Spike Solo vs G40 Vs Clawhammer Supply 10gal Vs SVBS | Single Vessel Brewing System Help Deciding!

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hiphoppotamuss

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I’ve brewed about 20 5gal batches on my Anvil Foundry and it seems like a good time to graduate up to a bigger box of CrackerJacks. I like the simplicity of the electric BIAB systems but I’m looking for something a little sturdier and higher quality and possibly with Bluetooth/wifi controller integration. ( not a must )

Can anyone comment on these models with respect to build quality, ease of use, dependability and…of course…. ability to produce tasty beer? Thanks!

https://spikebrewing.com/products/spike-solo-system-1?var=43233939259628#more-info

https://shop.grainfather.com/us/g40-brewing-system.html

https://www.clawhammersupply.com/co...oducts/electric-home-brewing-system-240v-biab

https://www.ssbrewtech.com/products/svbs
 
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I can't speak for the others, but I love my system:

https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/biabpackageblichmannbd.htm

I went with the 20 Gallon kettle, the Auber Cube 5e controller, and the Spike Riptide pump. Similar price point to the Spike solo, but much more customizable since it's all standard brand-name equipment with tri-clamp fittings so you can set it up however you want.

Dan
 
I did some extensive research when I was forced to go electric a few months ago. I was going to get the G40, but I don't have 240v access where I brew. I ended up with the Foundry 10.5, and I actually love it. I do wish I had 240v to reduce mash to boil time, but I'm VERY happy with the Foundry and the price! I vote for the G40 next, as the price is also very reasonable. The Spike solo looks fantastic too, but out of my price range to brew beer at home. I have a friend in my beer club who brews on the Solo, and he loves it. Good luck!
 
I’ve brewed about 20 5gal batches on my Anvil Foundry and it seems like a good time to graduate up to a bigger box of CrackerJacks. I like the simplicity of the electric BIAB systems but I’m looking for something a little sturdier and higher quality and possibly with Bluetooth/wifi controller integration. ( not a must )

Can anyone comment on these models with respect to build quality, ease of use, dependability and…of course…. ability to produce tasty beer? Thanks!

https://spikebrewing.com/products/spike-solo-system-1?var=43233939259628#more-info

https://shop.grainfather.com/us/g40-brewing-system.html

https://www.clawhammersupply.com/co...oducts/electric-home-brewing-system-240v-biab

https://www.ssbrewtech.com/products/svbs

The first and most important question is, now that you have 20 batches on the Anvil 10.5, what would you like to see change in a new system? Were you running it on 120 or 240 volts? Your perception of "upgrade" will be influenced by the answers to both of these questions.

I try to answer these requests with as little "I own one of these systems" bias as possible. Of course, being a system builder/vendor also has its own bias territory as well but not much I can do about that. I don't know though, maybe you want to know what kind of system I own because I can get all the parts at wholesale cost or weld anything I want. Where I landed doesn't have any sunk cost thinking involved.

I am no longer an SSbrewtech vendor and that was a conscious decision, but I can't really comment on the performance of the SVBS. It looks well built and designed. The company has some unfortunate baggage independent of that system.

I don't feel like the Grainfather is a step up in quality/performance to the degree that you'd feel the change was worth it.

Clawhammer has a few design issues that make it a deal breaker for me personally. The controller is certainly one of the lower end deals in terms of functionality (no timers, no delay start, no schedules, no smart connectivity). I only bring that up because you seem to have some interest in a more "smart" experience so it would be a step back from the Anvil in that regard.

Spike SOLO is a well built piece of gear. I personally often make recommendations for improvement on the overall system layout and I like mesh bags more than rigid baskets, but that exact thing is personal preference. The controller is sexy looking, but functionality wise is almost identical to the clawhammer.
 
The first and most important question is, now that you have 20 batches on the Anvil 10.5, what would you like to see change in a new system? Were you running it on 120 or 240 volts? Your perception of "upgrade" will be influenced by the answers to both of these questions.

