Spike Solo - Real Reviews

[htims05]

I'm looking for reviews of the Spike Solo 240v system from those that have it.

I'm looking to getting one and am curious of real-world reviews - not the ones you can find on Youtube where seemingly everything looks great or is only minor annoyances.

For reference I brew outside on a grainfather right now - I still would brew outside with the Solo, I already have an Immersion Chiller and pump that I assume I could use. So yeah I'm looking for reviews from those that have one...How is it not having the bluetooth controller (I brew remotely - like I'm inside - frequently), how's the no-sparge effeciency, how heavy is it, how easy to clean, etc...

 

[Punx Clever]

I'm looking for reviews of the Spike Solo 240v system from those that have it.

Hey! I resemble that remark!

I'm looking to getting one and am curious of real-world reviews - not the ones you can find on Youtube where seemingly everything looks great or is only minor annoyances.

I did an unboxing video on mine... had some things not right fresh out of the box. Temp probe missing screws and not fitting the gaskets supplied. Grommet on cable ends not properly seated. I call them minor issues because I had the stuff to fix it really quick.

I've since put in 6 brews spread across the range the Solo can handle... 10 gallon 1.086 OG, 10 gallon 1.034 OG, 5 gallon 1.060 OG, etc...

For reference I brew outside on a grainfather right now - I still would brew outside with the Solo, I already have an Immersion Chiller and pump that I assume I could use.

You will need a nice long extension cord with L14-30 ends, as the L14-30 / 14-30P cord that comes with the Solo is only a few feet long. Your chiller and pump can still be used, just keep in mind that Spike uses the ball-lock style quick disconnects on all tubes. Up to you what fittings to use on your pump.

So yeah I'm looking for reviews from those that have one...How is it not having the bluetooth controller (I brew remotely - like I'm inside - frequently)

I like the industrial-style controls. Nothing like a nice solid "click" when you turn a switch. The PID is accurate, but different than the AuberIns PID I was using before, so I had a learning curve getting used to the button to navigate through settings.

Many Solo users (myself included) have had issues with overrunning the mash and scorching the element. I *think* I've gotten that sorted out now, but would need another couple brew days to be confident in leaving it alone for more than 10 minutes. I didn't like the floating-tube recirculation system, so I swapped that for a loc-line setup from my old rig. I had a couple issues with overrunning the mash, so I set up my blichmann autosparge to prevent that. Last batch I used mash enzymes (Ultraflow Max) to prevent the mash from getting stuck during recirc and had great results with that.

how's the no-sparge effeciency

I've seen as low as 68% and as high as 75%. I'm trying to break down the 75% wall. I have figured out a way to do a partigyle and get a much better overall efficiency. I've been running 90 minute boils with a condenser, so my boil off rate is lower than what you'd have brewing outside though.

how heavy is it

Fairly heavy, but I can lift the entire kettle/basket assembly with one arm when dry. When pulling the basket, don't hurt yourself trying to do it manually alone. Either have someone to help you, or use a hoist. It takes a while for the wort on top of/in the mash to drain through the grain bed. You are talking the weight of the basket, the grain, the wort, and the absorbed wort. On the high end, even completely drained, you are talking 40lbs of grain and ~3 gallons (~25lbs) of liquid on top of ~15lbs of basket... that's ~80lbs of 168* equipment... when fully drained. Initial lift is easily 100lbs.

Then again, that's for a max-load of 40lbs of grain.

how easy to clean

The Solo+ is all tri-clamp fittings on the kettle and basket. Super easy to tear down and clean. If brewing outside you should be able to knock cleaning out in 30 minutes or less with a hose and a brush.

etc...

One concern a lot of people have with the Solo system is grain matter in the boil. Unlike a bag system, the Solo has a regular false bottom on the basket, so you don't want to "double crush"... use a regular crush and you'll be fine. I don't seem to have much in the boil myself, and I take care to manage mash pH, so even if I did have husks in the boil, I'm not worried about tannins. I get brilliantly clear beer out of my taps with it too.

 

[htims05]

Thanks for this...good info.

In regards to the power requirements - even though I still brew outside, I just so happen to be right next to where the mains come into my house that has a breaker box there, that's mostly empty. My assumption is that an electrician could throw a 30a, GFCI breaker to a 14-30 outlet for a few hundred and probably 30 min.


