Brewie

[macgyuver]

I spoke with Apple today and they did indeed pull the app. It can no longer be downloaded from the app store. If anyone has a backup of the IPA file then they can post it and anyone can install it that way or Brewie can release it. But those have a slim chance of happening.

It is still available on the Play Store and I have downloaded a backup copy of the APK file from there. So at least I have a copy of the android version.

 

[RMW]

@Nate R

Interesting idea but no one from that area has said they are up and running. I am not sure, I read something about an Australian company bought them. Maybe that company is keeping things as they are in hopes of relaunching the company. Keep the user base in tact until new hardware hits the market. Another interesting thought I had that is.

If Macgyuver or anyone else has any info on them being bought it would be great to get more detail. As per my earlier post, my broken B+ was on a factory repair when the shutters came down and i am trying to find out where it is. Not sure it is even worth the shipping to get it back but be good to try.....

 

[macgyuver]

@RMW

Ouch on the unit being out to get repaired and now you are without. That really sucks...

As for being bought out, I read somewhere that the company was bought by an Australian company. I have no way to verify this it is just random info I have ran across in the many websites I have visited trying to find out any information before I gave up.

 

[imitosis]

Well my B20+ Heating element finally stopped working after many successful brews.

Time to do surgery. For those of you who have added extra fans (for 4 total?), what fans did you use and where/how did you mount them?

 

[RMW]

Thanks @macgyuver
Only items of note I have found have been that 1) emails to support don’t bounce back any longer (obviously no replies yet) and 2) the actual legal entity is still in existence and as of January still registered as employing a couple of people.
None of which helps get my Brewie back but does seem to indicate some options to keep the idea alive...

 

[macgyuver]

@RMW

hopefully you unit isn’t sold off. A lot of the original Brewie are being sold off on eBay. That’s where I picked up my two from.

@Bryce Brewer

I have successfully pulled the app off my iPhone. I have it backed up with the Android version. If you want it you can download it. Here is this link to the files.

https://1drv.ms/f/s!Ar9OhkrfmFhCg_dn6wdGP4qydE9wog

Let me know if it doesn’t work. I have uninstalled the app and reinstalled it a few times on my phone.

 

[padair519]

Just FYI... Now that my "case" is official closed I don't mind sharing my "outcome" of my Brewie+. The long and the short of it, after 2 failures I requestes a refund. It was past 30 days but still in warranty. Brewie denied my return. I called my credit card provider and I filed basically a "Lemon" clause on product purchases. I proceeded down that road that day and was Instantly refunded my money to my MasterCard. It started a 45 day window for Brewie to respond for a charge back. They did file a claim on about the 44th day, which included nothing but the standard purchase agreement saying refunds are not allowed. I then had to find a "bonafied 3rd party expert" to document my case and give opinion. I hired an electrical company with experience in commercial and industrial applications including custom PLC, automation and electrical control systems. A quick letter detailing the design flaws and failures was written and I filed it with my credit card company. That started another 45 day window. Brewie never responded after that. Case closed, I got my money back. I'm still out of pocket for the taxes and import fees but I was able to sell mine locally and pretty near come out net 0 on this whole fiasco.

Many posts ago I've read users basically say "we" were all the Brewie beta testers with our money and cautioning and warning future buyers to beware. Hind sight, I couldn't agree more. While Brewie was great in concept, very pourly designed product and now we all see the result of company that didn't do enough R&D and testing on their own.

 

[Blazinlow86]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Theres a reason hands off automated brewing devices don't exist and it's not because nobody else had the idea before brewie. It's because they don't work constantly and therefore defeats the whole purpose of them. If they did all the big names would be all over them already. It's easy to dream big with other people's money. Heck id love to invent a engine that runs off thin air and could give it a go if enough people also wanted one and were willing to prepay for it regardless if it works or not. Theres to many things that require attention and intervention when brewing like boil overs , stuck mashes, etc. If it's too good to be true it usually is. I think currently the best compromise for people with limited time is a grainfather or similar. If that's still to much interaction for someones lifestyle unfortunately homebrewing probably isn't a good hobby at this time. Cheers

 

[macgyuver]

Well after trying to install the backup app I have on my older iPhone it failed. Come to find out that apple started "App Thinning" some time ago and it only downloads what is needed for that model of phone to keep the packages smaller. So if you download the iOS app that I have linked it may not install on your phone. It was pulled from an iPhone X and should support any phone that is in that foot print. I tried to install on my 6s and my 11 and it failed. Just a heads up for anyone wanting to try the backup file.