I try to answer these requests with as little "I own one of these systems" bias as possible. Of course, being a system builder/vendor also has its own bias territory as well but not much I can do about that. I don't know though, maybe you want to know what kind of system I own because I can get all the parts at wholesale cost or weld anything I want. Where I landed doesn't have any sunk cost thinking involved.

I am no longer an SSbrewtech vendor and that was a conscious decision, but I can't really comment on the performance of the SVBS. It looks well built and designed. The company has some unfortunate baggage independent of that system.

I don't feel like the Grainfather is a step up in quality/performance to the degree that you'd feel the change was worth it.

Clawhammer has a few design issues that make it a deal breaker for me personally. The controller is certainly one of the lower end deals in terms of functionality (no timers, no delay start, no schedules, no smart connectivity). I only bring that up because you seem to have some interest in a more "smart" experience so it would be a step back from the Anvil in that regard.

Spike SOLO is a well built piece of gear. I personally often make recommendations for improvement on the overall system layout and I like mesh bags more than rigid baskets, but that exact thing is personal preference. The controller is sexy looking, but functionality wise is almost identical to the clawhammer.
Thank you so much, Bobby for the detailed response! I am running the anvil on 240 and my next system will be on 240 as well. Don’t get me wrong. The anvil has produced some great beers and I definitely can appreciate improvement in my beer quality with every batch. Some irks with the Anvil system are:

1. the narrow tall grain bed. I was getting mash efficiencies in the mid to high 60s with this and quite a few stuck mashes…. eventually I just got a brew bag with a false bottom and took out the Anvil basket-cylinder which boosted my efficiencies to the high 70s. Really like the appeal of a wider, shallower grain bed with the above systems.

2. Temperature inconsistencies. Despite running the recirculation pump during mashing, I noticed that the temperature difference between the bottom of the kettle and the top of the grain bed was nearly 10°F! Now I end up setting the PID to split the difference between the two, but it’s still doesn’t allow me the precision that I’m looking for.

3. Build quality. Again the anvil is a great gateway electric BIAB system, but I’ve noticed that it is just that,… an entry-level system. The build just feels flimsy for lack of a better word. Every time I accidentally drip liquid over the edge onto the built-in display I have to hold my breath ….and it definitely looks like over time, some liquid has gotten into the display. My last four batches I have gotten a E3 error about 40 minutes into my boil which requires abandonment of the boil and is super annoying. … it turns out that the temp limit switch already needs replacement. I now see the advantage of a separate freestanding temperature control module. These days I brew mostly lagers and do step mashes , so the idea of pre-programming a step mash is also very attractive rather than having to set my timer for 30 minutes and manually increase the temperature several times a mash.

So I suppose if I had a dream system it would have the following:

1. Single vessel 240v design , 15-20gal.
2. Wider, shallower grain bed to allow for a more even grain bed saturation and mid-high 70s mash efficiency
3. Maximized mash temperature uniformity ( I know there’s limits to this with biab)
4. Flexibility to do a slow sparge if desired
5. Separate high quality temperature / boil controller ( Bluetooth/wifi control a plus but not required)
6. Non integrated, high quality pump (looking at you Riptide!)
7. Ability to get a good post boil whirlpool goin
8. Easy to assemble, disassemble and clean

Thanks again everyone for your input!
 
I use a Brewzilla Gen 4 - comes with wifi integration and a slick app for your phone. I can set up mash profiles (my last one was a 5 step mash which was handled auto-magically! ) The PID works great and holds temps quite well. My top/bottom temp. differential is about 4° . I really like it but it is, like the anvil, not a robust build - that said, it is priced well and offers a lot of value. This is more of a sideways move vs. an upgrade.

Also, agree - Spike makes very nice stuff.
 
