Brewie

[JamieP]

I just got mine today... it took like 3h to fill the gaps of the insconstistencies with the quick-setup-so-called-manual.

Have you been keeping up with everything in the knowledge center? Trying to understand if you have, but still had trouble or if you had lots of catching up to do.

BTW- if working properly you don't need calibrate before every brew.

 

[zylantha]

You of course realise that 1g of water = 1ml .. the reason you should weigh the water in grams is that it is much more accurate to weigh 1000mL of water on a digital scale, than measure it with a jug. You could measure 10L of calibration water in a 1L jug but could be significantly out at the end of it, which will affect the automatic processes in brewie.

I understand that the need for calibration can be annoying but the physics of using weight sensors requires it - but not every time you use it, if you don't move brewie you only need to recalibrate every few months (and I do move my brewie but haven't recalibrated every time and it's still been fine). Don't forget that there is an awful lot that brewie does that the grainfather doesn't (including weight sensing).

 

[Lapja]

You of course realise that 1g of water = 1ml ..
.

Sure... but you mean "roughly equals to", because volume depends on density and the later much depends on water temperature...

I agree that the designers have shot for a "NASA style" design that require absolute precision. You can guess that by the R2-D2 type of metallic squeekings that you hear all the time when Brewie does something (even though those sounds are generally not a sign of reliability). Coupled with poor software functionalities, non-modular design, lack of connecting apps, you have the impression you are brewing beer with an Atari ST: Certainly hi-tech, just not today's hi-tech...

Now, understand me correctly; When you watch Brewie working you notice immediately that it has a tremendous amount of work and thought put into it. But it has not yet achieved its full potential and some impractical choices have been made.

I really do hope that Brewie teams iron out the software issues and raise this product to the standards that they initially promised it would work.

 

[Lapja]

Have you been keeping up with everything in the knowledge center? Trying to understand if you have, but still had trouble or if you had lots of catching up to do.

BTW- if working properly you don't need calibrate before every brew.

If calibration is not required every week or so, it is good news.

Can't say that I know yet everything by heart in the knowledge center but there are big chunks of information still missing there. ie. Brewing Preparation contains the following information on Sparging "Sparging is defined at Preparation." ??

Hopping section is confusing:

"FIRST WORT: Define a temperature to keep any number of hop cages for any length of time before boiling.
BOIL: Define a time for hopping with a certain hop cage at boiling temperature.
HOP BACK: Define a temperature on which to hop with any number of hop cages for any length of time.g."

Not sure what is meant by First Wort but Hopping during mashing is not a recommended feature by most homebrewers.
One mostly gets the Boil phase although not sure that every one understands that timing of cages 2,3 and 4 is dependent on cage 1 timing.
Hop Back ? What is the difference with Boil ? perhaps a second round of hops ?

It is easier to write brewing proceedings when you use terms that are common for home brewers. Perhaps Brewie team should seek help from a known homebrewer ? I am sure there are many who would be more than happy to help writing a decent manual.

 

[BrunDog]

First Wort Hops are hops added to the BK as the wort is introduced to it during the transfer/sparge process. Supposedly makes for a smoother/more rounded bitterness. Not sure how it is used in brewie but that's what it is in general brewing.

Anyway I agree with you Lapja. I think they should have the software right at this point. Software is NEVER perfect but major/obvious bugs should be squashed at this point.

 

[Lapja]

First Wort Hops are hops added to the BK as the wort is introduced to it during the transfer/sparge process. Supposedly makes for a smoother/more rounded bitterness. Not sure how it is used in brewie but that's what it is in general brewing.

Interesting, I didn't know this. I was under the belief that Boiling = isomerisation of alpha acids so lower temperatures would be useless for that purpose. I just noticed that Beersmith also has this option and it does increase the IBU of the recipe. Thank you! I will try to see how Brewie handles this on my next brew.

 

[JamieP]

Lapja- There is a lot to be frustrated with about the Brewie, but I think there is also a lot you can do to reduce the frustration you are having currently. Get familiar with all the information that is available about the machine (the good and the bad) and familiarize yourself with what others consider common features.

Two things I'd recommend are joining the "Brewie Owners Group" on Facebook and review everything on the Knowledge Center on the Brewie site- it contains new info more regularly than the manual is updated.

 

[njs170]

Brewie has landed on the East Coast USA!

