Brewie

[Hamboner]

It does look like brewie has been resurrected.

I'm wondering if anyone who ordered an ebay brewie B20 actually got theirs shipped. Mine is still in 'label created'. I noticed there was one brewie+ from the same seller that had feedback 'item as described' indicating that at least someone received one. I'm wondering if this means that the ebay seller will be pulling those remaining listings in the near future. As much as a cheap spare would be nice, it is certainly better to have a functioning company backing these things.

This is all good news.

 

[Tim H]

It does look like brewie has been resurrected.

As much as a cheap spare would be nice, it is certainly better to have a functioning company backing these things.

This is all good news.

I am really interested to hear what Brewie will say about the last 5 weeks. As their consumer base, it would be in their best interests to keep us up to speed and happy.

I think it was a buy out.....or new investors... just my thoughts.

 

[Nate R]

I am really interested to hear what Brewie will say about the last 5 weeks. As their consumer base, it would be in their best interests to keep us up to speed and happy.

I think it was a buy out.....or new investors... just my thoughts.

Agree- some sort of debt restructuring deal.

 

[Tim H]

I’m still keeping my machine offline until I can clone my firmware...... if the website is back, but the official servers are still down, who knows what is going on.

 

[c06u]

It does look like brewie has been resurrected.

I'm wondering if anyone who ordered an ebay brewie B20 actually got theirs shipped. Mine is still in 'label created'. I noticed there was one brewie+ from the same seller that had feedback 'item as described' indicating that at least someone received one. I'm wondering if this means that the ebay seller will be pulling those remaining listings in the near future. As much as a cheap spare would be nice, it is certainly better to have a functioning company backing these things.

This is all good news.

Yes, mine just in this morning, it is a new unit with very light shipping damage, I took the bottom off to inspect and played around some with the boil pump as it was noisy on test simple pull apart and it must have had a peace of machining in (plastic etc) it, reassembled and WaLa runs perfect, no accessories as expected but no big deal, you can get stainless pre-punched just add some standoffs for the false bottom and it might even be better then the original one, also for hop cages just use tea balls you can get at the grocery store, walmart etc they fit perfectly (I used them all the time when brewing before Brewie)
Will give her a complete run through tomorrow....I ordered another one Saturday, as much as I have gotten inside these beast I find the Design good, it's the "Chinese spin on low quality that screwed them up, they were very naive if they left the Chinese without a Brewie company employee monitoring the manufacturing operation, also this so called ambassador program with it's focus on everything but the technical side was a mistake, first machines should have been handed over to people that can find mechanical flaws, a good Flight test program so to speak

 

[Tim H]

And the website is down again

 

[Nate R]

Lol.... wow. Maybe it's just been bad IT the whole time? Hence no emails etc.
I am so glad i signed up for the brewie pads membership club today!! I saved 10% by pre-paying for a year in advance!!

 

[Still Brewn]

I got a gateway timed out error.... wondering if they got hacked and that is the reason for all of this. A 504 error. So we know at least some of their computers are up and running just not the ones that the website relies on for stuff

 

[Still Brewn]

Telefon: +36 (20) 598-1312
Found a contact phone number

And what looks like their foreign language website....
https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/45648960

I was able to get to it from the Cordis website it is now up

 

[Rob Rowald]

Hi all. It is starting to feel like Brewie is no more....
I am not on the Facebook but the Mrs. is. Here is a link to google drive files if it helps.

https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/1j9mOcCxB7-MXzB_tXSvPzIhbrXfQQ3bi?usp=sharing

Man, you could have at least given me attribution while sharing out my google drive.
Anyway, This will be going dark in the next couple of days, as I move it someplace with more space. I've used up pretty much all my space on Gdrive with these files. I will post a linkwhen they are moved

 

[Mayday99]

Yes, mine just in this morning, it is a new unit with very light shipping damage, I took the bottom off to inspect and played around some with the boil pump as it was noisy on test simple pull apart and it must have had a peace of machining in (plastic etc) it, reassembled and WaLa runs perfect, no accessories as expected but no big deal, you can get stainless pre-punched just add some standoffs for the false bottom and it might even be better then the original one, also for hop cages just use tea balls you can get at the grocery store, walmart etc they fit perfectly (I used them all the time when brewing before Brewie)
Will give her a complete run through tomorrow....I ordered another one Saturday, as much as I have gotten inside these beast I find the Design good, it's the "Chinese spin on low quality that screwed them up, they were very naive if they left the Chinese without a Brewie company employee monitoring the manufacturing operation, also this so called ambassador program with it's focus on everything but the technical side was a mistake, first machines should have been handed over to people that can find mechanical flaws, a good Flight test program so to speak

Thanks for the update!

 

[Nate R]

Man, you could have at least given me attribution while sharing out my google drive.
Anyway, This will be going dark in the next couple of days, as I move it someplace with more space. I've used up pretty much all my space on Gdrive with these files. I will post a linkwhen they are moved

Rob, my sincere apologies. I did not even think about attribution. I did mention it came from the facebook group but failed to mention the person. My wife sent me the link via text (i dont do facebook) and i was so excited to share with the group i did not even consider it. Again my apologies.

