I emailed them but have not heard back. On the FB group there was talk of these pre-orders getting lost.
Brewzilla Gen4 Discussion/Tips Talk
- Thread starter stealthfixr
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
I'm actually considering canceling my pre-order at MB. It is obviously NOT too late 
Thinking about sticking with my Anvil 10.5 - at least for the meantime. See how the gen4 goes in the general populous for a bit.
Thinking about sticking with my Anvil 10.5 - at least for the meantime. See how the gen4 goes in the general populous for a bit.I did actually cancel my pre-order. I like my Anvil 10.5 and my "issue" with big grain bills not so huge since I stick to English style beers. My desire for larger batches (to get some beer for whiskey) is valid but I can just do another batch. I mean I only fire the thing up once or twice a month. At least for the moment I can do this. I am sure I will look at larger all-in-ones again soon.
NOTE: they do have one or two 65L gen4 in stock in PA.
NOTE: they do have one or two 65L gen4 in stock in PA.
jtrainer
BeerCzar I am
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2008
- Messages
- 345
- Reaction score
- 36
OK, looks like I found a discussion on it. Seems the units that are shipping are coming from the PA warehouse. I specifically requested will-call pickup in the Riverside location. So I'll just hang around and wait it out a little longer.
My LHBS said they can get it for me in a few days at the same price, so maybe I'll cancel and order via them so they make $20...
Just picked up my Gen4 65L yesterday at my LHBS in Tucson AZ (BrewYourOwnBrew.com)! I am actually running the water test and cleaning now with 13.75g in it--jumped from 77F to 154F very quickly. Used the David Heath PID settings, but it seems to be bracketing *below* the set temp, not around it. Going to have to play with the PID settings...
Gunkleneil
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2022
- Messages
- 73
- Reaction score
- 65
Keep checking my order status on More Beer and it has been "in warehouse not picked" for a few days now. Also says it's coming from California and I'm in Connecticut
For some reason all the 220v systems went to the Cali location first.
Subsequent shipments should be distributed to both locations at MB.
Subsequent shipments should be distributed to both locations at MB.
Follow up: once the PID 'learned' my situation/setup, it kept the water test exactly on target. Amazing accuracy--so much better than my Gen3 Brewzilla. I tried with and without the neoprene jacket, and the jacket made a definite difference in the temp drop rate & stability. Get/use the jacket!
Now to get the RAPT Bluetooth thermometer when available and measure the mash from the middle, which will be a more accurate and repeatable mash regimen than (I think) any other mash equipment going.
CleanEmUpIves
Well-Known Member
The two factors at play are the max temperature of the wort during the temperature step (and maintaining that temperature) and the overall temperature of the grainbed. In any modern recirculating system (AIO, RIMS, HERMS, eBIAB, etc..), the two should eventually equalize with difference being the grainbed temperature shouldn't exceed the step temperature though the heated wort temperature may exceed the step temperature during a heating cycle.
IMO most modern AIOs Grainfather, Braumeister, BrewTools, Anvil, etc... all operate pretty much the same.
Adding a temp probe to the mash is nothing new and doesn't make this system more accurate or repeatable than any of the other AIO's on the market. What it does do is contribute to and correct the accuracy and repeatability of the Brewzilla itself, which with only one (poorly placed?) temperature probe was not designed properly to begin with. Thus the addition of the mash thermometer and the new "heat exchanger dish" or "diversion plate" false bottom.
Last edited:
DuncB
Well-Known Member
Seems upgrades to get your equipment to work "properly" is development at the cost of first users.
PID controllers work really well when given relevant data for the algorithm. It seems the presence of grain and current design confounds the algorithm.
PID controllers work really well when given relevant data for the algorithm. It seems the presence of grain and current design confounds the algorithm.
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2021
- Messages
- 97
- Reaction score
- 223
Made 4 batches in my 65L now and temp overshoot is a problem in my mind.
My biggest complaint is that the damn recirculating pump got clogged on two batches. Never had an issue on my Gen 3 35L. Guess I need to go back to using a hops bag.
Note, if you do get stuck it’s not too hard to tilt the machine and squeeze the drain tube a few times to help unblock the pump line.
My biggest complaint is that the damn recirculating pump got clogged on two batches. Never had an issue on my Gen 3 35L. Guess I need to go back to using a hops bag.
Note, if you do get stuck it’s not too hard to tilt the machine and squeeze the drain tube a few times to help unblock the pump line.
