. I learn something new everytime I brew. I really enjoy it. I really enjoy watching other brewer's videos on KZbin. Keep it up.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Thank you and I have three new things planned on the Anvil for helping increase efficiencies.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

I did 2 of the 3 items I had planned to help with my BHE and I got a 85% on a 10 lb malt bill (not a huge bill but still very nice for the system). I had a 5.62 PH but used a little lactic acid during the mash and pushed it to 5.42 PH plus I purchased and used the small grain bill adapter to restrict the side holes, forcing the wort to go through all of the grains.

[@BobZed]

Nice video. I learned stuff. I've been brewing all grain for almost two decades. I have a two propane burner three keggle system with a pump. It works great and I can do a six gallon batch of barleywine no problem, BUT... it's huge. It takes up a lot of storage space. And I'm not getting any younger. Brewday and all the associated cleaning gets to be a bit of work. Anvil looks like the best bet to me, largely because of the ability to go 220. I think I would probably make some kind of pulley system, maybe electric, to raise the grain basket so I can be a bit kinder to my back. That would also solve the problem of the clip ring not staying in place.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Thank you and overall I am really happy with it and just placed an order for a 2nd one over a week ago so I can eventually do side-by-side testing on batches. I sold my two Grainfathers about a month or so ago. Also I just moved this weekend into an temporary place for a year while our new house is being built which means I will most likely be forced to flip the switch back to 120v for a while.

[@dahe8883]

thank you. Brew SRQ is having a going out of business sale, and I'm thinking of getting the Anvil from them.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

If you can score a great deal on it, I'd seriously consider it as it is a great system. The 120/240 switch is only available on the Anvil and the low density burners is a game changer. WiFi and Bluetooth are nice, but personally I've been there and done that and for me (even as an IT person) was just one more thing to mess up my brewday. Love not having tech that is prone to failing on my brew system.

[@deanparker5548]

great video and content. I think I'll make my own. 220 sling blade heater 15 gallon stockpot, inkbird controller, igloo cooler mash tun, recirculation pump, silcone tubing, maybe even some micron filters, some stainless tubing and a false bottom

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Custom works. My big reason for going to an all in one was I was coming from Propane which is very difficult to maintain temps compared to a system that can recirculate the mash water and maintain temps at the same time.

[@daz9062]

my Grainfather g30 works great not sure why you did but it's the best one for me nice video's

[@ChristopherUrbane]

Great video. I am sold! I am one of the Covid brewers and have done about 20 five gallon batches so far ranging from straight extract to some partial mashes with a totally ghetto rigged multi-pot setup in my kitchen on the stove (with plenty of boil overs and near misses under my belt). I am seriously considering what I need to do to take my brewing to the next level as many have advised me to do. Equipment can get very expensive very fast, and I need to move out of my kitchen and into the garage soon. I think this is a good serious upgrade for the homebrewer and your review is great since it goes over all the pros and cons on these two products. I think the Anvil is a good step up from the kitchen stove and will allow me to experiment a bit more without going to a full grain multi thousand dollar system which would be totally overkill for what my personal goals are. I have been contemplating adding one thing to change my brewing at a time as not to over-complicate it and I am thinking that the Anvil unit may be that one item that can help me step up my brew game.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

I started in the kitchen with 2 gallon pots doing 1 gallon batches so I can totally relate. I've had a Grainfather and personally I prefer my Anvil without question as it does a great job and isn't crazy priced but it is still a bit of an investment. Check out my link in the description as it will take you to Adventures in Homebrewing as all of the All in One systems have what they call MAP pricing Adventures in Homebrewing gives you points on the back end that can be used for gift certificates to save on future needs. I did the same thing to help stretch my buying dollars a bit and will continue to do so as everyone likes a deal and I am no exception. The great thing with most all in one systems is that you can control the temps much easier plus when you can switch between 110 and 220 with a flip of a switch if that become available to you which will cut your heat up temps in almost half.

