Brew Boss Systems

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steveoatley said:
how was the installation process ?
How long did it take ?

Will your drain dip tube fit between the coils ?
( I had 'heard' the coil needed to be near the front of a BM kettle so the dip tube could fit between the coils )

Pretty straight forward ? ( any idiot like me could do ? )

Looks great !!!:mug:
Click to expand...
With the template and a step bit the install of the coil was relatively straightforward. Just as a caution, with the three prongs there's not a whole lot of room for error.

For a pickup tube I have a 90 degree elbow right off the vessel wall, so it doesn't even reach the coil and the coil is slightly above it. You may be able to see it in the photo I posted. This is the pickup I had on my old kettle.

Also, thank you for the compliment.
 
I can't wait to see more pics of your first brew !

I still saving my nickels & dimes
turning a lot of bottles here in Michigan

to save up for the Brew Boss & Boil Coil
 
Did you make your dip tube coming off the 90 degree elbow or can you purchase them someplace like yours. I have seen them with a much larger stem but not short like yours.

I want to use one in the top of my BIAB kettle for recirculating whirlpool but I cant find them anywhere.

Thanks

211316d1405464235-brew-boss-systems-kettle-inside.jpg
 
spudsuds said:
Did you make your dip tube coming off the 90 degree elbow or can you purchase them someplace like yours. I have seen them with a much larger stem but not short like yours.

I want to use one in the top of my BIAB kettle for recirculating whirlpool but I cant find them anywhere.

Thanks
Click to expand...
The tube on top I use for whirlpool, and I bought it from Bargain Fittings. I have it sitting several inches off the bottom.

My pickup, on the bottom, is only a 90 degree elbow no tube attached.
 
I have brewed a couple batches with my Brew Boss system and a really like it so far. I have the 15 gallon pot with the 240VAC 5500 watt element. Before this I batch sparged and used a propane burner which worked fine but I wanted to switch to an all electric system.

With both of the batches I brewed I had 76% mash efficiency and I hit my target OG both times. I typically hit 74-76% efficiency when I batch sparged so I'm happy that I could keep the same efficiency without even changing the gap on my mill. The nice thing about a recirculating mash is that you don't need a really fine crush like with a standard BIAB system.

Probably the best feature about this system is the controller and the app. I love that the controller is operated through the Android app as it provides a lot more functionality than other controllers I've seen. It's nice to be able to program each step of the brew process into the app and have it alert you with spoken commands at each step. I don't have to worry about forgetting anything which I sometimes did when I batch sparged. The controller also does a great job at maintaining a consistent mash temp without fluctuations.

I put a high value on customer service and Darin has been great at helping me out whenever I had questions. He continues to update the app with new features which is nice. The automatic boil detect feature is cool because after it detects the wort is boiling it automatically adjusts the power to the element so that it maintains a nice rolling boil. You don't have to mess with manually adjusting the power.

The only alterations I made to the system is that I added camlocks and an elbow to the ball valve to act as a pickup tube. I already had an 11 gallon kettle with a sight glass so I use that to measure out my strike water. A couple pics of my indoor setup below.

System.jpg


System2.jpg
 
hey guys,

I've been lurking around the site for a little while and thought it was about time i'd jump in. I've been weighing buying a BIAB / electric system for a while, and have been checking out the electric brewery site as well. I had been leaning towards the Braumeister since its a nice clean package with a small footprint, it looks well engineered and there's a bunch of good home brew videos up online. I switched when I saw that brew-boss is throwing their system up on kickstarter to get their new infusion / bag system developed, along with more customized parts (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2121397318/brew-boss-automated-electric-homebrewing-system). it looks like the options on the kickstarter page are actually pretty cheap, especially when you compare a 15 gallon brew boss system with a 50L braumeister (brew boss is ~half the cost).

for those guys that already have the brew-boss system, are you still happy with it? any thoughts on what the braumeister might have that the brew boss doesn't? any issues with getting the electrical sorted out in order to accommodate the 240v?

