Brewie

[c06u]

Time will tell. Seems inevitable at this point. It was a decent idea just executed so unbelievably poorly. Cheers

I dunno..those Zymatics seem to be even more poorly designed, something you would expect from the computer geeks in the Pacific Northwest that think they know everything, they must have more cash to blow through the way it looks...15 brews no problems here..

 

[Nate R]

I dunno..those Zymatics seem to be even more poorly designed, something you would expect from the computer geeks in the Pacific Northwest that think they know everything, they must have more cash to blow through the way it looks...15 brews no problems here..

Well, here is what i would say: at least even if Brewie is dead, the machines do not have to be on-line to work. It is my understanding that the new pico's MUST be on the network to run. Correct me if i am wrong- i dont want to spread rumors.

Also, hopefully this fine community of folks can continue to help each other out.

 

[CUNY ALEXIS]

B20 0r B20+ , if it's a B20+ you can try unplugging it and see if that gives you a reset, if it's a B20just cycling the switch would do the same thing....I don't see them up on their site but then again we are talking East Europe here

It's a B20+ and I tryed to unplugging it but the problem is always here....

 

[sniperd]

Hi My brewie will not start anymore. It turns on, the screen lights up but there are no more noise at startup ... Then the red bar progresses and hangs when it reaches its maximum. I did not do anything special and only realized 4 brews. I wanted to make a new one and it will not start anymore. I wrote several messages to technical support for 15 days but no answer ... I can not even log in to their site since today .. could someone help me? It would be great Thanks in advan

I have heard of people if their wifi goes down it get stuck here. I _think_ it is looking for updates. That's what I've seen on the facebook pages anyways.

 

[sniperd]

View attachment 638436 View attachment 638437 View attachment 638438 View attachment 638439



...I'm having the same problem...

This is the same problem I had. Took about 6 weeks for the parts to show up, I did order a new thermostat from digi-key instead as the replacement one they sent had a similar problem (never reaching a full boil). But now it is all good to go. I really wish they just had their parts all stocked up on Amazon, that would fix a lot of the problems for everybody.

 

[Blazinlow86]

I dunno..those Zymatics seem to be even more poorly designed, something you would expect from the computer geeks in the Pacific Northwest that think they know everything, they must have more cash to blow through the way it looks...15 brews no problems here..

Hows that relevant to the brewie owners situation if it turns out there actually gone though? When the machine dies and you can't repair it would you just say oh well at least it was better than the zymatic? If you read the Facebook brewie owners page there's so so many people with broken machines that are screwed if there gone. Some haven't even got a single successful brew and alot only a handful. Cheers

 

[Nate R]

Hows that relevant to the brewie owners situation if it turns out there actually gone though? When the machine dies and you can't repair it would you just say oh well at least it was better than the zymatic? If you read the Facebook brewie owners page there's so so many people with broken machines that are screwed if there gone. Some haven't even got a single successful brew and alot only a handful. Cheers

I think we are getting back into the "mods gonna shut us down" territory.... but i *think* the point is even IF brewie is dead and even IF lots of people have $2,000 paperweights still A LOT of us DO have working machines that will.still work despite the company going under... because it was designed to work stand alone, vs. a machine designed to ONLY work on a network.

But seriously... this horse is not only dead, it's already decomposed, rotted, stank, bugs ate it, and only the dry bones are left. I think myself included we all need to stop beating it.

 

[Blazinlow86]

I think we are getting back into the "mods gonna shut us down" territory.... but i *think* the point is even IF brewie is dead and even IF lots of people have $2,000 paperweights still A LOT of us DO have working machines that will.still work despite the company going under... because it was designed to work stand alone, vs. a machine designed to ONLY work on a network.

But seriously... this horse is not only dead, it's already decomposed, rotted, stank, bugs ate it, and only the dry bones are left. I think myself included we all need to stop beating it.

Definitely not interested in debating about the brewie situation with anyone here that has a working machine. However because the numerous fatal defects with the machine were never corrected that info needs to be kept in the spotlight to protect potential new customers from purchasing the machine and even more so if they have folded. If anyone reads this thread because there considering buying a brewie join the "brewie owners" Facebook page before you do. Cheers

 

[Nate R]

Definitely not interested in debating about the brewie situation with anyone here that has a working machine. However because the numerous fatal defects with the machine were never corrected that info needs to be kept in the spotlight to protect potential new customers from purchasing the machine and even more so if they have folded. If anyone reads this thread because there considering buying a brewie join the "brewie owners" Facebook page before you do. Cheers

@Blazinlow86 this is meant with all respect. i appreciate your posts and feedback throught hbt.

