I brew 5 gallon batches on the stove in the kitchen. No pumps just heavy manual lifting. Carrying 6 gallons of boiling wort from stove to sink for ice bath and IC has gotten a little concerning. Been reading on this site a lot about the all in ones. A lot of you are using them and was wondering which one you all would recommend. Leaning towards the anvil. Thoughts, pros and cons on any of them. Thanks for any feedback.
Thinking about an all in one
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I bought my anvil 10.5 last summer and love it. Well, all but cleaning the mash tube which has the holes on the sides at the bottom. Not easy to clean inside the house. The new removable bottom looks like an improvement. I brew in the garage or when cold (0f) outside I put it on a cart in kitchen. Can roll it to sink and hook up IC and when done use the recirculation pump to fill the fermenter. I work remote so while designing circuit boards I can have mashing and boiling while I work.
Photo is of my stout mashing in the kitchen.
Photo is of my stout mashing in the kitchen.
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I made the switch to the Brewzilla 65 L 3 years ago and never looked back! Fantastic machine, only true problem is the controller is on the bottom but they fixed that with the 4.0 version.
I do 12 gallon split batches now in the same amount of time as a single 5 gallon batch. I did invest in a pulley in anticipation of me getting old and pulling 22 pounds of wet grain is a PIA.
Would highly recommend you take a look at Thread 'Robobrew/Brewzilla Discussion' if you want some more info!
Sammy, I have read that discussion. Well 2 more pages to go. Earlier in the thread there was a lot of concern about hop material clogging the pump and low mash efficiency. Has those problems been resolved.
I do like the idea of 120/240 of the Anvil. I also like the the idea of the mash programming of the Brewzilla.
I’m glad you chimed in on the Brewzilla so that I can get feedback on that unit as well.
I do like the idea of 120/240 of the Anvil. I also like the the idea of the mash programming of the Brewzilla.
I’m glad you chimed in on the Brewzilla so that I can get feedback on that unit as well.
I'd like to go electric for more obvious reasons, but I like my current setup too. If I was getting one of those all in one systems, I like the Brewzilla or the Grainfather (G?) of similar size so I could still do double batches. I'm sure the Anvil is good. I have a Blichmann Top Tier and I still love it, just don't know much about Anvil's Foundry.
I'm an Anvil fan. Main reasons over the others - 1) Flipping easily between 120V and 240V and 2) Start timer to wake up to water at strike temp.
If you're not enjoying the lifting (agreed to that one!) you could consider an immersion chiller for the existing kettle, with water and drain from and to a sink. If the kettle has a valve in it or you can add one, it can drain straight to a carboy underneath it.
If you're not enjoying the lifting (agreed to that one!) you could consider an immersion chiller for the existing kettle, with water and drain from and to a sink. If the kettle has a valve in it or you can add one, it can drain straight to a carboy underneath it.
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My clogging pump issue resolved when I let the wort rest for 5-10 minutes after hitting my end mark. I run the whirlpool arm and have no issues since.
Efficiency is solid for me at this point since I dialed in my grain mill, so no complaints there either.
I can't speak to anything other than the Anvil Foundry. I have the 10.5 and there were a couple of selling points for me. First the ability to use either 110v or 220v.
Next was the delay start timer feature. I can fill the Foundry the night before, set it to my desired strike temp and program it to start heating the next morning. When I get up to start my brew day the Foundry is at temp and ready for dough in.
The third selling point was the price. I haven't looked at prices since I bought mine two years ago but at the time it was at the lower end of the price scale. Normally I would be skeptical of the lowest priced of anything but Anvil is owned by Blichmann and I have always had good experiences with their products.
Other positives are that when storing it away all of the parts... tubing, pump, etc. fit inside the unit and I don't have assorted equipment in need of a place to live.
Cons: It is clumsy to clean but then again so has nearly every big kettle I have owned.
There are limitations to how much grain you can mash preventing me from making the big OG beers I like to make. But by using a BIAB bag I can increase the grain bill size above what the malt pipe can hold. However, I bought the Foundry for the specific purpose of being able to brew indoors during the winter and I found that this affords me the opportunity to ferment lagers in my basement. As a result I am not making large OG beers when using the Foundry after all.
Some complain of the power of the pump should you choose to add the recirculation kit. I have had zero problems with that. It doesn't have to be as powerful as the RipTide. All it has to do is move wort from the bottom of the unit back to the top and it does it very well.
The Foundry is not my one and only brew system. I bought mine to solve a very specific problem... not being able to brew outside in my unheated garage during the freezing winters. For me, it is perfectly suited in that role.
Next was the delay start timer feature. I can fill the Foundry the night before, set it to my desired strike temp and program it to start heating the next morning. When I get up to start my brew day the Foundry is at temp and ready for dough in.
The third selling point was the price. I haven't looked at prices since I bought mine two years ago but at the time it was at the lower end of the price scale. Normally I would be skeptical of the lowest priced of anything but Anvil is owned by Blichmann and I have always had good experiences with their products.