Thanks for the help so far!

-Ben
 
I've brewed 4 batches on mine so far. 1 blonde ale, 2 IPAs and one session IPA
My last brew session (this past Sun) was by far the smoothest. The system worked exactly as programmed (by me) and expected. Even when I made changes during the programmed brewing (kicked up the element power to get the mash temp back up after dough in - I chose too low a strike temp) it picked right back up and continued with the program. I think there have been a few software updates since I originally bought the system (I was a beta tester) and the current version is very stable.

I use a CF chiller and one of those plastic $20 pumps attaches directly to the valve on the kettle. I just made a modification to my sparge arm, replacing the supplied drilled copper tube with a loc-line. It is a little more mechanically stable to me and allows directing the recirculation flow....mostly I just wanted to check out the loc-line and I like it.

My process is to put a couple of gallons of water from my garden hose (run through one of those camper filters) in the kettle and bring it to 200 degrees and circulate that through the system to clean/sanitize including the chiller. I dump that and then use filtered water to mash/brew. I do connect the chiller during the last 5 minutes of boil to again sanitize. I do the same clean/sanitize procedure after the wort is in the fermenter.

Last batch was a 60 minute mash (additional 15 mins mashout) with 60 minute boil. Brew day was about 4.5 hrs from start to finish clean.

I was thinking about making into a two vessel BrewEasy like system since I have the additional kettle. The BrewBoss controller could easily control it. However, after reading about and viewing videos on that system, I don't see the advantage.

Lastly, I can't comment on the new COFI "mash basket" and whether or not it is worth another 4-500. Looks cool though.

All in all, I highly recommend the system.
 
Since getting the controller I just haven't had time to brew, so I have no actual brew sessions on it yet. But this weekend I did have a chance to do a wet run with steps that I wrote for my system consisting of a heating tank and cooler MLT (HT shown in post #38). The wet run was very useful in ironing out some kinks I had in the steps. I think I have a good template of steps for how I plan to run my system (basic process listed in post #14). Once I get an actual brew session I will post up the detailed steps.

During the wet run I found the software interface to be very easy to use and I really liked the slider control on the heater along with the step alarms and voice prompts. The one thing I noticed during the run was that I had to stir the HT to equalize the temperature in it and get the thermo probe to read that temperature. I'm not sure if this just a characteristic of an electric system, how I have my HT setup (Boil Coil and probe location) or the short length of the probe. The probe I got with the system does not penetrate into the HT, it ends at the wall. They do have longer probe available now, so maybe that will help. At a minimum I plan on recircing the HT to mix the water.

To summarize, I really enjoyed using the controller and adjusting my steps to get the system to work the way I wanted. Even while not brewing any beer.
 
ingchr1 said:
Since getting the controller I just haven't had time to brew, so I have no actual brew sessions on it yet. But this weekend I did have a chance to do a wet run with steps that I wrote for my system consisting of a heating tank and cooler MLT (HT shown in post #38). The wet run was very useful in ironing out some kinks I had in the steps. I think I have a good template of steps for how I plan to run my system (basic process listed in post #14). Once I get an actual brew session I will post up the detailed steps.

During the wet run I found the software interface to be very easy to use and I really liked the slider control on the heater along with the step alarms and voice prompts. The one thing I noticed during the run was that I had to stir the HT to equalize the temperature in it and get the thermo probe to read that temperature. I'm not sure if this just a characteristic of an electric system, how I have my HT setup (Boil Coil and probe location) or the short length of the probe. The probe I got with the system does not penetrate into the HT, it ends at the wall. They do have longer probe available now, so maybe that will help. At a minimum I plan on recircing the HT to mix the water.

To summarize, I really enjoyed using the controller and adjusting my steps to get the system to work the way I wanted. Even while not brewing any beer.
Click to expand...

The new longer probe makes a big difference. The short probe that you have tends to read a couple of degrees lower than the actual temperature. The new longer probe extends further into the kettle and is very accurate.
 
sabitu said:
The new longer probe makes a big difference. The short probe that you have tends to read a couple of degrees lower than the actual temperature. The new longer probe extends further into the kettle and is very accurate.
Click to expand...