[@ChristopherUrbane]

@@BitterRealityBrewing Hah, That was exactly the next video that came up in my feed and I watched their unboxing and their first brew session with it. Thanks for the feed back and support! Amazing how a majority of my brewing education is derived from youtube. I will have to check out their website as I think I may have ordered indirectly through them on amazon.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

I fully understand about learning on KZbin and reading online but it might be good none of this existed when I was a teenager or I'd been very dangerous and probably wouldn't have lived as long as I have as I loved to party in Miami when I was in my early years. (I spent a year working just so I could party in Miami almost every weekend.)

[@jpcii]

I think you are exactly right about the holes along the side wall of the malt bin. I have a robobrew and had been thinking about increasing capacity. I believe with screen sides or side holes, the path of least resistance is around and not through the grain bed. The other thing is I do not use the top screen because I still stir my grain every so often. Even during recirculation. If I think a bunch of debris is below the mash, I open the spigot and catch 1/2 qt or so and slowly pour it over the top. So far, no burned mash and no stuck mash or sparge. If I could find a larger system with top to bottom with no side holes I would seriously consider it. Spike may have a 1V system like that.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Working on the production side of a video where I did two IPA back to back and did a comparison of BHE. I hope to have it up tonight so you can see the outcome. (Hint there was some difference but not huge).

[@ecmcd]

Great video, thanks! You should consider posting your content on Reddit and other social sites, you'll get more views that way. Just picked up a Foundry a couple weeks ago, I think you're right on with your comments; there are pros and cons to these systems, but at half the price of the Grainfather the Foundry is a much better value. My first brew with it I had a lot of trouble with stuck mash because of flaked barley, and I probably sparged too fast, I don't think it rinsed all of the grain bed with the water coming out the side mesh so I ended up at ~60%. I managed to get 70% the second time by slowing down my sparge to a couple cups at a time over about 20 minutes, the grain bed was much better set too. I've ordered rice hulls for next time and I'm planning on getting the metal ring you mentioned; I've heard the same thing from other reviewers - one guy put a section of plastic pail in to cover the side holes and claimed ~10% increased efficiency. I haven't had your problems with the metal hoop for the mash basket, the one I got is clearly much springier and stiffer - I have a lot more trouble getting it in, and when it's there it stays put. Maybe you could open it up a little more, and see if that keeps it in place.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Thank you very much. I do post to Reddit but I try to only post occasionally as I don't want to upset the Reddit community by feeling like I am spamming anyone. I will be posting one of my two recent brew videos this weekend on Reddit as I find posting on the weekdays get a lot less exposure compared to the weekends. I agree as the GrainFather has a really big "cool" factor when it works but when it doesn't it destroys your brew day and as an experienced brewer the Anvil Foundry gives me the features I personally need and works really well at an affordable price. I am still shocked that GrainFather hasn't gone to low density burners.

[@christopherhurtle7167]

Good informative video I want to get into brewing and live in an apartment I think a system like this would make life a lot easier

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

It does take up a lot less space compared to some systems. If you are looking to buy one right away I'd highly recommend the Anvil Foundry but if you are looking down the road another 3 to 6 months keep an eye on the Anvil Foundry but also keep an eye our for the BrewZilla 4.0 as I've heard some amazing things and both have low density burners. I currently have 2 Anvil Foundry systems now and live in a small condo until our new house is built but I'm also keeping my eye out for the official release of the BrewZilla 4.0 in 2022 as I've heard some really nice things about it. The current BrewZilla 3.1.1 is really nice but I do with the pump was easier to get to for cleaning and the LCD were up a bit higher obviously. Grainfather has been coming out with tons of amazing systems but with the high density burners I am still avoiding them in hopes they might change down the road to a low density system. (I brew with wheat and rye a lot which have a higher tendencies of scorching and with high density burners it brings those tendencies for scorching way up.)

[@christopherhurtle7167]

@@BitterRealityBrewing ty for the reply

[@bjcpc0337schannel-rg3em]

You can also use the Anvil faucet lever to control the flow for the pump too

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Actually don't do that as I was told it can damage the pump and that it should always be controlled on the outflow. I used to think the same thing.