Teufelhunde
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2020
- Messages
- 520
- Reaction score
- 478
I use a 35L 3.1.1 and in those instances where the pump does get clogged, I just grab the hose(with pump off, of course), make sure it is not hot, then blow into it, pushing the crap in the pump out of the pump. No worries with sanitation as long as I am above 170 which I always am, as the only time I ever get a clog is at the end of the boil when I am putting on the whirlpool arm for chilling and WP(still at 200+).
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2021
- Messages
- 97
- Reaction score
- 223
Tried that, perhaps my lung power just isn’t that great
DuncB
Well-Known Member
I've started to do the sanitation of the whirlpool and counterflow on the way up to the boil, this way I don't have to remember / fiddle with it at the end and have avoided the airlock or ingress of hop matter that occurs during the boil. Worth a try.
rtstrider
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2016
- Messages
- 1,187
- Reaction score
- 714
I received the Neoprene jacket in the mail today. It's an extremely tight fit. Almost did not get it set with the velcro it's so tight. Hoping a few days and a few brew cycles in the Brewzilla stretches this out just a bit. Will be brewing Saturday morning and will post the results of the heat up times.
Teufelhunde
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2020
- Messages
- 520
- Reaction score
- 478
I no longer use mine as it is such a PITA to try to get it installed.....
agentbud
Well-Known Member
Agree 100%. Thought I was gonna break something trying to get it on. They should've put the velcro seam somewhere other than right behind the pump return pipe and then just made the cover for that pipe a separate piece if neoprene that velcro'd on top instead of it being an attached flap. My first brew on it will be tomorrow.
Does anyone know if you get the 240v BZ gen 4 you can run it on 110v? I've heard the GrainFather (I think it was GF) can if you flip a switch and do a dance you can switch to 110. LOL! I have 240 already for other things, just wondering if I don't go 110 just because if I want to go brew somewhere without 240 then I can. But if it's easily convertible then I'd prefer the time savings when at the house.
CleanEmUpIves
Well-Known Member
Does anyone know if you get the 240v BZ gen 4 you can run it on 110v? I've heard the GrainFather (I think it was GF) can if you flip a switch and do a dance you can switch to 110. LOL! I have 240 already for other things, just wondering if I don't go 110 just because if I want to go brew somewhere without 240 then I can. But if it's easily convertible then I'd prefer the time savings when at the house.
No, it's wired for 240v.
The Anvil Foundry has a voltage select switch but still has to have a plug of the selected voltage amount wired in, you can't just flip the switch and use the opposite voltage.
theredviper
Active Member
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2020
- Messages
- 40
- Reaction score
- 16
I received my 110V Gen4 Brewzilla the other day and brewed a simple 5 gallon batch yesterday. I am coming from stovetop BIAB brewing indoors (condo). Here's what I found and had a few issues that can hopefully be resolved:
1. You definitely need to drop the heating element to about 40% while mashing. I initially left it at 100% and was getting heating overshoots up to 8F(!)
2. My mash got stuck quite a bit near the beginning. I was constantly stirring until finally it seemed to be able to drain and flow through the pump well. I don't know why the pump also has a % setting, as it actually seems to turn the pump on and off. You can instead control flow through the ball valve on the recirc arm which seems to make a lot more sense to me.
The bad:
1. When it came time to drain into my fermenter, I used the drain at the bottom, without the pump. It was flowing fine until there was about a gallon left in the bottom of the Brewzilla. No amount of stirring, shaking, or turning the pump on would lodge it loose, so I ended up having to dump that wort. There was a clog at the pump I had to disassemble the bottom tubing and put it all back together. It was fine as I ran through cleaning solution, etc.
I have a hop spider and used it for some of the hop pellets but not all. The video I was watching didn't use any and it seemed fine. I think this was my issue. The false bottom was covered in hop sludge but so was the real bottom, and drain, which was the issue. I will use a hop spider next time, and I will also increase my grain crush size. I only have about 2 oz of hops into the wort directly. My crusher was set below 0.03 so I'll bring it back to that.
2. No physical manual with the device? I had read the PDF earlier but it would be nice to have something to refer to. The manual itself could use some work too as things like setting the heating element % aren't exactly intuitive. There are a number of settings not referenced in the manual.