I'll second the need for the longer probe. I bought it the second they became available. The issue I had with the smaller probe is that (my theory) it didnt extend far enough into the kettle and so was actually reading the temp of the kettle walls and not the wort within. This caused my mash temps to always be about 4-5F, verified with a ThermaPen, higher than the Brew Boss controller was reading. Since installing the longer probe the Brew Boss and ThermaPen read exactly the same.
 
Snicklefritz said:
I'll second the need for the longer probe. I bought it the second they became available. The issue I had with the smaller probe is that (my theory) it didnt extend far enough into the kettle and so was actually reading the temp of the kettle walls and not the wort within. This caused my mash temps to always be about 4-5F, verified with a ThermaPen, higher than the Brew Boss controller was reading. Since installing the longer probe the Brew Boss and ThermaPen read exactly the same.
Click to expand...
I went ahead and ordered the longer probe.
 
Just got my Brew Boss last week. Been slowly picking up what I need to wire it. Today I grabbed a 7 inch tablet and loaded the app. Are there any preset brew steps or do I need to start from scratch?
 
If I had it to do all over again, I think the largest Brew-Boss system Is what I would go with.

Wonder if I could sale my 3 vessel eHerms????? lol
 
Gvitag said:
Just got my Brew Boss last week. Been slowly picking up what I need to wire it. Today I grabbed a 7 inch tablet and loaded the app. Are there any preset brew steps or do I need to start from scratch?
Click to expand...
The only preloaded steps are for BIAB, like their complete system. If your setup is different, then you would have to write your own steps. If you do write your own steps, it can't be stressed enough to perform a wet run for verification, adjustment and familiarization with the controller.
 
Can you brew a 5 gallon batch up in a 20 Gallon System? I'm thinking not. Which is why I am probably going to go with the 15 gallon system.
 
Rock_Toy said:
Can you brew a 5 gallon batch up in a 20 Gallon System? I'm thinking not. Which is why I am probably going to go with the 15 gallon system.
Click to expand...


From Darin via email



The 15 gallon makes 5 or 10 gallon batches. The 20 gallon makes 10 and 15 gallon batches, but not 5 gallon. if you do any experimental brewing with smaller batches, the 15 is the way to go. If you strictly want bigger batches, the 20 is the way to go.
 
1. Are any of you folks with the new systems using the latest COFI filter offering? If so, care to comment?

2. Has anyone created a Beersmith profile for the 15 gal system? I'm thinking about starting to use the SW and while it does have a few BIAB profiles, I'm not sure they are a match.

Thanks,
Mark
 
Bumping Mark's post as I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on a Brew Boss system and I may go with the COFI option.

I'm also wondering if anyone bought the whirlpool attachment and might be able to post some pictures. The website description isn't clear on whether the wand connects to the accessory bulkhead or simply clamps to the top of the kettle as shown in the standalone version.
 
marvinsjunk said:
Bumping Mark's post as I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on a Brew Boss system and I may go with the COFI option.

I'm also wondering if anyone bought the whirlpool attachment and might be able to post some pictures. The website description isn't clear on whether the wand connects to the accessory bulkhead or simply clamps to the top of the kettle as shown in the standalone version.
Click to expand...

I just brewed my first batch using the Brew Boss and the cofi filter. Absolutely simple system to use. Not sure there could have been any easier more efficient system to purchase. Follow the prompts on the app and you cant go wrong. Clean up couldn't have been any easier.

Now, I gotta wait to see how the outcome. My only regret was not ordering 2 FastFerment conicals. Either I wait 9 weeks or buy another?
 
Gvitag said:
I just brewed my first batch using the Brew Boss and the cofi filter. Absolutely simple system to use. Not sure there could have been any easier more efficient system to purchase. Follow the prompts on the app and you cant go wrong. Clean up couldn't have been any easier.

