BIAB Electric Brewing System

[Sippin37]

So I have been doing BIAB for a little over a year now and am really starting to hate the cost of propane, not to mention the thought of brewing outside here in Chicago when the high tomorrow is supposed to be 10 F. I've looked at a lot of the eBIAB systems people have created in this section and loved a lot of the ideas. The ultimate system for me would be the Braumeister but I am having a hard time spending that kind of money. Also, I am scared with the idea of anything going wrong with the Braumeister and needing to wait on parts, etc. coming from overseas.

So while Googling more ideas I ran across the system that goes for roughly half the cost of the Braumeister 20L and seems like pretty much the same system I would've made for myself. Can anyone point out anything they see wrong with this system? Also, is the cost reasonable for all the parts included?
http://www.highgravitybrew.com/productcart/pc/BIAB-Electric-Brewing-System-276p3987.htm

Thanks, I can't wait to have the option to brew indoors for when the weather in less than ideal!!

 

[cpl-america]

it looks fine, kind of pricey. i biab five gallons in this.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002JQ3KQ4/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[russki]

it looks fine, kind of pricey. i biab five gallons in this.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002JQ3KQ4/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

After building a similar system myself, I don't think their price is out of line; I'm at almost $800 in parts for mine. As far as the Electric Turkey Fryer goes, I've been using this exact one for a year now, and it does work for 5-gal BIAB batches with some adaptations (need to do a "rinse sparge" - no room for all water upfront, and need to add a heatstick to get ~6.5 gallons of wort to boil reasonably well).

 

[jCOSbrew]

High gravity looks like a good turnkey system. I modeled my eBIAB panel off of their design. If you add up the parts, tools, and your time, you wont be saving much with DIY.

 

[aubiecat]

Seems a little high but then again it's pre-built. Might be worth it not to have to build your whole system. Personally I enjoyed every minute of building mine.

 

[Bsquared]

Have you looked at these? You would still need to a source lot of parts. But its a good start for a DIY system. Or search for people doing BIAB with induction cook tops. I think I read about people using an ~$200 cook top, but you would need an induction ready stock pot. You might be able to get a set up like this going for under $500.

 

[Sippin37]

Thanks for all of the input guys. I think I may just go ahead and get the High Gravity system but I need to wait until we find a new house so I know what type of plug to get. Once we are done moving then I will go ahead and get it.

Does anybody know if you can connect a plate chiller and then turn on the pump and recirculate until you get the temp down to 65-70F? I guess I have a few questions for them but I can ask directly. Thanks again.

 

[jCOSbrew]

The min temp output of a plate chiller or other chiller is determined by the input water temp. The size of IC or plate chiller effects the time and/or water required to reach yeast pitching temps.

I use a single pass through the plate chiller into the fermentor adjusting wort flow rate to hit the desired temp into the fermenter.

 

[Bsquared]

you should be able to get it to cool in one pass, just let the cooling water flow as fast as it can go and restrict the flow of the wort going through to get to your desired temp. you are in Chicago so I would not worry about recirculating, thats for us folks in the southern areas to worry about.

 

[Sippin37]

Ahh okay, got it. That's something I'll have to mess with once I get the system in place. Thanks again guys.

 

[johns]

I have looked at that system also. My conclusion was that the controller was expensive and one day i will try to do it my self. Mor gratification for me like this and if it breaks then i would be able to fix it.

Now, however I brew inside, using propane, I know the dangers of it, but what I do is this. I heat up the strike water in the stove and add the grain. Then I take the pot off teh stove and place it on the banjo cooker. After sparging, I only use my propane to take it up to boiling temptures. After boiling temptures have been reached (I hate waiting for the boil), I put the kettle back on the stove and continure to boil that way. I have seen people do the whole thing on there stove by using eletric or natural gas.

I still do partial mashes untill I get my eBAIB system going.

 

[SpacemanSpiff]

I recently bought this system although I haven't had the power run yet to be able to use it. I'm looking forward to it. It seems expensive, but I don't think it's too far out of line when you get all the parts together and factor in some time cost for assembly. Given my near complete lack of electrical skill, I didn't even want to risk it and mess with DIY. This system was the perfect solution for me since I already BIAB and like it. I'm hoping to be up and running soon and will report back on how it goes.

