Buying a Brew Magic...please advise!

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funkybuddha

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I am considering buying a used brew magic from someone in my area. It was made in 2005, so it doesn't have some of the bells and whistles of the new machine. Mainly, the touch panel computer system. Does anyone own a system from that year or around that year that could give the thumbs up or down on it? He is asking $3800 but it comes with a bunch of 5 gallon soda kegs as well as two 15 gallon sabco fermenters. Is this a good price?

Thanks in advance for you help!

Ryan
 
Not everyone has as much DIY knowledge and ability as they do expendable income. It's fun building, but it'd also be nice to write a check and start brewing if I had it to spare.

Sorry no info for you Funky. How many kegs you getting? Figure each one worth $20 into your price.
 
It's tough to say what if it's "worth it", but it sounds like a fair price. I wouldn't/didn't buy a commercial brewery, but a lot of people do and are very happy with them. If you don't want to build a system yourself, and you have the change to drop on that, go for it and be proud of your bling.
 
Thanks for info guys. I guess I should give some background. I own a small beer bar in South Florida. We are thinking about expanding and starting to brew our own beer. Going by what I sell right now (since I carry about 100 bottles) I will need to brew about 30 gallons a week. I would definitely be down for building one myself if anyone had some good detailed plans. Money is definitely tight and saving a few thousand would be great. If I am talking about saving 1,000 I would probably just suck it up and buy one that is professionally made.

Thanks again for taking the time to write.....
 
I can't offer advice on whether or not the prices is worth it but, I can advise from personal experience that a new BM witha Chill Wizard is gonna run you about $7k delivered.

The BM brought the fun back into brewing for me and I like to think I'll take it to the Halls of Valhalla with me. I hear they like beer there.
 
If you're looking to brew 30 gals/wk for your business, I think I'd definately look into building something on your own that suits you better than a BM. If it were me, I'd want to invest in some large kettles so I could brew 30 gals at a time. I doubt I'd want to brew 3 times/wk to keep up with demand.

You'll need to figure out how you're going to ferment that much beer, too. Large conicals? Maybe there are some reasonably priced plastic conicals you could use.

I think I'd nix the automation to begin with - it's not really necessary. You should be able to find a welder that build you a stand for pretty cheap. Then you'll need 3 big burners for your kettles, a nice big plate chiller, a good pump, and enough fermenting capacity. If you're brewing indoors, you'll need to have some good ventilation. You might want to talk to an HVAC guy about that.

Really, it's a lot to do and think about for 30 gals/wk, but maybe with the little pilot brewery in place you could increase demand and build it into something larger.
 
Lil' Sparky said:
If you're looking to brew 30 gals/wk for your business, I think I'd definately look into building something on your own that suits you better than a BM. If it were me, I'd want to invest in some large kettles so I could brew 30 gals at a time. I doubt I'd want to brew 3 times/wk to keep up with demand.

You'll need to figure out how you're going to ferment that much beer, too. Large conicals? Maybe there are some reasonably priced plastic conicals you could use.

I think I'd nix the automation to begin with - it's not really necessary. You should be able to find a welder that build you a stand for pretty cheap. Then you'll need 3 big burners for your kettles, a nice big plate chiller, a good pump, and enough fermenting capacity. If you're brewing indoors, you'll need to have some good ventilation. You might want to talk to an HVAC guy about that.

Really, it's a lot to do and think about for 30 gals/wk, but maybe with the little pilot brewery in place you could increase demand and build it into something larger.
Click to expand...

I don't think he's looking at teh automated version. He said no controller. So, that's an older nuts and bolt model. But, I do agree he needs something larger to do single batches on rather than blending 3 into 1. And if that isn;t convincing enough just remember not only would you be brewing 3 times a week on a BM but, you'd be cleaning the thing that often too.

Hands free cleaning (CIP) adds another 30 to 60 minutes to my brewday alone. and taht is if I start the cycle on the other vessels as soon as they empty.
 
I am definitely hoping to get into something bigger one day, but just being realistic at this point about demand. I want to offer at least 4 or 5 varieties. I figured brewing 2 days at 2 or 3 batches each day. I lost the link but someone sent me a good site with cheap conical fermenters (like $150 each) for 15 gallons. I would need two or 3 since I already would have 2 with the purchase.

