Thinking about switching to e-BIAB with Brew-Boss

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I was thinking about the 20 gallon system but chose the 15 instead. I have brewed two high gravity, 20 lbs plus grain bill, six gallon batches with no problems. I am still getting ready to brew another and then try doing a parti gyle second running. Later
 
I keep jumping back and forth between the Brew-Boss and the system from High Gravity

http://www.highgravitybrew.com/store/pc/BIAB-Electric-Brewing-System-240V-p3987.htm

The cost difference is somewhere around $600 bucks if you go with the deluxe COFI system for Brew-Boss.

I really like the automation aspect you get from Brew-Boss and you can always switch over to manual mode if need be.

Anyone have experience on both of these?
 
Anyone have thoughts on the use of direct heat for the mash vs. a indirect method? Does it make a difference? Would be great to somehow dual use an immersion chiller with this system for indirect mash temp control and then chilling later with a whirlpool
 
cooper said:
I keep jumping back and forth between the Brew-Boss and the system from High Gravity

http://www.highgravitybrew.com/store/pc/BIAB-Electric-Brewing-System-240V-p3987.htm

The cost difference is somewhere around $600 bucks if you go with the deluxe COFI system for Brew-Boss.

I really like the automation aspect you get from Brew-Boss and you can always switch over to manual mode if need be.

Anyone have experience on both of these?
Click to expand...

I keep jumping back and forth between this and the system from Colorado brewing systems
http://www.cobrewingsystems.com/col...ucts/single-vessel-electric-brew-system-ebiab

The difference is about $500 between the two. I do like the complete automation with the brew boss but can't decide it it's worth the extra money. Anyone using the Colorado system?
 
The automation is what sold me and until you use it, you really can't believe how fast and easy you can brew. There's no lag time. Steps happen one after the other and before you know it, you're done and you look at the clock and can't believe you have so much of the day left. My very first brew took 4 1/2 hours to brew a 13 gallon batch.

I can't think of any step that you can't customize or modify. You can have as many steps in your mash as you like. You can reduce or extend your mash or boil. Set steps to sanitize your chiller. There's no sticking a thermometer in the chilled wort to check it it's right on your tablet.

You don't have to watch a timer. I brew in my garage / bar and I can grab the wireless tablet and go sit on the couch in the house if I want to and still know what's going on with my brew.
 
As ibrewmyown said: The automation is what definitely sets the Brew-Boss apart from all the others.

You're already investing around $1K in any of the systems so it comes down to is the cost of the COFI (and necessary plate or counter flow chiller) worth the extra money, or do you go with the recirculating standard BIAB method with all the convenience of the automation?
 
cooper said:
As ibrewmyown said: The automation is what definitely sets the Brew-Boss apart from all the others.

You're already investing around $1K in any of the systems so it comes down to is the cost of the COFI (and necessary plate or counter flow chiller) worth the extra money, or do you go with the recirculating standard BIAB method with all the convenience of the automation?
Click to expand...

Exactly, the automation and the apparent ease of programming is the real attraction for me. This is what seems to distinguish BB from the others.

I certainly like the small footprint and streamlined process, but there are other systems that offer those as well.
 
molson said:
I keep jumping back and forth between this and the system from Colorado brewing systems
http://www.cobrewingsystems.com/col...ucts/single-vessel-electric-brew-system-ebiab

The difference is about $500 between the two. I do like the complete automation with the brew boss but can't decide it it's worth the extra money. Anyone using the Colorado system?
Click to expand...

Im getting a brew boss system in a bout a week or two and I definitely think its worth it for the automation. I did a bunch fo research and read comparative articles and was instantly sold on it. I even opted for the COFI deluxe system because I think itll up my efficiency and eliminate my iffy temp readings from my constant need to stir.

But what I also like about it is that its proven. Its gone through more iterations than a lot fo other comparable systems so theyve had a chance to get the bugs out (used to be called picobrew I think?). Its like buying the 5th generation of a newly invented gadget rather than the 1st

For the $1600 it costs for the entire electric BIAB setup from that site you listed, you could be getting the deluxe brew boss which has better recirculation and a pre-installed controller tablet
 
Did those of you that bought the system go with the COFI system? If so did you install a winch or pulley like the manual suggested. Do you think it's worth the extra money?

Another thing, how easy is it to get a mash sample to test the pH or for conversion.
 
