Grainfather G40 vs Brewtools B40 Pro vs Brewzilla 65L Comparison Buyers Guide

[@PatrickSandy78]

It never ceases to amaze me how generous you are with your time and knowledge.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

I enjoy this 🍻🍻🍻

[@breachofthepeace1829]

Good old boy is David

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Less of the old thanks lol :p

[@alanman5328]

A fantastic comparison guide delivered in the David Heath style of pure information and no BS or off topic waffle. Pure gold as usual, many thanks for all that you do for the community.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Many thanks Alan, much appreciated. Glad you found it useful 🍻🍻🍻

[@DorriWilliams]

At 3:19, the screen shows a max batch size in liters of 60L for the Brewzilla compared to 40L for the others, but the gallons shows the same 10.57 as the other two. I think it should be 15.85 gallons.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Yes, my mistake

[@Mikkogram]

It is like you read my complains about my current system and had the urge to help me out. Great video :)

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thanks M D, I am glad that you found this useful. What are you using right now and what are you thinking about upgrading to?

[@Mikkogram]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew currently i have the BZ35 v3. And I have serious problems with the temperature probe. Also the false bottom tends to go up during the boil. And reading online, it seems like that are common problems for their Units. i was thinking about the brewtools system, but after seeing your video i do not think I will buy it. although I am really into the pro approach and don't like their selling approach with their starter kit, since their try to hide the real coat to use their system as intended. I think the G40 is the way to go, since it give the most flexibility. Giving the batch range, it is easy to switch from very small test batches to full on two corny keg batches. Also the price seems to be fair, since there is also a counterflow chiller included

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi, Ive not had these problems with the BZ35 but I guess people can be unlucky. Certainly its not a common complaint in my region. The G40 will be a nice step up though.

[@garriedorman9083]

Great video David, thanks for taking the time to make it.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thank you :)

[@ShortCircuitedBrewers]

I have to say the 65l.brewzilla is currently the best value large batch all in one system. I really enjoy brewing on the 65L for sure. Great comparison David!! 👍🍻

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Many thanks Brian. Yes the BZ65 certainly stands out when it comes to value. It is not going to be for everyone though, budget allowing.

[@ShortCircuitedBrewers]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew I agree! Thanks for all the time it took to do this.. I know firsthand how long these take!! Lol 👍🍻

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Cheers Brian. Yes this took a lot of work for sure. Hopefully it helps a lot of people.

[@timredd]

Thanks for the system updates David. Although I'm not looking for a new unit, it's nice to keep in touch with current trends.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Cheers Tim. Yes I think at the very least this is useful for seeing where potential upgrades are, even if you are not in the position or need to change.

[@danpierce37]

Very good comparison video and I have to say the G40 will be my next system if and when I plan to upgrade from my G30. Thanks

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Cheers Dan, glad you found it useful.

[@thefather8362]

Great video David. I asked Santa (aka my wife) for the G40. I’ve been a very good boy this year, so hopefully I’ll be brewing on a new G40 come January. 😀

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thank you. I will be sure to mention to Santa (not your wife) that you deserve one too :p

[@paddywoolley6035]

Thanks David really helpful to shape the D for the budding step into next level brewing!!

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Cheers Paddy 🍻🍻🍻

[@petrisonkeri9604]

Once again great and valuable video. I already made my upgrade from g30 to g40 and i am super happy about it. For others considering alternatives, i suppose it would be great to have your opinion also about which one is least tedious to clean. That was one key consideration for me. I like so much in the g40 compared to g30, how much nicer it is to clean (also lack of center pipe and lack of any pipes going through the lid as well as ability to drain everything without turning the system upside down are real benefits)

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi Petri, Great, thank you. What I looked here were the core details and differences. It terms of cleaning they are all easy.

[@vincenthartigan6019]

Great review David - would like to have seen the Spidel Breumeister 50 lt included - maybe in the future ?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi Vincent, I have tried approaching Spiedel in the past but they have been unresponsive. I would need them to loan me a unit.

[@benvb85]

Great informative content, as always. Do you think there us merit in a video comparing the grainfather S40 to the Brewzilla, considering they're both budget systems?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thank you. Maybe, though my last S40 video did not get much interest.