[@bjcpc0337schannel-rg3em]

@@BitterRealityBrewing Thanks that confirms what a few others have also said to me. I have taken apart the faucet before and was surprised how dirty it gets, even after running a caustic cleaner through it. I will heed your advice and keep using the squeeze apparatus to control the flow after the wort has gone through the pump.

[@itznolimitz]

FYI I attach the handle after the mash before I lift the anvil malt pipe, it's not so bad you can do it easily. I actually do it before I put the ring on the top.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

I have gotten a lot better at it but putting it in is a bit more of my issue as my hands shake a bit. (Always have just worse with age.)

[@danchuey]

This helped me make my decision…Anvil Foundry it is. Now I’m just waiting for a sale. Hopefully soon…I’m an impatient guy. 😂

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Supposedly, the new GrainFather has low density, but I prefer the Anvil Foundry for cost and simplicity. I can say the holidays are coming, which is a great time for sales, as Anvil just had a big sale over a month ago. As for being impatient, I can fully relate on way too many occasions. 😎

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Thank you for the kind words. On one of my upcoming brews I will be doing some heavy PH testing as Texaviator23 in the comments below and in the FB group for Anvil Foundry (you should check it out) is saying the PH impacts the efficiency which I would agree but I am pretty sure I've been within range but I also ordered one of the small mash adapters to close off the wholes on the bottom side but appears to be on back order at the moment plus I am going to try one more trick and I'll make sure to cover all three steps in the next brew or maybe only the 2 if the adapter takes a while to get here. I do like the BIAB ability in case I decide to go nuts and do a 50% or even a 100% rye brew which I've kicked around for a while just for the hell of it. I like rye a lot.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Thank you for explaining as I watched it before I read your reply and was really confused. Sounded a bit like a smoother Russian language as the Russian language is usually a bit abrasive but they problem find American's version of English a bit abrasive too. I would love to try that stuff and I've always wondered what a rye ale would taste like with a few shots of high quality rye whisky added to it.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Makes me want to run back to Canada just to try that stuff. I went there about 18 years ago a few times and have been trying to take the whole family there (Toronto, CA) for vacation but it has never worked out as there is always something else my wife would prefer to do.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

@Escobar's Hippo Sounds awesome, feel free to post a link to a photo on imgur here. Flaked anything adds a nice mouthfeel and seems to help carry flavors more plus the honey malt is a nice touch to give it a hint of sweetness without actually being sweet. What was the final abv? I like Magnum a lot but haven't worked with Mittelfruh Hops but it is a variety of Hallertau which I use as a bittering hop for almost all my German Dunkelweizens as it is crazy smooth.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

@Escobar's Hippo From Oatmeal Stouts to Wheat beers you will notice that beyond the mouthfeel if you have any flavors from chocolate in the Stout to added fruit in a wheat beer it really helps to carry that flavor across your palate compared to like beers without flaked oatmeal, wheat, rye, or even barley. I've been meaning to do a stout but with Gausemel Kveik yeast as it sounds like it would enhance all of the malts to some degree but I keep doing other things instead of just getting it brewed. Today I did two American IPAs back to back to do a comparison of sorts plus I have a handful of other videos I need to get finished up and posted soon.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

@Escobar's Hippo Loki and Hornindal are both very clean from everything I've read but for a Tropical Stout I would probably lean to anything that could put a mild fruit in the background of all of the dark grain flavors but keep in mind I love Coffee from the rift valley and kenya areas of Africa due to their hint of citrus which most people don't care for. As for a Keezer/Kegerator if you haven't grabbed a freezer yet keep your eyes open for up coming sales as Thanksgiving is the hottest time of the year for Freezers but of course they all start going on sale about 60 to 30 days before the holiday and they go quick.

[@FermentationAdventures]

For now my Grainfather is my primary brewing system. For now. But I never use the app integration beyond delayed heating, and run the boil with a heat stick and the GF controller at 50% to minimize scorching.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

I really like the Grainfather system but wish they'd go to low density burners and still have problems understanding why they haven't yet. The 50% is probably the key as I don't remember if I ever brought it down that low.

