Robobrew/Brewzilla Discussion

[Bill B]

That's the most important key to using the Brewzilla, in my experience. I completely disregard the temperature as reported by the Brewzilla (not at all reliable), and rely entirely on the temperature probe inserted in my mash during the entire mash. I use an Inkbird meat probe thermometer (the long probe is attached to a long metallic lead and inserted into the centre hole of the top filter screen), which makes all the difference, and adjust the target temperature accordingly. I also make sure to set the pump at about 50%, since it allows the wort near the heating element to heat properly before recirculating, rather than passing directly down the drain without much chance of reheating.

Do you recall which Inkbird model?

 

[Bottoms_Up]

Do you recall which Inkbird model?

Yes, it's the Bluetooth Digital Food Thermometer With 2 External Probes", IHT-2PB. Or 2PB-12.

https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Th...+2+external+probes&qid=1689264056&sr=8-5&th=1

 

[Bill B]

Thanks, I just ordered one.

 

[Barão]

Good evening..someone doesn't wash the grains..they use total water..i would like to try

 

[Bottoms_Up]

Good evening..someone doesn't wash the grains..they use total water..i would like to try

Could you expand on that? I'm not sure what you mean.

 

[Barão]

Could you expand on that? I'm not sure what you mean.

No grain washing.....touse total water...in the mash

 

[Sammy86]

Could you expand on that? I'm not sure what you mean.

He means no sparge, full volume mashing!

 

[Bottoms_Up]

No grain washing.....touse total water...in the mash

Thanks, now I understand.

 

[Bottoms_Up]

No grain washing.....touse total water...in the mash

No, I haven't tried that. You would likely have to use more grain to get the gravity up to where you wish. Should be less astringent.

 

[Barão]

No, I haven't tried that. You would likely have to use more grain to get the gravity up to where you wish. Should be less astringent.

thanks ...yes , but I think it will have more flavor and color control ... especially in red beers .... without washing....irish red ale ....red ipa

 

[KegLand]

Checking back in. I am 1.5 years and about a dozen brews into a 65L, 3.1.1, 220v. My biggest frustration was auto-shut downs at boiling due to scorch grain-gook on the bottom. My second was the piss poor efficiency (65%). Fixing either was a catch-22. By grinding grain further to get better effic., I created more 'dust' to stick to the bottom and scorch. So I went back to mashing in my cooler - no more scorched mess on the bottom and efficiency is in the high 80's. The 65l is a hot liquor tank, then I fly sparge into pots. When I'm out of HLT water, wort is ready to pour in from pots. I hit boil in 10-15 minutes. Honestly, I am happy even though the malt pipe does not function enough. There's 1.7 gallons of dead tun space which limits the amount of sparge/rinse water which can be used. I've no idea how to improve the grain dust/scorching issue. Anyway - a cross German-CAP pilsner will be ready in a few months and the fruit-cream ale in a few weeks. The Belgian Strong on tap just may last until then...Cheers

Can you send us any photos of the scorching? This is quite difficult to do as the watt density is quite low already. We the Gen 4 is even lower but the older 3.1.1 was still quite low watt density too.

Also with triggering the boil dry sensor this also sounds strange as all 3.1.1 models used the higher 175C boil dry cut out that you can see here:
https://www.kegland.com.au/products/brewzilla-35l-replacement-175c-thermal-cut-out-switchIt should be quite difficult to get this hot if you have liquid in the boiler and that is not something we have seen before. Were you re-circulating when this happened?

 

[KegLand]

I’ve been experimenting with BIAB in my Brewzilla and after crushing my false bottom I added a screw to act as support. Works great! I was able to use a rubber mallet to flatten the crushed false bottom.

If you want to load the false bottom with weight I would suggest getting this one instead:
https://www.kegland.com.au/products/35l-heavy-duty-false-bottom-for-digiboil-and-brewzilla
This one is designed to actually be loaded.

The one you have in the shot is just designed to be a pump protection screen.

