New EBIAB Purchase Advice

[John Kimble]

New to brewing and almost at the point in my research where I am confident enough to make my purchases.
Due to space limitations and ease of use I am going to go with a single vessel EBIAB system.
I am leaning towards the High Gravity Wort Hog 5 Gallon BIAB (120V). I may opt for the 240V...
I have looked at several other systems, including DIY, but with all the other projects I have going I am willing to pay to have it done (then I can do maintenance and make mods myself later).
I have read positive reviews so far here regarding this system, but I am wondering about the fittings. Some new BIAB systems are coming out with Tri Clamp fittings and butterfly valves etc... Is this really necessary or that great of an upgrade to justify the price increase? Is sanitation on a boil setup an issue that I just haven't seen that would justify this?
If anyone has any other recommendations for a system, advice, etc I would appreciate it.
Thanks in advance.

 

[whovous]

Tri-clamps are doubtless the best overall, but I am completely happy with my cam lock fittings. I wouldn't let that steer you away from this system.

The one thing I don't like is recirculating into the lid, rather than the upper side of the kettle. My system does that, and I have found an endless number of ways to make messes by lifting the lid!

I wish I had 240V in my brewspace. I think that would be the real difference maker in a system.

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

@John Kimble I have the High Gravity 240 volt 62-quart system and I love it. I added a whirlpool port to mine last year and it really comes in handy. The HFC 35 Polysulfide High Flow Quick Disconnects that shipped with my system are easy to use and make connection changes a snap. Unlike metal disconnects that transfer heat quickly after hot wort has been run through them, polysulfide disconnects won't burn your hand when changing connections.

 

[John Kimble]

Any comparisons between unibrau and high gravity? The new unibrau looks nice with the added second 1600w coil for 120v restrictions if I ever had them.

 

[whovous]

I have one of their very early Minibrau units with a 24L kettle. There are some things I don't like about it, but all of those things have been fixed in later versions of the product. They, too, offer the 240V option. For 120V, I think the second 600W stick option is a clever idea, given that the Controller will control only one heating element.

Steven is a good guy, and he stands behind his products. The biggest downside for me was the shipping time to DC from western Canada.

 

[micraftbeer]

I've tried a number of eBIAB systems. The Wort Hog 120v/2250w system is great. You need to be on a 20 amp circuit, not a 15 amp. But the power difference between 1600 and 2250 is very notable. And I'm glad u don't have to pay for 240v outlets and such.

Here's the link to my review of the Wort Hog 120V/2250W unit: http://www.homebrewfinds.com/2018/07/hands-on-review-wort-hog-turnkey-electric-e-biab-system.html

Link to my reviews (with scattering of eBIAB systems in there): http://beersnobby.com/published-stories/

 

[kevin58]

I've been eying the High Gravity systems myself. I heard that SS Brewtech is coming out with something in the ebrew family pretty soon so I'm holding off on purchasing anything until I see what they have to offer.

 

[Bent-Brewer]

SsBT should be releasing a system some time in the near future- details are on their workshop page, but it looks to be a 30A controller for either 1 ($600) or 2 ($1100) vessels that will likely work exclusively with a proprietary element & thermocouple combo in either a 10 or 20 gallon kettle. Kettles look to have 2 welded TC ports out the front, but I haven't seen pricing on those yet.

 

[John Kimble]

So here is what I eneded up going with for my setup...I will take pictures this weekend hopefully if it all arrives. I decided partial DIY (for maintenance) or as controlled of a ferm environment as possible was what I wanted.
1. I purchased the BrauSupply kettle, grain basket and 120 controller. The BrauSupply kettle has the same sidewall and bottom thickness as the Spike's kettle, but has 3 welded TC ports standard . The grain basket is very nice...necessary...no...but it allows me to recirc wort through the TC port installed instead of drilling into a kettle lid and installing a spray nozzle. I like this setup much better and the total cost for the full BrauSupply kettle/basket is equal to a Spike's with an additional welded TC port, mesh grain basket, hop basket and the parts for the lid installed recirc port. I purchased the ETC controller along with this. While I know it is overpriced, I have never wired one and this one was a good price on sale for my peace of mind.

2. I will be using a 1650w element installed through a TC port in the kettle. I will be supplimenting this heat source with a 1650w induction cooktop. I have a 240v hookup I could use, but when we get stationed somewhere else, I don't know if I will have easy access to that kind of power. This setup still gives me the power I need to heat rapidly (compared to 1 1650w element), without having an additional element installed inside the kettle and allowing me flexibility to use the system wherever I move.

