High Gravity BIAB Electric Brewing System

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I've had mine for a year, last month was a year since it was delivered. At times I wish I had gone bigger than the 62 liter kettle though. Had I waited the detachable Blichmann elements would be what I definitely would get.

Screwy, Why would you get the Blichmann element if you could do it over again?
 
I have HG blichmann breweasy 10 gallon electric system. Brewed about 150 gallons on it. Saved about 300 bucks total using there EBC III Sv controller. Vs the blichmann controller. Works great haven't had any issues. I'm not sure the noise people say they are hearing running it, mine doesn't make any noise turning on and off.
 
Screwy, Why would you get the Blichmann element if you could do it over again?

@Beavdowg Mainly because the newer Blichmann element disconnects easily from the kettle, making cleaning the system easier. The 220v element that shipped with my unit, is connected to the kettle using a large nut and an o-ring, it's not the easiest thing to remove and replace.
 
Screwy, how does the boilcoil disconnect? I went on their website but can't visualize how it easily disconnects. I'm comparing it to the Brew Boss heater element that just disconnects using a triclamp fitting. Seems easy as can be.
 
Boil coil is 2 small holes. to remove the coil from the pot. and the electric disconnect is just a big push block thing. it removes really easy to move the pot to clean it.
 
Just about a year using my HG system. Brewing couple times a month. Everything I needed from kettle to controller came in one box. Simple neat, easy, no muss, no fuss. Couldn't be happier, glad I got so"ripped off."
When I had an issue, Dave stood behind his product.

Auggiedoggie would apparently DIY his own axe just to grind it.
 
Yea its 2 9/16 nuts that hold the studs that poke thru the kettle wall. I've never removed mine to clean it. Pbw a little heat and then spray it off.
 
Super easy to clean. Throw some pbw in. Fill with water. Heat to 160 for a couple hours. Just wipes clean.
 
The Blichmann element is awesome. Much better than the old water heater elements that used to come standard in many eHERMS or eBIAB systems.

Big plug -- easily to unplug -- and much safer with metal shield.

I have a 2250W 120V BoilCoil that does about 2 degrees per minute. Good rolling boil, too.

Just added the quick take apart ball valve to my HighGrav BIAB system:

http://www.brewershardware.com/1-2-NPT-Quick-Clean-Take-Apart-Ball-Valve.html
 
Got my X-Mas bonus early !
my EBC III showed up last Friday !!

S

I've got the 120V EBC-SV -- but I'm really (and unexpectedly) happy with this system. I've brewed 7 batches now -- and the 3 I've tasted have been phenomenal.

I've also got a PicoBrew -- and have about 75 batches with the Pico -- but recently my Pico ran into some issues -- serious pump/drain issues -- which have forced me to ship the Pico back once for a repair and now -- this week -- back for an exchange. When the Pico was working it was fantastic.

A couple observations about the High Grav versus Pico:

- Pico is not good for hop-forward beers. I can't get them to the hop-level I expect -- even with 100% RO and Randy Mosher's 'Ideal Pale Ale Profile'. The High Grav system, OTOH, is *fantastic* for hop-forward beers. Identical recipes brewed in the Pico and then scaled up for the High Grav system yielded two distinctly different beers.

- Pico is great for malt-forward beers. The Kolsch's I've made on the Pico have been fantastic. This hop/malt distinction may be my own issue, though. Others, I know, have good luck with hoppy beers on the Pico. On my last batch with my old Pico, I finally went ahead and not only used the hop compartments but also hung bittering hops from the top of the keg. I haven't tried it yet, but out of the fermenter -- it tastes great. So this may be secret: with the Pico, you need to augment the automatic hop compartments with some old-fashioned "hops in a mesh bag". I did this for bittering and at flame-out for a 30min hopstand. The jury is still out here.

- Brew day with the Pico is about 4 to 4.5 hours. Most of it is hands-off. That's nice. Brew day on the high grav is about 5 hours, plus 15-30 minute cleaning. Less hands off, but I realized I like this. It reminds me of my old backyard, 3 vessel HERMS system. Lots of work -- a ton of cleaning -- but you really felt like you were involved in the process. The Pico, OTOH, has the initial setup -- and then it's good to go for the next four hours. On weekdays, this appeals to me. On weekends -- and when I have the time -- I prefer the High Grav system.