Also, a HUGE Thank You for the files! We are all very happy you shared!

Finally, welcome to HomeBrewTalk! I think you will find this Brewie thread very helpful. Scroll back and see reviews on a grain basket, tips, etc. There are a few lurkers who like to post hate on Brewie (and some of them have very valid points but need to let it go) although most of us here like our machines and want to continie using them.

So again:
-I am sorry I did not give proper attribution
-THANK YOU for the files! We all owe you deep grattitude
-Welcome to HBT! I hipe you stay active on this thred!

 

[Rob Rowald]

Rob, my sincere apologies. I did not even think about attribution. I did mention it came from the facebook group but failed to mention the person. My wife sent me the link via text (i dont do facebook) and i was so excited to share with the group i did not even consider it. Again my apologies.

Also, a HUGE Thank You for the files! We are all very happy you shared!

Finally, welcome to HomeBrewTalk! I think you will find this Brewie thread very helpful. Scroll back and see reviews on a grain basket, tips, etc. There are a few lurkers who like to post hate on Brewie (and some of them have very valid points but need to let it go) although most of us here like our machines and want to continie using them.

So again:
-I am sorry I did not give proper attribution
-THANK YOU for the files! We all owe you deep grattitude
-Welcome to HBT! I hipe you stay active on this thred!

I'll be adding in .img files for newer build of the Brewie OS in the next few days, and like I said I'll be moving the files someplace with more space.

 

[Nate R]

Awesome, I'll wait to hear before I pull the trigger.

Did you pull the trigger yet? I have brewed a few times with the basket now and have a few thoughts:
-It is actually a little difficult to clean. Grain gets stuck between the mesh and the metal frame. All you have to do is let it dry completely and then the grain will usually just fall out with a gentle tap. But my last 2 brew days were back to back, and the basket was not really cleaned fully between brews. At least with the bags, you could have a few spares or toss them in the washing machine.
-I say you DO NOT need the lid. I have not used it, even when I had too much grain in the basket. Also, I did about a pound of fresh hops in my first wet hop trial ale. I used the basket in the boil side, and while the hops floated, they did not come close to flowing out.
-I am not seeing the improved efficiency with the basket. I actually blame this on me & my process right now, and it is not fair since the recipes and process are different, but I think maybe my crush may need to be adjusted. Again that is not the basket's fault.

Overall I am going to continue to use the basket. I like being able to stir the grains vs. having to move and lift bags.

 

[Nate R]

I'll be adding in .img files for newer build of the Brewie OS in the next few days, and like I said I'll be moving the files someplace with more space.

Awesome! Again, thanks for sharing!

 

[Rob Rowald]

Did you pull the trigger yet? I have brewed a few times with the basket now and have a few thoughts:
-It is actually a little difficult to clean. Grain gets stuck between the mesh and the metal frame. All you have to do is let it dry completely and then the grain will usually just fall out with a gentle tap. But my last 2 brew days were back to back, and the basket was not really cleaned fully between brews. At least with the bags, you could have a few spares or toss them in the washing machine.
-I say you DO NOT need the lid. I have not used it, even when I had too much grain in the basket. Also, I did about a pound of fresh hops in my first wet hop trial ale. I used the basket in the boil side, and while the hops floated, they did not come close to flowing out.
-I am not seeing the improved efficiency with the basket. I actually blame this on me & my process right now, and it is not fair since the recipes and process are different, but I think maybe my crush may need to be adjusted. Again that is not the basket's fault.

Overall I am going to continue to use the basket. I like being able to stir the grains vs. having to move and lift bags.

The grain basket is the way to go

 

[Colin Kaminski]

Man, you could have at least given me attribution while sharing out my google drive.
Anyway, This will be going dark in the next couple of days, as I move it someplace with more space. I've used up pretty much all my space on Gdrive with these files. I will post a linkwhen they are moved

Hey, Rob, Thank you so much!

 

[beerier]

The brewie website is up and running, no comment to be seen about the site being down. It looks like as usual and as it was never disappeared. I did see this yesterday already but it only lasted less than one hour and was gone to 404 after this.
Now it is back... Good, but somehow peculiar. Let's hope for the best.

 

[Brewdoode]

Just wanted to pop in and thank Rob for sharing everything! Very much appreciated. Can't wait to get the images as well.

On a side note, did their link for their 'I want to join' Beer Explorer's club button always go to a site that isn't Facebook? I'm talking about the large black button towards the bottom of the /beer-explorers-club/home/ page. I'm not a Facebooker so it'd be interesting if they were going to maybe create some sort of Brewie-specific forums at one point. Or it's something that was left over from a prior effort. Page doesn't load (surprising I know), but I don't recall any other site for this before.

Let's hope their site stays up and we hear something soon!

 

[Tim H]

Rob, welcome! Glad you came to the dark side hahaha.

