Blichmann BrewEasy / Gas or Electric

[Vintage63]

Hey Everyone,

Looking to get the Blichmann BrewEasy and wanted to see what the forum feedback is on going electric v. gas. I don't have any real preference and both can work, but was hoping I might get some honest feedback on both set-ups and pros and cons you can think of. If you got the electric (240V), do you regret it? Thanks for any feedback you can share! Cheers!

 

[day_trippr]

When you say "both can work", what brewing environment do you envision?

If indoors you have important ventilation requirements with gas vs electric (as in "life preservation" )
With electric, if you have access to sufficient wattage, the only issue is keeping moisture out of the equation, and there are options available (eg: "Steam Slayer" condensers). Outdoors obviously removes pretty much any health issues.

The other aspect is energy cost. Propane is hella expensive, natural gas much less so, but electric beats them both by a mile wrt efficiency (all the energy is inside the kettles).

While I'm an indoors propane burner (I do not have access to enough juice to switch to electric at this time - need a 200A upgrade to the load center first ) I would opt for an electric rig if I was serious about home brewing and building my first brew system...

Cheers!

 

[Vintage63]

When you say "both can work", what brewing environment do you envision?

If indoors you have important ventilation requirements with gas vs electric (as in "life preservation" )
With electric, if you have access to sufficient wattage, the only issue is keeping moisture out of the equation, and there are options available (eg: "Steam Slayer" condensers). Outdoors obviously removes pretty much any health issues.

The other aspect is energy cost. Propane is hella expensive, natural gas much less so, but electric beats them both by a mile wrt efficiency (all the energy is inside the kettles).

While I'm an indoors propane burner (I do not have access to enough juice to switch to electric at this time - need a 200A upgrade to the load center first ) I would opt for an electric rig if I was serious about home brewing and building my first brew system...

Cheers!

Thank you, day trippr. I have been home brewing for 10 years on a 10 gallon MoreBeer Tippy Dump system. That was gas and I brew in the garage. I recently sold the sculpture to downsize. I do have access to a 240V outlet that I use for an EV. So, access to 240 is no issue. I have never brewed electric only propane and I am curious if I will be waiting around for water and wort to reach temps and good rolling boils. Also, just some overall perspective on electric v. gas.

 

[day_trippr]

If you have access to enough power I doubt you'd be waiting longer than your gasser system. Putting very nearly 100% of the energy straight into the brewing liquor and then wort is a big advantage to start vs gas, then it's just a matter of sizing your elements vs your 240V feed capacity to optimize the "speed".

From observance if you can manage a 50A feed you can run a pair of 5.5kw elements simultaneously, just have to decide how to use them

Cheers!

 

[RufusBrewer]

If you have the ability to go electric, do it. Without hesitation. 240 VAC. I did and I am very happy. Everything is easier and more simple. With 240 vac and a decent sized element(s) I think amp up times will be shorter than gas.

Biggest issue with electric is you are tethered to your AC receptacle. Sounds like you are set up for that.

If you want to brew indoors, ventilation is a consideration. IMO Gas is not an option indoors.

 

[day_trippr]

Please. All it takes is adequate ventilation in and out.
Every restaurant you've ever eaten in is powered by gas.
nbd if it's dealt with properly - and with proper detectors in place in case anything goes sideways.
I assure you I have both.

That said, it should be obvious in which direction I'm nudging the OP

Cheers!

 

[JohnnyRocket]

I ordered the Blichmann Breweasy in 240v. I have a clawhammer at the moment but it is just 110v and it does fine for 5 gal batches. Go electric you won’t regret it. Watch Short Circuit Brewers on YouTube Brian did a complete brew day on the Breweasy 240v system.

 

[Bago-0]

Just finished my 5th brew on my new 5gal BrewEasy 240v. Coming from BIAB with blichmann propane burner. I like 240v much better. It’s quieter and cooler(I like to brew outside in Florida). Heats just as quick. Only downside is the boil kettle has coil in it and you have to keep wort level above the coil.

 

[Vintage63]

Just finished my 5th brew on my new 5gal BrewEasy 240v. Coming from BIAB with blichmann propane burner. I like 240v much better. It’s quieter and cooler(I like to brew outside in Florida). Heats just as quick. Only downside is the boil kettle has coil in it and you have to keep wort level above the coil.

Thank you so much for the insight and feedback.

 

[Vintage63]

Just finished my 5th brew on my new 5gal BrewEasy 240v. Coming from BIAB with blichmann propane burner. I like 240v much better. It’s quieter and cooler(I like to brew outside in Florida). Heats just as quick. Only downside is the boil kettle has coil in it and you have to keep wort level above the coil.

Thanks for the feedback and insight. Sounds like going electric won't bring on much buyer's remorse.

 

[Vintage63]

I ordered the Blichmann Breweasy in 240v. I have a clawhammer at the moment but it is just 110v and it does fine for 5 gal batches. Go electric you won’t regret it. Watch Short Circuit Brewers on YouTube Brian did a complete brew day on the Breweasy 240v system.

Thank you. I have watched the Short Circuit guy on YouTube in the past, but need to revisit it and see what his brew day looks like with the 240V breweasy.

 

[NewJersey]

If the question regarding homebrewing is gas or electric- the answer is ALWAYS electric

 

[Bago-0]

Great fermentations website has a brewing guide for the BrewEasy that's good:

 

[sdeal]

I have a 10 gallon electric setup in my basement, I do not regret it 1 bit.

 

[RichH]

Just set up my 10gal BrewEasy last week and did my first batch, an Irish Red. 240v is the way to go. I still have to tweak the setup as I did scorch the coil a bit when I let the wort level get too low in the brew kettle. Live and learn.

 

[#p3brews]

currently building a Blichmann 1 BBL 240v 3 kettle HERMS system.
frothing daily as i figure it all out and getting really close to water test day.
considering a few things as i build. any insight would be appreciated.

1. remounting the left pump over to the right about 9 inches so the drain from the HLT isn't over the pump. i'd just move the kettle
but it fits positioned above the pump best.
2. wondering if i should put 1 inch plywood between all kettles and stainless steel table for heat loss.
3. swapping the T fitting going into the HERMS coil with a 3 way valve

 

[WWJPD]

I've migrated from the propane to electric BrewEasy. I previously had the gas version of the BrewEasy and would brew outside on the porch, but was limited to the weather. I will say that the temp/propane regulator setup Blichmann worked very well - the controller would turn on/fire the propane when needed to warm the circulating mash water. When I built my new house a few years ago, I wired it for 240 AND had an exhaust system put in. Brewing indoors puts a lot of moisture into the air and an exhaust system is really needed. My thermostat registered a 12% increase in humidity in the basement area where the brewery is compared to the other floors of the house after brewing a 5gal IPA. When I did build the indoor brewery, I migrated most of my BrewEasy gas system to electric... needed a heating coil and new electric controller. In all honesty, I upgraded to the riptide pump too(much easier to clean.) The only thing to keep in mind is BrewEasy is a sort of BIAB and efficiency isn't as good as 3 vessel, but let's be honest, if you are buying a BrewEasy, are you really concerned with saving $1 or $2 of grain per batch? The electric system is much quieter and I feel it heats up quickly with less loss. I haven't tracked electricity costs, but I don't think it costs much more than a few $ per batch and I assume it's cheaper than what the cost of propane would be.

I'm VERY happy brewing inside where it's a consistent, comfortable temp.