Need help putting together all-in-one system [Bewing-Fermenter-Keg]

[snarf7]

I was really into homebrewing several years ago,...but then I had kids ...and one of them is special needs, and now there just simply isn't enough time in a day to set aside for me to brew anything. Between the sanitizing, the boil, mash, cooling, transfer, cleanup etc etc I just simply do not have the hours required to brew anything.

So I started looking at all-in-one systems and soon became overwhelmed by the options and features. I realize if I ask 10 of you what the best all-in-one system is I'll get 10 different answers but hopefully you can guide me towards a top-3 decision based on your experiences and given my following requirements:

1)I want a truly all-in-one solution, I want an electronic brewer that I can mount immediately next to fermenter and connect together so the minute the wort is finished and chilled, I can transfer to the fermenter, set the temp on it and walk away. So if anyone has such a system setup and you love how it works together (brewer-fermenter etc) please share your experience.
2)Easy, oxygen-free transfer to kegs from the fermenter. I use sankey kegs and connectors exclusively.
3)Easy to clean/maintain, if it has dozens of pieces I need to constantly be disassembling and cleaning and putting back together I'm not interested, no muss, no fuss is key. Bonus points if it has a way to pump/circulate PBW and StarSan thru the system and clean everything out.
4)Available space is not huge, I'm fine brewing for one 5g keg at a time, I don't need a huge system so better to have something that can easily be installed in a smaller area.
5)I'm in the U.S. so 120V is preferable, if I had to do 240 i could it would just be a pain in the ass.
6)Budget is not a huge concern, I don't mind paying extra for quality, features and ease of use...that said if its 3 times as much as a comparable system it becomes a matter of diminishing returns for me.

Really looking forward to your thoughts, thanks a lot gang!

 

[fluketamer]

IMO

1) if the AIO is mounted then you would need CIP cleaning . my issue with that is that i never trust my AIO to get clean unless i take it apart and wash the pieces ( of which there are not a whole lot) . but if you are ok with mounted in place AIO then for your next need which is set and forget, would require a ferm chamber or jacketed (or cooling coil) conical with glycol chiller. you could pump or gravity drain the wort to the FV.
2) this def works with non pressure fermenters but in my experience is easier with pressure rated ones. also lose the sankes duotight is much easier to work with IMO
3) see number 1 about CIP. from what i have seen most of the AIO's are really just a copy of the same mold and all have a very similar number of pieces to clean. kettle, tun, pump, false bottom some / most have a top screen, the center overflow pipe asembly which is about 4-6 pieces. cover and spigot with filter . i think thats it.
4) the foot print on all of them is very similar . you could ferment and serve out of a unitank to save space.
5) i agree
6)

let us know what you descide to do \



.

 

[mashdar]

#1 and #3 are at odds in an optimization problem. Lowest maintenance/cleaning is a portable AIO you hand wash, and a keg orpressure rated PET fermenter in a fridge. But this requires lifting/moving a 60lb fermenter or brewing beside the fridge. IMO glycol etc sounds like a huge headache, not worth it unless you want individual control of multiple vessels.

#2 Ditto fluketamer. Ball lock and duotight all the way, and sanke adapters as needed for sanke keg. I personally would spend $ to ditch sanke completely.

#4 Depending on your space and fermenter/chamber, you could store the brewery on top. Square footage in storage could be like 6sf. Maybe keep vertical space in mind while buying.

#5 120V will add 1hr+ to brew day, but is otherwise great.

#6 Possibly take a look at Bobby's breweries (brewhardware.com). His setups feature replaceable elements (you could even change voltages down the line if you find it desireable), and he has higher wattage 120V elements than anywhere else I've seen.

 

[Broken Crow]

top-3 decision based on your experiences and given my following requirements:

It's Your own work-practice preferences that dictate what is best for you...10 other people could range from healthy young folk who have no problem lifting to old or disabled brewers who can't do any repetitive activity or lifting.

1)I want a truly all-in-one solution, I want an electronic brewer that I can mount immediately next to fermenter and connect together so the minute the wort is finished and chilled, I can transfer to the fermenter, set the temp on it and walk away. So if anyone has such a system setup and you love how it works together (brewer-fermenter etc) please share your experience.