[@Texaviator]

Great review on both units. The secret to my success on increasing efficiency is mash ph. I also get greater efficiencies below 14lbsnof grain. There’s a rumor that the next gen of the Foundry will address the ring that holds up the malt pipe.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

My PH is usually in range but I will be checking it at every point the next brew just to see. As for that ring if they address that I will be extremely happy as it drives me nuts. The last brew video I edited out 30 seconds of me fighting to keep it in place while trying to lift the malt pipe with my other hand.

[@Texaviator]

Bitter Reality Brewing one tip on lifting the basket is the handle lines up with the feet so if your handle is lined up with the middle of the ring opening it should help to keep from popping it loose as you lift.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

I caught on to that trick on the 2nd brew, but sadly there are a lot of other issues that make things a little harder compared to the average person such as my hands have always shook a bit plus I had to two heart surgeries (electrical problems) in the past 4 years so I've lost a lot of muscle strength due to recoveries that I really need to get back to building back up. I think my issues I've dealt with is why I am so sympathetic to older people and people with physical impairments that enjoy brewing on their own.

[@Texaviator]

Bitter Reality Brewing I think you’ll like the design change when it’s released.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

OK Did a brew today which was only 10 lbs but I watched the PH like a hawk at every stage and although I hit 5.62 initially on the mash I added enough lactic acid to push it down to 5.42 right in the middle of the 5.6 to 5.2 range. Plus I used the small batch adapter to block off the holes around the side and got a 85% BHE! I may have to do some tests and waste some malts to see if the PH or the adapter helped the most but I believe the combination was the key.

[@hackattack7811]

I'm in the market for one of these systems and was undecided but you just made up my mind. I'm not looking to reinvent the wheel, I just want to make good homebrew and have fun doing it. I think the Anvil is the way to go. And not only because of the price. With the GF I dont want to get frustrated throughout the process and lose interest in a great hobby with all the glitches it seems to have. Thank you for a great review.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

First, Thank you for the feedback also in the comments I did mention they have fixed the software but honestly I just sold both of my Grainfathers and am very happy with my Anvil as it does the job and does it well. Plus I will never go back to "High Density" burners ever again and I'm kind of shocked GF hasn't switched yet. Anvil and the Brewzilla 3.1.x are currently the only two on the market that I am aware of that are low density and both have their pros and cons (the cons are very minor).

[@hackattack7811]

@@BitterRealityBrewing thanks again for the great info. Just subscribed.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

@@hackattack7811 Thank you and just hit 2k!

[@hackattack7811]

@@BitterRealityBrewing Congrats!

[@devb9912]

Thanks for the video! Everything you've commented on for that Grainfather not having (240, handles, etc.) seems to be included in the new S-40 Grainfather, AND it seems to have pretty good capacity. Have you looked into that version? I am just starting to think about what I want for my basement, as opposed to getting everything out into the garage for a day... then cleaning it all up and bringing it back in. If you haven't looked at that version no problem, but if you have I'd love to hear your thoughts. Again, thanks.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Yes, I was very excited about the G40 but I reached out to Grainfather support and sadly it still uses "High Density" burners which just kills me but on the plus side, they did spread the heating elements out a great deal which might help a little with the scorching issue of high density burners. High Density = Intense, localized Heat While Low Density = a more distributed heating across the elements which can take a bit longer to get heated up (if 120v) but are a lot less prone to scorching. If it was only during the boil that wouldn't be a problem as I can easily rub the bottom with my large wooden brew paddle but on my older Grainfathers I had it happen too many times during the mash which I can't fix without having to remove the grain basket during mid mash cycle which simply was very upsetting and frustrating. I'd seriously consider adding a Grainfather back to my brew setups if they would simply produce one with low density burners.

[@devb9912]

@@BitterRealityBrewing Thank you! I might be looking more at the Anvil then, since it has the low density.

[@jonrhodin5875]

Extremely helpful. I have to ask, however, what happens if you put 20 pounds of grain in the Anvil?

