Brew Boss Systems

[DiegoBrewer]

I've had my 15 gallon with COFI for about 3 years and three dozen batches. I pull out the old turkey fryer set up if I need to do a double batch to remind me that I'll never go back to gas vs. a semi-automated electric system. Efficiency is steady at about 65% (wish it were higher). The droid tablet crashed constantly (even when replaced) until I turned of the Bluetooth and now it's rock solid. In hindsight: I'd buy a 20 gallon kettle/COFI to allow me to do 10-gallon batches with up to 30 lbs of grain.

 

[Jtvann]

Looking at options on his website, I’ve got a few more questions.

Is the price difference in the 15 vs 20 really only 100 dollars?

Is the 20 just as good at making 5 gallon batches

Is there any difference in the hops boss versions other than tube capacity and price

 

[DiegoBrewer]

Looking at options on his website, I’ve got a few more questions.

Is the price difference in the 15 vs 20 really only 100 dollars?

Is the 20 just as good at making 5 gallon batches

Is there any difference in the hops boss versions other than tube capacity and price

Good questions, but probably better answered by Brew Boss

 

[jturman35]

I average around 70% Brewhouse efficiency. For doing 5 gal batches you can’t go wrong with the 15g. Just my .02

 

[jturman35]

 

[mcgimpkins]

I wanted to bump this thread and jump in on it. I’m considering purchasing the 15g deluxe brew boss system with COFI.

Since this has been out for a few years now I wanted to get the feeling from you guys on how you like the system. Is it worth it? Does the system hold up over time? Is there anything that you wish you’d bought from the start, or regret buying?

Anything else to advise either way to recommend or warn against.

You can find the water to grain weight charts here: http://www.brew-boss.com/category-s/115.htm

If I were looking at getting a COFI, I would probably just buy the 20 gallon one, it will give you more flexibility as far as if you want to expand to 10 gallon batches.

Honestly I had the 15 gallon COFI, sold it and bought a 20 gallon custom kettle from Spike and a custom solid sided basket from Colorado Brew Supply. I recirculate the water with a SS Mash Re-Circulation Manifold.

The main thing I did not like about the 15 gallon COFI was that it was a little small, so it could fit around the camlock inside the kettle. This meant if I wanted to do any high gravity beers, I was somewhat limited in what I could do. I mean the max grain weight is 24 lbs, not enough for some Barley Wines or Russian Imperial stouts. That said, you could always cut some 2-row from the recipe and add in DME during the boil to hit your numbers.

One other thing I found a little weird about the Brew Boss Pots, are the placement of the temp probe. I asked around to several other people on the forums about Temp Probe placement and they had them at the same height as their electric element. In the pot I had built I did the same, and have had no problems with maintaining an accurate temp during the mash. On the Brew Boss design, since it is higher you run a higher risk of exposing it, and scorching your wort, a mistake I did once with my COFI.

Ultimately I had been brewing for awhile with it and wanted to expand to doing 10 gallon batches and ended up choosing the custom pot and basket route. I don't regret buying the 15 gallon COFI, it is solidly made, I mainly wanted to be able to do 5-10 gallon batches.

As for efficiency I routinely got 70% with the COFI doing no sparge. With the solid sided basket and sparging, I usually get around 78%-80%, I would get somewhere around 65% not sparging with it.

I still use my Brew Boss Controller, it is by far the best controller on the market and I could not say enough good things about it. As long as you have a dedicated tablet to the Controller you are good to go. Apparently their app does not play well with other Apps, so whatever tablet you get, needs to have Brew Boss on it and nothing else. I would recommend buying a cheap $50 Android tablet from Best Buy and using that.

As of yet, I've never had to resort to using a propane burner as a backup.

I hope this helps you out in whatever decision you make.

 

[Jtvann]

Very good informative write up.

Talking with Darin, there is a version 3 of the system coming out soon. I haven’t been able to get an exact time frame from him, but I’m hoping he means around the holidays.

I had initially planned on going with the 15g version. I have never made 10g batches, and really don’t see myself wanting to at the home brew level. My kegs are all 5 gallon, and who wants 2 kegs of the same beer.

That being said, I could keg 5g and bottle 5g. If my kegs were empty, I could catch up and make 2 at once. The tipping point for me will be Price. I’ve seen the website say that the only difference is 100 dollars. At that price point, it’s an easy choice, I’ll go the 20 gallon route.

I am concerned though about the 20 gallon making 5 gallon batches. Is it just as good and practical as the 15 gallon version at making 5 gallon batches.

