From John Blichmann:
About the BrewEasy - it will be offered in 5/10/20 gal batch size. Bigger than that and you really need a horizontal system which we will offer a kit for too eventually.
The basic operation is to calculate the TOTAL water needed for your complete batch. Put about half in the upper pot which is the mash tun. Put the remainder in the lower pot which is the boil kettle. Since we have level gauges on the pots that is very simple. Then set the AutoSparge to maintain that level in the tun. There is no need for level control in the brew pot.
Heat to strike temp by continuously recirculating with a pump and adding heat to the bottom pot which is the boil kettle and also acts as a grant. You never add heat directly to the mash, and since you're never mashing or heating a concentrated wort there is absolutely no risk of scorching. You can also take pre-boil gravity readings on the fly since you won't be sparging or adding any additional water.
When you're at strike temp simply close the valves and add the malt to the tun. After a 10 min dough-in open the valves and start the recirculation. We include 6 sizes of orifices to restrict the flow out of the tun so you reduce the risk of sticking the mash and don't have to mess with a flow meter or fiddling with the valve - just open it all the way up. This also adds consistency to the system. Then ramp and hold as desired.
When you're at mash out all you need to do is turn off the recirculation pump, close the brew kettle valve and let the mash tun drain. You can immediately turn the heat up full to get to a boil. While this is a bit of a speed sparge you're leaving much more dilute wort in the grain bed which is why this system has better efficiency than a BIAB. I usually slow down the flow when there is about 1/4 left in the tun to get everything possible. No need to measure pH since it is the same SG all the way through the "sparge". When you're done scoop out the dry grains and remove the tun from the brew kettle and boil as usual. There is no lifting of a hot heavy bag.
Since you've been recirculating the wort is already clarified. That, and the "speed sparge", knocks an hour off of the brew day. Not to mention that you're heating at full power much earlier. So same speed improvements as a BIAB but not the cloudy wort situation.
There are two things to watch for though. One is that the high water/grist ratio does create a more fermentable wort. So up your mash temp 2-3 degrees and that will compensate. Or add some carapils. The other is mash pH. If you have alkaline water you have a larger buffer - about 2X actually. So for low specialty malt and those not using highly roasted grains you will likely need to acidify your water. My local water is highly alkaline so I have to do that anyway, and usually use RO water for a portion of my liquor anyway. Palmer's new book covers this in detail. These are easily accounted for so I wouldn't call it a drawback - just something to compensate for. A few batches and you should have it dialed in.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/new-products-blichmann-engineering-450101/index4.html