brew jacket immersion, any one get yet?

any one get a immersion yet? if so how is it?

Just got mine yesterday. I had a Belgian White in the secondary. So, I sanitized it and three it on top of the Better Bottle an hour ago to see how it would do. Temp was 69F, and I set it to 60F. An hour later, it is at 66F and falling.

Initial impressions are excellent--well made, professional looking. The insulation package is impressive--easily three times the insulation of my Cool Brewing one. I really like the simplicity of it, just sanitize, set the temp and drop it in.

Might get another one depending on how this one works in practice. I'll post again in a couple weeks after it's gone through a primary fermentation. I've got a California Common up next just to test it out a little.

I have a tracking number for mine dated 2/27 but it still doesn't show as shipped yet. I did get my Better Bottle about 2 weeks ago. Now just waiting for the Brewjacket.

stealthfxr, did you get the blanket when the Brewjacket arrived (separate from the bottle)? I only got the predrilled bottle.

i'll definetly be holding off for a while, $115usd shipping to canada plus the horrible exchange rate right now, i could get a ss bucket and cooling lid for just a little more.

Is it true that you cant sanitize the rod With star san?

It's anodized aluminum so no, I don't believe you can use an acidic sanitizer.

I find it suspicious that one so inovative product like this purports to be, do not have any product review online yet. according to the website shall many have received the unit by now. I orded mine in aug.2014.
hope this is not a fraud story.

I just got mine today. It was on the west coast 2 weeks ago and shipped it via air freight. So it is a real deal. I ordered mine in April 2014.

Thanks for comment. IT May be to positive to hope for a delivery before july then?

Thanks for comment. IT May be to positive to hope for a delivery before july then?

Just used my Brew Jacket for it's first, full batch, a California Common. The fermentation room ambient temp is about 78F right now, and the Brew Jacket is holding 60F without working hard. In fact, it hold the set temp within a degree--verified with my reference thermometer.

Used it on the secondary of a Belgian Wit to do some cold conditioning, mostly because I could not wait to see it in use. It held 50F for two weeks, no problem, and the beer noticeably benefited. I have no doubt I could do a 'full' lager in the Las Vegas summer if needed. I may do an Oktoberfest type beer soon for the Fall.

I used to use a Cool Brewing insulated container to ferment in using ice to cool & control fermentation temps. In addition to not having to change the ice every day, the temp stability far surpasses the ice method.

So, no, the Brew Jacket is not hype at all. I may even get a second one when they offer them for sale normally. So far, I am thrilled with it. I have easy and highly controllable fermentation temp control for the first time.

I'm so serious about wanting one of these! Was hoping to read some reviews first. Thanks for post. What is the proper sanitizing method, since StarSan is out?

Iodine is the easiest way to go and came with the Brew Jacket. The rod piece unscrews from the top 'brain' piece to make this part easy.

Finishing primary fermentation for my California Common, and the Brew Jacket held 60F just fine. I am doing a short rest at 68F, then crash it down to 50F and transfer to a secondary this weekend. I continue to be very impressed with the Brew Jacket.

Awesome. Thanks for info. Iodine doesn't have to be rinsed correct? Also. Any feel for how long it takes to cool. Degrees per hour so to speak. I know and exact figure would require elaborate testing. But I would really be interested in knowing how long it takes to go from 68-50F.
We're you a better bottle user to begin with? I committed to wide mouth plastic bubblers but could go back if the immersion is as good as I hope not is. Thanks for your info.

Literally just turned the Brew Jacket down to 58F at the first step and I am headed off to work.

In past drops, it seems to hit about 15-20 minutes a degree Fahrenheit, but I have not measured it. I did find while it was cooling that the rod gets really darned cold, shockingly so. And, that coolness was all the way down, not concentrated at the top and gradually tapering off, as I would have guessed it would. Those peltier plates work well!

Had a little hiccup but it turned out well. Came home after the post above and found the unit running continuously and the power cord was very hot. I went to unplug it and the plug came apart. One email to Aaron Walls at Brew Jacket and a new power supply was overnight mailed with no questions asked--wow! While I wasn't thrilled with the power cord issue, that kind of customer service will keep me a loyal customer. Awesome.