[@brewing8094]

One thing you missed out was the warranty, warranties differ from country to country. I own a 35L Brewzilla ,but the warranty is only 1 year in my country. Granfather warranty is 3 years, i'm upgrading to the G40 , nicely made rolled stainless steel edges and the recessed bottom plate for those mega hop brews. Another reason I like the G40 is having the option of smaller 10L experimental brews for those 9.5L corny kegs. Keeping the unit simple and easy and fun to use and less parts to clean up at the end, concealed elements. Larger grain basket surface area to drain quicker

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thanks for you feedback. Yes, warranty is by country and really not easy to cover for very many and stay interesting. A comparison like this really has to look at core areas in a more universal manner and could never cover everything in the way that individual reviews could without being too long in duration.

[@pascals3603]

Thank you for the great Video David ! Just upgraded to the B80, had the g30 before and was thinking to get the G40 but pretty happy i didn't. I agree 100% that if you understood the brewtools it is just great! For me the best system at the moment.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Cheers Pascal. Yes, there is no bad choice with any of these, just choices that will suit different needs and budgets. Hopefully this guide helps a lot of people understand what is best for them.

[@6581punk]

Only done one brew on my B80 and it was successful. I was a bit more on-edge than with my Braumeister, but then that's the difference between an almost fully automatic system and one with more manual control.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Cheers 🍻🍻🍻

[@CM-ef8fu]

Thanks David, beautifully presented as always. I love my B40, for me the best brewing system on the market, although sometimes I wish I had the B80 ;-)

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Cheers C M and thank you. The B80 is probably the way to go for some. It is pretty large though compared to the B40.

[@devilmaycare2809]

It would be good if you could do a update to this video now that Brewzilla has released the Gen 4 and no doubt the others have also brought out updates. Very informative video, thanks.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thank you. There is this comparison :- kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5qmc5aNlpt6idEsi=H57EBZQax8RobhAH

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Plus there is a two part comparison here:- kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5uvaYt4qNSgmassi=24tWorGV5C8hFYPm

[@luizreboucas6063]

Very illustrative! Thanks!

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Cheers Luiz 🍻🍻🍻

[@danielebarnabo43]

I was waiting Dave!

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

I hope you enjoyed the end video Daniele, this certainly took a lot of thinking and work to get finished.

[@danielebarnabo43]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew yep haha Now I know for sure that I'm getting a robobrew

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Great, I am glad that this helped you make your decision.

[@patchworxbrewing4164]

I love my Brewzilla 65l great system with a ton of versatility

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Sure is :)

[@markrose8250]

Love your work, David-thank you for what you do for the home brewing community! I really like my Brewzilla 65L, but wish it had a G40 malt pipe with no center obstacle and that mash temps were more constant (PID) controlled. Maybe the rumored Brewzilla Wifi will change all that?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Cheers Mark. Brewzilla series 4 is certain a massive redesign in many areas. I will be covering this next year after release.

[@wojciechgasek4437]

Do you guys also have more grain fragments when mashing 20l batch in the wort then in grainfather g30 with the same grain crush? I'm wondering should I be worried about this or just ignore that parts of grain particles are present during the boil.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Smaller amounts are no issue.

[@matthewkaiser310]

Another great video David. I'm contemplating upgrading my brew system, and these 3 have been on my list. I primarily do one keg batches, but I like the upgraded power these units have. My Robobrew is a great unit, but I would like some more power to help with temp times and a better boil when it's cold. Cheers David!!

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thank you. Yes I mostly use these for one keg batches. Super fast brews with all of these.

[@codebowl]

Thank you for the very detailed comparison, I wish I could afford the B40 Pro but I will save for that in the future. I will probably start off with an Anvil Foundry or the BrewZilla but have yet to decide which one I want to start with. Thank you for your time and knowledge!

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Cheers Joseph. I cannot test the Anvil sadly as its US only at present.

[@Azathoth67]

Excellent, thank you!

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Many thanks Tachi :)

[@paulkeller1246]

Great video as usual. Do you think that you'll get to do a review of the new system by Dark farm?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Is that the self build brew kettle? Uk based?