Other things that he is including that should be mentioned
14 five gallon kegs
2 15 gallon fermenters
grain mill
keg filler
chiller

If any of you guys are ever in the South Florida area please come by for some beers on me!
 
funkybuddha said:
I am definitely hoping to get into something bigger one day, but just being realistic at this point about demand. I want to offer at least 4 or 5 varieties. I figured brewing 2 days at 2 or 3 batches each day. I lost the link but someone sent me a good site with cheap conical fermenters (like $150 each) for 15 gallons. I would need two or 3 since I already would have 2 with the purchase.

Other things that he is including that should be mentioned
14 five gallon kegs
2 15 gallon fermenters
grain mill
keg filler
chiller

If any of you guys are ever in the South Florida area please come by for some beers on me!
Click to expand...

you can get fermentors allot cheaper here on the site vendor's or looking local as they may have a shop near by. he offers a discount i do believe. as far as that how big of a pipeline you going to build up? id consider start looking at half barrels instead of soda kegs. one batch one keg.
 
The question is if you are running a business do you have time to build your own system to save a few bucks. I would buy the already built system and if you decide to upgrade at a later date you can most likely sell this one for a good price.

Where in Boca? I have family living in town and maybe they can drop by and have one for me!
 
funkybuddha said:
And no, I really don't have the time to build one unless I am saving a ton
Click to expand...

you dont need to really build it. you put your specs down take it to a fab shop and they build it. look at others plans for 30 gallon batch's. see what they used and come up with a plan. the fab shop will weld everything. then from there get together with other brewers in the area and ask for help on the controls. shoot ask here you will get a ton of help from software to electronic controls. or you can call sabco and see what it would cost to put together a 30gallon BM
 
I say go for it, there is alot to be said for brewing more small batches.

My question is this... how much homebrewing experience do you have? If you are new to this, please do your bussiness a favor and dont sell any of your beer until you have several unbiased opinions on its quality. I cant tell you how many people I turned off of my homebrew by giving them one of my first few gung-ho batches.
 
I have some homebrewing experience but mostly with partial grain and/or extracts. The good thing is, being in the business I have made a few friends that are professional brewers. They are willing to help and give advice along the way. I am definitely not going to pass off any subpar beer.....despite my pride!

I like the idea of being experimental and brewing lots of different stuff. We will probably have 3-4 standards (ipa, brown ale, wheat beer) and then have some different stuff. Should be fun and exciting.
 
Funkybuddha,
I feel obligated to say: Because of the amount of work involved in brewing 3 times a week, I would say really think about how much time you will have to devote to brewing. Check this guy out, I've corresponded with him and I'm sure he would be very helpful
Home Page
Whatever you decide, keep us in the loop. Luck - Dwain
 
funkybuddha said:
I figured brewing 2 days at 2 or 3 batches each day.
Click to expand...

Ouch! I only know of one dude that did that on a regular basis and lived to talk about it. Runs a little place up in Deleware I believe. Makes off centered stuff for off centered people. Got his start off center on a BM.

You should talk to him fo' sho'. Find out if he'd attempt it again and what it took for him to get off center with it.
 
I've gotta stick w/ my original suggestion. Brewing one or two different 30 gal batch each week to keep you in stock sounds SOOOO much more appealing to me than brewing 4-6 times a week. Don't get me wrong, I like brewing, but you're talking about adding a LOT of work to your (I'm sure already busy) work week. And that can take it out of the fun category and place it squarely in the "this sucks" category. Plus, if you get burned out on brewing, you don't want your customers to come around and be disappointed because you ran out.

Someone mentioned talking to a local welder/fabricator. I think that's a great suggestion, and I'm willing to be they can put together what you need and leave you with plenty of cash left to buy some big pots.
 
All very good suggestions and thanks again for putting the time in to help me out. Is it possible to brew 30 gallon batches on BM or are they just not big enough?
 
Best you are gonna get is 14 to 14.5 in the boil kettle and that is using pellet hops and foam control.

Anything is possible if you have the energy and stamina for teh effort. It's going to be the only thing you do in order to keep up.

IIRC, Sam C achieved this in the begging by having multiple tuns so he could swap out and make someone else clean while the next batch was on.
 
funkybuddha said:
All very good suggestions and thanks again for putting the time in to help me out. Is it possible to brew 30 gallon batches on BM or are they just not big enough?
Click to expand...
The most you can hope for using kegs is 11 gals post-boil, and if you want to use bigger kettles, it would be better to build a stand with burners designed for them.
 
One other thing I would add, you said you've only brewed extract/partial mash, keep in mind that the all-grain process takes significantly longer time period to brew, so 2-3 batches in a day is looking like easily 10-15 hours. I'm on the board with the 30 gallon brewery recommendations.