However i mist quibble with your opening statement. Perhaps it is just semantics? As i can get your overall point, here are my quibbles:

#1- you say you dont want to "debate the situation" with people who have working machines... another way to phrase that is "i don't anyone with a positive experience to provide feedback. I only want complaints from upset people"

#2- why does it have to be a debate in the first place? Does it have to be zero-sum? Good or bad? Can't we agree to disagree on some points, agree on others, and let the (if there are any left) potential purchaser readers arrive at their own point?

I recently was looking for a piece of equipment and sought advice here. I got some great feedback from people. Some suggested i DIY it. Others put their $0.02 in where they could. I was able to take all of that advice and arrive at my own conclusion. I hope anyone who is going to drop $800-$2,000 or more on an automated system takes their time to read through and can get pros and cons from all.

If indeed Brewie is now dead (not just a tech/ web issue) then my thought is- bummer. These guys built an awesome machine. I would have been SUPER mad had i done the indigogo. But i don't do thoose campaigns for anything. I got my machine on a great deal. I knew it was a risk. I knew the warranty was only as good as the company backing it ((( can someone insert Tommy Calahan bumbling his father's line about T-Bone steak GIF here please?!?! )))

I was hoping for Brewie to succeed. I hope Pico succeeds. I hope BrewHa succeeds. I hope they ALL succedd. The more R&D money that these companies can pump into OUR hobby the better. I cannot wait to see what the next gadget is.

 

[Hamboner]

I haven't posted in a long time. We had a baby girl back in march which has kept my hobbying at a minimum. I am now getting back in the game and figured i'd give an update of what i've seen recently.

I had the boil pump stop working back in may. After 2 months brewie finally got me a new pump. This past weekend i then had the mash pump stop. After realizing that brewie as a company may be dead, i opened it up and remove the pump - it had some crap (few grain bits) in it. Once i opened the pump, i was able to clean it out and it works great. These pumps are rated to 30000 hours. If you have one stop, pull it out, remove the 4 screws and clean the insides out - it will keep on going.

I got an arborfab basket (the 600 mesh). I like it a lot. It makes brew day easier but i still haven't gotten quite the efficiency that i was hoping (more on that later). I have tried moving it around in the mash side to get better flow and ended up pushing it as far to the inlet side as possible. This got better flow into the basket, but then it slowed the flow to the bottom enough to scorch some sugars on the burner a bit. I learned its probably better to let it sit in the middle and let the water flow around for now. The basket also reduces the volume available for grain. This translates to an equivalent amount of grain sitting vertically higher in the mash tank - this potentially hurts efficiency.

Regarding efficiency, i had tried extending the mash and sparge times like other people and that helped a bit. This weekend i did a lot more probing of the mash and realized that it just doesn't get the whole mash up to the temp on the readout - at least not as fast as the mash water increases. Brewie thought the mash was at 150F and about 20 minutes into the rest, most of the mash was still in the low 140's. I think running the long sparge times really helps get it to mash temps and is where most of the actual mash conversion is happening (in fact it think the ebb and flow of the sparge is much more efficient at stabilizing temps throughout versus just the circulation of the mash). My plan is to run a tube from the mash inlet and get a sparge arm above the grains to better circulate the mash water. Hopefully that will assist up getting the mash up to temp faster and more evenly. I also tried increasing the temps of my mash steps (~5F higher than desired) in hopes of getting ahead of the temp delta, but that is a workaround and not a real fix. I'll follow up as i get the sparge arm implemented.

If brewie is in fact out of business, i'm curious if they will be purchased by someone. I think that of all the all-in-one brew machines out there, they have the best configuration and features (full 5 gallon, built in chiller, aesthetically pleasing). Their biggest problem was immediately alienating their biggest support base (their early backers) quickly followed by releasing a machine with a bunch of problems that could have been solved for just a few dollars each (including major safety issues). What would have cost a few dollars on the manufacturing floor now costs a few hundred dollars to fix once in the hands of the end user (shipping + labor). I bet if some new upper mgmt came in to the company and made it abundantly clear that things have changed, they might have a 2nd chance for success. But the problem of the poorly manufactured units will not go away immediately and will certainly cost some money.