Other positives are that when storing it away all of the parts... tubing, pump, etc. fit inside the unit and I don't have assorted equipment in need of a place to live.
Cons: It is clumsy to clean but then again so has nearly every big kettle I have owned.
There are limitations to how much grain you can mash preventing me from making the big OG beers I like to make. But by using a BIAB bag I can increase the grain bill size above what the malt pipe can hold. However, I bought the Foundry for the specific purpose of being able to brew indoors during the winter and I found that this affords me the opportunity to ferment lagers in my basement. As a result I am not making large OG beers when using the Foundry after all.
Some complain of the power of the pump should you choose to add the recirculation kit. I have had zero problems with that. It doesn't have to be as powerful as the RipTide. All it has to do is move wort from the bottom of the unit back to the top and it does it very well.
The Foundry is not my one and only brew system. I bought mine to solve a very specific problem... not being able to brew outside in my unheated garage during the freezing winters. For me, it is perfectly suited in that role.
Spundit
Insert Witty Comment Here
I defineatly recommend the all in one brewing. I have the most basic Mash and Boil v.1 120v with no pump. Love it.
I do think part of the reason I like it is that it's simple. Adding a pump doesn't interest me after brewing without one for a couple years. I would defineatly do 220v if I had an outlet available. I think that would save 30mins on brew day.
I do think part of the reason I like it is that it's simple. Adding a pump doesn't interest me after brewing without one for a couple years. I would defineatly do 220v if I had an outlet available. I think that would save 30mins on brew day.
Thank you all for the feedback. I do like the idea of 110/220. 110 in the kitchen and 220 in the basement. I am no longer interested in brewing outdoors or in the garage. They really all look comparable from a reading standpoint. With some differences.
I bought a 18 gallon Anvil Foundry a few weeks ago and used it for the first time yesterday with a Brew Bag inside the malt pipe. Heat/boil times were great with the 220 volts. I brewed a Duvel clone and BeerSmith predicted an OG of 1.084 and I hit 1.087 with a .025 crush on my mill. Clean up was easy and since Anvil was out of the Swirly, I bought a spincycle from brew hardware that made it easy to chill, then used it to fill the fermentor. My only issues are that the ceiling in the basement by my 220 outlet is kind of low, so it was difficult to get the bag high enough to easily squeeze it, and I thought I had it set up well enough to deal with the steam, but that is easily corrected.
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It all comes down to how well you know your equipment. I’ve been brewing 5 gallon double ipas in my anvil foundry 10.5 brewing system with no problem. I have over 40 successful brews in my anvil. I will be upgrading to the 18 gallon anvil to do imperial stouts and split batches.
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I also have a Anvil 10.5 and love it. I plan on getting a false bottom and a Wilser bag fitted for no malt pipe, but haven't yet. If you plan on using a pump I recommend using the pump they sell. I have a chugger (two actually) but it moves too much liquid and does not like being restricted to the point I want for recirculation/whirlpool (it cavitates) and that's a bit of a pita. 
Anvil 6.5 here - the 120/240 option put it above the rest for my needs. The delay timer is also handy. Price was nice too (shipping from Indiana to Iowa wasn't bad).
I do MIAB with a 5 gallon round cooler, so the smaller kettle Anvil worked for me. but I know several folks that have dropped the bag into either the malt pipe or in place of the pipe in a 10.5 model and can make a 5 gallon batch fairly easily.
Since you have 220 already available the Anvil seems like a no-brainer.
I do MIAB with a 5 gallon round cooler, so the smaller kettle Anvil worked for me. but I know several folks that have dropped the bag into either the malt pipe or in place of the pipe in a 10.5 model and can make a 5 gallon batch fairly easily.
Since you have 220 already available the Anvil seems like a no-brainer.
w00t! have fun! 
I just don’t pull the mash pipe on mine. I spend an hour mashing and recirculating clear wort with the pump. As soon as I lift the pipe it disturbs the grain bed and redistributes all the junk I just spent an hour recirculating to get rid of. So I don’t lift the pipe. I pretty much just use the Foundry as a mash tun and drain the clear wort to my brew kettle.
I find I don’t need 220v for the 6.5. Mine works great on 110. I use mine for 3 gallon batches.
I run mine full, target 23L to start the boil, 21L into the fermenter. That's where the 240 comes in handy
I use mine as a still boiler also. I put a 2" TC fitting on the lid and put the still directly on and am able to run it fast at 220 or low and slow 110 for my spirit runs.
BrewDrinkRepeat
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This is exactly why I bought a BrewBag to go inside the mash tube.
TheBluePhantom
Brewing for sport
Not to be off topic, but why carry the hot wort to the sink for an immersion chiller? why not just put longer lines on it? I chill on the stove with 12 ft lines.
You weight the hazard potential. Carry it six feet across the kitchen to the sink or risk tripping over 2 hoses draped across the floor with the potential to knock over the full kettle. I chose to carry. No issues so far but getting older and am not as fit as I once was. So I want to simplify.
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Missed out. I say Brewzilla 4.0
