Is anyone actually brewing with the new Unibrau V3 system. I have seen a lot of discussion and speculation about this system buy very few reviews from people who are actually brewing with it (and not associated with Unibrau). Let us know how the system is working for you?
Unibrau V3
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DevilsCups
Well-Known Member
There was a guy over on /r/homebrewing that opted to receive his early (minus the retaining ring for the grain basket) and he wrote up a mini-review. Looked solid. Mines arriving this week.
Only gripes before getting the system : there is now an option for 240v, which would have been nice (as it also works 110v if you wanted), and the additional cost of the second element kit if needed. However, people are reporting that it isn't necessary, but nice to have.
Only gripes before getting the system : there is now an option for 240v, which would have been nice (as it also works 110v if you wanted), and the additional cost of the second element kit if needed. However, people are reporting that it isn't necessary, but nice to have.
DevilsCups
Well-Known Member
For sure! Here you go : https://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/comments/7ot1tk/unibrau_first_impressions/
I'll hopefully be breaking in mine maybe Monday. If not, next weekend. I've been brewing on 240v induction so I'll be able to see how it compares.
Looking at this unit.... have you had a chance to use yours yet?
DevilsCups
Well-Known Member
Hey man! So yeah, I used it for the first time last week. As far as the quality goes, it's great. Everything went together perfectly, and I didn't need to buy anything outside of a few hose clamps.
Brewing went smoothly. Mash temp staying very consistent removes a variable and worry I have when mashing. I have a few things I'd like to work on with it a little better.
- The posts that hold the grain basket up (with the silicon covers) are juuuuust barely long enough to hold it on the retaining ring. You want to take care when the basket is resting on the ring and not jolt it too hard, or else you will have a heavy basket full of wet grain become unsettled. Not a huge deal.
- This is somewhat anecdotal, but the grain basket is a little challenging to clean for an indoor apartment brewer. Draining is no issue, but I had a hard time figuring out where to rinse. Wouldn't really fit in my sink upside-down, so I rinsed the interior and removed as many loose grains as I could. Then, a quick shower rinse.
- Boil came at a registered 206F on the controller, which I confirmed with my thermometer. Strange, as I'm like 200ft above sea level in NY. Also no biggie, as I could clearly see a visual boil. However, the controller is set to alarm for an upcoming boil at 206F, so with every slight temp fluctuation from 205-206F the alarm beeped. I can probably change a setting.
- My first recipe was only an ounce of hops, and the included hop-basket might be deep enough for something like and NEIPA. That's to-be-determined soon. I need to make sure 3-6oz of hops don't just clump up and not let wort circulate.
Outside of that, it was a breeze. The pump works amazingly well. The tri-clamp fittings are great. The plate chiller is BADASS. Cooled my wort with my sink water in like 5 minutes. Transferred directly into my fermentor. I've read horror stories about plate chillers accumulating gunk, but I flushed mine as-per the instructions. I'll try to keep an eye on it.
I'll also agree about what people are saying in reviews : the 1600w element takes a little time to reach mash and boil temps, but it's definitely reasonable and gets the job done. The additional element kit would be nice in the future, but only to speed up the time and not out of necessity.
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augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
You can adjust the temp readout to be more accurate. if its boiling at 206 its off a few degrees. its not uncommon or difficult to have to do on these stc1000 type controllers.
DevilsCups
Well-Known Member
I figured as much with the STC, but that's not really the strange part. The strange part is that my Thermoworks thermometer was reading 206F as well. Just a little odd at my altitude! I'd hate for the 206F to be accurate and adjust the readout, only to have it affect the accuracy of my mash temps as a consequence. I'll have to do a little more detailed temp testing when I brew on it next in a week or so.
Thanks for the write up. Will likely purchase in the next few weeks.
DevilsCups
Well-Known Member
For sure man. Some people lament the cost, especially in regards to the relatively simple controller. However, I didn't have to "build" a thing, the quality of everything is definitely there, and it all worked perfectly without any issues. Worth it IMO! Sure I could've learned about building an electric setup and saved a few hundred bucks, but as an apartment brewer with little to no tools or time to DIY this worked out very well for me.