If they don't get bought, i'm hoping that someone can talk to the engineers/execs and get copies of the source code so that the community can keep it going. I know that i would personally release that information into the wild if the alternative was my baby just dying in the wild. That said it would not be impossible to reverse engineer the unit to make it work, but having the original code base would save a lot of time for the hobbyists that want to keep this going. It sounds like at least a few of you have the original SD card image, which could be a start.

In terms of the system hardware and keeping these alive, the pumps are long life and obtainable, and the burners are also available. The only thing i don't know about are the valves. I think they are custom designed by brewie, but appear to just be hobby grade servos with a housing that allows the tube to be pinched. If anyone knows anything more about those, that would be helpful for future upkeep. The main control board appears to be just a microcontroller toggling the valves/pump/relays. I haven't gotten to the touchscreen section, but i'm guessing there is a system on a chip that is handling the wifi, storage, touch screen and then telling the microcontroller board what to actually make the system do. I have a feeling with some spare time and a small development community, these things can be kept alive for quite a while, and potentially improved upon.

Happy brewing and here's to hoping that the website issues are just a temporary glitch.

 

[sharpbeer]

I haven't posted in a long time. We had a baby girl back in march which has kept my hobbying at a minimum. I am now getting back in the game and figured i'd give an update of what i've seen recently.

I had the boil pump stop working back in may. After 2 months brewie finally got me a new pump. This past weekend i then had the mash pump stop. After realizing that brewie as a company may be dead, i opened it up and remove the pump - it had some crap (few grain bits) in it. Once i opened the pump, i was able to clean it out and it works great. These pumps are rated to 30000 hours. If you have one stop, pull it out, remove the 4 screws and clean the insides out - it will keep on going.

I got an arborfab basket (the 600 mesh). I like it a lot. It makes brew day easier but i still haven't gotten quite the efficiency that i was hoping (more on that later). I have tried moving it around in the mash side to get better flow and ended up pushing it as far to the inlet side as possible. This got better flow into the basket, but then it slowed the flow to the bottom enough to scorch some sugars on the burner a bit. I learned its probably better to let it sit in the middle and let the water flow around for now. The basket also reduces the volume available for grain. This translates to an equivalent amount of grain sitting vertically higher in the mash tank - this potentially hurts efficiency.

Regarding efficiency, i had tried extending the mash and sparge times like other people and that helped a bit. This weekend i did a lot more probing of the mash and realized that it just doesn't get the whole mash up to the temp on the readout - at least not as fast as the mash water increases. Brewie thought the mash was at 150F and about 20 minutes into the rest, most of the mash was still in the low 140's. I think running the long sparge times really helps get it to mash temps and is where most of the actual mash conversion is happening (in fact it think the ebb and flow of the sparge is much more efficient at stabilizing temps throughout versus just the circulation of the mash). My plan is to run a tube from the mash inlet and get a sparge arm above the grains to better circulate the mash water. Hopefully that will assist up getting the mash up to temp faster and more evenly. I also tried increasing the temps of my mash steps (~5F higher than desired) in hopes of getting ahead of the temp delta, but that is a workaround and not a real fix. I'll follow up as i get the sparge arm implemented.

If brewie is in fact out of business, i'm curious if they will be purchased by someone. I think that of all the all-in-one brew machines out there, they have the best configuration and features (full 5 gallon, built in chiller, aesthetically pleasing). Their biggest problem was immediately alienating their biggest support base (their early backers) quickly followed by releasing a machine with a bunch of problems that could have been solved for just a few dollars each (including major safety issues). What would have cost a few dollars on the manufacturing floor now costs a few hundred dollars to fix once in the hands of the end user (shipping + labor). I bet if some new upper mgmt came in to the company and made it abundantly clear that things have changed, they might have a 2nd chance for success. But the problem of the poorly manufactured units will not go away immediately and will certainly cost some money.

If they don't get bought, i'm hoping that someone can talk to the engineers/execs and get copies of the source code so that the community can keep it going. I know that i would personally release that information into the wild if the alternative was my baby just dying in the wild. That said it would not be impossible to reverse engineer the unit to make it work, but having the original code base would save a lot of time for the hobbyists that want to keep this going. It sounds like at least a few of you have the original SD card image, which could be a start.