I would be comming from a Grainfather - mainly looking at the solo for the 240v option. I really don't have much complaints with the Grainfather, It's more of the slow boil. Maybe I get a hot rod and have the electricion put a few extra dedicated circuits where I brew.

 

[Biggz1313]

Hey! I resemble that remark!



I did an unboxing video on mine... had some things not right fresh out of the box. Temp probe missing screws and not fitting the gaskets supplied. Grommet on cable ends not properly seated. I call them minor issues because I had the stuff to fix it really quick.

I've since put in 6 brews spread across the range the Solo can handle... 10 gallon 1.086 OG, 10 gallon 1.034 OG, 5 gallon 1.060 OG, etc...



You will need a nice long extension cord with L14-30 ends, as the L14-30 / 14-30P cord that comes with the Solo is only a few feet long. Your chiller and pump can still be used, just keep in mind that Spike uses the ball-lock style quick disconnects on all tubes. Up to you what fittings to use on your pump.



I like the industrial-style controls. Nothing like a nice solid "click" when you turn a switch. The PID is accurate, but different than the AuberIns PID I was using before, so I had a learning curve getting used to the button to navigate through settings.

Many Solo users (myself included) have had issues with overrunning the mash and scorching the element. I *think* I've gotten that sorted out now, but would need another couple brew days to be confident in leaving it alone for more than 10 minutes. I didn't like the floating-tube recirculation system, so I swapped that for a loc-line setup from my old rig. I had a couple issues with overrunning the mash, so I set up my blichmann autosparge to prevent that. Last batch I used mash enzymes (Ultraflow Max) to prevent the mash from getting stuck during recirc and had great results with that.



I've seen as low as 68% and as high as 75%. I'm trying to break down the 75% wall. I have figured out a way to do a partigyle and get a much better overall efficiency. I've been running 90 minute boils with a condenser, so my boil off rate is lower than what you'd have brewing outside though.



Fairly heavy, but I can lift the entire kettle/basket assembly with one arm when dry. When pulling the basket, don't hurt yourself trying to do it manually alone. Either have someone to help you, or use a hoist. It takes a while for the wort on top of/in the mash to drain through the grain bed. You are talking the weight of the basket, the grain, the wort, and the absorbed wort. On the high end, even completely drained, you are talking 40lbs of grain and ~3 gallons (~25lbs) of liquid on top of ~15lbs of basket... that's ~80lbs of 168* equipment... when fully drained. Initial lift is easily 100lbs.

Then again, that's for a max-load of 40lbs of grain.



The Solo+ is all tri-clamp fittings on the kettle and basket. Super easy to tear down and clean. If brewing outside you should be able to knock cleaning out in 30 minutes or less with a hose and a brush.



One concern a lot of people have with the Solo system is grain matter in the boil. Unlike a bag system, the Solo has a regular false bottom on the basket, so you don't want to "double crush"... use a regular crush and you'll be fine. I don't seem to have much in the boil myself, and I take care to manage mash pH, so even if I did have husks in the boil, I'm not worried about tannins. I get brilliantly clear beer out of my taps with it too.

I actually watched your unboxing video last night and was bummed that it was your only one uploaded. Are you still planning on uploading a brew day video? I just got my 15g solo system during cyber Monday sale and am waiting to have some electrical work done before fully installing it, but I would love to see your system in action. Just based on this post you've already opened my eyes to potential improvements I could or should make along with some potential pitfalls. I appreciate your openness and willingness to share your experiences. As a prior extract brewer moving to all grain you've helped quite a bit, so cheers and thank you!

@htims05 once I get a full brew under my belt with the system (currently I've only hooked it up to autotune the PID and ran PBW through it at temps to clean and get used to all the disconnects and valves) I'll definitely report back here with any bumps I may encounter.

 

[Punx Clever]

I actually watched your unboxing video last night and was bummed that it was your only one uploaded. Are you still planning on uploading a brew day video? I just got my 15g solo system during cyber Monday sale and am waiting to have some electrical work done before fully installing it, but I would love to see your system in action. Just based on this post you've already opened my eyes to potential improvements I could or should make along with some potential pitfalls. I appreciate your openness and willingness to share your experiences. As a prior extract brewer moving to all grain you've helped quite a bit, so cheers and thank you!

