Brau Supply Unitank Pro

[SWK]

Does anyone have this bad boy? Or have seen any videos of a brew day on it? I’m dying to see it in action.

https://brausupply.com/collections/...roducts/unitank-pro-all-in-one-brewing-system

 

[Mer-man]

I didn’t see how it is temperature controlled for fermentation...? I Guess after you chill you can drop the break

 

[Bill Black]

Bummed to not see anyone comment on this yet. I am trying to consider every possible angle for my system --- looking at used kettles and mash tuns (Boilermaker, Stouts), thinking about taking a Spike 10-15gal with a 120v blichmann boil coil so I can use the Brew Commander, and I have ALSO thought about the Unibrau kettle and basket and then customizing it to add my own gear (install different burner and control module, pump)...

BUT I keep coming back to this beautiful piece of work. I dont have a TON of room... and I dont brew a bunch, so letting something sit in the vessel for a month or so before transferring to kegs wouldnt kill me. I like the idea of not having to sanitize a fermenter, being able to dump trub, and basically only transfer when I am ready to put in serving containers. This is about as far away as one can get from traditional brewing steps...

And I like it... if it were $500-600 less expensive, I'd probably have pulled the trigger by now.

 

[smcinco]

Looks sweet but $5,200 for the 15g setup? Seems steep. An ebiab and a separate fermenter wouldn't take up too much more space, if any, since you'd have to store the biab portion of the setup during fermentation. Does look nice and well thought out at first glance though...

 

[9Kegs]

Does anyone have this bad boy? Or have seen any videos of a brew day on it? I’m dying to see it in action.

https://brausupply.com/collections/...roducts/unitank-pro-all-in-one-brewing-system

The Brewha EBIAC is a similar setup ranging from an 8 gallon system all the way up to a 7 barrel system. There is a video of a brew day on their 5 barrel set up.

 

[Bill Black]

Looks sweet but $5,200 for the 15g setup? Seems steep. An ebiab and a separate fermenter wouldn't take up too much more space, if any, since you'd have to store the biab portion of the setup during fermentation. Does look nice and well thought out at first glance though...

Yessss!!! Ok... so lets think side by side, apples to apples comparisons. Lets stick with Brau Supply stuff for the eBIAB (their 120v set-up is a little expensive, but their 240v is right in line with Claw Hammer, so Id say it evens out).

#1) Unibrau All in One V3 in 120 or 240v, EZBoil: $1269 [10.5gal Kettle, 20lb grain basket]
- Spike 5 gal Unitank w/ heating and cooling system: $830; Spike 10 gal Unitank w/ heating and cooling: $930
- OR SS Brewtech 7 gal Unitank with heating/cooling: $1119
- Counterflow chiller: $199
--> Total: $2298 - $2587 (Depending on which unitank you go with)

#2) Unitank Pro All in One, 6gal, 120v or 240v: $3,699 [Kettle + Unitank + built in cooling coil which are used to drop wort to pitching temp and manage temps).

So I guess the main question is how much is it worth to use less equipment and have fewer steps? This cuts out the need to hook up and clean a cooling system (including cleaning submersed cleaning coils), sanitize and transfer to a fermenter, and use an external temperature regulation system for temp management. And I suppose less to clean (it has a CIP ball) - is it worth $1,100?

Gotta say, that previous to this post, I would have said that it was absolutely worth it - without hesitation. But this does give me some pause.....

 

[SWK]

Bill

For the extra $1,100 is the difference of me being able to get back into brewing to me is totally worth it. I dont have the time anymore for long brew days cleaning and sanitizing a ton of equipment. With kids this system seems like the perfect all in one system.

 

[eric19312]

I didn’t see how it is temperature controlled for fermentation...? I Guess after you chill you can drop the break

it is a jacketed tank

 

[eric19312]

So I guess the main question is how much is it worth to use less equipment and have fewer steps? This cuts out the need to hook up and clean a cooling system (including cleaning submersed cleaning coils), sanitize and transfer to a fermenter, and use an external temperature regulation system for temp management. And I suppose less to clean (it has a CIP ball) - is it worth $1,100?

That's a beautiful system just do it. I do think you still will want a glycol system to manage fermentation temperatures right? The lid style looks much better answer to the large opening problem than Spike and Blichman use. I am curious about the choice to go with sanitary ball valves instead of butterfly valves. Enjoy!

 

[Bill Black]

That's a beautiful system just do it. I do think you still will want a glycol system to manage fermentation temperatures right? The lid style looks much better answer to the large opening problem than Spike and Blichman use. I am curious about the choice to go with sanitary ball valves instead of butterfly valves. Enjoy!

So tempting... Not happening yet though.

 

[jcarraher]

I have the Unibrau Pro 5 gallon system. It is very compact and I have had great results so far. I have been brewing with it for about a year and have done about 10 brews on it. There is nothing as compact and professional for all grain brewing. I assume that the Brewha is about the same, but the grain basket doesn't hold as much in their smaller system. I initially used the fermenter cooling system that came with it, which is great in winter, but, in summer, my water temperatures are about 77 degrees and it will really only work if brewing a saison. So, I did buy a glycol chiller which has been awesome and I don't have to have it hooked up to a faucet. The tank is not jacketed and uses a cooling coil internally to manage temperature. In addition, I bought a second 600w heating element to go with the 1650w that came with it. This speeds up heating quite a bit and I just hook it to a different circuit in my house and still use 120v.