With the new power supply in hand, I started step chilling the California Common down about 5 degrees at a time; the process slows down the further you go temp wise. After a couple days of this the carboy is down to 43F and the Brew Jacket working a little hard to keep it there.

Ambient in our house is 78F, so I would say the 35F down from ambient is very accurate. I may try to get it down further, but don't want to overtax the unit. It IS summer in Las Vegas, so true lagering may easily be possible in the winter when my fermentation room is 60F usually.

I may let it raise to 50F and hold it for a few weeks, but I had to see how low it would go.

Do you have any type of insulation jacket around it?

Sorry if I missed it in previous replies.

The Brew Jacket came with an impressive insulating cover to go around buckets, Better Bottles, carboys and alike. It is much thicker and better than the $59 Cool Brewing insulating case I used before--very nice and high quality. Could easily fetch $75-100 all on it's own. Without the cover, it would be really hard to maintain temps, but with it isn't too much of a problem. I'll post a picture of it down the road.

California Common hanging out at 45F without any fuss in a 78F room. Nice!

I have a batch of Mango wine in mine on my shaded porch. Temp set at 74F. Yeast in full exothermic phase and it's struggling to keep it there as the ambient temp is 90F+. It cooled the pre-pitched must from 84F to 73F in a couple of hours. I am happy with this product. It is put together professionally and everything looks great.

Brewed an iPad last night want I want it to ferment near the lower end of the yeasts temp range, and I wanted to play with my new toy, so I hooked it up last night.

The power supple is loud and the brew jacket sounds like it's running full bore and has been for hours. I'll report back when it gets down to the 67 to see if it calms down. As is right now there is no way I could keep this thing running in my house all the time because it is just that loud.

06vmi06. Thanks for info. I'm guessing you'd say it's louder than a fridge compressor one might use as a fermentation chamber??? If so that's sort of rough. Hope to hear if anyone else reports this or if it's an anomaly.

I would not imagine it's an anomaly. Most (non-commercial) fridges do not have fans. The Brew Jacket Immersion has a big heat sink with a big fan that has to run fairly hard given how inefficient peltier devices are in general (the technology used). This is not a knock against the Brew Jacket Immersion - it's simply a fact about all peltier devices - they're very inefficient as far as energy usage goes. A large heat sink and fan are required. Peltier cooled conicals are similar: Big heat sinks, big fans.

Kal

Well, after two weeks holding steady at 45F, I came home yesterday to my Brew Jacket powered down but still plugged in. I recycled power and it came back on, but then quickly died again (video of the problem ). Don't know if it is the power supply or what, but I'll send it back next week for repair.

Arrgghhhh. Two 'problems' with one batch of beer, and my first lager to boot. I am hoping this is just an anomaly in the Brew Jacket fielding. Otherwise, a chest freezer and a Ranco controller are in my near term future.

It makes a lot of noise. Seems to be ineffecient too. The rom temp is 24 c. And the immersion work continusly for tre days to hold a temp of 23 with or without the original jacket. This is disappointing. I seriously considering returning it. (If that is possible)

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Dang doesn't seem to be where it needs to be yet. Glad I came across the thread as I was about to buy one and now my mind is changed.

I don't want to beta test it for $300

Just wanted to see if you had an update regarding your problem? Thanks for the info in advance!

Mine is still to noisy. I can't use It. I regret very on this purchase. brewjacket really should have disclosed the noise level. (Well. They informed me IT was at about 45 d. But mine is way to much more )

ssspargur said:

Just wanted to see if you had an update regarding your problem? Thanks for the info in advance!

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Sent it off last week and got word back yesterday that there was a loose power connection, likely causing both issues. I have not gotten it back yet.

Just got the Pliny the Elder kit on sale at Morebeer, so will need this Jacket back soon for some Imperial IPA brewin!