DevilsCups
Well-Known Member
Yeah, wait it out I suppose! I backed the kickstarter on the Unibrau back in January so it was essentially between this and the Grainfather (worked out to be similar in cost).
DevilsCups
Well-Known Member
You're absolutely right. I bit on the Unibrau based on a residence move in November that still hasn't happened
Haven’t heard about the ss brew tech announcement.... I’m pulling the trigger on this purchase soon so the if they announce it in the next few days I may change my mind.
augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
Since you brought it up, I'll be the devils advocate (or not in this case
) and lament here if not for anything else, to inform people who may not know this going in.In truth its not just a few hundred bucks more a person would be paying for this very simple BIAB (basket, bag whatever)..
Its more like $7-800 over the cost of building it. A lot of people cant help but notice this controller is extremely inferior to the older generation of EZboil based brau controllers because its nothing more than a $9 stc hysteresis temp controller with a thermister temp probe and $5 ssr.. Instead of bringing the costs down or improving the product they cheapened it in this regard and raised the cost. Add the retail costs of the components, $79 mkII pump, $50 in valves and non sanitary threaded tc fittings (camlock would be much easier to actually use for this job here), $20 element, wiring costs($40),$20 silicone hose, $6 for the aluminum enclosure, 99 cents for the pump switch and in the end you are paying like $1000 for the kettle and assy. every single component in this build is avaliable on aliexpress or ebay from china but the custom made modified steamer kettle itself. None of this stuff says top shelf quality to me BTW but is rather the most economical options to choose for max profits.
A person should consider they also now have the option of a real pid system made from the prewired inkbird pid controller with a real rtd temp probe https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06WD6X17V/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 for about $100. This would make easy work of assembling something comparable with minimal effort and skill in an hr or two for like $400-500 depending on how fancy one wants to get with the components. (and at $500 you could have things like a real lwd element that pulls out with TC bases for easy cleaning, camlocks which would be superior to TC fitting threaded on in a non sanitary fashion which offers all the headaches of using them with no advantages here except bling and the option to use either a basket or bag since a brewboss style basket can be custom made to fit just about any kettle for around $100.. Plus the best part is you can easily maintain it yourself!
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cheesebach
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Completely agree, but I do really like the way they designed that custom basket though...
DevilsCups
Well-Known Member
It costs more than it probably should. Not arguing that.
I could build a PC that wipes the floors with a Mac. But I just like to click, buy, and receive a well-made, pretty "luxury item" sometimes. I just can't be bothered to DIY something like this at this point in my life.
I could build a PC that wipes the floors with a Mac. But I just like to click, buy, and receive a well-made, pretty "luxury item" sometimes. I just can't be bothered to DIY something like this at this point in my life.
highland_brewer
Short Circuited Brewers
Since you brought it up, I'll be the devils advocate (or not in this case
In truth its not just a few hundred bucks more a person would be paying for this very simple BIAB (basket, bag whatever)..
Its more like $7-800 over the cost of building it. A lot of people cant help but notice this controller is extremely inferior to the older generation of EZboil based brau controllers because its nothing more than a $9 stc hysteresis temp controller with a thermister temp probe and $5 ssr.. Instead of bringing the costs down or improving the product they cheapened it in this regard and raised the cost. Add the retail costs of the components, $79 mkII pump, $50 in valves and non sanitary threaded tc fittings (camlock would be much easier to actually use for this job here), $20 element, wiring costs($40),$20 silicone hose, $6 for the aluminum enclosure, 99 cents for the pump switch and in the end you are paying like $1000 for the kettle and assy. every single component in this build is avaliable on aliexpress or ebay from china but the custom made modified steamer kettle itself. None of this stuff says top shelf quality to me BTW but is rather the most economical options to choose for max profits.