In terms of the system hardware and keeping these alive, the pumps are long life and obtainable, and the burners are also available. The only thing i don't know about are the valves. I think they are custom designed by brewie, but appear to just be hobby grade servos with a housing that allows the tube to be pinched. If anyone knows anything more about those, that would be helpful for future upkeep. The main control board appears to be just a microcontroller toggling the valves/pump/relays. I haven't gotten to the touchscreen section, but i'm guessing there is a system on a chip that is handling the wifi, storage, touch screen and then telling the microcontroller board what to actually make the system do. I have a feeling with some spare time and a small development community, these things can be kept alive for quite a while, and potentially improved upon.

Happy brewing and here's to hoping that the website issues are just a temporary glitch.

I got up early this morning to try to brew before work but my Brewie won't work. It stays stuck at the 'preparation' phase. I tried to go to their website today but it seems to be down? Please don't tell me they are out of business...

Anyway... The issue I have, is this indicative of a broken boil pump ?

 

[Nate R]

I haven't posted in a long time. We had a baby girl back in march which has kept my hobbying at a minimum. I am now getting back in the game and figured i'd give an update of what i've seen recently.

I had the boil pump stop working back in may. After 2 months brewie finally got me a new pump. This past weekend i then had the mash pump stop. After realizing that brewie as a company may be dead, i opened it up and remove the pump - it had some crap (few grain bits) in it. Once i opened the pump, i was able to clean it out and it works great. These pumps are rated to 30000 hours. If you have one stop, pull it out, remove the 4 screws and clean the insides out - it will keep on going.

I got an arborfab basket (the 600 mesh). I like it a lot. It makes brew day easier but i still haven't gotten quite the efficiency that i was hoping (more on that later). I have tried moving it around in the mash side to get better flow and ended up pushing it as far to the inlet side as possible. This got better flow into the basket, but then it slowed the flow to the bottom enough to scorch some sugars on the burner a bit. I learned its probably better to let it sit in the middle and let the water flow around for now. The basket also reduces the volume available for grain. This translates to an equivalent amount of grain sitting vertically higher in the mash tank - this potentially hurts efficiency.

Regarding efficiency, i had tried extending the mash and sparge times like other people and that helped a bit. This weekend i did a lot more probing of the mash and realized that it just doesn't get the whole mash up to the temp on the readout - at least not as fast as the mash water increases. Brewie thought the mash was at 150F and about 20 minutes into the rest, most of the mash was still in the low 140's. I think running the long sparge times really helps get it to mash temps and is where most of the actual mash conversion is happening (in fact it think the ebb and flow of the sparge is much more efficient at stabilizing temps throughout versus just the circulation of the mash). My plan is to run a tube from the mash inlet and get a sparge arm above the grains to better circulate the mash water. Hopefully that will assist up getting the mash up to temp faster and more evenly. I also tried increasing the temps of my mash steps (~5F higher than desired) in hopes of getting ahead of the temp delta, but that is a workaround and not a real fix. I'll follow up as i get the sparge arm implemented.

If brewie is in fact out of business, i'm curious if they will be purchased by someone. I think that of all the all-in-one brew machines out there, they have the best configuration and features (full 5 gallon, built in chiller, aesthetically pleasing). Their biggest problem was immediately alienating their biggest support base (their early backers) quickly followed by releasing a machine with a bunch of problems that could have been solved for just a few dollars each (including major safety issues). What would have cost a few dollars on the manufacturing floor now costs a few hundred dollars to fix once in the hands of the end user (shipping + labor). I bet if some new upper mgmt came in to the company and made it abundantly clear that things have changed, they might have a 2nd chance for success. But the problem of the poorly manufactured units will not go away immediately and will certainly cost some money.

If they don't get bought, i'm hoping that someone can talk to the engineers/execs and get copies of the source code so that the community can keep it going. I know that i would personally release that information into the wild if the alternative was my baby just dying in the wild. That said it would not be impossible to reverse engineer the unit to make it work, but having the original code base would save a lot of time for the hobbyists that want to keep this going. It sounds like at least a few of you have the original SD card image, which could be a start.

In terms of the system hardware and keeping these alive, the pumps are long life and obtainable, and the burners are also available. The only thing i don't know about are the valves. I think they are custom designed by brewie, but appear to just be hobby grade servos with a housing that allows the tube to be pinched. If anyone knows anything more about those, that would be helpful for future upkeep. The main control board appears to be just a microcontroller toggling the valves/pump/relays. I haven't gotten to the touchscreen section, but i'm guessing there is a system on a chip that is handling the wifi, storage, touch screen and then telling the microcontroller board what to actually make the system do. I have a feeling with some spare time and a small development community, these things can be kept alive for quite a while, and potentially improved upon.

