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Also, cutting prices doesn't mean the company is going under. They could have had a high level of inventory on hand (which means most of their capital is tied up in product) so it could be a strategic move to free up cash for re-investment. Even multi-billion dollar companies like Bayer are inventory heavy and push product at wholesale prices so they can commit funds for other things.
 
@Tim H i am with you in hoping it aint so.... but i think what happens is the accountants come in (or the one guy at the top in charge who knows the numbers) and says thats it. Nobodys getting paid fir the last 1,2,or 3 weeks... so pack it up and go home.
The website is still down. I think the worst proof is the repair center putting up the units on ebay. He probably got an email saying sorry we are done. Expect no more payments. Sell your stock of units.
 
Well damn, you beat me to the draw and changed maybe a dozen words, but I was just posting the same response. I hope they are still a thing but I will certainly plan for the worst.

I am waiting on a response from the ebay seller but I am likely buying at least one of their units to have some spare parts for my original B20.

Perhaps they will make a triumphant return in the near future with some changes for the better. Fingers crossed...
 
Nate R said:
@Tim H i am with you in hoping it aint so.... but i think what happens is the accountants come in (or the one guy at the top in charge who knows the numbers) and says thats it. Nobodys getting paid fir the last 1,2,or 3 weeks... so pack it up and go home.
The website is still down. I think the worst proof is the repair center putting up the units on ebay. He probably got an email saying sorry we are done. Expect no more payments. Sell your stock of units.
Click to expand...

I am going for the "blind hope" approach to this situation (just keep swimming, just keep swimming). I bought my unit 2 months ago to start brewing beer on a limited schedule taking care of a newborn and finishing up a masters degree. My wife will give me hell if the automatic brewing machine I bought no longer automatically brews beer........
 
What if any fixes does the b20 need? And will it work? If so at the price of 250 I might give it a go. I dont mind paying 250 for a defunct company's fixer upper. Having read all 40 pages and not owning one, 250 seems reasonable.
 
Tim H said:
I am going for the "blind hope" approach to this situation (just keep swimming, just keep swimming). I bought my unit 2 months ago to start brewing beer on a limited schedule taking care of a newborn and finishing up a masters degree. My wife will give me hell if the automatic brewing machine I bought no longer automatically brews beer........
Click to expand...
Ahh yes... the blind hope.... how it has gotten me thru so much of life!!!

2 things:

She does not need to knoe Brewie.org is gone. The machine works without wifi! I jist hope you had updated the software (aka turned it on and off twice since you bought it).

Also, where did you get it from? If you have the B+ it may have wire issues. They fixed these but not on first release models. Scroll up. A pretty easy fix if you follow the notes above. Not too expensive either.

Finally to all the group... i seem to recall a simple web search found me a (different site) guy who had done a simple hack of the software. I bet someone smarter than me at the computer stuff ( you know- a guy who went to radio shack for more than just batteries like me) will find a way to keep Brewie alive!!

Then these things will become sought after and we can all sell our units for thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, on the aftermarket!!!
 
Tim H said:
I am going for the "blind hope" approach to this situation (just keep swimming, just keep swimming). I bought my unit 2 months ago to start brewing beer on a limited schedule taking care of a newborn and finishing up a masters degree. My wife will give me hell if the automatic brewing machine I bought no longer automatically brews beer........
Click to expand...

If you have the wiring/thermal switch fix in your machine (assuming b20, not +), I don't see why it won't keep on rocking for quite some time. I have had no 'real' problems and don't anticipate any more at those point. The other upside is that they don't require phoning home to brew so they will keep on going.
 
Hamboner said:
If you have the wiring/thermal switch fix in your machine (assuming b20, not +), I don't see why it won't keep on rocking for quite some time. I have had no 'real' problems and don't anticipate any more at those point. The other upside is that they don't require phoning home to brew so they will keep on going.
Click to expand...

I bought mine through amazon and got one of the newest models. I checked with Brewie and they said my serial number has all the upgraded components. I’m just anxious for when things do go wrong and I have nowhere to go...
 
Tim H said:
I bought mine through amazon and got one of the newest models. I checked with Brewie and they said my serial number has all the upgraded components. I’m just anxious for when things do go wrong and I have nowhere to go...
Click to expand...
Ahhhhh but my friend, you DO have somewhere to go... Here!
RDWHABMHB!
 
If worst comes to worst you could probably diy some more standard pid controllers and just run it as a manual electric system I imagine. Cheers
 
My biggest concern about the ebay units is that most won't have the accessories (hop baskets, false bottom, and hoses). You could probably improvise things to get around that but I think you should be aware of that going in. As a result most really are just spares oye spare parts for the older B20 owners.

applescrap said:
What if any fixes does the b20 need? And will it work? If so at the price of 250 I might give it a go. I dont mind paying 250 for a defunct company's fixer upper. Having read all 40 pages and not owning one, 250 seems reasonable.
Click to expand...
 