I was also going to try and email Brewie to see if I can get a copy of the ipa file that they would send to apple but the website email is suspended. Does anyone else have a working address I can send to. I know it is a long shot but it is better to try and fail than to not try at all.

 

[deuc224]

I was so close to purchasing on e of these because it looked the part. Then I read on here what went wrong and got a B80 instead. Its the reason i joined this forum. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart and I hope you giuys get ur funds back eventually.

 

[Nate R]

I was so close to purchasing on e of these because it looked the part. Then I read on here what went wrong and got a B80 instead. Its the reason i joined this forum. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart and I hope you giuys get ur funds back eventually.

What is a "B80"? I assume a different all in one?

 

[deuc224]

Brewtools B80 pro, more a grainfather style with better sparging capabilities.

 

[Tim H]

I saw the Anvil Foundry at my LHBS this weekend and thought it was halfway decent for the price. Double-wall construction with an external pump and no stupid gaskets to mess around with on the grain basket... I love my grainfather but the platform hasn't changed in the last 10 years.


I really, really wonder what it would take to build a simple yet reliable automated brewing system. The next company to swoop in can learn from the bloated rotting carcasses of Brewie and PicoBrew.

 

[Tim H]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Theres a reason hands off automated brewing devices don't exist and it's not because nobody else had the idea before brewie. It's because they don't work constantly and therefore defeats the whole purpose of them. If they did all the big names would be all over them already. It's easy to dream big with other people's money. Heck id love to invent a engine that runs off thin air and could give it a go if enough people also wanted one and were willing to prepay for it regardless if it works or not. Theres to many things that require attention and intervention when brewing like boil overs , stuck mashes, etc. If it's too good to be true it usually is. I think currently the best compromise for people with limited time is a grainfather or similar. If that's still to much interaction for someones lifestyle unfortunately homebrewing probably isn't a good hobby at this time. Cheers

Hate to burst your bubble.... Air-powered engines already exist..... and here is a sweet History Channel video about it haha.

I would disagree that automated brewing doesn't exist because it isn't reliable, it doesn't exist because the profitability just isn't good enough. Complicated automatic espresso machines work every single time because the number of coffee drinkers willing to pay for a device in their house dwarfs the homebrew population that is willing to shell out money for a turn-key brewery. I am going to use my refund to buy some custom kettles from Spike and work with BruNdog to automate the process.

 

[Nate R]

Hate to burst your bubble.... Air-powered engines already exist..... and here is a sweet History Channel video about it haha.

I would disagree that automated brewing doesn't exist because it isn't reliable, it doesn't exist because the profitability just isn't good enough. Complicated automatic espresso machines work every single time because the number of coffee drinkers willing to pay for a device in their house dwarfs the homebrew population that is willing to shell out money for a turn-key brewery. I am going to use my refund to buy some custom kettles from Spike and work with BruNdog to automate the process.

Spike has a 1 vessell e-biag coming out soon (as if you didnt know already!)

 

[Tim H]

Spike has a 1 vessell e-biag coming out soon (as if you didnt know already!)

Yess, it caught my attention. I am interested to see how much it costs, and more importantly, what it would take to automate! I wonder what I could do with two of these.......

 

[Nate R]

Yess, it caught my attention. I am interested to see how much it costs, and more importantly, what it would take to automate! I wonder what I could do with two of these.......

They had a promo video... looked like a LOT of hoses and clamps to move. Probably not a lot of automation.

P.s. morebeer has a 3 vessell e set up. $6k or so, but another step in the right direction for us all

 

[Blazinlow86]

Hate to burst your bubble.... Air-powered engines already exist..... and here is a sweet History Channel video about it haha.

I would disagree that automated brewing doesn't exist because it isn't reliable, it doesn't exist because the profitability just isn't good enough. Complicated automatic espresso machines work every single time because the number of coffee drinkers willing to pay for a device in their house dwarfs the homebrew population that is willing to shell out money for a turn-key brewery. I am going to use my refund to buy some custom kettles from Spike and work with BruNdog to automate the process.