 

[Barão]

65L bought summer of 2019. Modifications include pulling the overflow pipe and plugging the mash pipe with a stainless steel plug.

1. I wet condition the grain before milling. Even before I was wet conditioning I didn't have any issues with recirculating though, the conditioning helps with the muck and dust. Right now I'm milling at .34.


2. I mash thin 2 qts/pound of grain. So for a standard 1.050 beer I'm mashing in with 11 gallons.

3. I mix the grain in for the mash adding rice hulls as I go...three handfuls total. I mix everything well let it rest for 10 minutes then start recirculating with this: Eagle Brewing BE510 Siphon Spray Wort Aerator https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ODSS5J8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_pUnZs1AJRsAE2

I use the Hochkurz mash steps. First step at 144° for 30-45 minutes. Stop recirculating, mix really well let it rest 10 minutes and then recirculate and bump temperature up to 158 for 30-45 minutes.

Once done I pull the pipe, sparge with my Digiboil 1/2 gallon at a time...sometimes i put the top screen on sometimes I don't.

Never had a stuck sparge using this method. What it sounds like to me is your mash is too compact or channelling is happening interupting the flow of wort from top to bottom.

I'm new to the forum...I bought my Brezzila 35 gen 4...I'm reading this topic...I liked your technique...a question: do you turn off the power of the machine when you do the 10 min stops?

Thanks

 

[Sammy86]

I'm new to the forum...I bought my Brezzila 35 gen 4...I'm reading this topic...I liked your technique...a question: do you turn off the power of the machine when you do the 10 min stops?

Thanks

Nope, keep the power on.

 

[Barão]

Nope, keep the power on.

a doubt.. do you use the fine mesh bottom screen? .. if not , how do you avoid the bottom trub go to the faucet ?
thanks

 

[Sammy86]

a doubt.. do you use the fine mesh bottom screen? .. if not , how do you avoid the bottom trub go to the faucet ?
thanks

I did, then moved to BIAB so no issues with trub.

 

[Barão]

I did, then moved to BIAB so no issues with trub.

OK....and the hop trub? ... how to do ? ...use that fine mesh bottom screen?

 

[Sammy86]

OK....and the hop trub? ... how to do ? ...use that fine mesh bottom screen?

Yes. When the boil is done, I let it rest for five minutes. Then I use the whirlpool arm for 15-20 minutes to create a nice cone in the middle of trub/hops. Cool through a CFC and into the fermenter.

 

[Bottoms_Up]

Yes. When the boil is done, I let it rest for five minutes. Then I use the whirlpool arm for 15-20 minutes to create a nice cone in the middle of trub/hops. Cool through a CFC and into the fermenter.

No need for the whirlpool or even to wait. There is a screen at the bottom that will filter out most of the trub. In addition, you can use the same brew bag, place it in the fermenter, and drain the wort from the Brewzilla through the brew bag into the fermenter. That's the process I use, and the wort comining into the fermenter is very clear.

 

[Sammy86]

No need for the whirlpool or even to wait. There is a screen at the bottom that will filter out most of the trub. In addition, you can use the same brew bag, place it in the fermenter, and drain the wort from the Brewzilla through the brew bag into the fermenter. That's the process I use, and the wort comining into the fermenter is very clear.

I’m aware and thank you for the advice but I’m good with my process and results.

 

[Dr P]

I am even messing with a brew bag instead of the hop spider when doing a conventional brew in my Brewzilla.

 

[Neldog0]

I am even messing with a brew bag instead of the hop spider when doing a conventional brew in my Brewzilla.

I use a traditional grain brew bag that handles all the hops. It works great to minimize trub. I pull it out & drain it at the end of a boil & it works great to keep the beer clean.

 

[Dr P]

I have a Brewzilla 65L Gen 3.1.1, love the unit. Curious if anyone has experience on how long/or how many brews before the unit starts to wear out? Reason I ask, is the cost of this version is extremely reasonable, and after about 125 brews, I am starting to wonder if pump and heating elements are fading. I know pump is probably replaceable for <$100, but I would buy this exact unit again as it does everything I need it to without the admittedly very nice Gen 4 features.