Hamboner said:
My biggest concern about the ebay units is that most won't have the accessories (hop baskets, false bottom, and hoses). You could probably improvise things to get around that but I think you should be aware of that going in. As a result most really are just spares oye spare parts for the older B20 owners.
Click to expand...
Yeah i would bet they have none of that. I am with @Blazinlow86 on his post above. I think one could add a manual controller and external pumps etc. Just use this thing as a shell. Could a person make this a RIMS or HERMS system?? Add say an external hot water source?
I am not the guy to design this but i bet some here is
 
Nate R said:
Yeah i would bet they have none of that. I am with @Blazinlow86 on his post above. I think one could add a manual controller and external pumps etc. Just use this thing as a shell. Could a person make this a RIMS or HERMS system?? Add say an external hot water source?
I am not the guy to design this but i bet some here is
Click to expand...
I think you could just gut the proprietary stuff like the brain/display if they eventually kicked it and still use the pumps, elements, chiller and even hop cages if you like. Just buy standardized pids and toggle switches. Wouldnt be automated but still useful. You could possibly even use brewpie and keep it automated. Cheers
 
I’m scratching my head because the big cost was already spent by Brewie...... R&D, coding, advertising, material/supply chain...... another company could swoop in and buy this for pennies on the dollar. I see it happen with banks and insurance companies all the time. I wonder how much capital it would cost to take over and push this product across the finish line.

$200k?
 
Hello All,
I hope it is OK to step in. I was desperately looking for information about brewie and well, only here I could find something.
Yes I also believe there is something wrong with them. I do have two machines, a B20, one of the very first, serial number 38 and a B20+
So far I only had small issues, except the B20 which had a lot of infantile diseases which I could all fix locally on my own. I would say I do have some experience with the devices and many (50+) successful brews.
I just want to join this group to stay in touch. By the way I live in Germany.
Also I was in contact with Marcel Pall (CEO of Brewie) multiple times on the phone since the very beginning. He does not answer the phone since approx three weeks which really makes me feel they do not exist anymore. Usually he was responsive even though he mostly handed me (and my issues) to other people in his company.
I fully agree we all need to make something out of this and at least try to get access to drawings, schematics and source code. Parts of course are a vital element to keep the machines up and running.
Just as FYI, I have never participated in any forum so please excuse me being potentially a bit clumsy, and I'm not an English native speaker.
I keep trying to call Marcel and I I succeed I let you know of course.
I'm committed to help to get this going somehow.
 
I have the latest "official" brewie recipe guide (PDF) from June and also I started an Excel File which covers 90% of the recipes (needs some clean up).
If it is OK to upload it here I can do it (I have no idea if this would violate the forum rules)
 
Try the Facebook page for support. I think they pay more attention to that. You can do the fix yourself just follow the step by step guide found here. I did the fan mod with great success. The spade connectors are the failure point and will probably continue to be so if the heat is not removed from the area.
 
beerier said:
I have the latest "official" brewie recipe guide (PDF) from June and also I started an Excel File which covers 90% of the recipes (needs some clean up).
If it is OK to upload it here I can do it (I have no idea if this would violate the forum rules)
Click to expand...
There shouldn’t be a problem uploading info. We are using this forum as a “catch all” for Brewie info.
 
Has anyone used a packet sniffer on this to see what the Brewie is connecting to? I'm just wondering if that site is still up.....
 
Here are the versions I have (forgive my own personal labeling)
 

Attachments

  • Brewie recipes.pdf
    2.9 MB · Views: 61
  • UltimateRecipeGuide (2).pdf
    3.8 MB · Views: 56
Ok team- kinda a dumb question here.
I am going to bree today with Brewie.
Has anyone tried to connect Brewie to the web since they (probably) folded?
If so- did anything happen?
I am afraid to connect and have something bad happen. Silly right?

I assume the app will not work without being connected. Also the app will probably die anyways right?

Thanks all!
 
Nate R said:
Ok team- kinda a dumb question here.
I am going to bree today with Brewie.
Has anyone tried to connect Brewie to the web since they (probably) folded?
If so- did anything happen?
I am afraid to connect and have something bad happen. Silly right?

I assume the app will not work without being connected. Also the app will probably die anyways right?

Thanks all!
Click to expand...
I booted up last night to run a quick clean and started a recipe. No issues as of now. It might be a good idea to pull it offline though...... I didn't think about that.
 
Thank goodness this thread has been active! I am awaiting for my request to be approved by the FB group owners, but like many here was at a loss when my support ticket was going unanswered and then emails started bouncing! I have a + and recently had the wires replaced after they burned, like everyone elses have.

My machine seems to do 1 brew with no problem, then the next brew it breaks mid-way through. And that's where I am at now...the whole machine lost power in the middle of a brew...the outlet and everything was fine, just the machine completely turned off. Finally got it back on only and finished using developer mode for it to go belly up during the clean cycle. Finally got the thing to turn back on, but the screen never comes on and it doesn't seem to complete the boot up process.