I know the 15 gallon “can” make 10 gallon batches, but it wasn’t designed for that. Is the reverse true for the 20? It “can” make 5 gallon batches, but are there drawbacks. It seems that it was designed to make 10 gallon batches.

Even at a 100 dollar price point, my goal is to make 5 gallon batches. I want the system that can best do that.

 

[Jtvann]

Brew Boss owners

I am looking for a tablet to get and dedicate to brewing.

Main purpose is to run the brew boss system.
Second purpose would be to run tilt hydrometer
Third for beersmith
Last for Brunwater

I doubt I'll have any other apps at all on it. I hear the advice to dedicate a tablet for just the brew boss. Is this seriously that important... to have literally only that app? Could I feasibly run all the apps listed, not all at the same time ofcourse.

I read that the program will run on a 7 inch tablet but better on a 10 inch. Checking to see if there's been any problems running on an Amazon fire HD 7. That tablet is only 50 dollars. If it's important to run on a 10 inch, I could get that one for 100-150

 

[mcgimpkins]

That being said, I could keg 5g and bottle 5g. If my kegs were empty, I could catch up and make 2 at once. The tipping point for me will be Price. I’ve seen the website say that the only difference is 100 dollars. At that price point, it’s an easy choice, I’ll go the 20 gallon route.

I am concerned though about the 20 gallon making 5 gallon batches. Is it just as good and practical as the 15 gallon version at making 5 gallon batches.

I know the 15 gallon “can” make 10 gallon batches, but it wasn’t designed for that. Is the reverse true for the 20? It “can” make 5 gallon batches, but are there drawbacks. It seems that it was designed to make 10 gallon batches.

Even at a 100 dollar price point, my goal is to make 5 gallon batches. I want the system that can best do that.

The 15 gallon version is a pretty solid choice if you only plan on doing 5 gallon batches. As a heads up, with my 20 gallon pot doing 5 gallon batches, every once in a while, I end up having to do a 2 hours boil because of water levels getting low during the mash. I have a boil off of 1.30 gallons per hour, so I will add an extra 1.30 gallons of water to make sure that I have enough water cycling around.

To me it is not a big deal, extending the boil on the Brew Boss is super easy. I don't know if you're chomping at the bit to buy something now, however if you keep an eye on the For Sale section of HBT, I have seen Brew Boss pots and COFIs go for sale at really good prices. Right now I see some guy selling 20 Gallon Brew Boss Pots for $150 a piece. Note: I am in no way associated with the sale of the Pots.

 

[Jtvann]

Yeah, I'm not in a hurry at all right now. I'm dying to upgrade and go electric, but I'm going to wait and see what the various offerings are.

I've got a plethora of ss Brewtech stuff from the past few years. I do t like the idea of abandoning all that stuff.

I do like the idea of going electric brew in a basket. I'm looking forward to cutting my brew day down to less than 4 hrs. I like the looks of the automation from the brew boss controller.

I'm wondering if it makes more sense to buy a complete turn key system from Darin, vs piecing together his controller, an arbor fab basket and an ssbrewtech ekettle.

 

[ingchr1]

Brew Boss owners

I am looking for a tablet to get and dedicate to brewing.

Main purpose is to run the brew boss system.
Second purpose would be to run tilt hydrometer
Third for beersmith
Last for Brunwater

I doubt I'll have any other apps at all on it. I hear the advice to dedicate a tablet for just the brew boss. Is this seriously that important... to have literally only that app? Could I feasibly run all the apps listed, not all at the same time ofcourse.

I read that the program will run on a 7 inch tablet but better on a 10 inch. Checking to see if there's been any problems running on an Amazon fire HD 7. That tablet is only 50 dollars. If it's important to run on a 10 inch, I could get that one for 100-150

I run all of those apps, except Brunwater, on a Lenovo 7" tablet with no issues. I haven't had issues with Brunwater, I just haven't used it on the tablet.

When Brew Boss is running you wont be able to pull up other apps as it will cause the Brew Boss app to stop. When I'm brewing I pull up Beersmith on my phone.

 

[mcgimpkins]

I've got a plethora of ss Brewtech stuff from the past few years. I do t like the idea of abandoning all that stuff.

I do like the idea of going electric brew in a basket. I'm looking forward to cutting my brew day down to less than 4 hrs. I like the looks of the automation from the brew boss controller.

I'm wondering if it makes more sense to buy a complete turn key system from Darin, vs piecing together his controller, an arbor fab basket and an ssbrewtech ekettle.

So if you already have pots and whatnot, you have the world at your fingertips as far as how much money you want to spend. My personal journey went from having a 10 gallon aluminum pot and propane burner with a cooler to mash in, to buying the Brew Boss controller and COFI, to buying a custom pot and basket.