- Pico is pretty much self-contained until fermentation is over. You pop the seal to add yeast, but that's pretty much it. I like that. The High Grav system, OTOH, is the standard -- make the wort, cool it down (I use Hydra immersion chiller), transfer. So the risk for contamination is higher -- but if your process is good, there's not much to worry about.

- Racking. The Pico has the edge here. It's nice to rack from fermentation keg to serving keg via CO2. Here, too, there's less of chance of contamination. Still need to make sure keg is cleaned and sanitized, but that's pretty simple.

- Taste-wise there's really no difference between the two systems. They both produce superb beers. My first beer off the High Grav system -- even when I was still dialing it in, was the Phat Tyre clone from NB. Great beer -- and unexpectedly good -- even though I was still figuring out how to adjust the EBC to maintain a steady temp. My pre-problem beers from the Pico -- minus the pale ales and IPAs -- were fantastic. No bad or contaminated batches.

- Water. Pico makes a smaller batch, so it takes less water -- around 3.3 to 3.5 gallons to make 2.5 gallons. The BIAB High Grav system takes anywhere between 8 and 9 gallons to make 5-5.5 gallons. I'm using the 'Electric Urn' profile in BeerSmith for the 11 gallon bayou kettle from High Grav -- but I realized I had to adjust the boil-off to about .65 to .75 an hour. I have the 120V system, as I mentioned, so the boil is a calm rolling boil, not a vigorous boil -- so I'm seeing about .75 gallons of evaporation per hour.

- Efficiency. Both systems are about 60% efficiency. Not bad -- especially since there's no sparging with either system.

- Recipe creator. Pico has a great built-in recipe website -- no need for BeerSmith. With the High Grav system, I use BeerSmith with a 60% efficiency and the boil-off rate adjusted.

Overall, I like both systems. Both are relatively compact and easy to clean. Pico gets the nod for automation and connectivity and repeatability -- although once you dial in the EBC -- and know when to adjust it up and down, I suspect the repeatability is nearly identical with the High Grav system.

A winner? The slight -- very slight -- nod goes to the High Grav system because it's easier to fix issues if something happens -- leaks, replace the pump, replace the boil element. The Pico needs a shipment back to the mothership for a fix and/or re-calibration.

However, I do lean toward the Pico for variety. 2.5 gallon batches are great for variety. 5 gallon batches are obviously a better when you've brewed a great batch and want to keep it around.

Glad I have both systems -- and super-glad I'm not brewing outdoors in Chicago weather anymore! :)
 
My biggest reason to go electric

"and super-glad I'm not brewing outdoors in Chicago weather anymore!"

I was brewing in 5F temps in my detached garage in 2007

Never again !!!!!

Can't wait to fire mine up !!

:ban:

S
 
I clean my 62 quart kettle, pump, spray nozzle and counter-flow chiller using 2 gallons of water and a little Oxi-Clean FREE recirculated for 15 minutes at 140F. Followed by the same thing this time using clean water as a rinse.

During the boil I've been disconnecting the silicone tubing from the pump and pouring hot water down the outlet to rinse out any wort. So far it's been 5 brews since I last had to dissemble the Chugger pump to free up the impeller and the heating element still looks like new.
 
During the boil I've been disconnecting the silicone tubing from the pump and pouring hot water down the outlet to rinse out any wort. So far it's been 5 brews since I last had to dissemble the Chugger pump to free up the impeller and the heating element still looks like new.


I do nearly the same. I put enough hot water (from the tap) in to cover the Boil Coil, drop in a little of the CraftMeister Oxygen cleaner (supposedly the same as Oxiclean but a bit stronger because it's sourced from a chemical company), and recirc for about 5 mins.

I don't use the heat or temp probe here. By this stage, they're disconnected and tucked away.

Then I dump the cleaner in the sink, dump in the rest of my starsan into the kettle, and then pump this from the kettle directly into the sink.

Boom. Done.

I probably don't need the starsan, but it's something I've been doing for years when I'm finished. Plus, I disassembled my Chugger head after 7 brews and it was like new. Absolutely zero wort build up.