So with that said, should I have used the pump for getting wort into the fermenter? Through the recirc arm or the drain? Positioning was another thing I will have to consider. The brewzilla itself it tall, plus pulling out the malt pipe makes it a bit ridiculous working at counter height. I wanted it high enough to drain into my fermenter (I use corny kegs for the most part), but next time I was thinking I would have the Brewzilla on the floor and use the recirc arm to drain the wort.
Overall I'm confident I'll be able to improve the performance and there's a lot of nice things about this unit that improve on the stovetop experience, obviously.
1. You definitely need to drop the heating element to about 40% while mashing. I initially left it at 100% and was getting heating overshoots up to 8F(!)
2. My mash got stuck quite a bit near the beginning. I was constantly stirring until finally it seemed to be able to drain and flow through the pump well. I don't know why the pump also has a % setting, as it actually seems to turn the pump on and off. You can instead control flow through the ball valve on the recirc arm which seems to make a lot more sense to me.
The bad:
1. When it came time to drain into my fermenter, I used the drain at the bottom, without the pump. It was flowing fine until there was about a gallon left in the bottom of the Brewzilla. No amount of stirring, shaking, or turning the pump on would lodge it loose, so I ended up having to dump that wort. There was a clog at the pump I had to disassemble the bottom tubing and put it all back together. It was fine as I ran through cleaning solution, etc.
I have a hop spider and used it for some of the hop pellets but not all. The video I was watching didn't use any and it seemed fine. I think this was my issue. The false bottom was covered in hop sludge but so was the real bottom, and drain, which was the issue. I will use a hop spider next time, and I will also increase my grain crush size. I only have about 2 oz of hops into the wort directly. My crusher was set below 0.03 so I'll bring it back to that.
2. No physical manual with the device? I had read the PDF earlier but it would be nice to have something to refer to. The manual itself could use some work too as things like setting the heating element % aren't exactly intuitive. There are a number of settings not referenced in the manual.
So with that said, should I have used the pump for getting wort into the fermenter? Through the recirc arm or the drain? Positioning was another thing I will have to consider. The brewzilla itself it tall, plus pulling out the malt pipe makes it a bit ridiculous working at counter height. I wanted it high enough to drain into my fermenter (I use corny kegs for the most part), but next time I was thinking I would have the Brewzilla on the floor and use the recirc arm to drain the wort.
Overall I'm confident I'll be able to improve the performance and there's a lot of nice things about this unit that improve on the stovetop experience, obviously.
agentbud
Well-Known Member
I also had my first brew on the Gen 4 this weekend so I'll add on to this.
Heat: I filled the unit all the way to the top so I could heat my mash and sparge water together. Then drained off the sparge water into an insulated cooler before starting to brew. Heating 9+ gallons of water took about 1.5 hrs so you definitely have to plan early to do that. Agree with 40% heating during mash. There were still some swings in temp but more controllable with the heating element turned down.
Pump: I knew that the pump would pulse on and off when the % is lowered from 100% but I am not a big fan of that. I guess I am old school and always thought that constantly turning something on and off will decrease its life span. I plum forgot all about using the ball valve to restrict flow so I ended up leaving the pump at 100% and just turning it on for a few seconds then off every 10 minutes or so. Next time I will definitely use the ball valve.
Boil: Based on a video from MB, I decided to put in a BIAB bag before inserting the malt pipe. There was some grain residue in it when I pulled it out after the mash but not enough to matter so I'll probably skip that next time. The stuff that was in the bag was probably a result of too fine a crush (see next paragragh). I did use a hop spider. There was still a little residue under the false bottom but not enough to clog the pump. I'll continue using the hop spider just for peace of mind.
Crush: coming from BIAB brewing I still had my crush too fine. Will definitely increase the size next time. That along with lots of flaked grains in this batch caused my drain off to take FOREVER. I think a larger crush and adding some rice hulls should help next time.
Manual: There is definitely no manual included but I had printed a copy from online and put in a notebook in the brew shed for reference.
Neoprene jacket: a total bear to get this thing on. The design has the velcro connection seam right under the pump return pipe with the flap that covers the return pipe connected at that same point. I literally thought I was going to break something trying to get it on. I emailed kegland and suggested placing the velcro seam somewhere else and just have the pipe flap as a separate piece that can be added over the pipe with velcro.
Cleaning: this was a breeze. My unit was right next to the sink so I just ran the pump return arm/hose into the sink and could easily use the pump to run cleaner, water and sanitizer through the unit without have to move it at all. I had mine set on an overturned pot so that it was about a foot off the floor and found this to be a good working height.