Happy brewing and here's to hoping that the website issues are just a temporary glitch.

Congrats on the new addition!! Hope all are helathy.

This was a GREAT post! I too realized that tye arbor basket limits grain bill (i used the MAX allowed by brewie, and it was at least 1# too much- probably 2# too much). I removed grain and added a 1# dme (all on the fly of course- no math involved. Rough estimate for grain removed).

Note- i DO have some software sent by Mate. I am happy to share but will refrain (out of respect and fear of copyright law) until we know what happened to Brewie (if indeed it is down). No promises the code is there/accessible etc.

 

[Hamboner]

I got up early this morning to try to brew before work but my Brewie won't work. It stays stuck at the 'preparation' phase. I tried to go to their website today but it seems to be down? Please don't tell me they are out of business...

Anyway... The issue I have, is this indicative of a broken boil pump ?

Are you using automatic water inlet? Check your calibration (look in the developer settings) and see how much water the it thinks is there. The water inlet doesnt require the pump, just the solenoid on the inlet valve (you can also verify this solenoid from developer mode). I may also try removing the Wi-Fi password and on boot telling the brewie to work offline (not sure why but this seems to maker mine work better sometimes). I've had this happen before but with no obvious resolution besides it working fine at some later point.

There is a thread a few pages back that mentions there will be a fix for this in the future. Hopefully that it's still true.

 

[Brewdoode]

Man I love this thread. Just the last page since I posted previously is chock full of awesome info!

Anyways, after waiting more than a week for a response and seeing that some people in the Facebook owner's group went greater than a month without getting a response, I opened her up! Aaaaand it was definitely the boil wires (surprise surprise). I've attached pics of the destruction for those who are into that sort of thing

And I also included a couple pics of the highest temp disconnects I could find locally (Home Depot in my case). Not sure how long they'll hold out, but I'm now three brews in and getting up around 212ºF for each so they're solid so far...

Also, I just found what NateR and Hamboner was saying about using a lot of grain in the mesh basket. I also had a high grain bill for a recent brew and found the Brewie struggled to completly circulate the water properly. Might not be the basket, so I'll keep experimenting. Still getting a feel for this monster.

Hey @sniperd , would you mind sharing a link to the thermostat that you bought? Saving links to all of the parts in case Brewie bites the dust.

Looking forward to seeing what we can find for aftermarket parts to keep these guys running (if needed). Appreciate all of the invaluable information in here.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Astano]

Hi Everyone,
First time posting. Been brewing for a while and decided to try out a Brewie+. Have had it less than a month, done one brew, went great. Decided to check out their website recently and noticed it was down. Stumbled upon this thread stating that the company might be out of business. I have 2 days to return the unit if I want. My question for the community would be:

1) Do people who have more inside information really think the company is out.
2) If so, is this unit reasonably easy to repair for the majority of things that come up? I haven't opened it up myself, but I do have an Electrical Engineering degree and have rebuilt electronics before.

A bit disappointed if the company really is out of business. The concept was great, especially with a 1 year old, it was getting tough to brew the more traditional ways.

Thanks for an information/advice.

 

[Ajes]

I actually can't quite decide whether I hope the company is dead or not.
Originally I bought a cheap 15L chinese grainfather type machine. I specifically went for the cheapest I could find, since I knew I wanted to rip out the controls, and put in a pi/arduino type controller instead.
I've been debating with myself whether I should go for a brewie - I dislike how much time I feel I have to be around my current machine when I brew, and the brewie would help with that.
I'd hate for them to have given up - on the other hand, it might present an opportunity for me to buy one cheaply, and maybe even try putting a different controller in there...
Oh well.. we'll see. Honestly hope the best for them - so far I haven't seen other machines that has the potential this one has.

 

[Hamboner]

Man I love this thread. Just the last page since I posted previously is chock full of awesome info!

Anyways, after waiting more than a week for a response and seeing that some people in the Facebook owner's group went greater than a month without getting a response, I opened her up! Aaaaand it was definitely the boil wires (surprise surprise). I've attached pics of the destruction for those who are into that sort of thing

And I also included a couple pics of the highest temp disconnects I could find locally (Home Depot in my case). Not sure how long they'll hold out, but I'm now three brews in and getting up around 212ºF for each so they're solid so far...