I've seen stainless 55 gallon drums on Craigslist a few times, I haven't done much research on them, but if you could snag 3 of those and get a stand fabricated you would be way better off.
 
funkybuddha said:
I will need to brew about 30 gallons a week.
Click to expand...

beeraroundtown said:
One other thing I would add, you said you've only brewed extract/partial mash, keep in mind that the all-grain process takes significantly longer time period to brew, so 2-3 batches in a day is looking like easily 10-15 hours.
Click to expand...

He said 30 gallons a week, not 3 times a day. I doubt it would take 10 to 15 hours to brew 10 gallons on a Brew-Magic rig even as a beginner.
 
Well guys it seems as if my question has been slightly answered. I called to check on the status and the BM was sold. Possible blessing in disguise I suppose. I have another system in mind that was built. I will get the specs and report back in a day or two.

Cheers!
 
You are in Florida - Find a pool guy and recycle the old SS pool filters. They make great 31 gallon systems. Get the ideas from HBT, sketch it up and give it to a fabricator. Make sure the MLT has a tippy hinge. Total cost would be 2-3K depending on the Bling factor.

Then you brew 1 to 2 times a week. - Perfect -
 
Before you spend any money, check with your state, county and city health department if the registered NSF Certification Mark on the equipment is required.

Cheers,
ClaudiusB
 
Here is how you can get about 22-23 gallons post boil. After the mash and you begin the fly sparge or batch sparge(whichever you prefer) start crushing your grain for batch #2. As batch #1 is boiling you will be mashing batch #2. As batch #1 is done boiling transfer into fermenter and remove false bottom of BK and clean out hops and hot break, replace into kettle and begin sparge. Doing 2 batches back to back will only add 1.5-1.75 hours and you only have to clean the entire system once. Heck, I leave PBW in mine overnight and it comes out clean as a whistle. It takes 1 or 2 times to get the timing down but 2X the beer and only cleaning the BM once..............priceless.

Good luck if you pull the trigger but you can buy some 4 BBL if you're willing to piece it together.
 
runhard said:
Here is how you can get about 22-23 gallons post boil. After the mash and you begin the fly sparge or batch sparge(whichever you prefer) start crushing your grain for batch #2. As batch #1 is boiling you will be mashing batch #2. As batch #1 is done boiling transfer into fermenter and remove false bottom of BK and clean out hops and hot break, replace into kettle and begin sparge. Doing 2 batches back to back will only add 1.5-1.75 hours and you only have to clean the entire system once. Heck, I leave PBW in mine overnight and it comes out clean as a whistle. It takes 1 or 2 times to get the timing down but 2X the beer and only cleaning the BM once..............priceless.

Good luck if you pull the trigger but you can buy some 4 BBL if you're willing to piece it together.
Click to expand...

+1 I was going to suggest the same thing. I know the OP lost the chance at the used BM but I thought that was the way to go. Especially with all the stuff that came with it it was less than half price.

Sam from Dogfish just bought extra kettles and did 30 gallons in an 8 hour day (according to his book). I think that would give the OP variety as that is what was being sought after.

Good luck with your search. I know the BM seems like a fine machine. I almost pulled the trigger on one 2 months ago. Bob seems provides excellent customer service. Very timely and thorough in his replies to my emails.

Also, I think B3 is offering free shipping on their units through the end of this month. Thats helps a lot for those of us way over here in Florida!
 
Yambor44 said:
Also, I think B3 is offering free shipping on their units through the end of this month. Thats helps a lot for those of us way over here in Florida!
Click to expand...

Same problem shipping to the left coast, salt water is only a block away.
I get nailed as a "Zone 4 or 5" in shipping many times.
Many items manufactured in the deep south under cheaper labor than Kalifornia or up the right coast.

I'm getting notices from a friend about repops of corny's made in China.
Leaded stainless?

I would take your time as other units will pop up especially in a state like Florida with many swimming pools. The best idea was posted not long ago by another HBT member using those large stainless pool filters. It was a super clean single tier system with pool filters that was great bier porn down to the stand which sounds like the perfect way to go for your needs.
 
ClaudiusB said:
Before you spend any money, check with your state, county and city health department if the registered NSF Certification Mark on the equipment is required.

Cheers,
ClaudiusB
Click to expand...

Just like metal detecting, a license is required be it only $35 for two years but another income for the state.

There must be sanitary specs that must be adhered to with food products when sold to the public, different states may vary on this.
I would check into all the legal issues and license fees first before plunking down big money on equipment. Get some backing to hely you, I wish you the best of luck and go big with the equipment size like 30 gallon as mentioned above.
 

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