The only upgrade I've added to the stock High Grav system -- and it seemed like a pretty good one for 35 bucks -- was to add one of the Brewer's Hardware quick clean ball valves:

https://www.brewershardware.com/1-2-NPT-Quick-Clean-Take-Apart-Ball-Valve.html

I've read several stories now about all the crud lurking in ball valves (and I know how much of a pain they can be to clean). In my old HERMS system, I suspect crud'd up ball valves were (most likely) the source of infections that I occasionally experienced. I think I had about 6 or 7 valves -- two pumps, valves, and bleeder valves. It was a lot to keep clean. Here, on the HighGrav system, there's just a single valve. I thought about adding a bleeder, but my pump is low enough (on an upturned bucket) that gravity seems to work fine.

The quick-clean valve is awesome -- 30 seconds to take completely apart -- washers, ball, assembly. Simple.

The other change -- and it's probably a good one -- is that the High Grav temp probe is now at the bottom of the mash tun between the coils instead of at the wort-in at the lid (video and site pictures show it at the lid). Dave said that this means that there will be less overshoot in the mash itself given that the temp is measured between the coils (literally a quarter of an inch clearance). The only issue here is that I always check to make sure the thermoprobe is centered evenly between the coils.

I suspect this is a good thing -- although I know mash temp -- and mash readings -- are notoriously variable (and there's a lot of debate about where, exactly, to measure the mash). In my old HERMS, I measured the temp of the mash exiting the coil and entering my mash lid -- but here, I know, it's a bit different since the element is in the mash itself -- versus in the HLT.

I do know that with this High Grav system the wort is a bit cooler than the set temp when it *enters* the lid via the pump, but I'd rather be on the slightly low side than the high side. The constant recirculating probably means that there's enough turbulence from the top of the mash to the bottom (and then through the pump) that it all evens out -- or averages out.
 
- Efficiency. Both systems are about 60% efficiency. Not bad -- especially since there's no sparging with either system.

I use the 220v EBC-SV with a 62 quart kettle and have been getting better than 70% efficiency consistently. I also order my grains double crushed, do a 168F mash out, followed by 168F sparge to make up my pre-boil volume. For me it's not too much extra effort to get another 10% efficiency.
 
I got my 120v EBC-SV system yesterday and started setting it up. Man this thing is so COOL. One change I see that Dave has done is take the temp. probe from the top of the inlet of the kettle and located it between the coils of the element. It dose seem to help on the temp control once up to temp. to mash temp. but while cranking it up you have a major difference of actual temp of water and heat from the element, you will need to keep your eye on the temp. as it gets closer to the actual temp and adjust accordingly. Also when coming up to boil you will need to adjust EBC for boil temp. where as in the film you would just leave the probe in the top and let it heat up ( no adjustment needed). Did a measurement for dead space on bottom of kettle came out to 76 oz. all I need to do now is check boil off and put into a new BeerSmith profile and I'll be of and running. :rockin:
 
I'm getting ready to order a 20 gal 220v system from HG. One thing I have been looking for is the addition of a timer like this one:

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=16&products_id=356

Not sure it can be incorporated into the enclosure and if I did, if it would affect the warranty. I've reached out to them to ask if they have considered adding the timer into the unit.

Has anyone else added a timer? It just seems so logical to me...
 
I'm getting ready to order a 20 gal 220v system from HG. One thing I have been looking for is the addition of a timer like this one:

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=16&products_id=356

Not sure it can be incorporated into the enclosure and if I did, if it would affect the warranty. I've reached out to them to ask if they have considered adding the timer into the unit.

Has anyone else added a timer? It just seems so logical to me...

Sure lots of people put timers like these into the panels they build just like KAL from theelectricbrewery.com suggests.. I have one in my panel. But another option a lot of people use is one of the many multistage timer apps for phones and tablets which honestly work better for this application.. I still fumble with my timer and love using it for the mash but its not ideal for the hop additions when you have more than one or two additions to keep track of. Of course this timer wasnt around when I built mine so I used another brand that may not as useful as this one now that I see it allows up to 9 events to be programmed.
 
Although I have a similar setup from HG, my solution isn't specific to this.... I have Beersmith running on a tablet and desktop, it has a great timer and lays out all the additions so its a breeze, one less thing to worry about.....
 
Thanks. I use Beersmith so maybe that's what I'll do. Especially if it ends up being easier. I thought about building my own controller but after pricing out the entire single vessel system it hardly seems worth it when you can get one built and it comes with a warranty.
 