 

[Sippin37]

That would be awesome Spaceman. I am the same as you, really don't know if I could do the electrical DIY without possibly killing myself!

 

[Sippin37]

Question Spaceman, did you get the 62 qt. Bayou Classic kettle? If so, do you know how much clearance there is from the bottom of the basket to the bottom of the pot? I was really hoping to install one of these but wanted to make sure it didn't get in the way of the basket.
http://brewhardware.com/wlsightglass/49-weldless-sight-glass-kit

Thanks!

 

[SpacemanSpiff]

Question Spaceman, did you get the 62 qt. Bayou Classic kettle? If so, do you know how much clearance there is from the bottom of the basket to the bottom of the pot? I was really hoping to install one of these but wanted to make sure it didn't get in the way of the basket.
http://brewhardware.com/wlsightglass/49-weldless-sight-glass-kit

Thanks!

Yes I got the 62 qt pot. Just measured and there's about 2.5 in from the bottom of the basket to the bottom of the pot. Plenty of room for the element and looks like the sight glass may fit also. Pretty interesting idea. I marked off my old pot but never really liked dipping and guessing at the volume.

 

[Sippin37]

Yes I have the same thing with my current keggle that I use to BIAB. I actually marked off my mash paddle to measure the volume. But if I am going all out for this setup then I might as well drop another $27 and get a sweet sight glass.

Thanks for measuring. I'll post back in a few months once I get my whole setup put together and have a brew day. I'll try to post some pics.

 

[NWMushroom]

Any update on this yet? Curious about their eBIAB system.

 

[Sippin37]

Any update on this yet? Curious about their eBIAB system.

Not yet, was supposed to have been in a new place by now where I was going to purchase this system. Doesn't look like that will happen until June/July now. I'm holding off in the purchase until then so I know what type of plug I'll need.

If you do get this before then please report back with how you like the system. I can't wait to try it out!

 

[mrwizard0]

I built my own herms system and the cost for that high gravity system is way high, but if you want pre built then its not too bad. I think I paid less than $600 for my controller (which had multiple pids and a timer). Factor in the pots and pump I'm sure you could do their system a good bit under a grand if you did it yourself

 

[bmunos]

High gravity is high quality. I love that system.

 

[NWMushroom]

Well I ordered it and it shipped today. I won't be using it as soon as it arrives - I want to add a plate chiller but need to see the thing to see what I'm dealing with first!

 

[Sippin37]

I was also going to get a plate chiller when I ordered this system. Let us know how it works for you.

 

[YNOT2K]

i just ordered the 62 qt system. will advise how it works out.

 

[SpacemanSpiff]

I finally got my power run and made a batch last weekend. What a great experience. It easily shaved about 90 minutes off my normal brew day. I had essentially no problems at all. Well, one small problem, but that was my fault and not the system's. I will recommend doing a trial run with water. Not only to figure out your boil off rate but also to check and leak proof the connections. I found that I had to take apart and re-tape several of the connections that came pre-assembled. I was getting a leak behind the ball valve and at the fitting coming out of the lid that tightening wouldn't fix. A couple more wraps of Teflon tape though and I was good to go.

My problem came at the end. I was recirculating some cleaning solution and ran upstairs to prep dinner. Little did I realize that I had left a rag over the pump and when I came back down the pump had overheated and quit. Fortunately after cooling back down it fired back up so no harm no foul.

I can't wait to brew again. Shortening the day will make that more likely now for me and I've got a pipeline to refill. I'm considering doing a 10 gallon batch for one of these. It should fit it the 62 qt pot I think although I haven't done the calculation yet to be sure.

 

[NWMushroom]

Nice! Mine has been waiting to go for the past week - got the plate chiller the other day, now just waiting for my new fermenting buckets to arrive and a couple more disconnects and I'll be off. Hope to do a test run with water on Friday, and break her in with a full brew on the weekend.

I'll be sure to take photos

For other owners - what kind of boil off rate and grain absorption rate are you getting?