View attachment 1497061009728.jpg

 

[sfrisby]

Dang. That took a beating.

 

[njs170]

Luckily the Brewie doesn't have a scratch on it.

View attachment 1497182649108.jpg

 

[Ethanfox]

If only their customer service matched the skills of their packaging design dept!

 

[limulus]

Congrats! I'm glad to see you guys getting your new systems. Hopefully, it will live up to expectations.

 

[jonbrout]

Any updates or reviews on the Brewie!? I know SOMEONE out there has had it and used it several times by now!

 

[BrunDog]

Lots of talk on the FB user group.

 

[jonbrout]

I requested to join days ago. Still waiting. zzz

 

[zylantha]

Approvals to join are usually very quick - maybe request again?

Meanwhile there are a growing number of end-user ambassador videos on Brewie's Youtube channel showing how Brewie works, if you are interested (disclaimer: I'm one of them).

 

[jonbrout]

Thanks Zylantha, I resubmitted it. Honestly, and if it's just me let me know, I can find NO good quality reviews from homebrewers ANYWHERE online. All of the videos and posts are just instructional or basic info for the very beginner homebrewer and seem to come from backers of the Brewie. Nothing that goes into detail on quality of parts, software review, any problems they have had, customer service, etc etc.

 

[Ethanfox]

from what I've seen, users who have a system that works are at least somewhat pleased with it, but issued exist, and efficiency is quite low, but that was expected purely based on its design (BIAB with no interaction = big dough balls, and lots of unused malt)

 

[ccbadd]

I have had mine for about a month and it does work well. I did have an issue once where it did not add the sparge water to the tank but started heating anyway. I stopped it and restarted and it was fine. Most problems seem to come from touching the machine when calibrating or add water when you use the automatic water additions. As far as efficiency goes, I stir mine during mash in and a couple of time during mashing just like with my biab system and I get mid 70's for efficiency just fine.

 

[Ethanfox]

good to hear!

 

[sniperd]

I got mine today! First impression... impressive! It feels super solid. It already had software version 1.9 on it, connected to my wifi, and updated itself. Only hang up I've had so far was connecting my water inlet. It comes with a PIPE threaded hose, NOT a garden hose adapter. It looks like you can thread a garden hose in, you cannot, feels like you can, but nope. But it did come with a little adapter in one of the mash bags (after I had gone to Home Depot and bought one...grrrr....)

It is sort of loud, but I figure that is normal with pumps? It's doing it's clean cycle right now.

The instructions look professional, box feels professional. After I do a brew in a few days I'll update.

You can tell they have inspected and updated their process. Now let's hope I can make beer with this!

 

[Werdup]

Thanks for the updates Sniperd, I think that's what a lot of us are looking for here. Especially once you get to brewing.

 

[HarkinBanks]

Whoah, is this thing on? Yup, got my brewie yesterday after a rather long brewing hiatus. I sold my electric brewery almost 2 years ago waiting for brewie and now it is finally here. It is quite blingy and I have only run the safety clean thus far. No issues. Brewing ingredients come tomorrow so I will report back after the first brew. It will look very nice on a stand next to my new Vessi fermenter. Another indiegogo campaign that lured me in! Cheers all, nice to be back.

 

[JamieP]

I just got mine as well. Holding off on updating to 2.0 as it apparently has introduced a new bug affecting US machines.

 

[sniperd]

Mine updated to 2.0 by itself, didn't give me a choice. I did a calibration today, unclog, and a few drains. I also got my Rusty Rex kit, which came with extra stuff I wasn't expecting. During the Kickstarter I was in early enough to get 4 'kegs'. So I've been homebrewing for a while and have about 10 kegs, but these looked like little guys so what the heck, let's see what it is. They came today too. Seems like they won't hold pressure very well but probably well enough for a party. Attached are 2 pictures, one from calibrating and the other of my shipment of grain, bucket (didn't expect that), etc.

So far the software feels a little beta but usable. For example under 'hops' for a recipe is always says zero ounces, can't change it? I found on their knowledge base website that it's a known bug, and doesn't impact brewing. You just pick how long each hop chamber is in the addition so the amount of hops doesn't really matter to the machine. OK, that's fine.

I'll report more as I go.

