Aliexpress 60 liters Brewery?

[andrew d krupp]

Morning fellas!
I found this all in one unit this morning on Ali..

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000018625856.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.1000060.1.21622532n594MR&gps-id=pcDetailBottomMoreThisSeller&scm=1007.13339.146401.0&scm_id=1007.13339.146401.0&scm-url=1007.13339.146401.0&pvid=4ed02a80-2206-43e5-adc7-2acce1c9323c

Would any of you gentlemen have any input. I like the fact that it can be programmed for step mashes and the price is obviously very appealing.

 

[IslandLizard]

Observations:

• 3000W for 60 liters (15.5 gallons) is not an abundance of power.
• It requires a 220-240V, 15A (minimal) hookup.
• The plug that comes with it is European. Cut it off and your warranty is probably void.
• Not that warranty means much, anyway, coming from China with no US dealers.

 

[andrew d krupp]

Observations:

• 3000W for 60 liters (15.5 gallons) is not an abundance of power.
• It requires a 220-240V, 15A (minimal) hookup.
• The plug that comes with it is European. Cut it off and your warranty is probably void.
• Not that warranty means much, anyway, coming from China with no US dealers.

Do you think 3000w will bring 60 liters to enough of a boil? I know the Brewzilla is 3500w but is also 65 liters.
I am okay with the power requirements.

 

[deadwolfbones]

Looks exactly like the Brewzilla 65L you can buy in the US (with a warranty):

https://www.williamsbrewing.com/Brewzilla-65-Liter--P4739.aspx

 

[IslandLizard]

Looks exactly like the Brewzilla 65L you can buy in the US (with a warranty):

https://www.williamsbrewing.com/Brewzilla-65-Liter--P4739.aspx

Wow, that vessel does look similar.
Also, the recirc tube on the Brewzilla is smooth, not corrugated. As in easier to clean/sanitize.

Do you think 3000w will bring 60 liters to enough of a boil? I know the Brewzilla is 3500w but is also 65 liters.
I am okay with the power requirements.

Yes, retaining a decent boil should be no problem with 3000W as long as the controller doesn't do stupid things such as turning elements off at will. I've boiled 13 gallon (50 liter) wort on my 3500W induction plate, but it's about the limit. Like I do, you may need to add a good layer of insulation around the kettle to prevent excessive heat loss. And leave the lid (insulate it!) partly on too.

Now getting it heated to that point will take some time.

You'd probably be only heating 40-50 liters (max) to mash strike temp, first. The rest of the 60 liter space is needed for your grist. It takes 20-30' to heat 4-4.5 gallons (~16-17 liters) of cold tap water to 165F on my 3500W induction burner.
So twice the volume would take twice the time, 40-60', I reckon. But you could be doing other things, like making breakfast, weigh out and mill your grain, etc.

Then bringing it to a boil after the mash. It takes my 3500W induction burner about 30-40' to bring 7-8 gallons (27-31 liters) of wort from 150F to a boil, as it lauters. For 50 liters you'd be looking at 60-80'? Again, it's fairly automatic, you don't need to baby it, until it wants to boil over.

The times I've given are estimates, I haven't tracked them that closely lately.

 

[andrew d krupp]

Thanks for the great input! I am not in a hurry on brewdays so waiting on the unti to heat my wort is not a real downside for me. I am just concerned I if the boil will be strong enough. The Brewzilla has been my top pick until I found this. The Brewzilla is $200 more and cant be programmed for step mashes. I do like the 5 liter larger capacity of the Brewzilla and the fact its available in the states with a warranty. I guess I could be the test monkey for everyone with the Ali unit.

 

[Wayne1]

The BrewZilla 65L CAN be programmed for up to 6 different stages. They can be used to program a stepped mash or to set a timer to pre-heat water so the mash in water is already at temperature when you wake up on your brew day.

 

[bleme]

I am just concerned I if the boil will be strong enough.

I'd love to know who created the "hard boil" myth but by nearly all measures, a bare simmer is preferable.

 

[IslandLizard]

The Brewzilla is $200 more

But where are you going to take your Ali Express Special if something goes wrong with it? Are you handy to replace parts or make repairs?
These are "secondary market" knock offs, as pretty much anything coming from China is. But they may use different parts than the ones that are "original."

What I wonder, should these be connected to a circuit with a GFCI breaker? I'd say so.

 

[Wayne1]

The AliExpress unit does not come with a wort chiller. The BrewZilla does. That adds $50.00 to the price of the AliExpress. The AliExpress appears to use only one electric heating element @ 3000 watt that can be varied in amount of power used. The BrewZilla uses three separate heating elements.

 

[WiSilverBrewer]

The number one reason I wouldn't touch it with someone else's wallet is...……………………………………………………..it's from aliexpress…...I'd rather go shopping at Walmart for my brewing supplies...…...and I'd never go to Walmart for this, so that....