Transfer: I did use the pump to transfer to the fermenter and that was great. You don't need the Gen 4 to be higher than the fermenter. Just run a hose from the spigot up and into the fermenter. Once I tuned the pump on, it took all of about a minute to empty every drop.
Lastly - be sure you are paying attention to your display screen. Double check often to make sure heat is not on when it should be off and the pump is not running when you disconnect the overflow or open/close any valves, etc. I could see getting in a hurry and creating a mess. Fortunately this did not happen but I was checking things often.
I definitely learned alot. Overall, the brew was a success and with a few tweaks next time will be better.
Last edited:
This video has values directly from KegLand and a few of them are a bit different. I wound up using the ones in the video and going for a thinner mash than either.
Has anyone been having issues with the boil temperature reading too high and the boil cutting out after 45+ minutes of boiling? I'm on the 110v 35L system. My first boil was over 217F, so I calibrated it with ice water and boiling water and verified those with another thermometer, then the second brew's boil I had the same issue, ~217F.
It also stops boiling for a few seconds, starts again, and repeats this while it's at this wrong boil temp reading. I have the set temperature well above the reading. Maybe it's the relay cycle time of 5 seconds in the settings? I'm not sure what that does exactly since I don't think it's cycling it normally when at 100% heat and below the set temperature. The flame icon stays on the whole time.
I haven't tried PID yet considering the temperature reading seems off. I'm going to going to give it a run with just water to rule out the bottom getting insulated by solids, but I don't think that's the issue because I was recirculating through a hop spider and there wasn't much there when cleaning.
It also stops boiling for a few seconds, starts again, and repeats this while it's at this wrong boil temp reading. I have the set temperature well above the reading. Maybe it's the relay cycle time of 5 seconds in the settings? I'm not sure what that does exactly since I don't think it's cycling it normally when at 100% heat and below the set temperature. The flame icon stays on the whole time.
I haven't tried PID yet considering the temperature reading seems off. I'm going to going to give it a run with just water to rule out the bottom getting insulated by solids, but I don't think that's the issue because I was recirculating through a hop spider and there wasn't much there when cleaning.
Teufelhunde
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2020
- Messages
- 520
- Reaction score
- 478
That looks almost exactly the same as the default profile for the 3.1.1, but that is NOT surprising, being that they are very close to the same, with the 4 have a couple upgrades that might affect some of the values. I have a 3.1.1 and the only things I have changed from the default is to use 1.2 qts/lb for mash water and 170F for a hopstand temperature and it works very well for me..
Has anyone tried running the pump during the boil? I did my first batch on the 110V 35L today. I kicked on the pump for S&G and the temp went up and it seemed to boil a bit harder. I also got break/hop/mash material under the false bottom. Do I need to consider a BIAB bag and or a hops spider. I have the spider, just didn't use it to see how things went on the maiden voyage.
All in all it went well. @rtstrider seems to be on point with the 6.5gal preboil volume gives you 5.5gal in the fermenter. That's what I saw today. Quite impressed with conversion. OG was supposed to be 1.062 and I wound up with 1.064.
All in all it went well. @rtstrider seems to be on point with the 6.5gal preboil volume gives you 5.5gal in the fermenter. That's what I saw today. Quite impressed with conversion. OG was supposed to be 1.062 and I wound up with 1.064.
Mine didn't read too high today, it read 209ish the whole boil. I calibrated points 1 and 2 after. We'll see what happens with batch #2 In a couple weeks. I'll empty fermenters and try another after Thanksgiving. I did notice it seemed to boil hard, burp and then stop boiling too. I'd be interested in hearing others' opinions.