If you want to hold onto your SS Brewtech stuff, I would suggest getting one or two Weldless 1.5" TC Triclamp Bulkheads, or just buying the Heating Element Kit and installing that. You could also install either a TC thermowell or a screw in thermowell. Stick a false bottom in and put in a bag if you want. If you want to go the arbor fab basket route, or the Brew Boss Pot and COFI route, any of those are feasible, whatever floats your boat.

As far as which of those "makes more sense", I don't really have an answer, it seems to come down to personal preference and how much money you want to spend. I found having a basket to be easier to clean, sparge with, and dump grains over the COFI. I did not notice some giant bump in my numbers if I squeezed the grain vs letting it drip dry over the pot while it is brought up to a boil. Both ways seem to make great beer in my experience. I don't have any experence with bag method, I like how the stainless steel baskets are more durable and easier to get an even sparge with, however it is cheaper and you can finely crush the grain.

The tablet I got was an older version of this: DigiLand - 7" - Tablet - 8GB. Similar to what @ingchr1 said, you probably could get away with running those apps on the tablet, but you could not run any of the apps while you are actively running the Brew Boss program. I don't know about the Amazon Fire Tablets, aren't they some sort of Amazon OS? You could always ask Darin, however I think you want an Android OS based tablet. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/members/ingchr1.42575/

 

[Lax coach]

I don't know about the Amazon Fire Tablets, aren't they some sort of Amazon OS? You could always ask Darin, however I think you want an Android OS based tablet.

Fire OS is just an Amazon-customized/skinned version of AOSP (Android Open Source Project). It doesn't have any of the Google services, but has the same guts otherwise. Usually Android apps don't have to be modified at all to run on Fire OS, just submitted separately to Amazon's App Store by the developer.

Here's the Brew Boss app on the Amazon store: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KFQ1X2S/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[MerlinWerks]

The tablet I got was an older version of this: DigiLand - 7" - Tablet - 8GB. Similar to what @ingchr1 said, you probably could get away with running those apps on the tablet, but you could not run any of the apps while you are actively running the Brew Boss program.

I have a Lenovo 10" tablet that use only for brewing and the Tilt, it still has all the stock apps on it.
I calibrate my Tilt near the end of the boil and regularly switch between the Brew-Boss and Tilt apps. The Brew-Boss app simply updates the remaining time in the boil when I switch back. I don't think I've ever been "out" of the app during a step transition though.

 

[azdavid]

Brew Boss owners

I am looking for a tablet to get and dedicate to brewing.

Main purpose is to run the brew boss system.
Second purpose would be to run tilt hydrometer
Third for beersmith
Last for Brunwater

I doubt I'll have any other apps at all on it. I hear the advice to dedicate a tablet for just the brew boss. Is this seriously that important... to have literally only that app? Could I feasibly run all the apps listed, not all at the same time ofcourse.

I read that the program will run on a 7 inch tablet but better on a 10 inch. Checking to see if there's been any problems running on an Amazon fire HD 7. That tablet is only 50 dollars. If it's important to run on a 10 inch, I could get that one for 100-150

I use the Fire 7 Tablet and it works flawlessly, I had an old HP touch Pad that I planned on using but it would constantly freeze up, So started shopping around and ended up with the Fire.. I do only use it for the Brew Boss app as I have an old I-phone I use for my tilt and my desktop for Brunwater. At $50 you can't go wrong.

 

[Jtvann]

I messaged darin about which system between the 15 and 20 would be best for 5 gallon batches. Darin said that the 20 gallon system is better at handling a 5 gallon batch due to " lower grain density in the filter "

I've emailed darin quite a bit and don't want to over burden him with questions. Can someone explain his reply to me.

After reading these forums for the post 6 week, I am under the assumption that using the 20 gallon system for a normal to low OG that the grain height in the cofi basket will be so low that you'll need extra water to cover the bed relative to the amount of grain used, resulting in needing a longer boil. I could be totally off base in my assumption.

Could someone walk me through mathematically how the 20 gallon system is better for 5 gallon batches than the 15 is.

I totally follow how making a 10 gallon high OG beer would be much better suited using the 20 gallon system. I don't follow though how the 20 gallon system can in any way be better for a 5 gallon batch.

Thanks guys

 

[Jtvann]

And looking at his website, version 3 has gone live. Now I really need to wrap up my research. Going to be hitting buy on one soon

 

[jturman35]

Ask him for the 20 gal grain to water chart like I posted above. That should give you an idea. Seems like the 15g would be better for 5 gal batches.