3. I am using a Ferroday magnetic drive pump with QD fittings. All connections to the kettle are TC and all connections to the pump, plate chiller etc are QD. My ground water is very warm (Florida keys), so I purchased a submersible pump which I will put in a cooler with ice water for the water in/out side of the plate chiller. This will save me some $ by wasting less water through recirc.

4. My Ferm vessels are 2x Ssbrew tech brew buckets, brewmaster edition. I got the domed lids and the 3" TC blow off cap from NorCal. I was going to buy a 7-8cu ft freezer as my Ferm chamber to go under a stainless work table I bought as my work station. The problem is I will be brewing various styles at the same time. So I came up with a much better solution. I got 2x 5cu ft magic chef deep freezers from home Depot on sale. I will use an Inkbird controller for each, so I can maintain very specific temps for each brew. And both freezers fit under my worktable. I got small USB fans and 1lb of silica gel for each chamber for humidity control.

5. I will be bottling for now instead of kegging. Kegging will be an option in the future but I have to build a keg chamber first.

6. I have a Husky tool chest that I will use to store all the tools, parts etc.

Overall this setup has a very small footprint and allows me to Brew and ferment 2x seperate 5gal batches at the same time all. All of the equipment fits inside of a 72"l by 30"d space.

As is said I will post pictures of the full setup when I put it all together. I really appreciate all the help from everyone who provided sage advice!

I am brewing an Octoberfest recipe that I created and a hefewizen first!

 

[Beer-lord]

I too opted for the High Gravity kit (240v) and will have my first brew on it this weekend. I think it's the best bang for the buck and I'm pretty sure SS Brewtech's version will be extremely good but much more expensive.
Re: cam locks, I've used them for years on my older system and have grown to like them. They do get hot but they last forever and stand up to wear and tear. I'm not sure why Dave changed from the quick disconnects and have no idea how they wear but I hear they work very well.
Congrats on your new set up. Sounds like you gave it lots of thought. That's the great thing about our hobby, we have so many great options at a number of price points. What works for me and my brewing may not work for you and only you know what you need to make the beer you like to drink.

 

[NewJersey]

I'm in a similar boat. My current setup is three vessel on natural gas to brew 10 gallon batches. I ferment in a 1/2 barrel sanke keg which i have in a chest freezer controlled with an inkbird. probe in thermowell. it all works just fine, but I'm drinking way less beer and have way less time to brew it. I've decided I want a mor simple setup to brew 5 gallons faster. I'm thinking fermenting 5 gallons in 15 gallon fermenter is not the best idea. (also cleaning a keg is a pain in the ass)
Just like the OP i am seriously eyeing up the unibrau setup and i want a brewbucket pro (has thermowell). Only thing stopping me is that i wanna see the ss brewtech stuff. I'm still torn on whether or not to go 240v. My brother is an electrician so that is easy. (i am looking to buy another house within the next year, but thats no biggy)
I'm wondering if 5500w is overkill to maintain mash temps in 5 gal batches?
Steve from unibrau reccomends the 1600w element and a 600w on the controller to control mash temp.
I'm new to electric setups. what wattage compares to a blichmann burner on ng?

 

[micraftbeer]

I've done evaluations on a number of electric systems. The 1600W isn't a number driven by answering the question "What's the ideal size heating element?", rather it's the answer to the question "If I had to size a heating element that will work in everyone's home regardless of when it was built?". 1600W Is based on the majority of 120V outlets are 15A. Newer homes have 20A circuits, but to fit to the broadest customer base, they stick around this 1500 - 1600W size so people don't get frustrated with constantly tripping a breaker. Then they're all designed for 5 gallon batches because that's the homebrew norm. (Note: If you wonder if this is really true, just look at the Grainfather. Designed in New Zealand, with 240V power the standard, it comes with a 2000W element. When they started exporting it, the heating element downsized to 1600W, but they didn't tell the U.S. market they could only brew smaller than 5 gallon batches.)

I've run a Wort Hog system that runs on 120V/2250W element. That's similar in that 2250W isn't a magic size, it's just the biggest you probably want to operate on a 20A circuit and still have some headroom to run a pump. I can tell you the difference between 2250W and 1600W is big, and notable. I agree that 600W is fine for maintaining stable mash temps, but everyone's interested in reducing that useless time of heating strike water or raising temperature to a boil.