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Honestly I've heard of people doing it but I've personally only seen 18 lbs of grain fit. I've been close to the 18 lbs myself and 20 lbs would be extremely thick and most likely compacted creating a mash issue. You could do about 24 lbs if you chose to use a BIAB with the Anvil or Grainfather. I liked the old Grainfather and even like the newer versions but REALLY wish they would go to low density burners. I should probably do a newer version of this video now as the newer Brewzilla is in the middle between a Grainfather with the tech and an Anvil Foundry with the low density burners plus there are a few other bonus items with the new Brewzilla 4.0 that are impressive.

[@08Codys]

Might be a bit of a dead space issue due to how much taller the Anvil is, but have you tried using the Grainfather Malt Pipe in the Anvil? When the Anvil was 1st released the Malt Pipe was the biggest turn off on the system. I felt it was too much like the Brewers Edge Mash and Boil and I was never a fan of that to the point I bought a Robobrew Malt Pipe and False Bottom to replace it.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Too funny as I have put the GrainFather malt basket inside the GrainFather but was worried about damaging the spigot without something to hold it up better but I will be trying the small batch part to see if that helps with BHE but the malt basket has a lot of dead space on the sides compared to the way the malt basket fits very snug inside the GrainFather. Either way I will be trying a few things to improve over all Brew House Efficiencies to see if it helps.

[@markadams243]

Don't know when this was made but the Grainfather info is out of date. For example the new controller shows both the current and target temperature all the time. I haven't had problems with having to reset etc with the new controller either.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Yes this video was released Aug 5th 2020 so the Grainfather has had a fair amount of modifications and improvements. I'd be temped to buy one again (I sold my 2 GFs) if they would go to low density burners as I reached out to them a few months back and all of their current units are still using high density heating elements although on a few of the newer ones they mentioned that the heating elements are more dispersed compared to the older units which does help a bit in the area of scorching. I do a lot of rye and wheat and had reoccurring issues during mashing on both units which drove me crazy and was very upsetting. The solution was to pull the grain basket out once or twice during the mash and rub the bottom...not a good solution in my eyes. I'm actually keeping my eyes open for the upcoming Brewzilla 4.0 as I've heard some good rumors about major changes plus it uses the low density burners like Anvil Foundry does. Brewzilla switched to low density burners back on version 3.1.1 to reduce the potential of scorching.

[@boughtbyHim]

What is a great mash/grain ratio for the Anvil Foundry?

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Based on the Anvil system this might better answer your question based on how you would consider using it but at 240v it is around 87 oz per 1 lb of grain - anvilbrewing.com/v/vspfiles/images/ANV-Foundry%20V7.pdf Keep in mind that they recommend holding back 1/2 gallon for sparge and I like many others hold back a full gallon making that a bit closer to 80.64 oz per 1 lb of grain. Technically speaking from my understanding 1.25 to 2.0 qt is recommended for most systems with 1.5 qt = 48 oz being the most popular recommendations that I find. So at 80 oz = 2.5 which seems high but there is a considerable amount of dead space on the sides and on the bottom. So at 2.5 qts on a big brew with lots of oats the mash will be a little think but not too bad. Now you have me wondering exactly how much dead space I have between the sides and bottom as a whole...I might have to do some volume calculations later one.

[@carola1155]

Great video. I bought a Foundry earlier in the summer and have been liking it a lot so far. This video makes me glad I didn't spend the extra $ on the GF. Also, I love the NRBC shirt- what kind of herps do/did you keep?

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Agreed on getting a reliable brewing system without wasting money. Great job and hope you are loving it! Sadly I don't have anymore reptiles as I went through a time in my life where I was traveling a lot and couldn't get anyone to take care of them and had to sell all of them except me son's Uromastyx which sadly passed away last year after about 16 years. I use to be the largest breeder of Viper Geckos in the U.S. until I sold them to the 2nd largest, loved them. Also kept a pair of Nosy Be Panther Chams, 1 saved Veiled Cham, 1 saved miniature Jackson Cham, 1 saved Egyptian Uromastyx, 1 pair of Satanic Leaf Tailed Geckos (I miss them a lot, they were crazy cool), and a few others from time to time. I use to own FlyCafe.net but sold it many years back producing tons of Fruit Flies, mealworms, superworms, and a few other things from time to time. Still would love to have either a pair of Leaf Tailed Geckos, or like but my wife is highly opposed as you can tell I had a lot so I actually had a large room with desert temps on one end with humid cooler temps at the other end of the room. It was crazy cool and learned a lot including ways to decrease mortality rates with new born Viper Geckos.

