BIAB Electric Systems

[Wil Prim]

Hey all, due to space limitations I am considering moving over to a BIAB system vs a all grain multi cooler setup I currently have. Just looking for recommendations, I have been following the guys at claw hammer supply and their 120v system looks pretty cool.

Also, I am at 7,000 ft altitude in a colder climate brewing in a garage.

Looking forward to seeing recommendations!

Thanks!

 

[BSheridan]

If you end up going with their system, I'd be interested to see how you like it. That is one of the electric systems that I've had my eye on

 

[Wil Prim]

If you end up going with their system, I'd be interested to see how you like it. That is one of the electric systems that I've had my eye on

Looks like a good one. Might end up going with the 240V version for a better boil

 

[RM-MN]

How about simple and cheap. Bigger pot and a propane/natural gas burner. Crack open the garage door to avoid CO poisoning and to let out some of the steam and set up a pulley to help you lift the bag of wet grains. BIAB was meant to be simple. Full volume mash, pull the bag to let it drain, and your pot of wort is ready to boil. If the pot isn't quite big enough for the full volume of wort plus grain, do a pour over sparge while the bag is hanging.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I've been looking at going electric and I've boiled it down (pun intended) to three formats:

Recirculating eBIAB
2V Kettle RIMS
Counterflow HERMS

Each has advantages and disadvantages, so I've gone around and around. One thing is certain, I'll go 220V. I'm hoping to speed up my brew day, so I want some power.

Some of the COTS systems that have caught my eye:

High Gravity has both eBIAB and 2V kettle RIMS
Brew Boss has cool features and I like the COFI system they offer. The also have a condenser based steam collection system based on something developed by a poster here. Nice for indoor brewing.

SS Brewtech has some interesting new products for the electric homebrewer. I like that the kettles they offer with these systems are welded (not a fan of weldless fixtures).

There are also a number of do it yourself options. Auber has a the cube controller, which, when paired with a custom Spike kettle and, perhaps, a basket for utah biodiesel, would make a really nice eBIAB system.

Somewhere I posted about my take on the various electric brewing options (BIAB vs 2V vs 3V etc.). I think it was in electric brewing. I'm not sure your knowledge level, but it was a decent introduction to the various options.

 

[brew703]

I am also considering moving to electric. I have eliminated any 120v system. For me that would take too long to heat to strike temp and to boil temp.

When I do make the jump it will be a 240 V single vessel system. I have looked at High Gravity, SS Brewtech (their new items seem sweet) and have also looked at putting a unit together piece by piece. Only issue is I would have to get the controller built as I have no knowledge of that side. I do have a friend who could do it but he's pretty busy and it would take a while to complete. So with that said, it will probably be a purchased system.

The Electric Brewery has a lot of good info on their site.

 

[wyowolf]

I have a CBS eBIAB rig with a BCS 460 control panel I built. I like the CBS system OK, but it it took awhile to work out some bad efficiency issues... THE BCS is overkill for this, but I wanted something I could expand and use for other stuff, like the AC Chiller I just built..

I have no probs boiling with 220v...before that I was on propane outdoors... which in the South sucks esp in summer... now its all indoors in the basement, I can brew whenever I want any time of day or year...

 

[specialkayme]

Are you looking for a pre-made system, or one you'll build yourself?

Personally, I'm building an eBIAB system right now. I elected to go with a custom Spike kettle and a 240v heating element with a DragonStill DIY controller. I'll be reusing a nylon bag from my non-electric system. I consider it my basic kit. I designed the kettle to have plenty of extra ports, so I could install pumps or steamslayers later on, to do RIMS or mash recirculation or whirlpooling later on if I want to. But for now it's a basic type thing.

I couldn't justify the price points on many of the other systems, and I couldn't justify dropping $2K+ on a system even if I built it myself. But time may tell, and I may want to upgrade as I go along. Your mileage may vary.

But after reading everything I could about the topic, I'd suggest that whatever system you use, you can (A) find easily replaceable parts for it, and (B) it allows you to build onto it later if you want. If you buy a pre-made system from a company, you're tying yourself into the company for all future replacement parts (which for me could be 50+ years worth of parts, and I didn't have that kind of confidence in any company). You may also decide later that you want more, or less complexity or options. Make sure the system can accommodate that, or you'll be buying a whole new system in order to upgrade.