So fast forward to today and given that it doesn't seem the company is around, I plan on getting in to the guts of the machine, trace some wires, and thanks to Nate R's awesomeness for providing pages of information, hopefully get this thing revived!

Couple of questions, anyone face something similar? Powers up, does some clicking (assuming it is the valve checks) but never comes alive on the control panel and doesn't seem to complete boot up? Also, how much of the B20 components overlap with the + (sorry if this has been addressed before)?
 
Brian H. said:
Couple of questions, anyone face something similar? Powers up, does some clicking (assuming it is the valve checks) but never comes alive on the control panel and doesn't seem to complete boot up? Also, how much of the B20 components overlap with the + (sorry if this has been addressed before)?
Click to expand...

Brian, what software version are you running? 3.1.1 had some issues with the screen. This was the response from Brewie last month regarding my screen taking forever to boot, and flashing white "The phenomenon you described is on the LCD screen is caused by the touch screen resetting itself, usually goes away after a few power on's. If the LCD is dirty, you can try to clean it, that helps. If there's no wifi nearby that can also cause the machine to take a long time to boot."

I would turn it on, walk away for 10-15 minutes and come back to a working machine. It sucks because I think the bulk of our issues are software related...... We need somebody who can get the source code and edit this crap....
 
Brian H. said:
Couple of questions, anyone face something similar? Powers up, does some clicking (assuming it is the valve checks) but never comes alive on the control panel and doesn't seem to complete boot up?
Click to expand...

I had a similar issue once (although not during boot up) where the Brewie+ would spontaneously turn off. In my case it was a clogged pump on the mash tun side. In my case this was an easy fix but I am not sure your issue is related, just FYI.
 
@Tim H , @Brian H. , @volx ... I had two issues with my original B20: Just went dead. This was a new fuse. #2- the machine would turn on. make noises, but the screen would just be blank. This needed a new SD card flash. I was emailed the software by Mate (I am looking for it and then how/where to post it) but eventually asked for a whole new SD card as I was short on time. I will post when I find it
 
Tim H said:
And that’s my primary concern with these units. If the software crashes, this becomes a paperweight. Hardware can always be swapped out and replaced.
Click to expand...
Yeah... hopefully since it seems like it was all working it should in theory just stay working righr? I.e. no "improvements" = ni bugs to fix later?
 
Ok Brewie Folks....
I am working on Batch #2 right now.
Here's something I noticed:
I did NOT connect to WiFi when I booted up. I realized when I go to create recipes, it does not pull the data- that is, I could not enter 2-row, wheat, etc. I was however able to still add amounts of ingredients.

Ok, I promised I would report on the ArborFab Brewie Basket... here we go.
As I mentioned above, you cannot use the full amount of grain allowed. First batch was 12.5# malt, 0.5# rice hulls. I would 13# is probably about the max amount.
Here is my grain bill, and my calculations below:
12# 2-Row (1.036)
0.5# Acid Malt ((1.027)

SO, I got:
[(12*36)+(0.5*27)]/5
Which equaled 89.1.
My pre-boil gravity was 1.048

Which means (48/89.1) I got 53.8% efficiency... yuck!

A few thoughts:
-I *may* have messed up the mash time. (I wanted 60 mins at 152). I was also harvesting the hops to go in this batch, and may have messed up entering the steps. I felt like it went from mash to sparge really fast, but I was in and out of the house. I did get a final post-boil gravity of 1.052.

Also, I may not be using the right water calculations. I try to do oxygen free transfers so I do not see how much goes into the fermenter/ how much is leftover. I did a 60 min boil.

Maybe someone else here can look at these numbers and (hopefully!) tell me where my calculations are off!
 
I wanted to upload the latest recipe guide (June 2019) but got the size error, too large, it is actually 4.7MB, also ZIP makes not much of a difference. Is there any chance to change this limit (maybe temporarily even)?

One comment to off-line operation.
First of all as it was already mentioned: brewie does NOT need any network connection to work properly.

However it may be a good idea to run it off-line.
In order to get it in off-line just switch off your wifi (or temporarily change the password) so that the machine can not connect itself during start up. It will than show all available networks (shows the SSIDs) during boot up. On this screen appears there is a large orange "off line mode" button on the lower part, simply press it and the machine runs off-line.
If the machine is connected already and you go to the setting -> wifi screen this button is not there.
 
beerier said:
One comment to off-line operation.
First of all as it was already mentioned: brewie does NOT need any network connection to work properly
Click to expand...

That was the primary reason why I had no problem canceling my Pico Brew. I wanted to be able to bring the brewery with me while we are at our summer property with no internet. I have brewed a number of times with no internet and it functions just fine.

On another note..... what is the latest version of the firmware. I haven't brewed since March I didn't even have time to run it to see if there was an update. I am still running 3.1.1 and have, so far, had no problems with it.
 

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