Brewie

[aangel]

Just ran across this indigogo campaign: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/brewie-world-s-first-fully-automated-home-brewery/x/9306454

The batch size is tiny but holy hell, that thing may be the holy grail of automation. Seems to avoid the downsides of the picobrew zygomatic too.

 

[megs8888]

It only does extract brews I believe.

 

[aangel]

From the video, it's a brew in a bag, all grain.

 

[megs8888]

That's interesting I saw one the other day exactly the same only did extract I'll check it out then, looks expensive

 

[aangel]

It's funny as I just threw down like $1500 on equipment over the weekend to get into AG brewing, and this thing is a bit more integrated with far better control than I have for less. (fgargl). I'll be paying close attention to the first few reviews next year that's for sure.

 

[megs8888]

Yeah I'm sure I read about it the other day and didn't see any positives. I'll keep an eye to as I'm about to buy a BM 50L

 

[megs8888]

I don't see anywhere where it shows the end product and how it's dispensed, which is a worry. I think it will be better to do it manually anyway more fun and involvement, neat idea though.

 

[carlk47]

As a brewer looking to save time and invest in a bit more automation aspect of brewing, I am very excited for the release of this product. I've researched the 3 new systems (Picobrew Zymatic, Brew Bot and Brewie), and I feel this system has the best overall ease of use and features that I am looking for long term. I am a DIY type guy but this all in one package looks great.

They've just hit $200k on indiegogo which was twice their initial goal. Very excited to discuss this product and see where it heads in the future!

 

[jason1973]

As a brewer looking to save time and invest in a bit more automation aspect of brewing, I am very excited for the release of this product. I've researched the 3 new systems (Picobrew Zymatic, Brew Bot and Brewie), and I feel this system has the best overall ease of use and features that I am looking for long term. I am a DIY type guy but this all in one package looks great.

They've just hit $200k on indiegogo which was twice their initial goal. Very excited to discuss this product and see where it heads in the future!

definetly a product to watch and seems alot cheaper than zymatic

 

[jason1973]

I don't see anywhere where it shows the end product and how it's dispensed, which is a worry. I think it will be better to do it manually anyway more fun and involvement, neat idea though.

this video shows it, just dispenses to your own fermenters.

 

[Peruvian802]

Only 2 hop additions?

 

[jason1973]

Only 2 hop additions?

if check there indigo page they upgraded to 4 hop since that video was made.

 

[jason1973]

Only 2 hop additions?

updated image

this machine definetly what i whant depending on how first release models work out, little more than grain farther but cheaper than zymatic

changes made after initial video

 

[sniperd]

I'm pretty excited about this. I like the idea of built in cooling, and 5 gallons. Both which seem to be missing from the PicoBrew Zymatic.

 

[jason1973]

I'm pretty excited about this. I like the idea of built in cooling, and 5 gallons. Both which seem to be missing from the PicoBrew Zymatic.

i like fact that except for hop additions works same as having two pots and several chugger pumps with a pid , just more compact.

 

[Josh1275]

After watching the video it sure seems like this is following the Hot side process of a Brutus 20 (electric) using a BIAB bag (redundant? still early) instead of a false bottom. The Air/Water heat exchanger is really interesting as well.

I really like the concept though i do get concerned with sanitation of these fully closed systems... Can't wait to see what some of the early adopters think of it...

 

[jason1973]

After watching the video it sure seems like this is following the Hot side process of a Brutus 20 (electric) using a BIAB bag (redundant? still early) instead of a false bottom. The Air/Water heat exchanger is really interesting as well.

I really like the concept though i do get concerned with sanitation of these fully closed systems... Can't wait to see what some of the early adopters think of it...

Should be fine if you run cleaning cycle soon as your finished and not let i sit.

 

[Cervantes]

I really like the look of this too.

I currently use a Braumeister 20L, but this makes that look like hard work.

I enjoy the recipe formulation and drinking, much more that I do the cleaning and this is supposedly self cleaning.

I also like the 5 gallon batch size. Perfect for my current kegging setup.

I dropped them an email via the online form on the website, but have heard nothing back from them.

 

[sniperd]

I'm holding on for this. I like the idea of the pico brew system, but this seems to check all the boxes (except for available now).

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

I love their picture of "Fits perfectly in the kitchen"

It takes up the entirety of a giant ass counter and isnt even really accessible from the top in the picture shown.

Other than that it looks pretty amazing.

