The NEW Blichmann Breweasy Compact first look

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highland_brewer

Short Circuited Brewers
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I got my hands on the Blichmann Breweasy Compact 5 gallon batch system. I share my initial thoughts on it.

Video Here

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I have to wonder if it will be under $1000 (for a base 120V system). I like the idea that it is modular and just about any piece can be swapped out or replaced. I would be worried that many of the all-in-one systems will be scrap metal in 10 years...where a quality kettle can be passed down to your children.
 
I liked it better when it was called the Brew-Boss.

I thought the exact same thing when I saw this. Brew Boss is the only system I have seen that uses this center mash recirculation pipe. I thought that Darin had a patent pending on this but I could be wrong.
 
If he does have the Patent, I hope he gets his piece.
To be fair, you can't patent standard holes in a tube. The effect generally is just another iteration. That's the brutal reality. I got in touch with Darin several years ago and he expressed no interest whatsoever in shipping anything to Europe. I respect his engineering abilities and the Brew-Boss still looks better than many systems on the market, in my mind, but they don't shift themselves.
 
To be fair, you can't patent standard holes in a tube. The effect generally is just another iteration. That's the brutal reality. I got in touch with Darin several years ago and he expressed no interest whatsoever in shipping anything to Europe. I respect his engineering abilities and the Brew-Boss still looks better than many systems on the market, in my mind, but they don't shift themselves.

No, to be fair it's not just a tube with holes. This is a brewing system based on a fine mesh basket into which recirculated wort is delivered through a tube the runs the entire depth of the basket. Just because Darin didn't want to ship to Europe doesn't invalidate his patent.
 
No, to be fair it's not just a tube with holes. This is a brewing system based on a fine mesh basket into which recirculated wort is delivered through a tube the runs the entire depth of the basket. Just because Darin didn't want to ship to Europe doesn't invalidate his patent.

To be fair, I wasn’t implying patentability was conditional upon international shipping. Sales boil down to basic business acumen. That’s all I was implying. I should point out that I’ve been buying products directly from the US for years without experiencing any problems.

Just because someone applies their knowledge, existing tech and materials doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve invented a patentable product. Even if they’ve done so in a way we might find pleasing. It’s not uncommon for ‘patent pending’ to be slapped on a product’s marketing spiel. The fact it’s been in ‘pending’ for several years now says something, right? I’m not aware of any active patents on any home-brewing all-in-one system. They all do the same thing fundamentally. Make wort, an age-old procedure. Where you stick your pipe, etc., with or without holes, is of little consequence, in reality. Good water treatment might have a bigger effect! Actually demonstrating your wort-maker performs better, in whatever respect(s) you claim it does, is not a straightforward task for something like a wort making system, but it is required as evidence to support your patent submission. Where the systems on the market today differ mainly is in the marketing spiel, quality and reliability.

Here’s one I developed myself.
IMG_0533.JPG


It’s a MiNi-BIAB© (patent pending) for making very small batches, including fresh starter wort. The system includes a cheap 4.2 qt (US) pot from Ikea, a small nylon filter bag and - the crucial part of the system, the heart of the system - a candy thermometer. Due to the surface-volume ratio a uniform temperature is easy to maintain throughout the mash. Therefore no need whatsoever to use a pipe of any description. Not even to move wort. With a maximum gross volume (including dead space) of 4.2 qt you just pick it up by hand (i.e., it’s a winch-free system) and pour. That’s what you’re paying for here - what you’re getting for your money. Simplicity at its simplest! And we ship internationally! We listen to our customers and develop our products based on what the customer needs. We work with our customers. This is why we are already developing the MiNi-BIAB2.0© (patent pending) with a 5.3 qt (US) capacity. Like the MiNi-BIAB© (patent pending) it's going to offer the convenience of being winch-free and without any pipes to simplify cleaning.
ikea-365-pot-with-insert-stainless-steel__1006187_pe825772_s5.jpg
 
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I have to wonder if it will be under $1000 (for a base 120V system). I like the idea that it is modular and just about any piece can be swapped out or replaced. I would be worried that many of the all-in-one systems will be scrap metal in 10 years...where a quality kettle can be passed down to your children.