Vidarben said:

Mine is still to noisy. I can't use It. I regret very on this purchase. brewjacket really should have disclosed the noise level. (Well. They informed me IT was at about 45 d. But mine is way to much more )

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Personally, I don't find the noise level objectionable. I can certainly hear it running, and it does run more than I thought it would need to. Perhaps there are louder things in my house, but the Jacket isn't a problem noise wise for me.

stealthfixr said:

Personally, I don't find the noise level objectionable. I can certainly hear it running, and it does run more than I thought it would need to. Perhaps there are louder things in my house, but the Jacket isn't a problem noise wise for me.

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It seems like 40db shouldn't be that bad. I guess if thats their claim and it turns out to be significantly louder, I would think they would allow you to return it.

As a follow-up, it appears the original power supply issues toasted the original Brew Jacket. A new set came in the mail two weeks ago, and last weekend I brewed a Gose. The Brew Jacket is holding it at 58F without complaint (Kolsch Wyeast).

Really great warranty coverage and customer service. I have not bought a chest freezer and I am holding off on that, perhaps for good in terms of fermentation temp control. So far, so good!

Just wondered if anyone has anything to add here. I am deciding where to invest in one of these or set up a brew fridge?

Out of curiosity, can anyone in this chat report how much lower than ambient the Brewjacket can take wort/beer WITHOUT insulation?

stealthfixr said:

As a follow-up, it appears the original power supply issues toasted the original Brew Jacket. A new set came in the mail two weeks ago, and last weekend I brewed a Gose. The Brew Jacket is holding it at 58F without complaint (Kolsch Wyeast).

Really great warranty coverage and customer service. I have not bought a chest freezer and I am holding off on that, perhaps for good in terms of fermentation temp control. So far, so good!

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Stealthfixr, are you still a happy Brew Jacket customer? Trying to decide if I should pull the trigger.

Yeroc said:

Stealthfixr, are you still a happy Brew Jacket customer? Trying to decide if I should pull the trigger.

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Yes, have not been home for about nine months (USAF deployed until June), but I used the BrewJacket for 6+ batches before leaving and had absolutely no problems with it. One was a California Common that I treated like a lager, to include a month at 38F 'lagering' (brew room was at about 65F). I was able to get it lower (34F) but the BrewJacket ran too often as a result, struggling to maintain, so 38-40F seemed about right balance wise. I have considered getting the new one with heating potential as well--highly recommended.

stealthfixr said:

Yes, have not been home for about nine months (USAF deployed until June), but I used the BrewJacket for 6+ batches before leaving and had absolutely no problems with it. One was a California Common that I treated like a lager, to include a month at 38F 'lagering' (brew room was at about 65F). I was able to get it lower (34F) but the BrewJacket ran too often as a result, struggling to maintain, so 38-40F seemed about right balance wise. I have considered getting the new one with heating potential as well--highly recommended.

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Thank you for your service to the country! Hope you can get back to brewing soon. Also thanks for your quick reply and letting me know your thoughts on the brewjacket. I think I might have to order one - dual heating and cooling version.

If you're interested I have a spare pro model with a conical jacket I'd bee willing to sell for the three unit package price. I got in early on the kick starter but my expansion plans have gone a different direction so I've got an untouched Pro unit available

Any idea why my immersion rod turned grey where it touched fermenting beer? See picture below. BTW, I did use a spray bottle of iodine solution for sanitizing the rod, not starsan.

I received the brewjacket immersion pro a few weeks ago and made my first beer with it. A mixed fermentation saison (Bootleg Biology Mad Fermentationist Saison Blend). For the first week I notched the temperature slowly up from a starting point of 76F to 83 degrees. Then I notched slowly back down to a room temperature of 72 over the second week. Today I removed the lid & immersion system and replaced it with a regular lid and air-lock for a week of dry hopping.

I'm satisfied with how the system worked for this beer but I'm confused as to why the rod turned grey. Any thoughts on why and what to do?

Thanks!

The acidic beer strips the anodised layer off the metal

PeteNMA said:

The acidic beer strips the anodised layer off the metal

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Hmmm... I guess. It was such a hoppy beer I'm surprised the lacto in the blend could have done much to make the beer acidic.

Do you think boiling in distilled water will re-hydrate the anodized layer? Anyone?