 

[fr5ed]

As a brewer looking to save time and invest in a bit more automation aspect of brewing, I am very excited for the release of this product. I've researched the 3 new systems (Picobrew Zymatic, Brew Bot and Brewie), and I feel this system has the best overall ease of use and features that I am looking for long term. I am a DIY type guy but this all in one package looks great.

They've just hit $200k on indiegogo which was twice their initial goal. Very excited to discuss this product and see where it heads in the future!

Also, check out Brew Boss. I have been looking back and forth at the Brewie and Brew Boss.

 

[jdiggy]

Not sure if this information is available yet but I had a few questions about Brewie. It does not show in the video, the grain bag being removed. Does it remain in the machine for the entire cycle or is this unknown? It says this brews up to a 5 gallon batch; does anyone know what OG? I assume even if #'s of grain is limited maybe you can just sub in some DME. The radiator cooling is a good idea, but seems like this will take a while and could only lower the wort temp down to room temp.; likely have to either wait longer or add additional chiller, no? Is there any information about what the production price will be once they open pre-orders back up? I've been looking into getting a brew boss 15g but Brewie seems to automate everything a lot more with just less capacity than Brew Boss. Trying to decide if I should wait or pull trigger on Brew Boss.

Thanks,

 

[Rhumbline]

I just got my 15 gallon Brew Boss, so I'm not an impartial judge.

This looks like a very slick product but for my needs, the Brew Boss is the right choice all things considered.

We are starting to see more of these systems, and that will be a good thing.

 

[Ethanfox]

Not sure if this information is available yet but I had a few questions about Brewie. It does not show in the video, the grain bag being removed. Does it remain in the machine for the entire cycle or is this unknown? It says this brews up to a 5 gallon batch; does anyone know what OG? I assume even if #'s of grain is limited maybe you can just sub in some DME. The radiator cooling is a good idea, but seems like this will take a while and could only lower the wort temp down to room temp.; likely have to either wait longer or add additional chiller, no? Is there any information about what the production price will be once they open pre-orders back up? I've been looking into getting a brew boss 15g but Brewie seems to automate everything a lot more with just less capacity than Brew Boss. Trying to decide if I should wait or pull trigger on Brew Boss.

Thanks,

You probably already found the answers to your questions, but if not, and for anyone else looking, this is my understanding based on the very limited information they provide (I hope their customer service in the future is better than their communication pre-launch - it's hard to get any information out of them it seems!)

The bag does (or CAN) stay in the system until the very end. They have marketed that after you push start, you don't need to return until wort is ready for transfer to fermenter. How it actually does a sparge with only two tanks is unclear to me though - unless you have to return at that point to add the additional water (or I suppose it could use the tap water if it's hooked up to the tap, but that won't work for all water profiles).

While they haven't listed a max OG (that's going to depend on the grist anyway), they have tweeted that it has a max of 8kg (~17.6 lbs). They have also tweeted ~70% efficiency, so you can use that to calculate OG for your recipes.

I agree with your assessment that it won't cool below room temperature, but I'm not certain.

Pre Orders are $1600 in September. Still not a sufficient information available on the product to convince me to spend $1600.

 

[jdiggy]

Thanks for the response. But due to the lack of information and time frame for production, I pulled the trigger and got a brew boss and hop boss. Larger batches with a little more work. I'll still be interested to see how this thing turns out.

 

[Rhumbline]

Thanks for the response. But due to the lack of information and time frame for production, I pulled the trigger and got a brew boss and hop boss. Larger batches with a little more work. I'll still be interested to see how this thing turns out.

I just did my first batch on Friday using the Brew Boss with COFI and Hops Boss. Let me know if you have any questions.

One thing to note with the Hops Boss, it is possible for the large toothed plate to ride up and not engage the drive gear. This happened on mine just because of how I'd handled the equipment.

I strongly recommend that you do a water only run, just to familiarize yourself with the operation.

Happy brewing.

 

[Ethanfox]

Hate resurrecting zombies, but I saw the Brewie is back on Indiegogo for preorders again - in case it hadn't been mentioned on the forum already.

I think they plan on shipping in March? Hops utilization and efficiency could still be issues - but if it works well enough, it looks like it could be a real time saver.

 

[BrunDog]

Sounds like they spent all the money and now they need more. Great, complete design, but this was an auspicious undertaking from the start. They should have started with a simpler, less feature heavy design to prove the concept/market/manufacturing/etc.

Personally, I would wait until this thing is shown in the light of day before investing.