 

[dleonard5]

All I've ever done is 5 gal. batches in my 15 gallon system with the COFI. It works great.
I pondered going with the 20 like you are but am glad I chose the 15. The pot is smaller lighter and easier to clean. The option to do a 10 gallon batch is really nice because I can do a split batch. One carboy with a different yeast for instance or the addition of dry hops etc.

I've never done a high gravity beer with it yet but my plan is to use the false bottom, sparge arm, and a bag if I run out of space in the COFI. That's a huge plus in my opinion; flexibility.
Whatever system you choose you can't go wrong. There is no stirring grains with a spoon chasing dough balls around. With the COFI you simply drop your grains hook up the hose and go. I've never tried to hold a mash step using my gas burner setup and I never will. The BB holds the mash within a deg. +/- Its a thing of beauty Good luck.

 

[jturman35]

I have done two 10.5% beers with my 15gal set up granted both had 2hr boils.

Here is a 8.5% Old Rasputin clone which is pretty damn good!

 

[Jtvann]

Version 3 20 gallon deluxe system in the bag

I can tell you that components are flying off the shelf with the new system. If you're on the fence and waiting for a deal, I'd buy it now.

 

[jturman35]

It looks like the new 15g COFI is smaller than the one I have . I bought mine back in December.

 

[Jomini]

I'm not really one that posts to Homebrew Talk and am not sure where to make this post.

I'm an all-grain brewer who uses a 2nd generation Brau-Supply BIAB (basket), with version 2 Brew-Boss controller. I've had a number of dealings with Darin from Brew-Boss. I'm a big fan of the Brew-Boss controller, and the vast majority of my questions could have been resolved by reading his comprehensive manual. Privately, I have expressed my gratitude and appreciation to Darin for his patience with me and his controller.

I thought it time to post something publicly to thank Darin for his contributions to the brewing community, and for anyone looking at competitors' products, I would like to assure you of the quality of the Brew-Boss controller, but more importantly, the excellent customer service of the owner, Darin. Well done!

A very satisfied customer,
John

 

[Mike Howard]

Just got my 20 gallon system and I am currently putting it all together and building a brew stand. Darin has been great to deal with and responds very quickly if you have a question. A+

 

[jdog]

i now have 3 brews under my belt with the Brew Boss 20gal system. i had some issue when putting the whole thing together. Darin (the owner of Brew Boss) asked me to send him pictures of the inside of the controller. He was able to fix my problem with the pics. apparently, the controller was dropped in transit and components came lose.

all 3 of the brews went well. you MUST get a pulley of some sort. i tried to lift the grain basket and drain by hand and nearly blew an o-ring. the double pulley i installed in my garage works wonderfully.

getting higher than expected efficiency without sparge (around 82%). using 18-24lbs of grain and 15.5-16.5gal of water. but i'm very neurotic about controlling water/pH which i think helps with extraction.

so far, everyone loves the tripel and NEIPA that i've made with the brew boss.

i have to echo Jomini. i cannot say enough nice things about the customer service and patience that Darin has shown me. i highly recommend the brew boss system.

 

[Mike Howard]

Finally had time to install my BB-20 in a temporary location and perform the water test and clean test. Everything went great and the software is a breeze. About the only thing that wasn't intuitive was the meaning of the "step type", which I had to look up in the manual on page 35. I'll sit down and read all of section 7 and 8 before I begin to transfer a couple of recipes to the BB and perform my first "real" brew day. I'll post pics of my permanent stand when it is all completed, but in the meantime here are some pics of my temp setup.

 

[Jtvann]

I have had my 20g brew boss since the first week of the V3 release. Today I used rice hulls for the first time. I've got to say ... pure magic with this system. I will never ... ever, brew again without using rice hulls. Doesn't matter what grist it is, rice hulls will be ingredient #1.

 

[shemp]

i now have 3 brews under my belt with the Brew Boss 20gal system. i had some issue when putting the whole thing together. Darin (the owner of Brew Boss) asked me to send him pictures of the inside of the controller. He was able to fix my problem with the pics. apparently, the controller was dropped in transit and components came lose.

all 3 of the brews went well. you MUST get a pulley of some sort. i tried to lift the grain basket and drain by hand and nearly blew an o-ring. the double pulley i installed in my garage works wonderfully.

getting higher than expected efficiency without sparge (around 82%). using 18-24lbs of grain and 15.5-16.5gal of water. but i'm very neurotic about controlling water/pH which i think helps with extraction.

so far, everyone loves the tripel and NEIPA that i've made with the brew boss.

i have to echo Jomini. i cannot say enough nice things about the customer service and patience that Darin has shown me. i highly recommend the brew boss system.

getting higher than expected efficiency without sparge (around 82%).