There is no "walk-away", but you get to the cleaning in #3 so: I'll first suggest Bobby's BIAB:
https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/biabpackagepremium.htm
..but that's the brewing part..fermenting and packaging is a different set of gear to which your personal preferences may vary. I'm very fond of Fermonsters with @Dgallo 's excellent mod: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/thread...lete-closed-transfer-system-for-cheap.680992/
or with using sanke's as fermenters.....the Fermonster is much easier to clean, but the sanke gives me larger batches.
Whichever brew system you choose, you'll want to be able to use a CIP ball for faster less interactive cleaning...Choosing the appropriate CIP ball and mounting it on a QD so you can use it for a keg/fermenter/BK-or-AIO is a plus. (I need a small one to get inside my sankes)
I think you need to first choose between BIAB, or AIO and then look at the fermenting options...either way: if you want to maximize cooling the wort time, you'll need either a plate chiller (most efficient but hardest to clean) or a CF (second most efficent and easier to clean)
Thats my 2-cents.

 

[Whisky River]

I have loved both of my AIOs, Grainfather G3 and Brewzilla Gen 4, and it’s easy enough to brew in one of them and then single pass chill through the CFC into any fermenter sitting beside them. However if you are really looking for the most streamlined set up, you might check out the Brewha BIAC (Brew in a Conical).

#1) You can mash, lauter, boil and ferment in the same vessel, it doesn’t get much simpler than that. You could even carbonate and serve out of it if you really wanted to.

#2) Its pressure rated so pushing to a purged keg is easy.

#3) You only have one vessel to clean, and it self sanitizes during the boil so there’s a lot less chance of an infection. Plus since it’s a jacketed conical there is no CFC immersion chiller or cooling coil to clean.

#4) There is a 5 gallon 120v version and a larger 10 gallon model.

#5) The 5 gallon version works fine on 120v and if you decide to switch to 240v later you just need to get a new heating element (and maybe controller depending on a few things).

#6) Price is definitely in the premium range, but the build quality is outstanding and you eliminate the cost of a separate fermenter.

One thing you didn’t mention that I think can make a huge difference in which system to choose, is where you will be brewing. Will you have a dedicated space to leave all your gear set up all the time or will you have to break everything down after each batch and put it all away? Also where will you be cleaning everything? If you can just hose everything down in place and let the water run out of a floor drain you can consider very different equipment than if you have to lift everything into a utility sink or bathtub to wash it out.

Lots of great options out there. Best of luck finding the one that suits your situation.

 

[mashdar]

you might check out the Brewha BIAC (Brew in a Conical).

That's a cool system, but 12lb max grain bill is a let down*. 10 gallon version would work for higher gravity 5 gallon batches, but is 240V-only.

*I wonder if you could rig BIAB for more grain.

edit: Also, to self-carbonate during a 65F D rest, you need North of 20psig - I wish conicals would carry a 30psig rating.

 

[Whisky River]

That's a cool system, but 12lb max grain bill is a let down*. 10 gallon version would work for higher gravity 5 gallon batches, but is 240V-only.

*I wonder if you could rig BIAB for more grain.

edit: Also, to self-carbonate during a 65F D rest, you need North of 20psig - I wish conicals would carry a 30psig rating.

Yeah that’s a limitation for sure. It’s actually closer to 13lbs depending on the mash thickness but Wilser will make a bag for it which increases the capacity a lot. You could easily get the 10 gallon system and only use if for 5 gallon batches at 120v. It would just take forever to heat if you tried to use it to its full capacity.
Idk about the pressure requirements but I would assume if you were going to cold crash and or serve out of it, you would be running a glycol chiller and keeping it a lot lower than 65F. I always wonder how conservative the pressure ratings on these are (not that I’m inclined to find out). One of my conicals was only rated to the usual 15psi but came with a 30psi relief, go figure.

 

[Tropicpine]

About 7 yeas ago I was coming out from the dark side of the child rearing moon, back into the light of the homebrew world. If off-the-shelf low oxygen & light exposure, AIO systems existed I was not aware of them, so I started to dream up my own. In retrospect, if I were still prioritizing kiddos to the extent I was for the first years, I would not seriously engage this as a DIY venture (which I have enjoyed the challenges of) and go for an off the shelf system.

Some input from my own experience:
• Sanitization & cleaning is greatly simplified. My system has a conical vessel, process column (heating element, heat exchanger & pump), and control system. I am able to sanitize the day before brew day. At the end of brew day I can break down the process column and load it in the dishwasher. The vessel (which facilitates trub capture & removal) does not get cleaned until after bottling.
• The total system footprint in storage is about 2' x 3'. Brew day an ice chest, which is usually stowed with the camping gear, for cooling water is added for another 2'x2'.
• With the trub capture & removal & air lock facilitated on the conical there is no need to transfer to a fermenter.