I'll go back and read through this entire thread, but would you happen to have a part number and supplier? I assume my local Home Depot won't carry it.
I purchased a 65L Brewzilla a few months ago, and Saturday I finally used it for the first time. Previously, I had been mashing in a cooler and using keggles for the HLT and boil.
Things I liked:
No more propane!
Cleanup is a lot easier when everything is in one self-contained unit. Not so many hoses and pumps to clean individually.
It seemed to hold the temperature ok, but I want to pick up a thermometer with a long probe to measure the temperature in the center of the mash.
I hit 80% efficiency, so no complaints there.
Things I didn't like:
That lousy malt pipe handle. It's so fiddly, and I knocked it into the mash at one point.
The flimsy overflow pipe. I decided to stir the mash halfway through, and I managed to knock off the part that was held on by the clip, resulting in about a cup of grain getting into the pump. It ran ok most of the time, but eventually clogged and stopped running. I have a sight glass, and the stuff that was suspended was fairly fine, not large pieces of husk. (I grind fairly aggressively.)
The top screen was difficult to remove when I wanted to stir the mash. It was under very hot wort, but even with insulated gloves I had a hard time grabbing the tiny tabs that are welded to the screen. A large loop would make it much easier to remove.
It took FOREVER for the malt pipe to drain. I finally gave up and just stirred like crazy while sparging to help the flow as much as possible. I guess I could change my crush, but if I'm going to take an efficiency hit I'll just do away with the screen(s) and malt pipe and just use a bag. Would there be any issues with doing so? I guess I'd lose out on the overflow protection. Would it be ok to rest the bag on the bottom of the Brewzilla while the elements are firing?
The biggest disaster was that I didn't have all the necessary connectors for my new Exchilerator Maxx, so I tried using my immersion chiller. It was leaking water like crazy, so I shut it off before I could electrocute myself. I was stuck with 12 gallons of 160-degree wort and a clogged pump, so I just left it in the garage overnight until i was cool enough to lift and drain by gravity. The wort was still at 110 degrees after 16 hours in my (warm) garage, so I guess I should have removed the insulation jacket.
All in all, I think I'm going to enjoy the Brewzilla. I'm expecting my next brew day to go much more smoothly.
Thanks! I just placed an order.Should be a standard 1/2-20 stainless screw.
- Create your own handle for the top screen with stainless wire through the two loop holes. Or ditch the top screen altogether. Much easier to stir the mash this way too.
- The malt pipe isn't very big in relation to the mash, so the grain bed can compact fairly easily and sparging takes an eternity. You may need to adjust your crush, but alot of us toss in a couple handfuls of rice hulls into every mash, regardless of the grain bill. With rice hulls alone I went from a 1hr sparge down to 10-20mins.
Personally, I've found that removing the top screen, stirring the mash, using rice hulls, understanding how the pump works & adding a small strainer over the pump inlet have given me the best results with this unit. The jacket helps too, and I swear by the whirlpool arm. Since using it I've never had issues with clogged pumps and I toss my hops straight in. Cheers!
I didn't have a plug but I had a reducer that allowed me to stick one of my unused hop screens in replacement of the malt pipe. Figured that the extra surface area can't hurt while mashing.@Derp - several posters in this thread just removed the center pipe and filled the hole with a stainless bolt. If you do that, You could just set a BIAB inside the malt pipe, over the top, under the lid.
I have a small strainer that I plan to use. Does it stay in place well? I guess the false bottom should keep it from being dislodged, but I wasn't sure if the boil would bounce it around.
Just received mine yesterday, and it didn't have them either. Weird.it did not have the new gaskets listed in the description,
Maybe some of those bigger silicone gaskets could slip over the sight glass tube to act as a cushion?
Just received mine yesterday, and it didn't have them either. Weird.
Thanks! I have salts measured and ready to throw in in the morning. I would rather add when water is hot and I don't have to worry about them precipitating out of solution overnight (anal, i know). Set it to start pre-heating in 6 hours so it should be at temps when I wake up. First step will be to start pump and verify temps, second step will be to add the salts.Magic, don't forget to throw your salts in the night before.
Don't go to big on your first effort and keep good records as you go.
*** Check that the temp reading is good and calibrate if necessary****
I’m filling my BrewZilla 65 now for a Belgian Dark Strong Ale brew tomorrow. I haven’t settled on when to add the salts. Why do you add them the night before? CheersMagic, don't forget to throw your salts in the night before.
Don't go to big on your first effort and keep good records as you go.
*** Check that the temp reading is good and calibrate if necessary****
So has anyone tried any of the oxygen mitigation methods with these systems? Pre boil, mash cap etc? I'm not a strict lodo person by any means but I have implemented some of the methods on my 3 vessel system and feel that they have helped improve my beer (completely anecdotal). I'm looking at one of these systems mostly to simplify my set up and clean up and maybe even shorten my brew days.
I boil my strike water first to remove the O2. Then quickly cool it to mash in temperature with my counter flow chiller, then add the sodium metabisulphite, and then mash in.So has anyone tried any of the oxygen mitigation methods with these systems? Pre boil, mash cap etc? I'm not a strict lodo person by any means but I have implemented some of the methods on my 3 vessel system and feel that they have helped improve my beer (completely anecdotal). I'm looking at one of these systems mostly to simplify my set up and clean up and maybe even shorten my brew days.
I just received my 35l Brewzilla today. I assembled it with online instructions, plugged it in and the display works. I'm pretty busy with boat work right now and have beer on tap. But I'll check back in when I brew. Thank you all for posting results and suggestions. This is my first foray into electric brewing since my stove top days.
Have to admit, I give the whole thing a good rinse out and rub over with a microfibre cloth. Then fill with warm water ( from our solar hot water ) and recirculate some homemade PBW at 50 celsius with any other bits that need a good clean such as the condenser and trubtrapper. It's keeping mine pretty clean.
@Sammy86 - Nice schedule management. My brew days seem to simply take "all day" regardless.
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