I have been using it for my last 8-10 brew sessions and have been generally pleased. I've been brewing with the Braumeister 20L for about 6 years (old controller box). I have been adopting LoDO methods incrementally, both hot side and cold side, trying to determine what works best and most practical, limited by my equipment setup. The basic Braumeister is adaptable since underletting YOS mash water and an inherent gentle boil fit in with some basic LoDO tenants. I have also stopped sparging the grainbed. The geometry of the Low Oxygen kit allows for a greater volume of water inside the kettle during mash however, so my pre-boil volume is the same. I've made some adjustments to grain amounts in my recipes to compensate for reduced pre-boil gravity, but they've been minor. The continuous recirculation and longer step mashes have kept my efficiencies nearly the same as before. The floating mash cap in the kit fits very nicely and prevents splashing and cascading down the side of the malt pipe, allowing for both more grain in the grist bill and additional mash water (I'm filling to 29-30 liter measured on the center post after dough-in, and as much as 15 lbs/6.8kg grains).
So, overall I'm happy with the kit. It allows me to incorporate some LoDO practices and accomplish some other unrelated things that otherwise limit the Braumeister, like maximum grain bill and water volumes. One big benefit of the larger boil volume is the ability to transfer a greater volume of trub-free wort to the fermenter. For me, the height of the bottom drain port has always resulted in a lot of wort being left in the kettle after hop standing and whirlpool. I'm finally getting an additional few liters that otherwise were left behind, and thus getting a full 5 gallon keg post fermentation.
The kit is pricey but is well constructed and gives additional utility to the Braumeister. I have no way to empirically measure my results, but my beers appear to stay fresher longer with better hop aromas and flavors. For me it was a worthwhile addition.
Brooo Brother