Hope I am wrong, but I am predicting around $1200 for 120, $1500 for 240.
 
To be fair, you can't patent standard holes in a tube. The effect generally is just another iteration. That's the brutal reality. I got in touch with Darin several years ago and he expressed no interest whatsoever in shipping anything to Europe. I respect his engineering abilities and the Brew-Boss still looks better than many systems on the market, in my mind, but they don't shift themselves.
Honestly I'm at a loss to see anything that's better than the Braumeister system I've been using for the past 10 years. Other than the abundance of TC fittings (a +plus for sure), the center recirculation system is inferior to the Speidel "bottom up" recirculation path that essentially floats the grainbed across its entire surface vertically and horizontally.

The Blichmann electric all-in-one has some very nice add-on features, but doesn't have any more power (3500W) or functionality that I can't add to my system. It's evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

If I were shopping today I'd give Blichmann a seriously hard look, though overall the much older Speidel design is as good if not better than the BrewEasy in many ways.
 
Honestly I'm at a loss to see anything that's better than the Braumeister system I've been using for the past 10 years. Other than the abundance of TC fittings (a +plus for sure), the center recirculation system is inferior to the Speidel "bottom up" recirculation path that essentially floats the grainbed across its entire surface vertically and horizontally.

The Blichmann electric all-in-one has some very nice add-on features, but doesn't have any more power (3500W) or functionality that I can't add to my system. It's evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

If I were shopping today I'd give Blichmann a seriously hard look, though overall the much older Speidel design is as good if not better than the BrewEasy in many ways.

The Braumeister is definitely a consistent, problem-free system that's reliable enough to walk away from during the process. What attracted me to the Brew-Boss initially was the level of control, which several years ago I thought I needed. I gave it a lot of thought, over weeks of research, then decided I was going to buy one. Contacted Darin and he politely told me he didn't ship to Europe. I was gutted and felt let down. Honestly. Went out the next day and bought a Braumeister. I'm still very happy with it, especially since drilling holes in it for TC fittings. With the G3 valves, Riptide and HopRocket it looks like a Speidel-Blichmann hybrid. Blichmann are a solid business, I've always found their products to be highly fit-for-purpose. I wouldn't overlook the Breweasy Compact, if I were in the market for one. To be honest, I'd still consider a Brew-Boss, which is probably better than a lot of the systems on the market today. The new Braumeisters look great, but the price has jumped up a lot. I'd need to be seriously let down to buy one tomorrow. I'm very happy with what I've got.

If you squint hard enough, it looks a little bit like a Brew-Boss:

IMG_0382.JPG
 
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The Braumeister is definitely a consistent, problem-free system that's reliable enough to walk away from during the process. What attracted me to the Brew-Boss initially was the level of control, which several years ago I thought I needed. I gave it a lot of thought, over weeks of research, then decided I was going to buy one. Contacted Darin and he politely told me he didn't ship to Europe. I was gutted and felt let down. Honestly. Went out the next day and bought a Braumeister. I'm still very happy with it, especially since drilling holes in it for TC fittings. With the G3 valves, Riptide and HopRocket it looks like a Speidel-Blichmann hybrid. Blichmann are a solid business, I've always found their products to be highly fit-for-purpose. I wouldn't overlook the Breweasy Compact, if I were in the market for one. To be honest, I'd still consider a Brew-Boss, which is probably better than a lot of the systems on the market today. The new Braumeisters look great, but the price has jumped up a lot. I'd need to be seriously let down to buy one tomorrow. I'm very happy with what I've got.
I've considered drilling holes for TC ports as well. Did you use weldless bulkhead TCs or have someone weld them? I'm think to do one on the bottom for a low point drain.
 
I've considered drilling holes for TC ports as well. Did you use weldless bulkhead TCs or have someone weld them? I'm think to do one on the bottom for a low point drain.
Weldless. I toyed with idea of silver soldering, but the testing with weldless bulkhead fittings went so well I decided to stick with them.