Now, I gotta wait to see how the outcome. My only regret was not ordering 2 FastFerment conicals. Either I wait 9 weeks or buy another?
Click to expand...

Awesome. Do you have any pics of your system? Do you have the whirlpool option on it?
 
I am trying to decide on a system, any suggestions on 15 gallon vs 20? Anyone have any issues removing the grain bag on a 10 gallon batch? I was thinking of using a pulley system. Any pics would be appreciated.
 
MX1 said:
anyone know if there are plans to release the software on iOS?
Click to expand...

I think I read somewhere that he may be looking into it but at this point there hasn't been anything started or no ETA on when or even if he will. You can get a cheap new Android tablet for $50 (obviously it is really crappy but would be perfect for this) or get a used one on eBay.
 
MX1 said:
anyone know if there are plans to release the software on iOS?
Click to expand...

I recently purchased a Brew-Boss system to be delivered hopefully in a couple of weeks. I asked Darin about an iOS version and he said "iOS is coming along and should be ready for release in 4-6 weeks, if all goes as expected."
 
kane5141 said:
I am trying to decide on a system, any suggestions on 15 gallon vs 20? Anyone have any issues removing the grain bag on a 10 gallon batch? I was thinking of using a pulley system. Any pics would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

My understanding is that you cannot do 5G batches with the 20G system, so if you want to do 5G batches you'll need to get the 15G system.
 
MerlinWerks said:
My understanding is that you cannot do 5G batches with the 20G system, so if you want to do 5G batches you'll need to get the 15G system.
Click to expand...

Yep, that is what I am going with. Anyone know if you can get a sight tube for the kettle? And if not, how can I accurately measure out the volume for the water??
 
kane5141 said:
Is there a brew boss recipe list yet?
Click to expand...

Along these lines....I have all of my recipes in BeerSmith2 right now and don't see an Equipment profile for an eBIAB. Should I just go with a BIAB profile? Up until now, I have been brewing Partial Mash in a five gallon pot on the kitchen stove and would love to convert my recipes for the Brew-Boss.
 
I just ordered a 15 gallon system with the COFI option. Can't wait to get started with the new system!
 
I also just ordered a 15 gallon system with the COFI option, I got the sight glass and whirlpool option. I use Beersmith and will be working at converting my recipes and equipment profile to fit this system. Can't wait.
 
SeeMont said:
I also just ordered a 15 gallon system with the COFI option, I got the sight glass and whirlpool option. I use Beersmith and will be working at converting my recipes and equipment profile to fit this system. Can't wait.
Click to expand...

I got the sight glass and whirlpool options also. :mug:

I've never used Beersmith but am about to get it. Good to know there are others on the forum who will be brewing with Brew Boss and use Beersmith if I need any help in setting up the equipment profile. Cheers!
 
Menhir, I bet we ordered our systems at about the same time. I got the larger screen tablet after hearing from a local brewer who is using this system commercially. I am going to dig into the Beersmith site and see what they have to say. This should be fun, I have read the manual three time so far.
 
Just pulled the trigger on the 15 gallon system. No COFI option at the moment but can always upgrade later if I feel the need. Can't wait!!!
 
Me too! I just order the 15 gallon as well and figured I could add the COFI later. Can't wait to fire it up!
 
OH GOD! What are we all doing?!? I just ordered the 15 gallon system. I had to. I couldn't stop myself. It was the last chunk of my 2014 bonus I could afford to part with before I ended up blowing it on silly things. I did the right thing, right? This is my leap to all grain from extract. I know I'm not going to roll up my sleeves and get completely hands on and manual to learn the nuances of all grain in the traditional sense, but I'm a sucker for gadgets and automation, so I don't care.
 
Quick question. Does the 15 gallon brewboss Value come with the basket. I don't mean the COFI mash system. May just go with the COFI mash system regardless but was curious. Birthday is this week and my ask the SWMBO for a pass to purchase. Tips on approaching the subject with her would be great.
 

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