Also, I just found what NateR and Hamboner was saying about using a lot of grain in the mesh basket. I also had a high grain bill for a recent brew and found the Brewie struggled to completly circulate the water properly. Might not be the basket, so I'll keep experimenting. Still getting a feel for this monster.

Hey @sniperd , would you mind sharing a link to the thermostat that you bought? Saving links to all of the parts in case Brewie bites the dust.

Looking forward to seeing what we can find for aftermarket parts to keep these guys running (if needed). Appreciate all of the invaluable information in here.

Thanks everyone!

I decided to put a 130C thermal switch in mine. The data sheets for the thermal switches say to choose a higher temp rating if running near the max current (they didn't say exactly how much, but to contact an application engineer). The burners draw quite a bit of current and being in the enclosed area they are going to get hotter than just the temp of the tank. I didn't want to open the machine again to replace those if they tripped again at 110C or 120C after doing the wiring fix and figured that 130C wouldn't destroy anything if the tank tried to run dry.

130C thermal cutoff switch:
www.digikey.com/products/en?keywords=317-1550-ND

I also saw that a lot of the insulated terminals were only rated to right near 100C. For the same reason above (not wanting to fix this problem again) I opted for bare metal terminals and wrapped with self-fusing silicone tape (rated to ~200C) to insulate them.

10-12AWG bare metal terminals (burner/thermal switch):
https://www.digikey.com/products/en?keywords=WM17811CT-ND

Self Fusing tape:
https://www.digikey.com/product-det...-cable-protection/608036-1/A114090-ND/2343022

I went ahead and replaced/upgraded my wires as well. I used M22759 ETFE (think teflon) series coated wire.

https://www.digikey.com/product-det...ction/82A0111-10-9/82A0111-10-9-DS-ND/2338534

I used some regular spade terminals (10-12AWG; yellow colored usually) for the relay side as those will not be nearly as hot being in the control circuitry section of the brewie. I don't have those part numbers off hand as i think they were just some home depot terminals i had laying around.

Hopefully this helps!

 

[Astano]

Hamboner, I found this helpful, thank you. I've decided to keep the Brewie even with the idea there wont be any customer support from them moving forward if they truly are gone as a company. My feeling is that with my skill set and the community that usually evolves when product go down like this, I can keep the Brewie going for as long as I want. Worst case scenario is the controller goes, in which case I'll through a PLC in. Looking forward to talking more with the communicate on more topics moving forward.

 

[Blazinlow86]

Hi Everyone,
First time posting. Been brewing for a while and decided to try out a Brewie+. Have had it less than a month, done one brew, went great. Decided to check out their website recently and noticed it was down. Stumbled upon this thread stating that the company might be out of business. I have 2 days to return the unit if I want. My question for the community would be:

1) Do people who have more inside information really think the company is out.
2) If so, is this unit reasonably easy to repair for the majority of things that come up? I haven't opened it up myself, but I do have an Electrical Engineering degree and have rebuilt electronics before.

A bit disappointed if the company really is out of business. The concept was great, especially with a 1 year old, it was getting tough to brew the more traditional ways.

Thanks for an information/advice.

Join the Facebook brewie owners page quick before you run out of time to return. You can always rebuy one for pennies on the dollar once there tits up. Cheers

 

[sharpbeer]

Are you using automatic water inlet? Check your calibration (look in the developer settings) and see how much water the it thinks is there. The water inlet doesnt require the pump, just the solenoid on the inlet valve (you can also verify this solenoid from developer mode). I may also try removing the Wi-Fi password and on boot telling the brewie to work offline (not sure why but this seems to maker mine work better sometimes). I've had this happen before but with no obvious resolution besides it working fine at some later point.

There is a thread a few pages back that mentions there will be a fix for this in the future. Hopefully that it's still true.

I normally use the auto water inlet, but for my most recent brew, I added water manually because I bought some RO water that I wanted to adjust. I tried calibrating the unit, turning off WiFi, restarting it multiple times, tried different recipes, tried WITH the automatic water inlet, which filled the unit with the 3.7gallons of water but then just stopped at 'preparation' again. IDK what to do tbh, I just sent an email to them but their website is still down...
I also reached out to morebeer.com, thats where I bought my unit, but all they told me they could do for now is email them...