Ah no bubble bursted here. If my invention was already created we would be looking at it under the hood of all cars and trucks today and not on a documentary on the history Channel. I doubt if brewie tacked another 2 grand of profit on each machine that would have made it work correctly but I guess we will never know. While you can definitely diy a automated system yourself it won't be what brewie promised and what I was referring to which was very specifically a out of the box hands off brewing device that just works every time without any tinkering. And I'm pretty certain that a device that does that is a very long way away. Time will tell if I'm incorrect. Cheers

 

[Tim H]

Ah no bubble bursted here. If my invention was already created we would be looking at it under the hood of all cars and trucks today and not on a documentary on the history Channel. I doubt if brewie tacked another 2 grand of profit on each machine that would have made it work correctly but I guess we will never know. While you can definitely diy a automated system yourself it won't be what brewie promised and what I was referring to which was very specifically a out of the box hands off brewing device that just works every time without any tinkering. And I'm pretty certain that a device that does that is a very long way away. Time will tell if I'm incorrect. Cheers

This is why we have people like BruNdog to save the modern brewer

 

[Blazinlow86]

This is why we have people like BruNdog to save the modern brewer

He's got the software side figured out. Now someone needs to figure out a foolproof hardware side and combine them (again referring to the brewies goals). Cheers

 

[Tim H]

I wouldn’t say it was an issue for profit off the machines, they just failed to create a product ecosphere. Brewie was a one time sale, then they never saw another dime of revenue. Pico was smart trying to require pico packs, but it didn’t really meet the modern brewers “style”. Companies don’t get rich off the razor handle, they make money selling the blades.

it was too little too late coming up with the subscriptions and add-ons. That should have been baked into the process from day 1.

but like I said, BrunDog is still my hero.

 

[Blazinlow86]

I wouldn’t say it was an issue for profit off the machines, they just failed to create a product ecosphere. Brewie was a one time sale, then they never saw another dime of revenue. Pico was smart trying to require pico packs, but it didn’t really meet the modern brewers “style”. Companies don’t get rich off the razor handle, they make money selling the blades.

it was too little too late coming up with the subscriptions and add-ons. That should have been baked into the process from day 1.

but like I said, BrewNdog is still my hero.

Eh we will have to agree to disagree. I firmly believe there downfall was the fact that the machines were fatally flawed from day 1 and they couldnt correct it. Additionally because the machines were so unreliable and the company handled the situation extremely poorly ( not honoring the warranty and immediately making another revision which was just as bad) nobody else wanted anything to do with the machine. A beer making appliance thats as easy to use as a coffee maker with a press of a button is a great idea and I can't think of anyone that wouldn't want that but the reality is theres alot more to go wrong when brewing beer than when making coffee and that's the reason why there are no success stories similar to the brewie. Cheers

 

[Tim H]

That statement I can get behind. Brewie was fatally flawed.

cheers

 

[jordo_99]

Eh we will have to agree to disagree. I firmly believe there downfall was the fact that the machines were fatally flawed from day 1 and they couldnt correct it. Additionally because the machines were so unreliable and the company handled the situation extremely poorly ( not honoring the warranty and immediately making another revision which was just as bad) nobody else wanted anything to do with the machine. A beer making appliance thats as easy to use as a coffee maker with a press of a button is a great idea and I can't think of anyone that wouldn't want that but the reality is theres alot more to go wrong when brewing beer than when making coffee and that's the reason why there are no success stories similar to the brewie. Cheers

I think it's a mix of cutting costs to manufacture and poor engineering/testing that was necessary to make the cost cutting work out...stuff like wires/connectors melting is incredibly poor engineering and what I believe, caused the company to fail.

To their credit, they came up with some really cool engineering to fit so much into the small form factor...I'm still impressed with the idea of using pinch valves and how reliable they've been (for me)...smaller, cheaper and because they never actually contact liquid, should be more reliable (no sticky residue) and require no cleaning inside the valves. I'm sure they have their faults but they seem far superior to expensive ball valves for this application.

Ultimately, I think it's a double edged sword to pack as much as possible into a system which uses heat to provide functionality and not use proper "heat management" (insulation, heat-resistant materials, ventilation, etc) to protect the internals...if you use high quality materials then you have less to worry about but again, that's what I mean when I'm talking about compensating for cut costs with engineering.

 

[Paul Wielgosz]

The pump on the mash tun side was gummed up. Cleaning it fixed my heater problem. My Brewie+ is back in business!
Still a bit curious how a pump issue manifests itself in a heating element not turning on. I smell some sub-optimal error handling/reporting in software.
All in all, I was impressed with the quick response from tech support. Being able to address issues like this myself with some help is exactly what I want. I have a coffee roaster that I have had for 15+ years and once in a while something craps out. Their support tells you what item you need to purchase and sends you replacement instructions. I have replaced or upgraded pretty much everything in that thing. Much cheaper than the alternative of sending it in every time for repair.