 

[Nate R]

... On a side note, did their link for their 'I want to join' Beer Explorer's club button always go to a site that isn't Facebook? I'm talking about the large black button towards the bottom of the /beer-explorers-club/home/ page. I'm not a Facebooker so it'd be interesting if they were going to maybe create some sort of Brewie-specific forums at one point. Or it's something that was left over from a prior effort. Page doesn't load (surprising I know), but I don't recall any other site for this before...

IIRC, the Brewer's Explorers Club was a mailing list of sorts- if you signed up, you got the free recipe guide from them. Kind of like a gimmick to get a direct mail list. I think they were planning the roll-out of the subscription based BrewiePad program.

Also, the link just worked for me.

 

[Tim H]

Just pulled this from the Facebook group. Ulf Walther posted

“UPDATED THREAD ON BREWIE COMPANY STATUS:

I just received a message from Marcel stating that Brewie is undergoing a reorganization and that support will be down until reorganization is completed. He stated no timeframe. There was no other information than that he’d try to forward service manuals meanwhile.”

Lets carry on the speculations here.

 

[Hamboner]

Who knows exactly how they got it sorted out (debt restructuring, buy-out, new investors) but i am guessing they lost some engineering/tech support staff in the process. As a an engineer, if i was put in limbo for more than a week or so, i'd be out finding a new job asap. Likely a fair amount of institutional knowledge isn't coming back they will need to hire and train people before things will get back to normal.

My original ebay order for a B20 apparently got lost by the shipper, or something along those lines (tracking never made it past 'label created'). I ordered another yesterday and its now 'in transit' and should be delivered monday. The seller responded that they definitely do not have accessories (false bottoms, hop cages, hoses) for 'all of these units.' Maybe some do, but i'm guessing he's managing the expectations.

I'm wondering what arborfab would charge to make a few hop cages that would be drop in replacements. Regarding the water inlet/outlet hoses, they are BSPP. The water inlet is a 3/4" BSPP, not standard garden hose thread (11.5 TPI vs 14TPI - they look like they'll fit but always leak). I know you can get adapters. I think for the US units, brewie got some drop shipped to the early backers from USPlastics, but i had trouble finding them on their website. The outlets are 1/2" BSPP, which should be easy to find since they just need to go to nipples. As stated earlier, for 20-30$ i think you can get custom cut perforated stainless for the false bottoms.

 

[sniperd]

Did you pull the trigger yet? I have brewed a few times with the basket now and have a few thoughts:
-It is actually a little difficult to clean. Grain gets stuck between the mesh and the metal frame. All you have to do is let it dry completely and then the grain will usually just fall out with a gentle tap. But my last 2 brew days were back to back, and the basket was not really cleaned fully between brews. At least with the bags, you could have a few spares or toss them in the washing machine.
-I say you DO NOT need the lid. I have not used it, even when I had too much grain in the basket. Also, I did about a pound of fresh hops in my first wet hop trial ale. I used the basket in the boil side, and while the hops floated, they did not come close to flowing out.
-I am not seeing the improved efficiency with the basket. I actually blame this on me & my process right now, and it is not fair since the recipes and process are different, but I think maybe my crush may need to be adjusted. Again that is not the basket's fault.

Overall I am going to continue to use the basket. I like being able to stir the grains vs. having to move and lift bags.

I was all ready to do it but with the company being a little up in the air right now I'm not sure how much more I want to invest.. just yet Hopefully my Brewie has all its kinks worked out. Thanks for the feedback on the cage though, I'll probably just end up getting one

 

[117thBrewer]

I did recieve my ebay brewie. It is also missing the hop cages, false bottom, and has a big dent in the side. This one does not boot up. Hangs on the brewie logo. I'm going to try to re-do the SD card and see if that fixes it. What is the process for that?

 

[Gardiner4]

I did recieve my ebay brewie. It is also missing the hop cages, false bottom, and has a big dent in the side. This one does not boot up. Hangs on the brewie logo. I'm going to try to re-do the SD card and see if that fixes it. What is the process for that?

We are in the process of moving the FB group to a forum. The guides can be found here. http://www.brewieforum.net

 

[sniperd]

We are in the process of moving the FB group to a forum. The guides can be found here. http://www.brewieforum.net

So smart. I was just coming here to say the same thing!

 

[Nate R]

Yes thank you!! Website appears to be down again.

 

[Still Brewn]

We are in the process of moving the FB group to a forum. The guides can be found here. http://www.brewieforum.net

The security issue needs fixed on that forum before anyone signs up.....

 

[volx]

FYI, there is a potential software bug in 3.1.2 with the Brewie+: during a full clean, after the second water addition cycle has drained (the one where you add tabs/PBW/detergent/etc.), the water I add for the third cycle to rinse out the detergent immediately drains again without warning (usually there is a prompt before draining starts).

I cannot remember what this step did prior to 3.1.2 but I think the purpose of the third cycle is to rinse out any detergent residue and I can hear pumps and valves clicking, but the water has already drained. I have now seen this twice. I would add a support ticket but the web site is down again. As a work-around you can do a quick clean after the full clean.

(This is also on the Brewie Owners Group on FB)