Sorry to bump this old post but I just put together the same rig - with the newer "wart hog" controller and the temperature probe mounted in the kettle. Also a different pump. I checked for leaks etc yesterday and measured the boil off rate, gotta clean and sanitize some things today, I'll be brewing with it tomorrow.

I'm starting with a 5 gallon batch so I can test the rig and in particular check if my water here is good enough just carbon filtered for the beers I usually brew.

I'm interested in your hoist system - would you be willing to list the parts? 10 gallons worth of wet grain is a bit of a worry since I brew alone...!
 
How are you guys with the High Gravity cooliing wort after the boil?Have an immersion chiller and currently have to stir the wort like crazy to get the temp down. I really like the idea of having a whirlpool to help. Seems like they would have added an extra bung so you can achieve a whirlpool.
 
How are you guys with the High Gravity cooliing wort after the boil?Have an immersion chiller and currently have to stir the wort like crazy to get the temp down. I really like the idea of having a whirlpool to help. Seems like they would have added an extra bung so you can achieve a whirlpool.

Cools at same rate as any other set up that doesn’t have a whirlpool. Not really essential as there are those who implement a “no chill” technique with out problems. It is easy enough to add with a cheap step bit and a few parts from brewhardware.com if it is important to you. I added a sight glass to my setup with no problems.
 
Is there an option to use a basket instead of a bag? I’d like to do a high gravity/brew boss type of brew system. Not crazy about brew boss controller but like the basket infusion technique.
 
Is there an option to use a basket instead of a bag? I’d like to do a high gravity/brew boss type of brew system. Not crazy about brew boss controller but like the basket infusion technique.

We use the Brew Bag in a basket. The basket has large holes.

The Brew Boss fine mesh basket with the central infusion is nice. For the price though, you can add a mash tun with a false bottom, and have a 2-Vessel system.
 
Is there an option to use a basket instead of a bag? I’d like to do a high gravity/brew boss type of brew system. Not crazy about brew boss controller but like the basket infusion technique.

I don’t use the basket that comes with the HG system. Not enough flow with bigger grain bills.
I use a false bottom from brewhardware.com.
Alternatively, you could source a mesh basket from arborfab.com

Are planning to recirculate your wort?
 
Yes, plan on recirculating. Also would like to whirlpool which I️ could add later. How much grain can you fit without the basket?
 
I only do 5 gal batches in a 11gal bayou classic setup. I've got the 240v boilcoil, a brewhardware false bottom and whirlpool arm. I use a wilser bag. Don't see a reason to do an expensive arborfab basket. I get great efficiency recirculating with the bag. I can do pretty big grain bills in it but don't know what the max really is. Never tried more than about 15 lbs. Last time I used it, I reserved a gallon for a dunk sparge and my efficiency went through the roof. Wanted to hit 1.075 but wound up with 1.084.
 
I only do 5 gal batches in a 11gal bayou classic setup. I've got the 240v boilcoil, a brewhardware false bottom and whirlpool arm. I use a wilser bag.
I'm probably going to this exact same kettle setup with my Brew Boss. What is the length of the legs on your false bottom? I'm guessing ~5" to clear the Boil Coil. Did you get the legs from Brewhardware? As they only list up to 3" legs.

Have you had any issues with keeping the grain covered? I estimate there will be ~3 gallons under the false bottom. I think it will be ok, but want to check with someone who actually has this setup.

Thanks
 
I'm probably going to this exact same kettle setup with my Brew Boss. What is the length of the legs on your false bottom? I'm guessing ~5" to clear the Boil Coil. Did you get the legs from Brewhardware? As they only list up to 3" legs.

Have you had any issues with keeping the grain covered? I estimate there will be ~3 gallons under the false bottom. I think it will be ok, but want to check with someone who actually has this setup.

Thanks
I have 4 1/4” legs (which I bought myself) and the false bottom easily clears the element and my temp probe. But I mounted my element myself very low in the bk. Last brew I did I took the legs off and just let the false bottom rest on the element because I like to remove the fb before I go to the boil and the legs (bolt heads) would get hung up between the element and kettle wall... anyway it worked great. Never had a problem with a stuck mash after moving from the bayou classic basket to just the bag with the fb.
 
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