Hey guys, sorry for the lengthy post, but I’m looking to go to an electric BIAB-type setup this summer and was looking for some advice on how well some of these systems would work for low oxygen brewing. I currently do no-sparge BIAB on propane, but I’m looking to reduce some of the more tedious parts of the process, to hopefully get back some time to help with family/house stuff during the brew day.
I haven’t implemented LoDO on the hot side of my process yet, so I’m not sure what type of issues I might run into with some of the eBIAB systems out there. I do a mix of 3 and 5 gallon batches, so the systems I’m considering are those that would be compatible with that. The two that seem to fit best are the Unibrau from Brau Supply and the Grainfather. I’m open to DIY options if it would somehow enable me to build a better/more flexible system.
Below are a few of the pros/cons of each w.r.t LoDO that I can see:
Brau Supply Unibrau:
https://brausupply.com/collections/biab-systems/products/unibrau-120v-5-gallon-brew-boss-automated-brew-system
Pros:
- Can mash full volume, no-sparge for both 3G and 5G batch size
- Already comes with 2x1500W elements
- Ability to fine-tune the level of boil
Cons:
- Cannot avoid some splashing when removing grain basket
No matter what system you have, BIAB or multi-vessel, you won’t be able to avoid some amount of wort falling a short distance to the surface of the wort. With a BIAB style system you would simply remove the bag/basket very slowly to minimize the splashing. With a multi-vessel system you’ll have drops of wort falling from the false bottom to the wort surface (once the volume gets low enough) and you would just take the same approach as the bag/basket and lauter very slowly to minimize it. I would hypothesize there is no more splashing/trickling with the bag/basket approach than with multi-vessel.
- Cannot completely cover full surface of mash (the wort sitting outside the grain basket)
- Expecting lower efficiency than with the GF, since the recirculated wort isn’t forced top-to-bottom through the grain bed
Are you referring to the solid sided basket versus a mesh basket? From what I’ve read, you should expect no efficiency differences between the two.
- Grain bed likely won't "settle" to act as a filter, so wort will be cloudy similar to normal BIAB
The Unibrau and GF are identical in this regard. Both recirculate the mash, both will develop crystal clear wort, both will disrupt the grain bed when the baskets are removed, both will have cloudy wort going into the boil.
Grainfather:
Pros:
- Wort gets filtered by recirculation
This is identical to the Unibrau.
- Comes with a CFC (but I’m guessing it’s copper so maybe not beneficial for LoDO?)
Cons:
- Sparge required for 5G batches
- Cannot completely cover full surface of mash (the wort sitting outside the grain basket)
I would say the Unibrau system has a significant leg up here. With the GF, the wort flows over and through the top filter plate, which creates a lot of surface area and contact time with the atmosphere. With the Unibrau you can use a mash cap and place your wort return under the surface. You’ll still have exposed wort outside the basket, but by my estimates you’ll have much less with the Unibrau.
- Cannot avoid some splashing when removing grain basket
- Will need to add a heat stick to assist with pre-boiling strike water in reasonable time
I don’t think you’ll need one. Turn it on the mash setting the night before, set it to 200°F or so, come back the next morning and you’re just a few degrees away from boiling. You can do on any system with a controller.
- Boil cannot be fine-tuned (at least with the original controller, might be possible with the new one?)
Can some of the experts here chime in on how well they think either/both of these systems would work for a LoDO brew? From what I’ve read, it seems like the splashing when removing the grain basket and inability to cover the full surface area of the mash are the 2 biggest limitations of these systems from a low-oxygen standpoint. Are there any other single-vessel setups that would be a better option for low oxygen brewing?