A person should consider they also now have the option of a real pid system made from the prewired inkbird pid controller with a real rtd temp probe https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06WD6X17V/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 for about $100. This would make easy work of assembling something comparable with minimal effort and skill in an hr or two for like $400-500 depending on how fancy one wants to get with the components. (and at $500 you could have things like a real lwd element that pulls out with TC bases for easy cleaning, camlocks which would be superior to TC fitting threaded on in a non sanitary fashion which offers all the headaches of using them with no advantages here except bling and the option to use either a basket or bag since a brewboss style basket can be custom made to fit just about any kettle for around $100.. Plus the best part is you can easily maintain it yourself!
I am currently working on a system that is about 1/2 the cost, granted the basket is not as "nice" but I think it will work. I am basing it around the inkbird controller. Mine has a TC element and weldless fitting for the element.
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All depends on how much time you want to spend playing around to build something... 10-15 years ago I would have but not high enough on my list right now.
augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
That's a perfectly understandable and valid point of view to have. But I think so was mine. The main reason I commented was based upon the comment that it was only a few hundred dollars more. The Baseline that I see for most brewing equipment is about a 200% markup for people to assemble something and resell it and in this case it's much higher despite the fact that this version uses a much cheaper controller it costs more than the previous version.. like others said it was one step forward and 2 steps back so to speak.
augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
We are talking about comparing it to spending an HR or two building it by just mounting the element and plugging it into an inkbird prebuildPID based controller.. this is just electric biab it doesn't get much simplier than that except a propane burner.
If spending an hour or two to save $7-800 and have a superior temp control system is too much work for you congrats because your much better off than most people.
If spending an hour or two to save $7-800 and have a superior temp control system is too much work for you congrats because your much better off than most people.
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cheesebach
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Hi BullDog - I totally get the "how much is your time worth?" question in debating something like this or a DIY solution. I've been putting off going the DIY route myself for the past 6 months because I have so many other house-related things to get done, and I'm hoping someone will eventually announce a pre-built system that has most or all of the features that I'm looking for.
However, aside from the price, the main things keeping me from pulling the trigger on the new unibrau are the single 1600w heating element and the simple controller. This past summer, the 2x1600w Unibrau V2 system with EZboil controller was less than the price of this new system. In my mind, it was the same price of the Grainfather but with twice the power and more modularity. With the new system, it's not as clear to me what I'm gaining for the extra money I'm putting in compared with the GF.
Do you mind sharing what led you to go with the unibrau over something like the GF or the high gravity eBIAB systems? Please don't take this as me being critical of your purchase - I'm just looking at all my options and want to know/understand what the best selling points are to this system vs. the competition that led you to ultimately choose the unibrau v3?
Haven’t purchased anything yet but looking at the unibrau over the gf due to the replaceability of the parts if something breaks.
May wait to see if SSB announces something soon.
Really just want something that works, is compact and has some room to upgrade/replace items as needed.
May wait to see if SSB announces something soon.
Really just want something that works, is compact and has some room to upgrade/replace items as needed.
highland_brewer
Short Circuited Brewers
The Clawhammer Supply system is on it's 2.0 stage now and will be using a rebranded/recovered IBP-16 for really cheap. I am not sure how the are making much money on the system they are producing at a price point of $649.00 Basically the exact same system as the Unibrau.
DevilsCups
Well-Known Member
Of course!
At the time, I was actually pretty close to biting on a Grainfather. I was brewing on 3500w, 240v induction, but may be moving soon to a place that doesn't have 240v capability.
I wasn't aware at all of the High Gravity system at the time, however I'm not certain if they would work for me or not anyways. I might be moving to somewhere in the Westchester, NY area, and most buildings are old with old electric. Good chance I''ll have 15A power, and the Blichmann Boil Coil would require 18A or better for full power. The Unibrau is 15A capable and if I ever need more power I'll pick up a second element.
I got in on the Unibrau at $900 and change all said and done, so the pricing between all the systems (at the time for me) was very similar. I just liked the aesthetic of the Unibrau, the power of the pump is fantastic, and little things like the tri-clamp style connections made it look sturdy.
After using it, I do have a few gripes I would like to look into improving on myself, but brew-day went well.