[@LiamDavies45]

Really good comparison video

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thank you, much appreciated 🍻

[@FermentationAdventures]

Interesting stuff. I’m not currently in the market for any of these, but like to keep up on the market. I never realized the hidden costs in the Brewtools to be comparable in functionality to most other systems of similar size.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Yes, its good to keep up to date for sure, even if you are not planning an upgrade.

[@TheChemicalOli]

Great Video as always, thanks for this comparison. Its good to know, how the journey can go on, when my Klarstein Brauheld Pro will die some time. Btw, it lost a foot yesterday - maybe dieing starts earlier then planned....

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

I am glad you found it useful. Sometimes it can be better to sell a system before it dies. I did this with my G30.

[@TheChemicalOli]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew You are certainly right, but since I am married, replacing a "dead system" may be an option with less "friction". And if it lives on forever, I will certainly upgrade in a few years and use my old system as sparge-water heater.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Haha, yes. My wife gets angry at times :p

[@Renegadz]

Which system is your personal favorite to brew on? I am stuck between the Grainfather G40 and the Brewtools B40. Main concern with the B40, is the max malt bill of 20lbs. But I really like the brewfather integration and the customizability.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hmm tricky. They both have pros and cons. I think you should look at what is most important to you. They are both great systems but very different.

[@elneilios]

I'd be interested to see what new budget systems come out following the new Grainfathers and their malt-pipe solution for recirculation. I imagine we'll see a new BrewZilla from Kegland with something similar in the near future and if they keep their prices in a good spot you have to imagine they'll be onto another winner

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Yes, a new system from Kegland is planned for next year. I will be covering this for sure.

[@fdk7014]

What Kegland should do is make a wifi controller that could communicate directly with Brewfather. That way they could have the same features as the Grainfather without having to develop and maintain their own recipe builder website. Let's even say that you would get one year of Brewfather premium included in the purchase. That would be a win-win for everybody.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Kegland have a new system planned for next year that could fullfill this. I will be covering it as soon as I can.

[@liammcdevitt3303]

Are there any plans for a new Grainfather with a larger capacity? 70L or similar? Thanks

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

No, not that I have been made aware of. I suspect that G30,S40, G40 and G70 will be the line up for some years now.

[@GiladAyalon]

You didn't mention (or maybe I missed it), but the brewzilla doesn't have pid while the g40 does. I think this is a big difference

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

I cant include every single detail about each system in one video. It would make for a video that is very long. So I mentioned the core and referred people onto my more detailed videos about each. Truth be told if you are careful with the amount of heating elements on during mashing on the BZ then the lack of PID is not missed.

[@michaelarmstrong5405]

As always David, I enjoyed the video. I note the systems have different features, but are these features more for convienance rather than different brewing techniques. Going back to basics putting convienance features aside, how are these systems going to provide a better end result than say the BIAB. Afterall, we are talking about temperatures and times in a process that ultimately affect the end result. Cheers Michael

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi Michael, all of these systems are based around BIAB in concept. The extra money buys convenience and technical features. The end results are going to be very similar for sure.

[@michaelarmstrong5405]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew Thanks David, your time is very much appreciated.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thanks Michael 🍻🍻🍻

[@fgoulding]

It will be interesting how the new BZ Gen 4 model compares once it is released over the next few months….

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

It sure will be. I cannot wait myself :)

[@Kving3]

At 7:35, what kind of table are you using? Is it the one from jysk? Does it handle the weight well?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Yes and yes. Though over time it has reacted in places with the heat. It was cheap though.

[@johnf1079]

The Brewzilla 65l fits my budget and needs well. I'm in Portugal and can't find a local distributor or an EU distributor who ships here. Do you have any suggestions?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi John, certainly I know the Brewzilla is sold in various countries in Europe but not all. Googling for these and asking if they will export would be my suggestion.

[@craigkinney853]

You have all three of them. Are you a part time drug dealer? Mate xmas is coming up and little Blair want a new xbox. Think I'll stick with the klarstein until I can save up for a brewzilla. Good video buddy.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Haha, glad you enjoyed it. I would not have them if it wasnt for this channel.