 

[sniperd]

Running a 'full clean cycle' now. Says it takes 2.5 hours. Some pics. Just making sure all the pumps work, no leaks before I do a brew. So far it seems fine. Some funny English on the prompts. When it's done a task like the 'unclog' it states, "Unclog is Ready!" I suspect it's just a translation issue.

 

[sniperd]

And cleaning continues... seems to be cycling water around. It instructed me to put in 2 'dishwasher' tablets that it came with. I just put some PBW in. I had asked during the Kickstarter if PBW was OK and they said sure.

 

[sniperd]

Example of a funny message. Draining is completed at this point (cleaning cycle). I'll let it all slide if I can actually make beer with this thing though. I'll report back in a few days with that.

 

[sniperd]

It begins!

 

[sniperd]

and then it was over... black screen of death. Rebooting sometimes get the screen back for a few seconds. Mash/wort wasted. Contacting support.

 

[sniperd]

Several power cycles either gets me a black screen, white screen, or this mess. We shall see what support has to say.

 

[BrunDog]

So sorry to see sniperd!

 

[Werdup]

That really is a bummer! Keep us posted on how support handles it! Thanks.

 

[BrunDog]

It really is disconcerting to hear the wide range of issues this machine has. I can understand and appreciate a consistent few, but no part of it seems insulated from failures or quirks. Makes me really wonder what the engineers were doing, or how poor the manufacturing is despite the apparent quality fit and finish. The software bugs really have no excuse at this point. I love the idea of this machine but I hope for those who own one that the company delivers on what it originally promised soon. Funding may become a problem if the re-work costs tally up.

 

[toddegg]

waiting on delivery. have seen toooooo many bad things. a little nervous.

 

[pagrider]

I am out I keep tuning in because I am interested but this would cause me too much aggravation so not for me. Hopefully they can get it right. Why wouldn't they test the software releases pre release that's standard stuff. Pick some customers and have them test it and report back any bugs.

 

[HarkinBanks]

The 2.0 software is definitely a bust. The update email this week said 99% of US delivered brewies are not working with the software and should not brew. I have tried a few test brews with just water and weight in the mlt and they have all failed. 2.1 software is supposed to come out next week. After waiting 2 years I have become used to this. The brewie staff and I are good friends now and they do respond to emails very quickly. Hopefully they will get this sorted quickly.

I got my extras, kegs, fermenter and cleaning stuff all delivered from keystone homebrew, one of my LHBS. That was a funny and unexpected delivery.

I won't brew with grains until it clears water only test brews a few times.

 

[sniperd]

Well they got back to me regarding my Brewie failing:

"thanks for writing to us, and sending new pictures.

I have updated the Service Ticket opened after your reported issue. Our Engineers will look at your ticket, but unfortunately - most probably - your machine will need repair. It does seem like an electronics issue, since the display isn't working as it's supposed to be.

I'll keep you posted, and as soon as I hear back from our Engineers Team, I'll contact you."

I'll keep you guys posted on how it goes to best inform an future Brewie owners/purchasers.

 

[HarkinBanks]

Well they got back to me regarding my Brewie failing:

"thanks for writing to us, and sending new pictures.

I have updated the Service Ticket opened after your reported issue. Our Engineers will look at your ticket, but unfortunately - most probably - your machine will need repair. It does seem like an electronics issue, since the display isn't working as it's supposed to be.

I'll keep you posted, and as soon as I hear back from our Engineers Team, I'll contact you."

I'll keep you guys posted on how it goes to best inform an future Brewie owners/purchasers.

That is a bummer man. Sorry to hear that. I hope you kept your shipping box. I would ask them to send you a new unit and ship the old one back, on their dime of course.

 

[RichBenn]

It really is disconcerting to hear the wide range of issues this machine has. I can understand and appreciate a consistent few, but no part of it seems insulated from failures or quirks. Makes me really wonder what the engineers were doing, or how poor the manufacturing is despite the apparent quality fit and finish. The software bugs really have no excuse at this point. I love the idea of this machine but I hope for those who own one that the company delivers on what it originally promised soon. Funding may become a problem if the re-work costs tally up.

Seems like many crowd funded projects don't really have any experienced engineers. It used to be venture capitalists would provide or demand a few proven people in the right positions. Now startups get funded solely by how "cool" the video concept is.

The result is no longer fast 6-9 month product cycles with no defects, but 2-3 year development times with what is really beta units pretending to be production.