Glad you liked it. If you check the facebook link down there in my signature, I usually make a photo album for each brew day... catches the highlights at least.

I had planned to actually go full bore on BrewTube-ing... but between then and now I picked up a new set of orders with a little more tempo and by the time I get home every day, I haven't felt like stitching together a brew day video. Not to mention the sheer number of "takes" it took to get the words right for the first one!

I think that I've got the Solo brew day down well enough now that I could set up a couple cameras and just roll for the whole process without goober-ing it up... maybe even just time-lapse it. Who knows, maybe next brew day I'll live stream the thing.

 

[Rubberband]

There's a Spike Solo owners thread out there if you're interested. Search for Spike Solo and you'll see it about third down from the top. Myself and many others have posted there already. I know nothing about the Grainfather system, I have been a three vessel traditional all grain brewer for 12 years and now I'm using a Spike Solo 20. It has it's problems, don't let anyone tell you something else, but it also has a lot of positives. I like it but this based on my previous equipment and experience. I will say one thing, if you want to do 5 gallon batches, don't get the 20 gal Solo. I still brew 5 gallons using a cooler and HLT, I just boil in the 20 gallon brew kettle.

 

[DavidWood2115]

I will say one thing, if you want to do 5 gallon batches, don't get the 20 gal Solo.

Could you elaborate on this? Spike claims you can do 5 and 10 gallon batches on the 20 gallon Solo.

 

[Rubberband]

My initial concern is the recirculation, any kind of stuck mash and the heating element will be at risk scorch. If you go with some extra water to keep things extra thin, it may not be a problem.

I'm sure Spike is correct, 5 gallon batches are possible. My main argument against this is the scale of everything. I lose about a gallon of wort at the bottom of the kettle and my 10 gallon kettle goes right down to half a gallon. The 20 gallon kettle is massive and doesn't fit in my wash tub easily and it's heavy to clean. The effort to clean is the same for 5 or 10 gallon batches, so I prefer to go with a little bigger batches vs smaller. Moving and handling the 20 gallon system can be a real PITA.

I brew 10 to 12 gallon batches with my Solo 20 because there's plenty of space. I could try 5 gallon but I'm sure even Spike would agree it's not ideal in the 20 gallon kettle. I bought the Solo 20 before any other sizes were available, if 15 gallon systems would have been available I probably would have bought that system.

 

[Biggz1313]

Hi again everyone!

So I've done a couple all grain batches (15g Solo+), and I'm definitely suffering from some grain in the boil. My last batch, I double crushed because I was no where near the efficiency I was expecting on my first batch. The double crush helped hit the efficiency, but I had TONS of grain in the boil. What are your tips and tricks to keep the grain out of the boil (obviously don't double crush) but still have a reasonable efficiency? Any advice would be appreciated, I'd hate to have to spend another $30 to buy a brew bag to put in the basket. This system is too damn nice for me to disrespect it like that. I guess I could always just buy more grain to help with efficiency sake, but I'd like to avoid if possible.

Thanks!

 

[Ficbrewing]

Good day!
Is it possible to brew 10 gallon batches on the solo 15? I mostly brew 5 -6.5 gallons at a time, but I would like to have the capability to kick out a 12 gallon batch every so often.

 

[Wagon_6]

Hi again everyone!

So I've done a couple all grain batches (15g Solo+), and I'm definitely suffering from some grain in the boil. My last batch, I double crushed because I was no where near the efficiency I was expecting on my first batch. The double crush helped hit the efficiency, but I had TONS of grain in the boil. What are your tips and tricks to keep the grain out of the boil (obviously don't double crush) but still have a reasonable efficiency? Any advice would be appreciated, I'd hate to have to spend another $30 to buy a brew bag to put in the basket. This system is too damn nice for me to disrespect it like that. I guess I could always just buy more grain to help with efficiency sake, but I'd like to avoid if possible.

Thanks!

I’m a huge fan of conditioning the malt before crushing (spray grain with water, 2% of grain weight and let it sit at least 10 minutes before crushing). It allows me to crush finer but have intact hulls for smooth recirculation. And don’t view adding more grain as a negative. With BIAB, the extra couple bucks of grain is worth it over an extra kettle to clean.