rtstrider
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2016
- Messages
- 1,187
- Reaction score
- 714
I've had some weird temperature fluctuations. I checked for, and ran, an update after the first batch. That helped out a good bit. It seemed to tighten up some temperature differential values too. For the boil mine reads anywhere from 215-217 during the boil and it runs just fine. It does take a good bit to actually get to a boil though even with the insulator. One thing that's helped also is adjusting the heater element power during the mash. I'll set that anywhere in the 60%-70% range depending on the day and how it's looking with temperature swings. Will be brewing a belgian wit, with fresh picked Satsumas, next weekend. Really curious to see how this handles all of the adjuncts/flaked grains. I expect it to be extra gummy
agentbud
Well-Known Member
My last batch had 2 lb flaked oats in it and the drain/sparge took forever. Recommend lots of rice hullsI've had some weird temperature fluctuations. I checked for, and ran, an update after the first batch. That helped out a good bit. It seemed to tighten up some temperature differential values too. For the boil mine reads anywhere from 215-217 during the boil and it runs just fine. It does take a good bit to actually get to a boil though even with the insulator. One thing that's helped also is adjusting the heater element power during the mash. I'll set that anywhere in the 60%-70% range depending on the day and how it's looking with temperature swings. Will be brewing a belgian wit, with fresh picked Satsumas, next weekend. Really curious to see how this handles all of the adjuncts/flaked grains. I expect it to be extra gummy
rtstrider
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2016
- Messages
- 1,187
- Reaction score
- 714
Rice hulls are used in every batch for cheap insurance lol I may try running the flaked wheat/oats through the grain mill. I see that's what's recommended here
https://byo.com/article/witbier-style-profile/
"Mill the grains (including the flaked grains, but excluding the rice hulls). Mix the rice hulls into the grain post milling"
I ran a test with just water and I think I found the cause of the intermittent bubbling and high temperature reading during the boil. It seems to be steam getting caught under the false bottom. I found a couple of things contribute to it: the pump on with the valve half way open so it's emptying the dead space without sucking much water down, and the angle of the floor the unit is on making the bubbles go towards the temperature probe. I imagine having solids on top of the false bottom will also contribute to it. Interestingly, having the pump totally off or having it on full speed both brought the temps down when testing with water, but I tried both during my brews without much success probably because the trub was blocking some steam from getting up as well as wort from draining down.
After seeing what's causing it, I don't think there's much to worry about.
After seeing what's causing it, I don't think there's much to worry about.
Last edited:
I did some quick PID testing with the 110V unit and these values seemed to work decently for me with 5 gallons of water:
P: 1.0
I: 0.0010
D: 0
I guess the lower power of the 110V unit means the P value should be pretty high. This was just me messing around and having it try to hit a mash temp target starting from a few degrees below the target. This gave me no overshooting with the pump recirculating at a normal mash rate and the lid on. The hysteresis I've been using at ~0.3F because at 0 it seemed like a lot of wear on the relay.
P: 1.0
I: 0.0010
D: 0
I guess the lower power of the 110V unit means the P value should be pretty high. This was just me messing around and having it try to hit a mash temp target starting from a few degrees below the target. This gave me no overshooting with the pump recirculating at a normal mash rate and the lid on. The hysteresis I've been using at ~0.3F because at 0 it seemed like a lot of wear on the relay.
agentbud
Well-Known Member
I know it may vary based on the types of grains and equipment used, how much rice hulls are most people using in a typical 5 gallon batch of beer?
Teufelhunde
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2020
- Messages
- 520
- Reaction score
- 478
I Brew on a 3.1.1 and I don't weigh them, I just throw a handful in for every 3 or so pounds of grain, spaced out as I am adding the grains to the water....
rtstrider
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2016
- Messages
- 1,187
- Reaction score
- 714
I've been using around 5% and so far have been getting mixed results. My mash is 1.5 qts per lb so maybe it's a bit too thick for these systems? The issue I've run into is a stuck recirculation. Just put in the grain order for next weekends brew. Can't wait to fire up the Brewzilla...Err....Plug in the Brewzilla...Again
I used the 3.1.1. If using s lot of grain, I add a half handful of rice hulls every 3-4 lbs. If the grain is more than can really fit, I split it up into a reiterated mash. And I manually dial down the speed on the pump during the mash until I can visually confirm the liquid level is not rising (the flow rate is different for different mashes).
Teufelhunde
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2020
- Messages
- 520
- Reaction score
- 478
I don't think 1.5 qts/pound is the issue. I use 1.2 and don't have problems. As far as stuck recirc, I turn the flow way down to start the mash, then periodically increase it, monitoring the liquid level and insuring it does not increase to a problem level...I've been using around 5% and so far have been getting mixed results. My mash is 1.5 qts per lb so maybe it's a bit too thick for these systems? The issue I've run into is a stuck recirculation. Just put in the grain order for next weekends brew. Can't wait to fire up the Brewzilla...Err....Plug in the Brewzilla...Again
DuncB
Well-Known Member
This is what I used to do with my robobrew 3 only used rice hulls on really sticky mashes with a lot of oats and wheat.
I stopped using the false bottom plate and started using a trubtrapper with the whirlpool.
Similar threads
