Brewzilla or mash and boil

[phillygreen]

Hello Everyone,
I am now ready to make the jump from extract brewing to all grain. I am on the fence between getting a couple coolers for a HLT and mash tun or a Brewzilla or Anvil all in one brew system. To me I like the ease of use with the all in one plus it has a pump to recirculate but have also heard with the 120v (because I dont have access to 220) it takes forever to get to a boil.
Honestly, i like all the features of the all in one but i am really leaning towards the HLT and Mash tun. My extract system now is fine I am just ready to move to the next level of brewing.
Im just looking for some advice. Have you used both methods? Pros and cons?
Any help would be great!
Thank you!

 

[Jag75]

They do take a little bit to get up to boiling temp but when you sparge it takes some of that time . I use the Grainfather and love the small footprint and the ease of my brew day .

 

[Norlz]

Hi,

I couldn'tbe more happy with brewzilla 3.1 (35L 120v). It is true that the boil is not as vigorous as with a propane burner but it achieves a decent boil.

The cleaning takes less than an hour.

 

[Snuffy]

I got a Mash n Boil a couple of years ago. Bought it with Amazon cash after Christmas when they were running a deal for like 50 bucks off. I've been pretty happy with it. It takes about 45 mins to get a boil from room temp using the 1600 watt setting on 120v gfi house outlet. I can live with that. It will hold mash temps where you need em. Fluctuates less if you cut it back to the 1000 watt setting once it reaches mash temp. They claim it will mash 16 lbs of grain, but 14 is the largest I've ever tried and it was a pain to stir. I use it for extract batches occasionally - but you gotta cut it off when you add the extract and stir like a mofo to keep it from scorching. Once you figure it out, it's a good way to brew in the man cave and quit having to listen to the wife gripe.

 

[TwistedGray]

Mash-and-Boil user here for the last two and a half (?) years. I love it...I have the simple version (less to break), so it has no chiller and no recirc pump. I've ran a dozen or more batches through it at varying volumes (1.5gal-5gal).

I do non-alcoholic beers now (GI issues) so it allows me to mash, boil, ferment, and neuter all in one vessel without any o2 exposure (with the fermentation lid). After evap, it goes into the mini keg, and I'm good to go.

 

[RePete]

I have the 35L Robobrew. 120v. Overall I really like it. The pump and chiller are nice features. The programmable aspect is fairly useless to me. I have used it, but generally just use it in manual mode. If you do stepped mashes it would be useful. The boil is good, but it does take a while to get there. I would get 220v if possible.

 

[Alex4mula]

I got a Mash n Boil a couple of years ago. Bought it with Amazon cash after Christmas when they were running a deal for like 50 bucks off. I've been pretty happy with it. It takes about 45 mins to get a boil from room temp using the 1600 watt setting on 120v gfi house outlet. I can live with that. It will hold mash temps where you need em. Fluctuates less if you cut it back to the 1000 watt setting once it reaches mash temp. They claim it will mash 16 lbs of grain, but 14 is the largest I've ever tried and it was a pain to stir. I use it for extract batches occasionally - but you gotta cut it off when you add the extract and stir like a mofo to keep it from scorching. Once you figure it out, it's a good way to brew in the man cave and quit having to listen to the wife gripe.

This. I think it is a bargain. I have done 43 brews. All grain takes me about 5hrs but I have a lot to clean. Love this thing. I brew 2-4 beers per month in my basement.