[@carola1155]

@@BitterRealityBrewing lol... small world. I remember you from dendroboard. Happy to see you have a new hobby keeping you busy without all the reptiles in your life!

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

@@carola1155 Awesome to have you aboard. I do miss my herps.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

@@carola1155 Do you still have any herps? If so what are you currently keeping?

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

@@carola1155 You have brought back a lot of memories as I sold FlyCafe.net and used the proceeds to buy a new Mini Cooper JCW custom ordered. Also I just remembered my dart frogs which I got after I sold off all my reptiles but sadly someone in my family was taking care of them as I started having to travel from time to time and killed them. Although they told me it was an accident, have you ever heard of frogs drowning in 1.5 inches of water...? That was the water feature in their home. My wife as of last week is trying her hand at mealworms which to me is the easiest thing in the world so I am assisting her.

[@markjenkins4383]

Before buying my system, I looked at both. I ultimately ponied up the money and went with at Spike Trio 20 gallon Double Batch System. All the issues you are talking about in this video i.e. stuck sparges, burning of the mash, you will not have with a Spike System. Main reason is the HERMS set up. If you get a chance and brew on a Spike System and you will never go back and might just purchase one.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Sounds like a plan but I'd have to get one that could do 3 to 12 gallons as that seems to be where I am as of late. I like to do 6 and 12 gallon split batches a lot for testing yeasts and other changes to the final brews.

[@markjenkins4383]

@@BitterRealityBrewing at20 gallon system will do 10 gallon batches (any abv you are trying to hit poundage of mash), and it will do 15 gallon batches of low abv beer. With that said, Spike makes the Trio in 30 and 50 gallon, but they also have a 1bbl NANO System for about $17,000; which, is not bad to be honest. Look them up and their customer service is awesome. You will not deal with another company that will compare to their customer service.

[@Allen-ey2ym]

Mark you’re making an unfair comparison here. Yes, the Spike Trio is an excellent system, no doubt but this is about an all-in-one that takes up far less space and is simpler. I have a SPIKE system myself after years of trying other equipment, but I’ve also migrated to the Anvil Foundry for simplicity, ease of use, minimal cleanup, small footprint, etc. Both have their purpose. The question here is between Grainfather and Foundry.

[@MasoThings]

Hey. Have you had an issue with the Anvil showing actual temp 212 degrees always, then error message E1 in the power section? All I can find online & manual is troubleshoot error E1. Tried resetting. Still broke. Only had it 2 months. Sent a message. I figured I ask some people that have it here.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Sadly I haven't heard of that error and wasn't able to find any real information on it. I would give Anvil a call on Monday in the early afternoon to see if they can fix it or worst case replace it and get you up and working. Please keep me informed on what they say it is and what they do to make things right. Thank You.

[@elibyrd2112]

Maso Reviews, as an Anvil owner myself, I've never had that error pop up on me but I have heard of it. I'm fairly certain that error is a result of build up on the bottom causing an overheat error. If you havent done so already, I would encourage you to check out the Anvil Foundry All-grain Brewing User Group on FB. It's a great resource for issues like that and the owner (Blichmann) is a member of the group, so he is available as well.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

@@elibyrd2112 Great recommendation, just kicking myself I didn't think of it plus Billy burns (a member of the group) is working on an Unofficial Bible for the Anvil Foundry and he posted it just about 2 or 3 days ago and I want to say I saw something about the E1 error listed in there.

[@MasoThings]

@@elibyrd2112 It was a really simple fix. No build up. Only 2 or 3 brews on it then. I didn't realize when you hit the reset button, you have to really push it and listen/feel for the pop.Working fine now. Anvil customer service was useless. They responded saying they have never heard of that error. When did I buy, How many brews, what's my email, even though he emailed me on my Anvil account email. I didn't even respond back.