Edit: I actually use the Blichmann whirlpool fitting. Never had a leak. I had to file away some material and shorten the tube to accommodate the BM's malt pipe, though. Here it is in the lower port:

IMG_0330.JPG

Edit #2: Yes, I was considering one in the base for draining, but unless it's welded it won't drain as well as with the dip tube in the pic above. It's a standard BrewTool's dip tube, which fits very well with resized o-rings. I should start a thread about my BM and stop hijacking Brian's thread. Maybe Brian could review my BM :D
 
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To be fair, I wasn’t implying patentability was conditional upon international shipping. Sales boil down to basic business acumen. That’s all I was implying.

I wasn't suggesting that. I was implying that your suggestion that his patent is invalid could possibly have been based on sour grapes from your previous experience with the possible patent holder. In any case, whether he was or was not granted the patent on the center out infusion concept, it's a pretty blatant copy of the design.
 
Hope I am wrong, but I am predicting around $1200 for 120, $1500 for 240.

I notice that a page is up: BrewEasy™ Compact

There are a few options, but $1,248.00 for the 120V with NPT fitings and the recirculation kit. $1,406.00 for the 240V kit with the recirculation kit and tri-clamp fittings. The price seems reasonable for what it is, though more than I would want to spend to make 5 gallon batches.
 
It'll be interesting to see how pricing translates after export. I'm sure the functionality and quality is there. I'd have recommended 1/2" TCs here, though, for standard size system. Easy enough to convert down from 1.5", though.
 
I really do love SCB and understand there are things happening behind the scenes, but it gets more and more apparent the bias toward blichmann and anvil he has. I get there is a friendship there with John and a lot of the patreons are Anvil/Blichmann pushers which can be seen in the private facebook groups. There are cheaper options that were not mentioned (ie the clawhammer 120v) which comes with everything for a lower price. Replies to video comments always tend to be skewed like he is selling for blichmann. I guess I am just here to say the Short Circuited Brewers channel has been moving away from unbiased reviews IMO.

FWIW - the argument against the cheaper all-in-ones (foundry, mash n boil, robo, etc) is all the parts are not replaceable/repairable. However, you could buy the system 3-5 times over before hitting the price points of these premium systems.
 
I really do love SCB and understand there are things happening behind the scenes, but it gets more and more apparent the bias toward blichmann and anvil he has. I get there is a friendship there with John and a lot of the patreons are Anvil/Blichmann pushers which can be seen in the private facebook groups. There are cheaper options that were not mentioned (ie the clawhammer 120v) which comes with everything for a lower price. Replies to video comments always tend to be skewed like he is selling for blichmann. I guess I am just here to say the Short Circuited Brewers channel has been moving away from unbiased reviews IMO.

FWIW - the argument against the cheaper all-in-ones (foundry, mash n boil, robo, etc) is all the parts are not replaceable/repairable. However, you could buy the system 3-5 times over before hitting the price points of these premium systems.
Keep in mind that I'm very far from a Blichman fanboy. While I do sell their products and think many of them are world class e.g. Riptide Pumps, I wouldnt personally use a good portion of the products.

There is a major usability factor between 240v and every other 120v system whether it is all in one or modular. I know the 1600w systems have plenty of happy users but you immediately appreciate the colossal improvement the first time you brew with 5500 watts or similar.

Whether that difference justifies the pricepoint is very personal to the owner of the wallet.

These 240v systems are wicked fast for one thing and time is money. I brew while I'm at work and the faster I finish brewing, the better.

The temp control of premium systems is also superior to the all in ones if you care about consistency.
 
Keep in mind that I'm very far from a Blichman fanboy. While I do sell their products and think many of them are world class e.g. Riptide Pumps, I wouldnt personally use a good portion of the products.

There is a major usability factor between 240v and every other 120v system whether it is all in one or modular. I know the 1600w systems have plenty of happy users but you immediately appreciate the colossal improvement the first time you brew with 5500 watts or similar.

Whether that difference justifies the pricepoint is very personal to the owner of the wallet.

These 240v systems are wicked fast for one thing and time is money. I brew while I'm at work and the faster I finish brewing, the better.

The temp control of premium systems is also superior to the all in ones if you care about consistency.
Hi Bobby when you say the temp control of a premium systems, what are you referring to exactly? looking to move to all grain and an electric system and trying to figure out what to do. are you talking like an automated 3 vessel? When you say superior to the all in one’s?
read your posts on here a lot and respect your opinions on things. Thanks
Steve
 
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