 

[rmchair]

Given what I have spent over the years on fittings and products that ive phased out I would have no problem spending a few extra bills on this if I thought it was the final answer and had user serviceability.

However, somebody else will come out with a better faster cheaper version in a year or two and you'll be kicking yourself.

 

[lump42]

I have the Unibrau Pro 5 gallon system. It is very compact and I have had great results so far. I have been brewing with it for about a year and have done about 10 brews on it. There is nothing as compact and professional for all grain brewing. I assume that the Brewha is about the same, but the grain basket doesn't hold as much in their smaller system. I initially used the fermenter cooling system that came with it, which is great in winter, but, in summer, my water temperatures are about 77 degrees and it will really only work if brewing a saison. So, I did buy a glycol chiller which has been awesome and I don't have to have it hooked up to a faucet. The tank is not jacketed and uses a cooling coil internally to manage temperature. In addition, I bought a second 600w heating element to go with the 1650w that came with it. This speeds up heating quite a bit and I just hook it to a different circuit in my house and still use 120v.

Issue I'd have with this type of setup is that the boil kettle is tied up until the beer is packaged. I usually have more than one fermentation going at one time to keep beer in flowing without interruption.

 

[jcarraher]

Given what I have spent over the years on fittings and products that ive phased out I would have no problem spending a few extra bills on this if I thought it was the final answer and had user serviceability.

However, somebody else will come out with a better faster cheaper version in a year or two and you'll be kicking yourself.

Every part of the system is replaceable and uses tri clamp fittings. For me, it takes up little space and allows me to do a brew day in 3.5 hours. Keg and clean day takes an hour. The system is ready to go again after cleaning and many times I just keg, clean, and do new brew same day. Also, I could buy a second fermenter and do two brews in one day and transfer one to the second fermenter. Worst case scenario, I get a bigger brew system, and I still have a temperature controlled fermenter. It also stores out of the way easily in a corner or closet. I have stored it in the attic if I didn't plan to brew for a month. I didn't pay quite the listed price either. You can definitely get an SS Brewtech 3 vessel system and a fermenter for about the same price as the Unibrau Pro Unitank. For me, it was a space and cleaning time issue. It was worth it for me. It just depends on what is important to you. I keep the beer flowing by having a dual tap kegerator and 5 gallons at a time is enough for me.

 

[Dan Wendling]

Every part of the system is replaceable and uses tri clamp fittings. For me, it takes up little space and allows me to do a brew day in 3.5 hours. Keg and clean day takes an hour. The system is ready to go again after cleaning and many times I just keg, clean, and do new brew same day. Also, I could buy a second fermenter and do two brews in one day and transfer one to the second fermenter. Worst case scenario, I get a bigger brew system, and I still have a temperature controlled fermenter. It also stores out of the way easily in a corner or closet. I have stored it in the attic if I didn't plan to brew for a month. I didn't pay quite the listed price either. You can definitely get an SS Brewtech 3 vessel system and a fermenter for about the same price as the Unibrau Pro Unitank. For me, it was a space and cleaning time issue. It was worth it for me. It just depends on what is important to you. I keep the beer flowing by having a dual tap kegerator and 5 gallons at a time is enough for me.
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The photos of your equipment and those on the Brau Supply differ significantly. The Brau Supply site mention the vessel is jacketed and the photos seem to agree. Your however does not appear to be jacketed. What type of cooling system is used with the unit?

Is the grain basket the same as used in the Unibrau All In One?

 

[jcarraher]

There is a stainless coil inside the fermenter. Originally, it came with a solenoid valve that connected to the faucet and it was activated by the control unit to turn it on and off to regulate temperature. It worked well in winter, but tap water was too warm for summer brewing, unless it was a saison. Now, I have it connected to a 1/5 hp SS Brewtech glycol chiller that works awesomely. I have even fermented in the low 50s with a neoprene pad wrapped around it.

At the time that I got my unit, January 2019, The grain baskets were all the same for the Pro and the all in one. I'm not sure now.

 

[Dan Wendling]

Thanks

Perhaps someone from Brau Supply can provide comment. Odd that they do not have any phone based technical support nor have they responded to email questions on how the cooling works and the difference between the site description and photos and those like yours and others on various boards.

 

[jcarraher]

Mine is a Unibrau Pro, which is sold out on the website, and not a Unitank. The Unitank certainly looks jacketed. Also, Stephen, from BrauSupply, will reply to your emails. Sometimes it takes him a few days. He has been very responsive to any issues that I have had.

 

[Dan Wendling]

Mine is a Unibrau Pro, which is sold out on the website, and not a Unitank. The Unitank certainly looks jacketed. Also, Stephen, from BrauSupply, will reply to your emails. Sometimes it takes him a few days. He has been very responsive to any issues that I have had.

Thanks. Looking forward to a response.