Breweasy vs. Braumeister

[cessick7]

I have been brewing beer for a few years now, both all grain and extract, and I am thinking of going to electric. I am looking at the Blichmann Breweasy and the Braumeister systems. Both of these systems look good, but I am going a little crazy trying to figure out which way to go. Has anyone else gone through this decision making process and if so, what made you go one way or another. I am not opposed to other options if anyone can convince me that there are better electric systems out there. Thanks.

 

[normonster]

I don't have either but if I could go back Id get the 5gal Breaumeister. I think the efficiency between them would be very close but the BM easier to clean and more simple to use. Only issue there is grain capacity for big beers....if you want to do IPA batches I think you'd need to add sugar. The BE looks like a single pump version of the Brutus 15 (or is it the 10?)....in which case you can build it much cheaper with non-Blich kettles.

 

[nackedei]

There's a thread covering a more recent third option over here:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/3...-conical-fermenter-brewha-452229/index17.html

Similar concept, but taking the all-in-one-vessel to its logical extreme and integrating chilling and fermentation.

 

[bbohanon]

I am in the same exact boat as you. I also looked over the Blichmann, BrewHa, and other pre-assembled options and after reading a number of the e-build threads here, I decided to tackle "going electric" myself.

A. For the fun of it
B. So I know how to fix it when/if it breaks or if I need or want to expand the setup.
C. Most importantly..Cost reduction in case I really dont like it and decide to revert back to the old mash tun and keggle on a burner.

I have decided to go down the road of getting a 44QT Bayou Classic SS Kettle with basket and follow in the footsteps of alot of others here have and go EBIAB.
This keeps me in a single pot with a single 240V 4400W SS Element, running on an Auber PID controller with pump recirculation...My personal goals for this build is to reduce my brewing footprint so I can get rid of some equipment clutter, easier brewday cleanup, stay AG and not get scorched beer at the end of the day.

I have yet to buy anything with this build as I am still finding cool ideas on here that I want to incorporate into the build from lessons learned with others, but I am guesstimating my build will initially cost me between $700-$800 to get done which is still MUCH cheaper than an off-the-shelf option. Note that this does not include any specialized tool costs I may need but I have alot of gear head friends so most of what I need tool-wise, I can borrow.

Again, I am still writing up all my ideas and doing alot of reading on HBT in this forum on this, but I do think putting something together yourself will save some cash for the build(Plus YOU built it!)

If I had the extra 2-3K to drop however or did not have the time or desire to build it myself, I think the Blichmann would be my choice. Its the best bang for the buck when I was doing my own comparisons and factoring in vendor support in case something goes wrong with any of the gear.

 

[cessick7]

Thanks for the replies. Too many choices. The Brewha looks nice, but I usually have 5 or 6 beers in my pipeline and using the brewing device as a fermenter might not work. The Blichmann looks good also and the Braumeister looks like a good setup. Not sure I want to do my own build so will have to decide soon. Tough choice!

 

[seefish]

I like the BrewEasy for its versatility. The pots aren't welded together or anything...if you wanted you could always take them apart and change up your setup. May be different at 5 gallons, but at 10 gallons the BrewEasy is far cheaper.

 

[getonup]

I'm working on building my own as well. So far it has been a lot of fun. And if you're near a hackerspace, there are a lot of people there who would probably really enjoy helping you out.

 

[jammin]

a good friend of mine has the 50L braumeister. it's a really well built kit and is easy to use. brew day goes quick and clean up is easy. i also like how little storage space it takes up.
electric brewing is very consistent due to static boil off rates.

the one downside is the limitations of the malt pipe. you may be up against a wall with how big of beers you can brew. i would strongly suggest getting the 50L/10gallon model. This will allow you to brew 5g of something high gravity or 10g of something moderate if you felt like it.

PS - are you really a full bird colonel?

 

[schiersteinbrewing]

I just bought a Brew Boss system its being built,https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/brew-boss-systems-475360/, http://www.brew-boss.com/

With 15gal kettle/basket, pump, hoses/fittings, and controller your looking at $1,300ish plus S&H.

If i had the $$$$ Braumeister 50L all the way.

I have been using a 3500watt induction cooktop for BIAB with a 11gal kettle and basket. My current rig:

 

[cessick7]

Jammin, i am a retired Army Colonel. Thanks all for your input. I still have a tough decision to make. Thought this was going to be an easy decision.......

 

[redwing_al]

I'm also debating a 20L Braumesiter or the BrewBoss system.. Be interested in others experience and comments.

I love the braumesigter due to it's simplicity and I see myself brewing more often with the braumeister due to it's relatively small footprint and ease of clean up, etc. Frankly, I'm okay brewing smaller quantities of higher gravity beers (4 g vs 5 g) because I it will give me an excuse to have a brew day when that styel is gone! I try to keep 4-5 kegs rolling in and out of the pipeline...