I don't have time atm to read through this thread, and I dont have FB so I cant really join the brewie page on there, but it seems its easy to repair once you crack it open?

 

[Brewdoode]

Thanks @Hamboner just bought the same. Really appreciate these types of posts. This will keep our machines alive and the community chugging.

Once I have the parts, I'll open it up again and do a full upgrade.

Here's to hoping Brewie isn't down and out yet!

 

[czmkid]

Brewie plus the deal of the day on moreebeer today @1200

 

[Nate R]

Edit: These files/Link were compiled by @Rob Rowald and I failed to credit him. My apologies to you Rob, and many thanks to you for the files! They are much appreciated!
~~~~~~
Hi all. It is starting to feel like Brewie is no more....
I am not on the Facebook but the Mrs. is. Here is a link to google drive files if it helps.

https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/1j9mOcCxB7-MXzB_tXSvPzIhbrXfQQ3bi?usp=sharing

 

[Brewdoode]

Hi guys and gals,

Does anyone have any experience with adding fruit to the mash while brewing? I'm wanting to start a pumpkin ale I found a recipe for that calls for adding cooked pumpkin during the mashing step. Any thoughts or tips?

I know Brewie recommends bagging all fermentables, but I'm a bit hesitant. I suppose an alternative could be to add a puree to primary instead if it's too risky to add directly into the machine.

Anyways, I don't want to risk clogging the lines.

Appreciate any advice!


Edit:
@Nate R , thanks much for that. Hope that's not the case, but we'll see

 

[c06u]

Brewie plus the deal of the day on moreebeer today @1200

I am thinking if it's confirmed Brewie is gone 50% off that figure would be an offer to make, I love my B20 and will start looking for major discounted spares if it's confirmed they are gone, will keep her running come hell or high water!

 

[Hamboner]

Hi all. It is starting to feel like Brewie is no more....
I am not on the Facebook but the Mrs. is. Here is a link to google drive files if it helps.

https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/1j9mOcCxB7-MXzB_tXSvPzIhbrXfQQ3bi?usp=sharing

This is amazing. Thanks for sharing! I'm afraid to ask how you got all of this, but great work. I did send an email to every @brewie.org address i had asking for source code if indeed things have gone south, but i doubt i'll hear anything back.

I'm curious if anyone got the updated 'beta' build. In Tim H's thread a few pages back brewie responded with this:

The "too much water" is a new software bug that we'll fix in the next release. The "no water inlet" issue has been fixed in our beta software if you want i can send it to your machine

If anyone has that build and has to tear apart their machine, it'd be great to get an image of the SD card. That's probably the newest and potentially the last brewie update we'll have a chance to get.

 

[Nate R]

This is amazing. Thanks for sharing! I'm afraid to ask how you got all of this, but great work. I did send an email to every @brewie.org address i had asking for source code if indeed things have gone south, but i doubt i'll hear anything back.

I'm curious if anyone got the updated 'beta' build. In Tim H's thread a few pages back brewie responded with this:

The "too much water" is a new software bug that we'll fix in the next release. The "no water inlet" issue has been fixed in our beta software if you want i can send it to your machine

If anyone has that build and has to tear apart their machine, it'd be great to get an image of the SD card. That's probably the newest and potentially the last brewie update we'll have a chance to get.

Yes- be afraid, very afraid, of where I got all of this... Have you heard of the "Dark Web"? Well, I got this info from what I call the "Moderately-lit Web"

I wish I could take all the credit for this- but in fact it came from the (private) Brewie Facebook group.

 

[c06u]

Now is the time to grab spares, someone has gotten a hold of their used inventory of B20 units (89) of them $249.99 free ship


https://www.ebay.com/itm/Brewie-B20...115020&hash=item3d91997eab:g:mIkAAOSw1m1dVRLi

 

[Hamboner]

Now is the time to grab spares, someone has gotten a hold of their used inventory of B20 units (89) of them $249.99 free ship


https://www.ebay.com/itm/Brewie-B20...115020&hash=item3d91997eab:g:mIkAAOSw1m1dVRLi

My guess is that these are from the NJ repair facility. I think this all but confirms that Brewie is done. They are probably trying to recoup the money that brewie may or may not owe them. Mine got sent there a few months after i got it and brewie ended up sending me different new one months later after i complained.

 

[Brewdoode]

Anybody with more technical knowledge than I have know how many "shared" components there are between the b20 and b20+? Might be worth the $250 for the parts alone if they share many of the same internals. I have the Brewie+ and want to keep this guy trucking along for as long as possible!