 

[Panderson1]

I have a Brewzilla 65L Gen 3.1.1, love the unit. Curious if anyone has experience on how long/or how many brews before the unit starts to wear out? Reason I ask, is the cost of this version is extremely reasonable, and after about 125 brews, I am starting to wonder if pump and heating elements are fading. I know pump is probably replaceable for <$100, but I would buy this exact unit again as it does everything I need it to without the admittedly very nice Gen 4 features.

I have been wondering this too. I am probably around the same (125) brew days. But it's still riding strong.

 

[DuncB]

My guten similar touch wood at over 50 batches.

 

[KegLand]

I have been wondering this too. I am probably around the same (125) brew days. But it's still riding strong.

We have been selling the BrewZilla breweries for about 5 years now and sell 10's of thousands of units per annum. In the past 5 years we have seen less than 20 pump failures and less than 10 elemement failures.

So yes it's possible that the elements or pumps can fail but it's rare. Part of the low failure rate is because we have spend quite a bit of time to upgrade components.

PUMP
For the pump head some of our competitors use glass reinforced PP but since the beginning of when the BrewZilla breweries have been manufactured we upgraded the material to Syndiotactic Polystyrene which is really a much better resin so this is why the failure rate of the pumps is close to zero. Almost all warrantly claim that we see are simply caused by blocked pumps and this can be rectified by cleaning the pump out. We have seen a few cases where blockage is caused by some machined stainless swarf or mould that has started to grow in the pump but this is easily rectified by taking apart and cleaning.

ELEMENTS
As you would know the BrewZilla brewery has lower watt density than our competitors such as the Guten or Grandfathers which is great for doing lighter colored beers as you dont caramelize the malt. The secondary benefit is that lower watt density elements last way longer and this is also one reason why we have close to zero failures on the elements. Even if you boil the elements dry several times they are quite difficult to cause a failure as the thermal cut out switch prevents this type of failure.

OTHER FAILURES
Beyond the two failure modes above the only other type of failure mode that we see is caused by liquid ingress into the controller during wash down. With that said it's quite rare and even with aggressive wash down it's difficult for this to cause a failure. Sometimes if customers are a bit aggressive with washing it down we see some condensation on the inside of the screen lens that that generally rectifies itself over time as it dries out. The circuit boards can be quite easily replaced if this was to happen too.

 

[Dr P]

Appreciate the response, such fantastic deals on the Gen 3 versions out there, am being hyper-sensitive because the deal is so tempting. Highly recommended unit for anyone considering one.

 

[Airborneguy]

I’m sorry but this is 35 pages so I have to ask what’s probably been asked already.

I brewed a grand total of 1 time (today) with my Brewzilla Gen 3.1.1.

The pump became hopelessly clogged. I tried using my hose to backwash through the intake (as suggested in numerous search hits). I heard a loud pop. Removed the bottom to get at the pump and saw that I’d busted the short hose connecting the pump to the intake on the floor of the unit. I removed everything, opened the pump, cleaned it, cleaned the outtake arm, etc. but obviously I need to replace this short tube before I can reassemble and test the pump.

Does anyone know where I can get this part so I am not just fitting it with a random length of 1/2” (I’m assuming) tubing?

 

[mashdar]

I’m sorry but this is 35 pages so I have to ask what’s probably been asked already.

I brewed a grand total of 1 time (today) with my Brewzilla Gen 3.1.1.

The pump became hopelessly clogged. I tried using my hose to backwash through the intake (as suggested in numerous search hits). I heard a loud pop. Removed the bottom to get at the pump and saw that I’d busted the short hose connecting the pump to the intake on the floor of the unit. I removed everything, opened the pump, cleaned it, cleaned the outtake arm, etc. but obviously I need to replace this short tube before I can reassemble and test the pump.

Does anyone know where I can get this part so I am not just fitting it with a random length of 1/2” (I’m assuming) tubing?

