Brewing controllers in 2023!

[jakeauc]

Hello all, in the process of converting to EBIAB. Not quite sure the direction I want to go with a controller. Is the brew commander still holding its weight? Do people find step-mashing features unnecessary for biab? Not sure the route I want to go, other than having a way to control boil intensity and control a single pump from the controller. Must be 240V!

 

[Deric]

If I were in the market I'd likely go with this...

https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/tempcontrol_cube5e_bhcustomb.htm

 

[Wagon_6]

I recommend building your own. Fun project and you’ll understand all the guts if you have to troubleshoot. I enjoy doing step mashes for the lagers I brew. And definitely go with the Auber EZboil 320. It has a ton of built in features that make the process semi-automatic: mash & boil timer, boil over/ramp protection, etc.

 

[matt_m]

I have an Electric Brewing Company eBIAB panel but swapped out their PID for a programmable EZ Boil. Its expensive but I have a top quality panel with really nice features as a result. I've never step mashed but it is nice to set my whole temperature schedule for the brew day and just click through the steps as I go.

 

[doug293cz]

I recommend building your own. Fun project and you’ll understand all the guts if you have to troubleshoot. I enjoy doing step mashes for the lagers I brew. And definitely go with the Auber EZboil 320. It has a ton of built in features that make the process semi-automatic: mash & boil timer, boil over/ramp protection, etc.

Should you want to go the DIY route, here's a design that I recommend for a single vessel (i.e. BIAB) and single pump system. It implements a "safe start" interlock that prevents main power from being turned on unless both the pump and element enable switches are off. This means that neither the pump nor element can come on unexpectedly when you turn on the power. You can use any of the EZBoil controllers, from the DSPR120 thru the DSPR320.

Component PNs are illustrative. You can use other components of similar, or higher, voltage and current rating that provide the same function

Brew on

 

[MikeCo]

I have an Auber Cube and it works great. You can save a few bucks by buying the kit and building it yourself if you want. The BrewCommander looks like a great option also. I think the prices of these are reasonable enough as pre-built. My advice is to just buy one unless you really love doing DIY things like this.