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augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
The older plastic pump that used to come with the Uni brau system is not food grade. I found the manufacturer and ask them on Alibaba where they sell those pumps for $15 a piece they responded that it is not food grade and that they are mainly designed to be used as utility pond pumps. I mentioned this in a thread and a couple weeks later those pumps were no longer being sold by Brau.. you can still buy them on eBay though for $15-20 you would think a company like that wouldn't sell something that obviously might not be safe considering the plastic that they were made out of was never designed to be used 4 food grade applications at that temperature.
DevilsCups
Well-Known Member
I don't have the old Unibrau system, or the old pump. I understand and appreciate your willingness to guide people towards DIY, and I wholeheartedly support it as well, but in many threads it seems like you have an axe to grind against Brau Supply in general.
augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
I just don't like it when people get taken advantage of. I edited my post above and explained my reasons for bringing it up. I feel it's a valid thing to mention.
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DevilsCups
Well-Known Member
I can get behind that. I just think this is a case of "Apple Computers" like I stated before. I knew going into what I was buying that DIY would be cheaper and probably "better", but that's not why I made my purchase. I most certainly don't feel like I've been taken advantage of as well.
But I can see your viewpoint. And again, to clear up any confusion, my Bayou kettle is not comparable to the Unibraus in any way. I've seen that claimed in a few threads.
augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
I will keep that in mind. The reason I made the reference to the Bayou kettles was the comparison between the two was made on the older system between someone who had both a bayou Kettle and stated they both seem to be from the same maker. It would be easy enough to tell because a Bayou Classic title is not 304 stainless and is magnetic and works with induction.
Brau could easily have changed suppliers as well since then.
DevilsCups
Well-Known Member
Gotcha. Yeah, my Bayou is tri-ply and induction capable (and works very well with induction). But the Unibrau is most certainly thicker with a way different finish to it.
Ultimately, at the time, it was this or the Grainfather for me. I didn't like that the Grainfather was an 8gal capacity (necessitating a sparge for pretty much everything I would brew) and that it wasn't nearly as modular. I was thinking long-term, if the element would crap out or something. It's internal, so the whole unit would have to be replaced. I'd like to think I would trust they would do the right thing post-warranty, but you never know.
augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
Well even the non triclad bottom Bayou kettles work with induction I own a few myself
Bayou used to advertise them at 304 stainless which of course was a lie because induction doesn't work well with 304 stainless.
Bayou used to advertise them at 304 stainless which of course was a lie because induction doesn't work well with 304 stainless.
DevilsCups
Well-Known Member
I've heard rumor of that as well. At the time when I bought mine I needed one that definitely worked, and I tracked the price of the 10gal tri-ply on Amazon. It dipped to $75 one day and I snatched one up.
augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
I picked up my three 16 gallon Bayou kettles as open box buys off Amazon and eBay they came complete with ball valves for $125 shipped each.
It makes no difference that they are not 304 stainless to me because for home brewing applications they are fine we are not using the caustic or strong acids that are Brewery would use to clean them and that's the whole point behind the 304 stainless.
It makes no difference that they are not 304 stainless to me because for home brewing applications they are fine we are not using the caustic or strong acids that are Brewery would use to clean them and that's the whole point behind the 304 stainless.
DevilsCups
Well-Known Member
Can't beat that. Drilling mine for the ball-valve was a slightly unpleasant experience.
Anyways, to get the thread back on track. I'll be brewing again next weekend using this system and I'll see how I fare second go around. My concerns are : a recipe with more hops and seeing how the handle and setup handles it, revisiting my boil temperature and trying to figure out a good way to whirlpool/hopstand.
cheesebach
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Appreciate all the input/feedback here. I’ll be taking a closer look at clawhammer’s product as well.
Let us know how the whirlpool/hopstand goes. I’m not sure how I’d feel about having to use a hop basket on IPAs, so I’m curious how these systems handle high quantities of loose hops.
Let us know how the whirlpool/hopstand goes. I’m not sure how I’d feel about having to use a hop basket on IPAs, so I’m curious how these systems handle high quantities of loose hops.