IDK for v3.1.1, but for v4 I cut a length of 1/2" ID silicone tubing and it's worked fine. I re-used the old clamps. (I was modifying the connections.)

@KegLand may have an official dia and length spec? But IMO just start a little long and trim down.

Did you blow on it, or use compressed air or something? Odd that you could burst the tube with just your weak human diaphragm. (edit: You are human? No gamma rays?)

 

[Airborneguy]

I used my garden hose. I guess too much pressure. I just hope I didn’t burn out the pump my damned first time using it.

 

[DuncB]

I’m sorry but this is 35 pages so I have to ask what’s probably been asked already.

I brewed a grand total of 1 time (today) with my Brewzilla Gen 3.1.1.

The pump became hopelessly clogged. I tried using my hose to backwash through the intake (as suggested in numerous search hits). I heard a loud pop. Removed the bottom to get at the pump and saw that I’d busted the short hose connecting the pump to the intake on the floor of the unit. I removed everything, opened the pump, cleaned it, cleaned the outtake arm, etc. but obviously I need to replace this short tube before I can reassemble and test the pump.

Does anyone know where I can get this part so I am not just fitting it with a random length of 1/2” (I’m assuming) tubing?

Beware the unit will suck grain back up the tube when pump is turned off. Keep it on top plate or out of the wort.
You might find that a short length of the recirculate tube would do the job to replace the burst part.

 

[mashdar]

I used my garden hose. I guess too much pressure. I just hope I didn’t burn out the pump my damned first time using it.

Ah. Don't worry, I think these pumps are pretty sturdy. @KegLand said of the returns they've seen is Australia, they've almost all been gunked up pump heads with perfectly functioning motors.

As DuncB said, don't turn the pump off if the recirc tube is below the mash level. If Gen 3 has % pump setting, this toggles the pump and can cause the same issue.

I believe the recirc tubing is more like 3/8" ID, so not a fit.

 

[DuncB]

I believe the recirc tubing is more like 3/8" ID, so not a fit.

While since I've seen a 3.x
My bigger AIO has half inch tube on the recirculation.

 

[Airborneguy]

I found the replacement online at Williams Brewing. Ordered two of them.

 

[Airborneguy]

What’s the most grain you’ve all mashed in a 35L Gen 3?

 

[DuncB]

What’s the most grain you’ve all mashed in a 35L Gen 3?

More grain is less efficient. As mash thicker. i found reiterated mash worked best for larger batch high gravity. Then moved to a 70 litre system.

 

[Airborneguy]

More grain is less efficient. As mash thicker. i found reiterated mash worked best for larger batch high gravity. Then moved to a 70 litre system.

I’m not so much concerned with the efficiency. I’m just wondering if I have to keep my old equipment for bigger OG beers or not. For example, my dopplebock has a 16.5lbs grain bill. I’m thinking that’s too much?

 

[DuncB]

I’m not so much concerned with the efficiency. I’m just wondering if I have to keep my old equipment for bigger OG beers or not. For example, my dopplebock has a 16.5lbs grain bill. I’m thinking that’s too much?

you might well fit it in but it's going to be a very thick mash. So your batch is going to be small. Expect 50 % extract at best.
Good grain bill to partigyle a lighter beer from the second runnings.

 

[GoodTruble]

(1) the one and only time my 3.1.1 clogged was my first brew day. And it was definitely due to grain getting sucked back up the recirc tube when i turned the pump off. If you don't use the top screen (I don't), then just remember to lift the tube slightly above wort when you turn off the pump.

(2) anything over 16 lbs. and I usually start looking for ways to split it up, such as reiterated mash, mashing half then half, replacing some grain with dme, or cold soaking some dark grains overnight instead. (I also don't use the malt pipe anymore, just biab, which I think gives 2-3 lbs of wiggle room for the grain. Using the malt pipe, I would try to keep it under 14 lbs). But I have made 22 lbs batches before by using some of the above methods.

 

[tydaddy]

When in the hell is the 100L coming to the US?