 

[SpacemanSpiff]

For other owners - what kind of boil off rate and grain absorption rate are you getting?

I got about 1 gal/hour with water on mine. However, it will depend on where you set the analog dial for how intense your boil is. I set it to a reasonable but not crazy boil and drew a mark on the controller box. I had to turn it up for the wort though because it wasn't enough power to have the same intensity if boil. Just something that's going to take some tweaking in.

 

[NivekD]

I have a favor to ask of the owners of these. Could you take a look inside the controller and see what's behind that knob? I'm guessing a rheostat that limits the current to the element, but just want to make sure. I may incorporate something like that into mine when I build it. Thanks.

 

[orangehero]

I believe they use a phase angle SSR. The potentiometer controls the voltage/current to the SSR.

 

[kzimmer0817]

I finally got my power run and made a batch last weekend. What a great experience. It easily shaved about 90 minutes off my normal brew day. I had essentially no problems at all. Well, one small problem, . . .

<snip>

I can't wait to brew again. . .

I'm glad sippin37 started this thread. I have been considering purchasing that system. I enjoy DIY, but I'm simply not finding the energy - with everything else that's on my plate right now - to build an e-kettle as well as an e-controller.

I was starting to get quite frustrated with this thread seeing that it was started 3 months ago, 3 folks have purchased the system, but no one has used it yet. I saw today that Spacemanspiff has actually used his.

I would be very interested in a detailed account of your use of this system as soon as y'all get a chance to use your systems. I'm particularly interested in:

(1) how well your temps hold,
(2) how well your recirculation works since several e-brewers have abandoned recirculation,
(3) how well everything goes with the bag in the basket,
(4) how your cooling method works with this system - whether IC, plate chiller, counterflow chiller, etc. and, last but not least,
(5) your cleanup.

Thanks,
Keith
Please don't read any disrespect in my message above.

 

[SpacemanSpiff]

I'm particularly interested in:

(1) how well your temps hold,
(2) how well your recirculation works since several e-brewers have abandoned recirculation,
(3) how well everything goes with the bag in the basket,
(4) how your cooling method works with this system - whether IC, plate chiller, counterflow chiller, etc. and, last but not least,
(5) your cleanup.

Getting ready for batch #2 today. Here was my experience on the first go:

1. No issue at all with the temp. I don't know that I saw it vary by more than a degree.

2. Recirc worked perfectly and I think that directly relates to #1. From the little I've seen in some of the threads I guess the argument against doing a recirc is that you can hold temps to within a few degrees anyway if you have some insulation or if you're willing to monitor the mash and direct fire if needed. I get it and used to mash that way also. But with the recirc and the probe at the top of that loop, I can essentially set the mash temp and walk away. I don't see a downside to it. If it were something that were going to be an added expense as you're building a system then I suppose I could see the justification on saving on a pump, but IMO it helps maintain a more stable mash and has some bonus side effects I'll list later.

3. I thought the basket worked great. First, if you watch the High Gravity video you can see how he rests the basket kind of cocked on top of the pot at the end of the mash to let the bag drain. I did this also and it worked great. I'm still trying to figure out how to squeeze out the rest though as I didn't want to push on this cocked basket and have it fall back in the pot and splash everywhere. Worst case, just adjust your volume for a little more lost to absorption. I also like having a physical separation between the bag and the element. I know a lot of people say it doesn't matter, but the basket eliminates any fear.

4. I stuck with my IC and had no issues. One of the goofy parts of my setup is a have the system in my basement and I don't have water down there. So I set it up by the window and run the garden hose through the window to my IC. Then just runoff into a bucket and dump it. Here's where that recirc comes in with a bonus because I kept it running during the recirc and that keeps the wort moving across the coils and really sped up the cooling. I really didn't have to bother with a lot of stirring or sloshing the coil around and that helped the trub drop out nicely for when it was time to transfer.

5. Another bonus for the recirc in cleanup. After a quick flush with hot water to get out the big chunks, I made up about 3 gallons of hot Oxi and just let it recirc for 20 minutes or so. After that there were just a few spots in the pot that I had to hit a little harder by hand and I also had to work a little more on the basket. Overall, it was pretty simple though.