Hello - I am very interested in an inexpensive valve and I believe the Brewie is using, inside the pinch valve mechanism, a rotating single roller (similar to a peristaltic pump that may have two or three rollers) that stops in the middle of the tubing to stop the flow and then rotates back around away from the tubing to allow flow. I would think this would be very reliable. I would also think that with a small stepper motor you could throttle the flow to some extent.

Do you have any detailed pictures of the valving items? Ever have a valve fail? Is is serviceable (cover showing the innards removable)?

Thanks and Regards
Paul

 

[Nate R]

Hello - I am very interested in an inexpensive valve and I believe the Brewie is using, inside the pinch valve mechanism, a rotating single roller (similar to a peristaltic pump that may have two or three rollers) that stops in the middle of the tubing to stop the flow and then rotates back around away from the tubing to allow flow. I would think this would be very reliable. I would also think that with a small stepper motor you could throttle the flow to some extent.

Do you have any detailed pictures of the valving items? Ever have a valve fail? Is is serviceable (cover showing the innards removable)?

Thanks and Regards
Paul

See post 2556 in this thread (turn phone sideways if needed). Middle of last page (page 65)
@Bryce Brewer was kind enough to post inside pics of the valves

 

[Paul Wielgosz]

See post 2556 in this thread (turn phone sideways if needed). Middle of last page (page 65)
@Bryce Brewer was kind enough to post inside pics of the valves

Nate / Bryce - Thanks for that - not quite what I guessed but not too far off. There was a diy pinch valve that someone made that was a larger version of this (rotating wheel forced a longer bar to crank down on the tubing). I have found what I think is a commercial version of a slightly different variant that locks the hose in a circular V channel and then rotates a concentric circle with an inverted V outside profile until the tube is pinched. Interesting - Should be able to 3D print one of these.

This is the one I found. <img aria-describedby=caption-attachment-5463 class="wp-image-5463 size-full" title="Single-Use Filter FUNDABAC® SU" src=https://drm.ch/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/SU-Valve.gif alt="Single-Use Filter FUNDABAC® SU" width=334 height=500> on drm.ch showing a single use valve.

 

[Nate R]

Hey all. Thought i would see if anyone has experienced this or has any thoughts:
- i love hefe's, so i uaually brew an ipa and a hefe back to back while i have all my brew gear put.
-last brew i got what i would call a "stuck sparge"- an overflow in the mash tun during sparge i assumed it was clogs from the grains i spilled (see below) but i realized during the sparge there is like a weird suction type effect- i would stir the grains a bit and the water level would adjust, and i could almost feel the grains 'break free'.
-i used 16# grain and ~8 ounces rice hulls. 11 pounds wheat. I assume the wheat is causing the stuck sparge like a normal set-up.
- i use the arborfab 600 basket. One thing i have learned is be careful when stirring the mash- it is so easy to accidently spill grains over the side!

So- i have read the brewie uses a special pattern for the sparge. I wonder if this can cause the issues i mentioned above when using large amounts wheat and the basket.
Anyone notice this? Not sure how many people have brewed wheats with the basket.
Thanks all!

 

[HarkinBanks]

Hey all. Thought i would see if anyone has experienced this or has any thoughts:
- i love hefe's, so i uaually brew an ipa and a hefe back to back while i have all my brew gear put.
-last brew i got what i would call a "stuck sparge"- an overflow in the mash tun during sparge i assumed it was clogs from the grains i spilled (see below) but i realized during the sparge there is like a weird suction type effect- i would stir the grains a bit and the water level would adjust, and i could almost feel the grains 'break free'.
-i used 16# grain and ~8 ounces rice hulls. 11 pounds wheat. I assume the wheat is causing the stuck sparge like a normal set-up.
- i use the arborfab 600 basket. One thing i have learned is be careful when stirring the mash- it is so easy to accidently spill grains over the side!

So- i have read the brewie uses a special pattern for the sparge. I wonder if this can cause the issues i mentioned above when using large amounts wheat and the basket.
Anyone notice this? Not sure how many people have brewed wheats with the basket.
Thanks all!

How is your crush?

 

[BrunDog]

Wheat malt is definitely “stickier” in the mash.

 

[Nate R]

How is your crush?

Not as fine as i had it before. It is a little smaller crush as it technically BIAB. Also, i dont really have this issue with regualr grains- i just did a 16# all pale malt brew that was fine.

 

[Blazinlow86]

Not as fine as i had it before. It is a little smaller crush as it technically BIAB. Also, i dont really have this issue with regualr grains- i just did a 16# all pale malt brew that was fine.

