I would REALLY like it to have a manual potentiometer over ride for the boil. Other than that it looks sooooo cool. His video could use some work and there could be more pics BUT he was so responsive to my questions I figured what the hell. If it works as advertised, and said blichmann, it would be 2gs.
Why isnt anyone building basic electric control boxes?
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Since there is a fair amount of discussion on this forum about the picoBrew E-BIAB system, I thought I'd take the time to comment.
I am the "Guy" of which you speak. I developed the picoBrew E-BIAB system. Relative to the trademark concerns. I was concerned about the picobrew term as well and had my attorney do a trademark analysis of picobrew. His legal opinion was that the terms pico brew, nano brew, and micro-brew cannot be trade marked on their own, as they are common representations for varying size breweries. That is why my official name for the product is "picoBrew E-BIAB".
Sorry about the web site, I know it looks poor. I am an engineer and beer lover, not a marketing or web genius. I'm selling these systems to share the love and ease of use of the system that I've spent much time (several hundred hours) developing and perfecting. Not trying to get rich, just make it worth my while.
Liability: I sell it as a kit so you take the responsibility of properly wiring it. I require people that buy it sign a Liability Release form before I ship. I highly recommend a GFI circuit breaker and that a professional install and wire the system. Since I cannot guarantee people actually install a GFI, I simply can't take on the risk for those that don't know their way around electricity. I believe the heater element is the best design I've seen for electric breweries. The electrical connections are potted in a high temperature potting compound and waterproof. My LED indicator is an added nice touch as well, so you know when it is on. Anyone that builds their own system from scratch assumes this same personal liability, so I don't feel I'm being unreasonable, as I'm providing the do it yourselfer (which by nature all homebrewers are!) with a safe and full featured option that saves a lot of time at a reasonable cost.
Concerns about support. The system is designed using off the shelf Arduino components. I also supply PC software that allows you to upload the firmware into the Arduino, right from my application. So, should you blow something up, and I'm not available or around (everyone dies eventually), you can still purchase replacement parts anywhere. The software gives you the unique ability to monitor your brew session via any remote desktop application. I use LogMeIn on my ipad. It also allows saving and restoring of recipe parameters on your PC.
The number one question I get regarding this system is "What is the efficiency"? I use brewersfriend.com to formulate my recipes and calculate efficiency. Using that as a basis, I get high 70's for brewhouse efficiency and use 76% in the recipe calculator. (I've gotten as high as 85% when using recipes with high crystal malt content). It seems homebrewers are hung up on efficiency. Obviously we want to extract as much sweetness from our grain as we can, but I feel that Most people get too hung up on it. Simply put, you are not a less than human life form if you get less than 85% efficiency in your mash process. The simple truth is that you can save a lot of time and get the same results with this system simply by adding a few pounds of base malt to your recipes.
People get all worked up about the lower efficiency numbers of BIAB and get snobby and state that BIAB is not a viable brewing methodology. I beg to differ. With my system, I can brew 10 gallon batches in the 15 gallon setup in 3 hrs 15 minutes, including clean-up time! Compare that to 7 hours in my 3-vessel setup. Time is worth everything to me. So, it takes 7 hours to get 90% efficiency, or a little over 3 hours to get 76%. I can get the same OG by adding a pound or two of grain. I buy in bulk and pay as little as $.75 a pound. I'll gladly spend an additional $1.50 of base malt to get the OG I want and save 4 hours. It is as simple as that, add a little more grain to compensate for the lower BE and save a bunch of time. Technically, I can brew two batches back to back in less time than 1 batch in my 3 vessel system.
The controller allows multiple step mashes, but to be honest, the standard two step works the best. It has a beeper that notifies you when you need to do something. The best part of this system is that it makes consistent recipes over and over with the same results. Strict temperature control and timing really makes a difference.
It does use a thermowell, and that does mean that the system reacts to temperature changes more slowly. I've spent considerable time tweaking the PID algorithms and the system does not overshoot by more than 1 or 2 degrees. Once a setpoint is attained, it holds it rock solid. Contrast this to what happens with propane burner based systems!
Some say that for BIAB you should grind the grain finer. Yes, this will increase efficiency as it increases the solubility, but I feel the foul flavors that the hull of the grain add to the wort are not worth the extra efficiency. Again, add a pound or two of base malt.
Let me know if there are any other questions and thanks for discussing it here!
I am the "Guy" of which you speak. I developed the picoBrew E-BIAB system. Relative to the trademark concerns. I was concerned about the picobrew term as well and had my attorney do a trademark analysis of picobrew. His legal opinion was that the terms pico brew, nano brew, and micro-brew cannot be trade marked on their own, as they are common representations for varying size breweries. That is why my official name for the product is "picoBrew E-BIAB".
Sorry about the web site, I know it looks poor. I am an engineer and beer lover, not a marketing or web genius. I'm selling these systems to share the love and ease of use of the system that I've spent much time (several hundred hours) developing and perfecting. Not trying to get rich, just make it worth my while.
Liability: I sell it as a kit so you take the responsibility of properly wiring it. I require people that buy it sign a Liability Release form before I ship. I highly recommend a GFI circuit breaker and that a professional install and wire the system. Since I cannot guarantee people actually install a GFI, I simply can't take on the risk for those that don't know their way around electricity. I believe the heater element is the best design I've seen for electric breweries. The electrical connections are potted in a high temperature potting compound and waterproof. My LED indicator is an added nice touch as well, so you know when it is on. Anyone that builds their own system from scratch assumes this same personal liability, so I don't feel I'm being unreasonable, as I'm providing the do it yourselfer (which by nature all homebrewers are!) with a safe and full featured option that saves a lot of time at a reasonable cost.