 

[Biggz1313]

EDIT: I've cross posted this over to the Spike Solo Owners Thread as I think it's a better place for it. I'm going to leave this hear as I think since I'm describing some of my experiences, it should stay here for anyone thinking of purchasing this system to read.

I'm back again. Does anyone here have issues controlling mash temps? My PID reads at what my target mash temp SHOULD be, but when I use an inkbird thermometer to check the grain bed temps, it's roughly 8-10 degrees (F) LOWER than what the liquid is under the grain basket. I would assume that's normal for everyone? What I'm seeing is even the wort coming out of the tube in the grain basket is 2-5 degrees cooler than the set temp, so from the pickup tube, to the pump, through the ball valve, and then silicon tubing to the basket, the liquid is losing 2-5 degrees. I have a couple questions to potentially remedy this:

1. First, does anyone else see this and if so, how are you fixing/adjusting for it?
2. I'm thinking I could jus increase my PID by 8-10 degrees to make the grain bed closer to target temp, but will that much warmer water below the grain basket affect the enzymes doing all the work. For instance, if my mash target temp is 155 or even 160, would dialing in the PID to 170 be too high and start to hinder/destroy the enzymes from doing their work?
3. Is this just completely normal for EBIAB systems?

I feel like I've never heard or read of anyone having this problem and for as much as I paid for this system, I feel like I must be doing something wrong. Any insights or thoughts on this would be appreciated. Thanks everyone!

 

[MeGrimlockKing]

EDIT: I've cross posted this over to the Spike Solo Owners Thread as I think it's a better place for it. I'm going to leave this hear as I think since I'm describing some of my experiences, it should stay here for anyone thinking of purchasing this system to read.

I'm back again. Does anyone here have issues controlling mash temps? My PID reads at what my target mash temp SHOULD be, but when I use an inkbird thermometer to check the grain bed temps, it's roughly 8-10 degrees (F) LOWER than what the liquid is under the grain basket. I would assume that's normal for everyone? What I'm seeing is even the wort coming out of the tube in the grain basket is 2-5 degrees cooler than the set temp, so from the pickup tube, to the pump, through the ball valve, and then silicon tubing to the basket, the liquid is losing 2-5 degrees. I have a couple questions to potentially remedy this:

1. First, does anyone else see this and if so, how are you fixing/adjusting for it?
2. I'm thinking I could jus increase my PID by 8-10 degrees to make the grain bed closer to target temp, but will that much warmer water below the grain basket affect the enzymes doing all the work. For instance, if my mash target temp is 155 or even 160, would dialing in the PID to 170 be too high and start to hinder/destroy the enzymes from doing their work?
3. Is this just completely normal for EBIAB systems?

I feel like I've never heard or read of anyone having this problem and for as much as I paid for this system, I feel like I must be doing something wrong. Any insights or thoughts on this would be appreciated. Thanks everyone!

I just had my first brewday over the weekend on it. I noticed the same thing. I know there is obviously going to be some temperature differences but 8 degrees seems pretty high. I had my temp set at 152 and was hitting between. 144 and 146. I also only hit about 56% efficiency (I'm guessing user error due to first time using the system.)

 

[Biggz1313]

Good day!
Is it possible to brew 10 gallon batches on the solo 15? I mostly brew 5 -6.5 gallons at a time, but I would like to have the capability to kick out a 12 gallon batch every so often.

I have considered it. I've done an extract 10g batch (started at 12g pre boil) and I would say based off my all grain batches I've completed, the 10g batch would all depend on your grain bill. If it's a massive grain bill, you may have to run some sparge water through the basket while it's drainging (and would likely have to hang it from a winch, and not on the hooks on the side of the kettle) but I imagine 10g would be totally doable. I'll report back here and let you know when I finally make a beer I know I'll need/want 10 gallons of, haha.

 

[TTfireman]

Punx,
How did you set up your auto sparge on the tri clamp basket? I am looking at getting a 15 gal warthog/spike solo system from high gravity. I like tri clamp for cleaning purposes, but I can’t figure out how I would hook up an auto sparge.