 

[Tidwellc]

I've been looking at the Brewer's Edge Mash and Boil myself. I used to do all-grain with propane, a large kettle, and an igloo mash tun cooler. I had a garage at the time and the space to do it. Getting back into brewing, and now I live in a high-rise. It has it's pros, but open flames and propane are a no-go. Been doing extract batches on the stove top, but there's just no going back after having done all-grain.

The price point for the Mash and Boil is awesome ($300), but it's pretty basic. Nonetheless, all the reviews for it are pretty positive. Seems to work well for what it is. Space-saver and safe to use indoors if that's a factor for you (it is for me).

 

[kevin58]

I considered the Clawhammer system and I also looked at the High Gravity BIAB system: https://www.highgravitybrew.com/sto...tric-Wort-Hog-5-Gallon-BIAB-120V-445p4647.htm

I finally decided against BIAB and just took delivery on the High Gravity 5-10 gallon, 3 kettle system. I'm still in the process of putting it together. https://www.highgravitybrew.com/sto...ic-Wort-Hog-5-10-gallon-3-Vessel-445p5064.htm

 

[hezagenius]

I put my system together piecemeal. We had some remodeling done on our house over the summer so one of the things I wanted done was to get 240V service in the garage for brewing. It's a 100A panel and I had the electricians install 30A/240V, 20A/240V and 20A/120V GFCI outlets.

I bought the following:
CUBE from Auber
5500W element and some fittings from BrewHardware
Clamps and some more fittings from Stainless Brewing
Power cables (14-30 for the controller and 6-30 for the element) from Amazon
Kettle, basket, butterfly valves from Grounded (should be arriving tomorrow!)

I already have a pump and immersion chiller so no need to buy new ones.

I made the decision early on that I wanted a welded TC kettle and it had to be 15+ gallons. I want to avoid threadings wherever possible and not worry about boilovers. I currently use a Spike 15 gallon for my 5 gallon BIAB batches and I've added some hops that would surely have boiled over in a 10 gallon kettle. I looked at doing a Spike custom and that was probably going to be 400-450 depending on the number of TC ports, and I'd still have to buy a basket (probably 200-300 from Arbor). I also looked at the Stout 18 gal kettle and it was decent. Midway through my search, Grounded announced they were going to start making eBIAB systems and would sell just the basket and kettle. For the price (I think $575), you get a 15 gallon kettle with 4 1.5" welded TC ports (2 of which are tangential), a kettle and 4 1.5" TC butterfly valves. For the price, I think that's a good deal. Based on the pictures, it looks pretty sweet. I'll know more tomorrow when the kettle arrives.

I'm hoping I can give it a test drive either this weekend or sometime next week.

 

[Beer-lord]

I've been a BIAB brewer for years and personally, won't ever go back to my old ways but I understand how many feel about the 'standard' brew methods. That said, I finally went electric a month ago. I got the High Gravity 240v system with a few additions and though I've only had time to brew on it once, it worked a treat. It's very simple to operate and I've extremely pleased with the results. And their customer service is the best.
However, thankfully, you have lots of options and that's a good deal. Just do your research, don't be afraid to ask questions from the company your looking at purchasing from. I believe they all make great beer!

 

[Wil Prim]

Ended up getting a Robobree v3 for the price. First brew went okay but had some issues with the draining. They have a top straining plate that you place on top of the mash during rest and it ended up just pancaking the grain together and pretty much just stopping any flow through. I am going to try without top plate next brew.

To be continued...

 

[owmatooth]

I've been looking at the Brewer's Edge Mash and Boil myself. I used to do all-grain with propane, a large kettle, and an igloo mash tun cooler. I had a garage at the time and the space to do it. Getting back into brewing, and now I live in a high-rise. It has it's pros, but open flames and propane are a no-go. Been doing extract batches on the stove top, but there's just no going back after having done all-grain.

The price point for the Mash and Boil is awesome ($300), but it's pretty basic. Nonetheless, all the reviews for it are pretty positive. Seems to work well for what it is. Space-saver and safe to use indoors if that's a factor for you (it is for me).

ive been using the M&B for biab for the past two years and it works well for me, but i'm in florida, so not trying to push it in cold temps. it takes me about 5 hours from room temp water to completed chilling and pitching. it's nothing fancy, but i tend to look for simplest solution anyway.