Concerns about support. The system is designed using off the shelf Arduino components. I also supply PC software that allows you to upload the firmware into the Arduino, right from my application. So, should you blow something up, and I'm not available or around (everyone dies eventually), you can still purchase replacement parts anywhere. The software gives you the unique ability to monitor your brew session via any remote desktop application. I use LogMeIn on my ipad. It also allows saving and restoring of recipe parameters on your PC.
The number one question I get regarding this system is "What is the efficiency"? I use brewersfriend.com to formulate my recipes and calculate efficiency. Using that as a basis, I get high 70's for brewhouse efficiency and use 76% in the recipe calculator. (I've gotten as high as 85% when using recipes with high crystal malt content). It seems homebrewers are hung up on efficiency. Obviously we want to extract as much sweetness from our grain as we can, but I feel that Most people get too hung up on it. Simply put, you are not a less than human life form if you get less than 85% efficiency in your mash process. The simple truth is that you can save a lot of time and get the same results with this system simply by adding a few pounds of base malt to your recipes.
People get all worked up about the lower efficiency numbers of BIAB and get snobby and state that BIAB is not a viable brewing methodology. I beg to differ. With my system, I can brew 10 gallon batches in the 15 gallon setup in 3 hrs 15 minutes, including clean-up time! Compare that to 7 hours in my 3-vessel setup. Time is worth everything to me. So, it takes 7 hours to get 90% efficiency, or a little over 3 hours to get 76%. I can get the same OG by adding a pound or two of grain. I buy in bulk and pay as little as $.75 a pound. I'll gladly spend an additional $1.50 of base malt to get the OG I want and save 4 hours. It is as simple as that, add a little more grain to compensate for the lower BE and save a bunch of time. Technically, I can brew two batches back to back in less time than 1 batch in my 3 vessel system.
The controller allows multiple step mashes, but to be honest, the standard two step works the best. It has a beeper that notifies you when you need to do something. The best part of this system is that it makes consistent recipes over and over with the same results. Strict temperature control and timing really makes a difference.
It does use a thermowell, and that does mean that the system reacts to temperature changes more slowly. I've spent considerable time tweaking the PID algorithms and the system does not overshoot by more than 1 or 2 degrees. Once a setpoint is attained, it holds it rock solid. Contrast this to what happens with propane burner based systems!
Some say that for BIAB you should grind the grain finer. Yes, this will increase efficiency as it increases the solubility, but I feel the foul flavors that the hull of the grain add to the wort are not worth the extra efficiency. Again, add a pound or two of base malt.
Let me know if there are any other questions and thanks for discussing it here!
alien
Well-Known Member
@Flyingpole, I think the picobrew system deserves its own thread really!
MX1
Texas Ale Works
This would be a great idea!
lotbfan
Well-Known Member
Did you get any idea on the delivery time of your new unit? I am likely making a purchase next Friday and was most likely going to go with the EBC SV system, but am willing to hold off a bit for feedback on yours if it is expected soonish.
@flyingpole: how backlogged are you on these right now? What is a reasonable turnaround time for a complete 15 gallon system?
I need to pull the trigger on a system before Nov. 1st as that is likely when my wife will want to spend my paycheck on a new iPad and then a brewing system won't be an option
Did you get any idea on the delivery time of your new unit? I am likely making a purchase next Friday and was most likely going to go with the EBC SV system, but am willing to hold off a bit for feedback on yours if it is expected soonish.
@flyingpole: how backlogged are you on these right now? What is a reasonable turnaround time for a complete 15 gallon system?
I need to pull the trigger on a system before Nov. 1st as that is likely when my wife will want to spend my paycheck on a new iPad and then a brewing system won't be an option
In case it helps at all, I ordered the EBC SV system and it arrived yesterday, exactly one week after ordering it. Whichever system you choose, go with the option that doesn't include the pump. There are a couple pump deals currently listed on homebrewfinds.com that make it more worthwhile to buy the pump separate.
Did you get any idea on the delivery time of your new unit? I am likely making a purchase next Friday and was most likely going to go with the EBC SV system, but am willing to hold off a bit for feedback on yours if it is expected soonish.
@flyingpole: how backlogged are you on these right now? What is a reasonable turnaround time for a complete 15 gallon system?
I need to pull the trigger on a system before Nov. 1st as that is likely when my wife will want to spend my paycheck on a new iPad and then a brewing system won't be an option
He had it on the truck thursday. I expect I will get it the first part of next week. It seems that he is getting a lot of new interest on his systems, I assume that he has some in stock, but may not for long.
Have you had the chance to give it a go yet?
Just a "dry" run with water. Everything worked as it should and I'm happy with my choice. The lack of an analog power control in the electricbiab model is a deal killer for me, though I've seen plenty of comments from those without one that they don't feel it's absolutely necessary. The quick disconnects in the High Gravity system are veeeeery nice to have, but you could always add those on yourself. Brewhardware.com has good prices on SS disconnects that I hope to upgrade to eventually.
I prefer the High Gravity's recirculation system and the temperature probe placement (with quick disconnect), but these are all relatively easy modifications to make on your own. So I guess it comes down to your controller preferences.
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