I'm not getting close to that efficiency. Also am careful with pH. What gives I wonder?

 

[Jtvann]

Wouldn't worry about specifically high efficiency. Darin said he programs in 70% for a typical batch. I've done the same and have reliably hit those numbers for most all of my brews.

Sure you might be able to eek out a few points more, but at the cost of probably considerable more time and steps. Base grain is cheap. Find a process that is repeatable and adjust recipes accordingly.

 

[jturman35]

I use 70% as well with my 15g system. I have found with beers 4-5% abv I can get closer to 75%.

 

[jturman35]

I use 70% as well with my 15g system. I have found with beers 4-5% abv I can get closer to 75%.

I have also backed down on the grain crush. I’m right around .35 seems to be pretty good.

 

[jdog]

Finally had time to install my BB-20 in a temporary location and perform the water test and clean test. Everything went great and the software is a breeze. About the only thing that wasn't intuitive was the meaning of the "step type", which I had to look up in the manual on page 35. I'll sit down and read all of section 7 and 8 before I begin to transfer a couple of recipes to the BB and perform my first "real" brew day. I'll post pics of my permanent stand when it is all completed, but in the meantime here are some pics of my temp setup.


View attachment 607406 View attachment 607407

that is a really cool setup

 

[challengerjeff]

I have a BB-15 that I have been using for about 2 years. Like many I think my brew-house efficiency is low. Mine was somewhere around 65%. I just purchased a Grainfather Sparge Water Heater and after mashing and hoisting the COFI filter I poured about 3.5 gallons of 170 degree water over the filter. My original gravity went from 1.045 to 1.061 for the same recipe (10 gallons of British Brown Ale, New Castle Clone). That appears to be 87% efficiency if I am looking at it correctly. What an improvement.

 

[andrewmaixner]

I have a BB-15 that I have been using for about 2 years. Like many I think my brew-house efficiency is low. Mine was somewhere around 65%. I just purchased a Grainfather Sparge Water Heater and after mashing and hoisting the COFI filter I poured about 3.5 gallons of 170 degree water over the filter. My original gravity went from 1.045 to 1.061 for the same recipe (10 gallons of British Brown Ale, New Castle Clone). That appears to be 87% efficiency if I am looking at it correctly. What an improvement.

Compare it to cold water sparge, you'll probably get essentially the same number. I think there was a brulosophy test on hot vs cold sparge a while back.

I always pour over a cold sparge in mine unless making a light beer (1.04) for good efficiency gains.

 

[challengerjeff]

I would be curious to see their test results between cold and hot water sparge. Previously, I had always done a cold water sparge. While this is just my first time doing a hot water sparge the results are very encouraging. It only makes sense that hot water should release more of the sugars from the grain bed than cold water.

 

[andrewmaixner]

http://brulosophy.com/2016/04/11/sparge-temperature-pt-1-standard-vs-cool-exbeeriment-results/
"Left: cool sparge 1.051 | Right: standard sparge 1.053"

I guess that experiment was with a traditional mash tun, not a BIAB. I've had fine results doing it for my eBIAB setup, though.

 

[jturman35]

Hey guys I’m still loving my BB, but I’m looking to improve my process. I have been using a paint strainer bag for my boil/whirl pool hop additions. Does anyone throw there hops in loose during the whirlpool? I wasn’t sure if whirl pooling a NEIPA with 4-6oz of hops would clog the pump?? I saw where a lot of folks said hop spiders possibly rob some bitterness. Anyone using the BB that brews big NEIPA hop bombs throw in loose?

 

[Jtvann]

I dont use the pump that came with the brew boss. With that caveat in there, I have used it in the past, and I was impressed with its power. I would trust it fully to handle hop pellets in a whirlpool. Maybe give the pellets a little time to absorb some water and break apart before turning on.

 

[comoxlandia]

I use the pump that came with the BB and do brew big NEIPAs. I use a hop spider that has a handle that allows it to it in the whirlpooling wort and i just stir the hop goop regularly and seem to get great extraction and tasty results. Incidentally, when brewing NEIPAs, I now put ALL my hops postboil. Seem to extract enough bitterness that way (with hop spider).

 

[MerlinWerks]

I use the pump that came with the BB and do brew big NEIPAs. I use a hop spider that has a handle that allows it to it in the whirlpooling wort and i just stir the hop goop regularly and seem to get great extraction and tasty results. Incidentally, when brewing NEIPAs, I now put ALL my hops postboil. Seem to extract enough bitterness that way (with hop spider).

Pretty much my practice and experience as well. 300u, 8" spider from A-Fab, no issues with getting enough bitterness/flavor.