DevilsCups
Well-Known Member
Being that the pump is powerful on the UBV3 I'm pretty confident that you can push a good amount through the pump and plate chiller. I'll try risking that at some point in the future maybe to try. Just not right now haha.
augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
Most of you already know this but regardless of the pump used, if you pump that trub through a plate chiller your kinda asking for trouble down the road. at least thats my understanding from the countless threads on that subject. The pump used in this system is still a bit weaker than the most common March and chugger pumps which most use.. Even in the probrewing community its an issue and why so many of those chillers can be disassembled and cleaned periodically.
I use a couple stainless hop spiders and even bought and tried the larger TC inline filter and the hop spiders work best for me to keep my plate chiller clean and not waste a lot of beer. I find that now that the hop spiders are only like $30 I can use both of them and this way I have less of a chance of hop utilization loss. made a scaulpin ipa clone which came out very well with them so...
I have never used the lwd? 120v elements in question here so I cant comment on whether scorching is more likely to occur with all those solids in the wort or not. texaswine or wilser should have experience in that regard.
I use a couple stainless hop spiders and even bought and tried the larger TC inline filter and the hop spiders work best for me to keep my plate chiller clean and not waste a lot of beer. I find that now that the hop spiders are only like $30 I can use both of them and this way I have less of a chance of hop utilization loss. made a scaulpin ipa clone which came out very well with them so...
I have never used the lwd? 120v elements in question here so I cant comment on whether scorching is more likely to occur with all those solids in the wort or not. texaswine or wilser should have experience in that regard.
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brausupply
Active Member
I just came across this thread and being the owner of Brau Supply, allow me to introduce myself. I absolutely respect Augie's perspective that DIY is a valid option, and I'm happy to support that. However there have been untruthful statements made by Augie about us, and I'd like to address this particular one, and add in a comment about our new system.
1. Our old plastic pumps we sold were in fact food grade pumps that were rated to 100ºC. They are not the same $15 pumps sold on Alie Express. Believe it or not, there are several plastic pump manufacturers in China.
2. Our new V3 system has many good reasons for us to charge $1199. We are not using an Inkbird or an STC-1000 controller, but a controller that is similar in looks but has upgraded internals to handle the power of the brewing element. This controller is outfitted with a 30A Hongfa (Japanese) relay inside, and also we use a custom made temperature probe which is tri-clamp instead of the cheap probes used. Temperature sensing is more accurate than the STC-1000, and the reason we went away from the PID and EZboil for control was simplicity. I cannot overstate how important it is to use a simple controller, and it just makes things more enjoyable. There are lots of fantastic PID's out there that can maintain temperature accurately, but the challenge of programming, and the need to re-tune them every time you switch recipes is inconvenient. When brewing 120V there just isn't much overshoot, and tight control is possible with our new design. If in fact, you actually were to go part by part through our V3 build, you would see that you will spend more than $1200 to get the same (and by that I mean apples to apples comparisons, not substitutions). Our kettle is made of 5mm tri-clad bottom with 1.2mm thick walls. Yes, these are better quality than our competitors kettles, and adding tri-clamp ferrules makes them even more so. I can go on, but I'd rather you all read to the end of this post, and you all can feel free to email me through my site if you have any more questions.
Finally, Augie, this is a personal and public appeal to you to cut it out. We've never met, and I agree it seems you have an axe to grind with our company, yet you haven't taken the time to introduce yourself to me. I'm not sure if you realize that your negativity affects others, and that there are human beings behind all of the companies who are just trying to make a living. The people behind these brewing solutions aren't trying to rip people off, or 'take advantage of others' as you eloquently put it, but we're trying to make products to be consumed by people who want to spend the money and who appreciate good design. I'll say again, I understand your perspective of DIY, but trashing those who try and produce good solutions isn't the answer.
Defamation is a serious thing, it's ugly, and it hurts people and their business. I think you can rise above it Augie, and I hope after this it will stop. Instead of posting untruths, I encourage you to email me personally about anything you think I've done and allow me to personally rectify it. I'm sure you know how to find me, and I'll be sure to respond.
Peace,
Steven
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