[@travdog916]

Curious...is there a difference between the two in beer clarity? Thank you

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

I'd like to say no when it comes to the final beer, but I will say initially the Grainfather does seem to filter out a bit more if the grain bed is good and not compacted by too much flow although on the GF the pump system does get clogged considerably easier but usually can be cleared by pushing the liquid back the opposite direction to clear whatever is lodged.

[@travdog916]

@@BitterRealityBrewing thank you for the quick reply. I’m leaning more and more towards the Anvil Foundry but torn between the two. I’ve been kicking this decision around for about three weeks now. If only I could test drive them both😂. Thanks again. Love the channel and have really enjoyed your videos. Very informative.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

@@travdog916 Thank you again and good luck but I will tell you the Anvil and the Brewzilla both have the low density burners which I will never go back to high density burners ever again as like rye and wheat which from my understanding scorch a bit easier compared to other grains but I'm happy with my current system and looking to have a pair of systems a little over a year from now as I'll be building a mini-micro brew setup in a new house then and I'll want to do a ton of comparison brews but who knows what will be available 12 to 14 months from now.

[@travdog916]

@@BitterRealityBrewing BOOM! That probably just made up my mind. I am a lover of the wheat brews. I really appreciate the solid information. You’re 100% correct, who knows what 12 months will bring but I wish you all of the luck with the new home and mini micro brew. How cool is that?! Look forward to seeing videos on that puppy. Take care 🍻

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

@@travdog916 Me to as the wife used it as a bribe to get me to move as we'll sell our current house and sadly have to rent a house somewhere for 1 year while they build our new house but I'm looking forward to sharing the adventure.

[@zerobambiro]

I would love to buy an anvil foundry, but they don't ship it to germany :(

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

😥Sorry to hear that and if it was recent, I wonder if it has to do with their supply issues. They've been behind the 8 ball on meeting demands for over a year and when Covid hit, it only got worse.

[@deckerhand12]

Sometimes more expensive isn’t better. The new anvil foundry’s don’t have the rings. My 6.5 don’t have the ring

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

So true and I've already placed a pre-order for a new Anvil as I want to do side-by-side Anvil brew comparisons.

[@guitar81sb]

240 volts is necessary. I am not getting rigorous boil with 120volts

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Fully agree. That is why I like the Anvil as most people start with 120 and move to 240, and the Anvil works for both.

[@guitar81sb]

Though my beers tasted great in the end. Beginner to intermediate brewers probably won't notice the difference that a rigorous boil makes.

[@guitar81sb]

I made 7 gallon batches in Anvil easily.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Awesome! Sadly I think my record is around 6.5 gallons max on my Anvil but it gets the job done.

[@humzilla707]

Simple is better and the more time away from my phone the better

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

True as I'm an IT person by trade but think I'd be happy on an island if I didn't have to work just chilling out and enjoying the fresh air.

[@joshawawow]

21:48 ? is that a cat tail?

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

LOL, I do have a cat and a dog that have both made a few uninvited cameo appearances but that was a piece of paper with bullet points to remind me so I didn't miss what I wanted to cover. Great eye.

[@Tuxster3]

God, I would never buy these expensive products! I mean I have a deep love and obsession with home brewing, but you'd have to make a LOT of beer for these products to pay for themselves.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

I fully understand and some of us probably do make enough to have the equipment pay for itself but honestly it is more of a passion for homebrewing and not about paying for itself although I would fully agree about the GrainFather being very expensive although it is far from the most expensive out there.

[@rickwischer1318]

@@BitterRealityBrewing Bingo. Buying a brew system isn't about cutting down on cost and getting bang for buck. It's all about enjoying brewing as a hobby. Similarly I just bout a SS fermenter. Did I need one? The glass carboy or plastic bucket gets the job done but I wanted to make the process easier.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

@@rickwischer1318 So true as I was joking to someone today that I broke down and bought some random hops that were on sale at Adventures in Homebrewing "Wunder Hops" deal and lots of other stuff I probably didn't need but would enjoy using next year during my future brews. 😂😂😂 I would love a glycol system but do I really need one...NO but the only thing keeping me from doing it is the costs to have 4 complete working fermenters that is where it gets expensive.