So I suppose if I had a dream system it would have the following:

1. Single vessel 240v design , 15-20gal.
This is the one I brew on.


2. Wider, shallower grain bed to allow for a more even grain bed saturation and mid-high 70s mash efficiency
Since I use a bag, I put a coarse false bottom directly above the element to get the grain as low as possible.
1723839320359.png

3. Maximized mash temperature uniformity ( I know there’s limits to this with biab)
It's a limit with BIAB if the recirculation is poorly done. The system I'm brewing on right now is the most stable system I've ever brewed on and that includes 3 vessel HERMS. After I'm a few minutes into the mash, when the grain takes all heat it needed, I can probe anywhere in the system with a fast read digital and there isn't more than a .5F delta. It's primarily a result of this concept: https://www.brewhardware.com/category_s/1972.htm
4. Flexibility to do a slow sparge if desired
I don't sparge at all and find it to be a diminishing returns issue. I set my efficiency low in the software and make up for it by scaling the grain amount. It helps that I get grain at wholesale prices, but even if I didn't, I wouldn't sparge. It makes water calculations twice as cumbersome also.
5. Separate high quality temperature / boil controller ( Bluetooth/wifi control a plus but not required)
I use the Auber DSPR-320 brain in my controller, the same as the one in the CUBE control box and find that I don't need wifi connectivity. It would probably be a nice thing to have but I run the brew day time on Brewfather. Once I start the mash program on my DSPR-320, I press start on Brewfather and then they both run in sync anyway. If one of them craps out, I have a backup so I don't lose my place.
6. Non integrated, high quality pump (looking at you Riptide!)
Same
7. Ability to get a good post boil whirlpool goin
Yup
8. Easy to assemble, disassemble and clean

Thanks again everyone for your input!
Probably sticking to a system with all TC connectivity would get you that, but at a significant cost increase. Just looking at the base system costs between Spike NPT, Spike Bottom Drain and Blichmann Bottom drain, the latter two are all TC based ports. I would argue that the bottom drain feature is particularly helpful if you can set up in a dedicated space close to a sink. Being able to "clean in place" and then have to carry the kettle somewhere else to store it away is just the illusion of convenience.

1723840635345.png


That theme continues when you pick the pump kit:

1723840714152.png




This is all a very big budget jump from an Anvil, but it's what I would consider the minimum to have that sense of "upgrade" last for a long time.
 
This is the one I brew on.



Since I use a bag, I put a coarse false bottom directly above the element to get the grain as low as possible.
View attachment 855658

It's a limit with BIAB if the recirculation is poorly done. The system I'm brewing on right now is the most stable system I've ever brewed on and that includes 3 vessel HERMS. After I'm a few minutes into the mash, when the grain takes all heat it needed, I can probe anywhere in the system with a fast read digital and there isn't more than a .5F delta. It's primarily a result of this concept: https://www.brewhardware.com/category_s/1972.htm

I don't sparge at all and find it to be a diminishing returns issue. I set my efficiency low in the software and make up for it by scaling the grain amount. It helps that I get grain at wholesale prices, but even if I didn't, I wouldn't sparge. It makes water calculations twice as cumbersome also.

I use the Auber DSPR-320 brain in my controller, the same as the one in the CUBE control box and find that I don't need wifi connectivity. It would probably be a nice thing to have but I run the brew day time on Brewfather. Once I start the mash program on my DSPR-320, I press start on Brewfather and then they both run in sync anyway. If one of them craps out, I have a backup so I don't lose my place.

Same

Yup

Probably sticking to a system with all TC connectivity would get you that, but at a significant cost increase. Just looking at the base system costs between Spike NPT, Spike Bottom Drain and Blichmann Bottom drain, the latter two are all TC based ports. I would argue that the bottom drain feature is particularly helpful if you can set up in a dedicated space close to a sink. Being able to "clean in place" and then have to carry the kettle somewhere else to store it away is just the illusion of convenience.

View attachment 855661

That theme continues when you pick the pump kit:

View attachment 855662



This is all a very big budget jump from an Anvil, but it's what I would consider the minimum to have that sense of "upgrade" last for a long time.

This is fantastic!
I will be in touch closer to Christmas time. This is going to be my Christmas present to myself! 😂
 
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