Is electric worth it?

[ZmannR2]

so I have a pretty great BIAB setup using a Blichmann Hellfire burner and a really nice pot I've added whirlpool ports and have the new Blichmann pump and everything and brew days are quite perfect!

But I can't help but think of the idea of never having to go grab a propane bottle again, not heating up my garage in summer, and not burning myself on hot handles accidentally.

With an eBIAB setup I would love to bring my pot over against the wall up on a table, something you can't do with a burner. And it's out of the way of anyone, especially kids. And I love the idea of flipping a switch and making something boil

So these all sound awesome. But is there anything that sucks about electric brewing? And is it worth the effort and money to switch?

 

[Nmnbrewer]

I personally have not found any shortcomings with electric. More controllable, cheaper to run, quiet, faster. It's kind of a no brainer if you have access to the proper circuitry.

 

[schematix]

it's great.

only downside is it has a slightly higher up front cost and knowledge barrier to enter. neither were concerns for me though.

i'd give up brewing before going back to gas.

 

[tennesseean_87]

I went straight from stove to eBIAB. I never did propane, but the cost over time is supposed to be a big savings. It does limit where you can brew (you need 240V outlet to get some real power), and the element may get in the way of stirring, etc. I like it, though, especially being able to easily do step mashes.

 

[daveMN]

Totally worth it. I don't see myself doing it any other way. I'm stuck in one location, so I can't take my brew over to somebody's house for a group brew. That'd be one case for gas.

 

[dryboroughbrewing]

The only downside is going to club brewdays... I solved that by keeping one of my burners and getting a bag.

Can't recommend it enough, especially if you're reasonably comfortable with reasonably high powered circuits.

 

[ba-brewer]

I was not sure how well it would work so I went the hot rod approach and used my existing kettle(s). Still have the option to use propane if I want, but I cant remember when was the last time I used propane. Figure in a couple years they will pay for themselves in propane savings.

I do mostly 5gal batches and use two 120V circuits, not that much slower than propane to get to a boil.

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

So basically the advantage of electric brewing is if you can't hook up a good-sized burner to your house's gas supply, it's cheaper and easier. Hmm.

 

[processhead]

In my part of the world a big advantage of going electric was bring it indoors during the winter months.
Not really a factor in South Texas.

 

[Horseflesh]

I like computerized temperature control. My boil off rate is also 100% consistent which was never possible with gas. No regrets.

 

[illin8]

Being able to brew inside without fumes is huge especially if you have a dedicated space. Never running out of fuel and 2.5° temp increase per minute on 15 gallons ain't bad either (5500 watt element).

 

[augiedoggy]

So basically the advantage of electric brewing is if you can't hook up a good-sized burner to your house's gas supply, it's cheaper and easier. Hmm.

Its also more consistent for hlt strike and sparge temps and allows many options for precise mash temp control..I brew in an extra bedroom of my house with a homemade hood in front of a window.. since 100% of the heat generated is directly in the liquid theres a lot less wasted energy and heat...

You can easily incorporate things like timers and pump control.

I went from the pids to a virtual touch screen based control panel which allows be to control not only the brewing system but my fermentation temp control as well.

 

[Griffin495]

In my part of the world a big advantage of going electric was bring it indoors during the winter months.
Not really a factor in South Texas.

No, but growing up in Corpus, I can tell you it would be a big advantage of not having to brew outside during the summer months.

 

[TexasWine]

Contrary to what others have said here, single vessel electric can be just as, if not more, portable than a gas set up. Use two 1650 watt, 120v elements, and some beefy extension cord, and you can make 13 gallon batches easily with access to two 15 amp household circuits. Your whole brewing rig can fit into your kettle when you're done, if you plan it right.

 

[ZmannR2]

In my part of the world a big advantage of going electric was bring it indoors during the winter months.
Not really a factor in South Texas.

Lol you ain't lying about that! I love winter brewing! The garage feels amazing at 50 degrees at the lowest. Lol

 

[LarMoeCur]

so I have a pretty great BIAB setup using a Blichmann Hellfire burner and a really nice pot I've added whirlpool ports and have the new Blichmann pump and everything and brew days are quite perfect!

But I can't help but think of the idea of never having to go grab a propane bottle again, not heating up my garage in summer, and not burning myself on hot handles accidentally.

With an eBIAB setup I would love to bring my pot over against the wall up on a table, something you can't do with a burner. And it's out of the way of anyone, especially kids. And I love the idea of flipping a switch and making something boil

So these all sound awesome. But is there anything that sucks about electric brewing? And is it worth the effort and money to switch?

The only downfall is the cost! I love my electric brewery. Truly a set and forget rig. The hardest part is getting the strike water at the right temp. It knocked 2 hours off my brew day.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

Go electric. You wont go back.

Pros: Nails the temps, no refilling propane tanks (or guessing and running out), cheaper overall heating costs, brew indoors if you like saunas, quiet, no fiddling with burner valves every time the wind changes, basically boring as hell brewing - set it and forget it until the next task or step).

Cons: More costly to build up, You may need some help if you are not electrically inclined (plenty of online recourses and videos to help though!), stupid expensive if a company builds it all for you. If you shop hard and research the parts, hows and whys, you can save a ton of money.

Here's a pic of my 3rd version system before it was finished. Basically a morph of a brew magic frame and plumbing, but HERMS instead of RIMS. After many years, I took the leap of faith and went electric. I did however put burners on it (maybe $125 more) for a few reasons... (1) Step mashing rise times (2) Rotating batches. Boil on propane while mashing next batch on electric (I wanted to stay at 30 amps max, not bump to 50 amps. (3) Bring it to a friends place who doesn't have 220V/240V power. My control panel will accept 110V also. (4) heat the strike water to one temp while heating the HLT to mash holding temp. (5) impatience waiting for temps to come up from ambient. (6) i'm an engineer nerd type. None of my reasoning may apply however and are definitely not required for a great system.

I gotta admit though, it's been over 100 for weeks in Southern California. Even electric heats up the garage and it's quite miserable.

 

[Transamguy77]

Personally I think it's personal preference, I personally have no desire to go electric and when I was on the east coast I didn't mind brewing in the winter.

I know it's a more upfront cost and that is where it stops for me, what I pay for propane it would take me well over 10 years to break even. I know it's supposed to be more precise but for me that's part of the fun and I'm pretty in tune with my setup now and I can hit my numbers dead on.

If you want to go electric then go electric, if it will work better and make your brew day easier and more enjoyable then go for it! For me I like my propane.

 

[Addiktion]

Yes

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

The biggest thing electric gives you is brewing indoors...I'm a 3 season brewer for the most part. Winter brewing while its 25 degrees in your kitchen is mighty nice....

That and the cost of propane.