-BD

 

[ccbadd]

Yes, BrunDog, I should have but I went ahead and ordered one yesterday. I'm just tired of having to clean my rig after a 4.5hr brew day.

 

[BrunDog]

It will likely work out, it seems this is a real design unlike some (aka BrewNanny).

-BD

 

[sniperd]

I'm also in for one. There are youtubes of them at beerfests with a machine, the videos look legit. The only thing I could see if it was just some huge scam. What I've read from indiegogo is that they feel you are merely contributing to a fund, not buying something so if they don't deliver, you are just out the cash. That being said, your credit card company feels that you are actually buying something, so if you never get it they can do a charge back. I've always had good luck with American Express if I had a problem, they always take my side and resolve it, so I used that to pay for one.

Hopefully it just all works out, this think looks great. Fixes all my major concerns that I had with the pico brew (only 2.5 gallons, no chill, no water hook up) I'll still use my other gear (a buddy and I have 2 setups to brew two 15 gallon batches at a time, lots of beer to share!) but it does take all day and it's all outside. Living in NH, once it gets pretty cold brewing outside is pretty hard

 

[Jkane101]

My biggest reservation is...how do you get it fixed if it breaks? Send it back to EU?

 

[limulus]

I just read this article this morning:
http://www.techhive.com/article/300...tertop-brewery-that-even-novices-can-use.html
I also watched the video linked in the article and that is a cool device. It definitely covers a lot of technology. The hop dosers are really cool. The first time I ever saw programmable hop dosing was at Terrapin Brewing in Athens GA and they had a 40bbl or maybe it is now 100bbl capacity. I assume the Brewie allows you to go back and add additional hop bags later in the cycle for those big IPAs...???

I really like the way they put everything into a bag and the multiple tanks so you can sparge. I have a medium BIAC which in a lot of cases it just too big. For person who wants to brew just enough for a few people and does not want to get too dirty, this little device is pretty darn cool.

 

[Ethanfox]

That article was a waste of time. The author provided no information beyond what you can get off of the indiegogo website and he clearly explains his complete lack of knowledge and experience in homebrewing with statements such as, "the convoluted mess we have always known it to be" and, "the best brews are often the result of sheer happenstance."

He could've saved a lot of time by just posting a link.

 

[limulus]

That article was a waste of time. The author provided no information beyond what you can get off of the indiegogo website and he clearly explains his complete lack of knowledge and experience in homebrewing with statements such as, "the convoluted mess we have always known it to be" and, "the best brews are often the result of sheer happenstance."

He could've saved a lot of time by just posting a link.

I guess I should have said it was the article that steered me to the video and then the site. That is the reason I then came to this thread. I was not suggesting that the article provided some new ground breaking insight into the Brewie. I'm a person who has a pretty big all-in-one system and I just found it to be a pretty nice countertop system.

 

[Ethanfox]

Oh, right. I understood your post. Sorry, I wasn't directing my rant at you ... just at the article. I'm tired of Internet articles doing nothing but repeating press releases. It's more common than you think, and they claim to be "writers." It's even more common for technology articles. Rant over, didn't mean to get off topic.

I agree though. The system does seem quite intriguing. Does it take the art out of brewing? Perhaps a little. Do I care? Not if it makes good beer and saves me hours I could spend with the family.

 

[ccbadd]

I don't think it takes the art out at all. The results come from the recipe in my opinion. I think this will allow me to brew more and try more things without giving up halve a day each time. I can also get more into yeast washing and take time for proper starter creation.

 

[JamieP]

Glad to find this thread as I have also pre-ordered and it will be good to have others to share the anxiety with while waiting for our machines to materialize. Hopefully we will be sharing tips on how to best use the Brewie before we know it..

From watching the videos, my biggest concern is around the boil. I'm curious if it will achieve a full boil and avoid some of the hop utilization issues that picobrew users have mentioned. If it does full boil, I'm worried about boil overs. The boil compartment seems pretty full in the brewing video. Can't really leave unattended if you're going to come back to a mess. Thoughts?

 

[Ethanfox]

Foam control should do the trick

 

[awest74]

Add me to the anxious, I ordered a black friday special one. I have a Brutus clone and a 10 gallon ebiab collecting dust because I have 3 kids 4 and under. This thing seems to fit my need of brewing after 730pm and still getting up at 5am with the kids. Can't wait!

Plus if all goes well I'll sell the other 2 and have more cash for ingredients!

Also I asked about boil over on the comments hopefully get some feedback.