I'd disagree that it's technically a biab. It's closer to a 2v recirculating traditional mash setup with the bag there to easily remove the spent grains. Imho you should milling course to avoid a compacted grain bed/channeling just as any recirculating systems. Milling fine like biab could actually cause lower efficiency in this case

 

[Nate R]

I'd disagree that it's technically a biab. It's closer to a 2v recirculating traditional mash setup with the bag there to easily remove the spent grains. Imho you should milling course to avoid a compacted grain bed/channeling just as any recirculating systems. Milling fine like biab could actually cause lower efficiency in this case

Yeah... add to it this is the only brewing i've ever done, i don't really have a visual "ideal" crush- i have ordered crushed from on-line vendors and used a lhbs before, but i read so many different opinions on their crush size...
One point to your comment- i am not using bags but a 600 micron mesh basket. Your point may still apply however.
I think i just need to stir more when brewing with wheat. I stirred maybe 4 times over a 45 min sparge, so not a huge issue.

On a positive note, i ended with an (estimated) standard gravity of 1.069. So, good efficiency on todays brew!

 

[Blazinlow86]

Yeah... add to it this is the only brewing i've ever done, i don't really have a visual "ideal" crush- i have ordered crushed from on-line vendors and used a lhbs before, but i read so many different opinions on their crush size...
One point to your comment- i am not using bags but a 600 micron mesh basket. Your point may still apply however.
I think i just need to stir more when brewing with wheat. I stirred maybe 4 times over a 45 min sparge, so not a huge issue.

On a positive note, i ended with an (estimated) standard gravity of 1.069. So, good efficiency on todays brew!

Generally speaking you mill looser on a circulating setup to avoid channeling. I believe the brewies recirculation rate isn't user adjustable so it would be more susceptible to channeling possibly causing low efficiency. Cheers

 

[Nate R]

Generally speaking you mill looser on a circulating setup to avoid channeling. I believe the brewies recirculation rate isn't user adjustable so it would be more susceptible to channeling possibly causing low efficiency. Cheers

Ahhh.. that makes sense- that is what I am seeing, but again really only with wheat. Good to know, thank you!

 

[Blazinlow86]

Ahhh.. that makes sense- that is what I am seeing, but again really only with wheat. Good to know, thank you!

Another good insurance is adding rice hulls especially when using oats, wheat etc. You may even find just adding rice hulls with your regular grains increases the efficiency also. Cheers

 

[kega]

Is there somone here who have a img file, B20 3.1.1 or know where to find it?
Thanks in advance
Kenneth

 

[kega]

I got my Ebay unit. Wouldn't boot up or it would hang on loading. I discovered a couple cold solder joints on the front panel pcb mainly where the power on button connects. Re-soldered and it boots up and I can play around with recipes and whatnot. I'll give it a cleaning cycle this weekend hopefully and maybe do a small batch. I will need to swap the 8gb micro SD card with a 16gb if I want to update.

On a side note. I downloaded the 3.0 B20 image from the google drive twice and it says it is corrupt when I unzip. The older images are fine though. I'd appreciate it if someone has another copy. Thanks!

Hi
Is it possible to download this B20 3.0 image file or 3.1.1 any more?

 

[Nate R]

Is there somone here who have a img file, B20 3.1.1 or know where to find it?
Thanks in advance
Kenneth

Hey @kega sorry for late response.
Yes there is i think.
Search BrewieForum.net for the software.

Also, you can look at this thread for a Google Drive posting which may have it.

Make sure you differenciate from original Brewie "B20" and newer model "B+"

 

[Bryce Brewer]

Hello Again Everyone,

So a few weeks back I had a brew day and unfortunately I could not reach boil temperature. This resulted in me running back and forth from my Brewie (in the basement) to the stove upstairs with pots full of wort in an attempt to keep the volume low enough to boil. It was a bit of a fiasco but I’m somewhat to blame. I should have read this forum in its entirety because then I would see all of the heating element posts and upgrading the connectors and adding in an additional fan.

I’m planning on diving back into this and opening up the Brewie to look at the heating elements. I’m suspecting to see some scary stuff upon opening it up.

Does anyone have any update after several brew days of the connector and fan mods? I’m a little nervous to do this myself as I don’t have some of the tools that other members have that make for a very solid and secure connection.

The information is somewhat scattered throughout this post too so if anyone has a BOM of what they used, I would be forever in your debt and would be willing to Venmo you some beer brewing money. If no one has that information available, I’ll spend some time gathering everything I can find and providing a BOM and basic work instructions. Thanks everyone!