But then there is the Brew Boss system.. mmmm, beeeeer.....

so, what to do, what to do... I have more money than brains apparently..

 

[normonster]

.....I have more money than brains apparently..

Sweet dilemma to address! Can't go wrong!

 

[redwing_al]

Sweet dilemma to address! Can't go wrong!

dozunt sae two mucsh...

 

[Bassman2003]

I have been brewing for 12 years and am looking to go the single vessel route. After one BIAB brew I am having a custom mash basket made with a false bottom. Too much sediment with BIAB and electric burners. So basically a Brewha inspired setup.

Since I already have a keggle that is electric, I figured it was easiest to work from there rather than spend up for the more expensive systems. To me, the Brewha is the slickest but only if you plan on brewing 10 gallons or more. In my opinion their 5 gallon system is underpowered and not worth it.

Great choices available today (if you want to spend some money). I will probably go with a Brewtronix controller which will put my build up at around $800. If the Braumeister was closer to $1,000-$1,500 I might bite but I can't justify the money.

Good luck with your choice. We love this hobby and it is important to make it more sustainable over the long haul. Too many years of duct taped systems will burn you out.

 

[cessick7]

Speidel has announced an upgaded control panel coming out in January or so. I am waiting for more information from morebeer4u to see exactly when it will be released and how much. There is also talk about trading in your old control panel for the new one but no price has been published yet. I am going to wait until I get more information before going the Braumeister route. I don't want to buy something and have to upgrade it right away for an additional cost. Anyone else have any infromation on the upgrade?

 

[normonster]

dozunt sae two mucsh...

Lol...poetry right there man.

 

[redwing_al]

Speidel has announced an upgaded control panel coming out in January or so. I am waiting for more information from morebeer4u to see exactly when it will be released and how much. There is also talk about trading in your old control panel for the new one but no price has been published yet. I am going to wait until I get more information before going the Braumeister route. I don't want to buy something and have to upgrade it right away for an additional cost. Anyone else have any infromation on the upgrade?

Here is the link to what I know about the updates to the controller. https://forum.braumeisters.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=611

I have no problem buying now if there is an opportunity to upgrade later, after all, the upgrade is not a necessity and the current platform is proven, solid-state. The difference in price is 5-7% and I would expect BM to swap out the old for the new at close to the 5%-7% difference.

I've had emails and calls in to morebeer and strangely have not no response. Their ability to communicate and work with me will likely have a strong influence on my decision to buy their product... Frankly speaking the BrewBoss system is one that I am considering too... Not to mention that the Grainmaster is going to be available in the states in April, so my patience may be tested.. :cross:

Either way, I think I'll be satisfied with my decsion.. and no, I dont have more money than brains.. Although, a limited supply of each and the older I get the less I seem to have!

 

[cessick7]

Still not sure what to do. I am thinking I may just pre-order the newer model and wait until it is available. Morebeer4u seems ready to take pre-orders. Not sure if Morebeer is ready to take pre-orders yet. No one seems to know how the upgrade will work or how much. Tough decision.. Arrrrggghhhh.

 

[cessick7]

Well I just bit the bullet and ordered the upgraded model. It should ship either the end of January or the beginning of February. Looking forward to getting into electric brewing. Thanks again all for your comments.

 

[yohoe]

It might be a little late but if you look at overseas distributers, you would save yourself a few hundred dollars (shipping included).

 

[redwing_al]

It might be a little late but if you look at overseas distributers, you would save yourself a few hundred dollars (shipping included).

I took advantage of a deal I found and it included Free Shipping. Worked out for me.

, but I'm brewing my version of a Kona Big Wave golden ale at this moment. A very smooth brew-day I must say!

 

[bennymac1]

Hey redwing,

Can I ask where you found the deal? I just pledged to get in on the brew-boss system on their kickstarter page (https://www.kickstarter.com/project...ed-electric-homebrewing-system?ref=nav_search) since their system is quite a bit cheaper than the Braumeister, but if the kickstarter plan fails, i'll be keeping an eye on the Braumeister.

have you had a chance to brew anything on the Braumeister yet?

cheers,
-Ben

 

[redwing_al]

Hey redwing,

Can I ask where you found the deal? I just pledged to get in on the brew-boss system on their kickstarter page (https://www.kickstarter.com/project...ed-electric-homebrewing-system?ref=nav_search) since their system is quite a bit cheaper than the Braumeister, but if the kickstarter plan fails, i'll be keeping an eye on the Braumeister.

have you had a chance to brew anything on the Braumeister yet?

cheers,
-Ben

I could speak volumes about the Braumeister... I think the brewboss is an awesome system too and I evaluated both closely... However, the key with the BM is simply the ease of sanitation. Not a lot of extra things to clean or maintain. I have done about 4 brews in it and I can't say enough good things. My last 3 beers in particular were simply fantastic. The braumeister was not the only reason, but it certainly does it's job. People bemoan the investment. but as we all know homebrewing is a slippery slope and you could have that much money tied up in an inferior system without even knowing about it. With the BM, I'm all in and not much else I need to add. I've complimented my process with four 4" hop-infusion balls http://goo.gl/WSRFIV and 4 FastFerment conical fermenters. All in all, this set up is ideal for me.