Thanks

 

[c06u]

Anybody with more technical knowledge than I have know how many "shared" components there are between the b20 and b20+? Might be worth the $250 for the parts alone if they share many of the same internals. I have the Brewie+ and want to keep this guy trucking along for as long as possible!

Thanks

My guess is parts are shared for the most part but also this same seller if he was their repair facility he will be dumping B20+ units also, just keep an eye on his listing or you might drop him a message thru his eBay list asking what he might have on hand

 

[Brewdoode]

Yep just messaged him directly. We'll see what he says (if he responds). Going to hold off for now.

 

[Nate R]

Yep just messaged him directly. We'll see what he says (if he responds). Going to hold off for now.

Could you also ask him if he is willing to give (or sell for a very low modest price) any technical specs, manuals, programs, software, etc. he may have on hand?

 

[Nate R]

Anybody with more technical knowledge than I have know how many "shared" components there are between the b20 and b20+? Might be worth the $250 for the parts alone if they share many of the same internals. I have the Brewie+ and want to keep this guy trucking along for as long as possible!

Thanks

IIRC, part of the "benefit" of the B+ was: Better Pumps (made by Tesla!), a lighter overall weight, and a different method of measuring water- instead of weight (B20) it used a sensor of some kind on the B+. I would assume there are some others as well.

 

[Brewdoode]

Could you also ask him if he is willing to give (or sell for a very low modest price) any technical specs, manuals, programs, software, etc. he may have on hand?

Good idea! I'll be sure to ask when/if he responds

IIRC, part of the "benefit" of the B+ was: Better Pumps (made by Tesla!), a lighter overall weight, and a different method of measuring water- instead of weight (B20) it used a sensor of some kind on the B+. I would assume there are some others as well.

Ha didn't know about the Tesla thing! I believe I remember they moved to using a pressure sensor for the water. Good info!

 

[Nate R]

Yeah. I remember that was a like a BIG promo from them- pumps from Tesla.
This was just pulled from MoreBeers' website:
(Anybody else snicker at the "Updated electronics adapted from the automobile industry" as these tend to be biggest problems on the first gen B+?)

What's New:

• 18% lighter machine for easier handling
• Custom made pumps (from the supplier of Tesla)
• Decreased response time
• 20,000 hours of life expectancy
• Up to 12% faster brewing process
• Doubled memory storage for even more recipes
• Updated electronics adapted from the automobile industry
• Updated heating elements ensuring a continuous, rolling boil
• New WiFi module increasing reception - for all garage or garden shed brewing
• Pressure sensors for easier calibration
• Terminating sensibility of external effects (user tampering, base surface)

 

[Ragtop232]

I think Morebeer had 12 of these on their deal-of-the-day at $1199, and I don't think they sold even 1 at that price. I think everyone is aware these will not be supported any more.

 

[Nate R]

I think Morebeer had 12 of these on their deal-of-the-day at $1199, and I don't think they sold even 1 at that price. I think everyone is aware these will not be supported any more.

Yeah- I watched that too. I agree- not one moved.
AT some point between Amazon's stock and MoreBeer's stock these things will drop. I asked MoreBeer if they are the updated units with fixed wiring or not. We will see if I get a response.

 

[Nate R]

Yeah- I watched that too. I agree- not one moved.
AT some point between Amazon's stock and MoreBeer's stock these things will drop. I asked MoreBeer if they are the updated units with fixed wiring or not. We will see if I get a response.

... and i think they may have just pulled that question... so... No is probably the answer.

Anyone know if it would be worth it to just add an external pump and valve system? I.e. just use the brewie as a big stainless steel pot?

 

[Tim H]

I last communicated with Brewie on 8/8 responding to their beta software they rolled out to me. BIG improvement on user interface! You can skip steps in the process (in case you need to restart your recipe) and a bunch of other stuff....... I can take a look tonight and post some pictures of the options.

Was the 3.1.2 rolled out to everyone yet? I have had 24 hour response time with brewie concerning several tickets/questions. I would be shocked if they were improving customer support, updating the software, and then suddenly folding shop......

I really hope they are still around..... the platform is brilliant and can work well with software improvements.