Some of the bigger 240V systems probably run into a risk of wort scorching if the element gets too big. But Blichmann BrewEasy uses a 3750W 240V Boil Coil for a system that's sized for 5 gallon batches. I didn't scorch my wort in that, and again the speed of heating up is nice. But there was a much bigger improvement in time stepping from 1600W to 2250W than I'd say there is going from 2250W to 3750W.

You probably would never say, "Wow, I sized that too big", so if 240V is easy for you- go for it. But if you're looking at 120V, I'd strongly recommend using a 2250W element (assuming you've got a 20A circuit available).

 

[NewJersey]

so, would you say that unibrau's system with the optional extra 1600 watt (3200 watts total) would be adequate? would i notice the difference between 3200 and 4000/5000?

 

[micraftbeer]

I don't have specific experience/data for a 5-gallon type batch at those power levels to say for sure. I personally like the 2250W because I can use one plug. Two 1600W elements, you'd have to use 2 plugs on different circuits. Not impossible of course, but depending on your brewing area, might mean a lot of extension cord length.

I supposed the 2250W set-up could be aided by some more speed in temperature steps, but it's not a painful waiting game like when you've just got one 1600W element. I suspect 4000 - 5000W is probably overkill for 5 gallon batches. I think you're probably better off going for a bigger than necessary kettle and in the odd occasion you want to brew a bigger than 5 gallon batch you can, just a little more patience is required- rather than overkill on heating element for every batch.

 

[John Kimble]

Here are the reasons that I chose the 1650W single element for the kettle:
With a 3x TC port kettle, 1x port is dedicated to the element, 1x port is dedicated to the recirc pump, 1x port is dedicated to the thermowell. I think on a 10g kettle, 4x ports would be too many in terms of real estate unless you vertically offset.
The portable induction cooktop is cheaper than a secondary element and is one less piece of equipment that touches the wort for sanitation purposes. I also use a large induction cooktop in my kitchen, so if I wanted to bring my setup from my downstairs gear/brew room to my kitchen, I could utilize the 3600w induction cooktop as a supplemental.
Adding a 2nd element does require another dedicated socket on its on breaker switch, but with the use of an extension cord, this really shouldn't be a problem. I have done boil tests in a 10g kettle with 1x 1650w element and it does take a while to get to a rolling boil. It took me about 50 min to get to mash temp of 152F.
Depending on where I get stationed I may not have the ability to add a 20a breaker to a panel for the 2250w setup so this made the most sense for me for future flexibility.

 

[user 30639]

Link to my reviews (with scattering of eBIAB systems in there): http://beersnobby.com/published-stories/

Thanks for the link. I have been kicking around the idea of a EBIAB system for a while, it's nice to read the reviews.

Is your review for the Robobrew based on version 2 or the latest version 3?

 

[micraftbeer]

My review was on version 2. I see on v3 they fixed one of the design weaknesses in the recirc tube where this silicone grommet would get torn. The Robobrew worked really well for me until one day it just kicked out toward the end of the boil, losing the controller.

The unit was donated to me by the manufacturer for me to do the review. My contact had since left the company so I got no help there figuring out how to get a new control panel, but they did seem aware of the issue based on the details I provided them. Since I didn't buy it through a US retailer, I didn't have someone local I could try to work through. So after only about a dozen brews over 6 months, it was junked.

So if you go that route, I wouldn't buy used, and make sure you buy from a good Homebrew shop in case you have issues. I am optimistic that they've improved on their flaws with v3 since they did sound aware of this controller issue, and I could see they fixed the recirc tube design flaw.

 

[John Kimble]

Here it is all setup.
Got the BrauSupply Kettle and controller as stated above and everything else is DIY. Nesco induction cooktop adds supplimenting heat (1600w). Temperature rises very very quickly. I went from Mash temp to boil in about 15 minutes.
2x 5.0 cu.ft. Magic Chef deep freezers from home Depot each containing 1x brew bucket. I have a bowl of silica gel and a fan inside each to control humidity. Each freezer is controlled by an inkbird. One fridge for ales etc, one for lagers.
The only issue we had was the TC thermowell was poorly welder and leaked. We soldered it with silver flux and it is fine now. BrauSupply sent me out a replacement as soon as I told Steven about it, so great customer service.
Overall I am very happy.