my price was actually from a Black Friday sale at MoreBeer. I actually missed the sale, but they honored it for me anyway. There is a new model coming out wiht a more sophisticated control interface, but I think it would be unnecessary for this unit and I would get the one I have without any further thought about it.

overall, the experience on this is awesome. It's fun to use and with some basic modifications, you can make any gravity beer you want. Pay no mind to those worried about beers over 1.070.. you can push the capacity limit a little or make slightly smaller batches or use DME/LME in moderation.

Good luck... but I could go on and on about my gear and my processes...

 

[cessick7]

My Braumeister 20L arrived today. Can't wait to get started. I have an electrician friend coming by later this week to install a 240 outlet in my garage and I should be able to start brewing next week. Hopefully the long wait is worth it. Thanks all for your thoughts and opinions.

 

[t3e871]

How is it working out colonel? I was about to pull the trigger on the brew easy until I found the braumeister. I'm not too keen on the metric only or adding water after the boil, but looks like a good compact system for indoor use.

 

[cessick7]

So far so good. I have brewed four batches since getting the electricity installed. I had a minor glitch on my first batch, I forgot to hit select before adding grains and the pump was still going as I added the grains and I had a bit of a mess. Anyway, the last three batches went well and my efficiency was right around 80% for all four batches. I am brewing inside now because of the cold, which I could not do last year with my propane set-up.

 

[t3e871]

Man! I wish I had never seen this braumeister! now I cant decide which electric system I want.

 

[t3e871]

I'm committed to the breweasy! cessick7 distracted me for a few days, but I'm still going with the US made blichmann.

 

[12-Brewer]

I am brewing inside now because of the cold

To me, admittedly biased, the Braumeister is the easiest, cleanest, most efficient system you can buy.

Mash overnight while getting 8 hours of sleep, boil the next morning at 8 am - and all cleaned up in about 15 minutes.

Valentine's weekend - I made three 5 gallon batches in 30 hours. Which included - 8+ hours of sleep, Valentine's lunch with the family, an Asian buffet for dinner, and a Redwings game.

You cannot do that with any other system.....

YMMV

"Sappers First"

 

[andrewmaixner]

To me, admittedly biased, the Braumeister is the easiest, cleanest, most efficient system you can buy.

Mash overnight while getting 8 hours of sleep, boil the next morning at 8 am - and all cleaned up in about 15 minutes.

Valentine's weekend - I made three 5 gallon batches in 30 hours. Which included - 8+ hours of sleep, Valentine's lunch with the family, an Asian buffet for dinner, and a Redwings game.

You cannot do that with any other system.....

YMMV

"Sappers First"

interesting, though I'd bet the brew boss could do that also.

I'm curious what benefit does the BrauMeister have in cleaning?

 

[12-Brewer]

andrewmaixner,

Certainly a fair point regarding the speed and ease of brewing on the BrewBoss - surely his controller can run long mashes. I took a look at that system today (very quickly). It's hard not to take points off for presentation and looking like it is cobbled together is someone's garage. But the thing that really gets me is how the pin holes in the side of the center copper tube move enough water through the entire grain bed in order to get good efficiency. The picture that shows the tiny streams of water coming out of the center tube look impressive with no grain, but when the basket is packed with malt, I doubt their penetration is nearly that effective. There's no way the outer grains get much "COFI technology" action....... /shrug

It may work fine, not sure. I'm not an engineer.... But I like the BrauMeister method of forcing the water through the entire grain bed bottom to top. I know water is being circ'd by every single grain.

Regarding cleaning - there are no external pumps or hoses and only one vessel. However long it takes you to wash an everyday kitchen 5 gallon stew pot is how long it takes to clean the BrauMeister after a brew day. Soak some PDW for 30 minutes, take a pass with a sponge or greenie, rinse - 5 minutes max.

Brewing is half a Saturday morning - not an all day endeavor.

One guy's opinion.

 

[andrewmaixner]

andrewmaixner,

Regarding cleaning - there are no external pumps or hoses and only one vessel. However long it takes you to wash an everyday kitchen 5 gallon stew pot is how long it takes to clean the BrauMeister after a brew day. Soak some PDW for 30 minutes, take a pass with a sponge or greenie, rinse - 5 minutes max.

Brewing is half a Saturday morning - not an all day endeavor.

One guy's opinion.

I agree that the infusion thing feels kind of gimmicky, as well as limiting your capacity for grain/gravity. They also offer a standard bag / false bottom / spray manifold setup, and now a stainless whirlpool rod that would probably be just as effective.
His controller is what has interested me the most.

thanks for the explanation of the BrauMeister operation/cleaning .