Greetings, I have the 15 gallons BB system with the COFI, If you believe you can hold a strainer filled with 10 to 20 lbs of boiling grain above the wort so it can drain, go for it. Really, Yes you need a pulley or a winch setup. I put a HF chain winch on a ceiling joist as well as all my BB equipment is on a rolling cart. My plans are to be a swinging arm so my equipment is portable.
 
flyingpole said:
Word has it that Brew-Boss is offering a 10% discount on any system purchase during the National Homebrewers Conference in San Diego this week.

Use discount code BrewsUP2015

Valid 6-11-2015 through 6-14-2015

:mug:
Click to expand...

WTF, i just ordered a $1700 system, i'll see if theyll let me use it....
 
Molson, I bought a powered winch from HF for $80 (sale plus 20% discount) and it works great. My system is on a wheeled cabinet 22"x42" and it fits everything very easily. I do plan to mount the hoist to a swing arm eventually but for now it's ceiling mounted. As far as sampling the wort during the mash, it's fully accessible.
 
flyingpole said:
Word has it that Brew-Boss is offering a 10% discount on any system purchase during the National Homebrewers Conference in San Diego this week.

Use discount code BrewsUP2015

Valid 6-11-2015 through 6-14-2015

:mug:
Click to expand...

OK, that just wasn't fair. I was able to resist temptation up to now.

I just ordered a 15 gal COFI system with CF chiller.
 
cooper said:
Just did the exact same thing!

:mug:
Click to expand...

That's great. I've only done extract kit batches to date so I'm curious to get to designing my own and experimenting.

I have the idea that this system would also be very useful in cheese making, using an inner pot like a double boiler and allowing the kind of temperature control that is critical to cheese.

I guess it could even be used to do sous vide.
 
Rhumbline said:
That's great. I've only done extract kit batches to date so I'm curious to get to designing my own and experimenting.

I have the idea that this system would also be very useful in cheese making, using an inner pot like a double boiler and allowing the kind of temperature control that is critical to cheese.

I guess it could even be used to do sous vide.
Click to expand...

If you get it to work for cheese making please post pics. That would be awesome to do as well.
 
If you're looking to use your own, any andriod should work as long as it has a dual core minimum. Darin suggest you use a dedicated tablet for the system so nothing else is robbing resources. I have an andriod with just a few apps on it and it worked flawlessly. The app for IOS really needs to be run from an ipad that's bare bones and used for the system. I ran both platforms and although I'm an Apple fan, it makes more sense for me to use a cheap tablet that just stays with the system. You can get a 10.1" andriod tablet really cheap. The ipad app worked but it hiccuped a few times. I do have over 50 apps on it though. Darin said he has tested it with an ipad mini and he thought an ipad 3 bare bones out of the box and they worked just fine.
 
I'm thinking from a purely screen size perspective. Regular sized or the larger screen? Also, which tablet is he shipping with the unit if you go through him?
 
Easing back into brewing and pulled the trigger this morning on a deluxe system-I couldn't resist with the discount. I opted to find my own GFCI and tablet, but did get the hops and the whirlpool feature. Now to figure out the stand and hoist setup!
 
Man... If Brew Boss offered a stand and arm for winch mourning it would be incredible. That's one thing I like about the Colorado system... But it looks like I'm going to be getting the BrewBoss!
 
rockydog101 said:
Man... If Brew Boss offered a stand and arm for winch mourning it would be incredible. That's one thing I like about the Colorado system... But it looks like I'm going to be getting the BrewBoss!
Click to expand...

I've decided to use one of those stainless wire racks on wheels. Amazon has them, rated for up to 600 pounds per shelf but 500 pounds total for the wheeled version. That should be plenty.

I'll hang the hoist from the top rack and mount the chiller, pump, etc on the side. A curtain can cover the whole thing up in the corner of my kitchen. I can roll it to where it will be convenient to brew.

I'm thinking of adding a vent hood with a length of flex hose that I can direct out a window.
 
I can't believe I missed the coupon code. I've been looking into these for a while and that definitely would have made me pull the trigger.
 
jdiggy said:
I can't believe I missed the coupon code. I've been looking into these for a while and that definitely would have made me pull the trigger.
Click to expand...

Me too! I'm kicking myself for not jumping on that. I'm just buying the controller and heating element but that's still $120 I could have put towards the rest of my system.
 
I got my 15 gallon system a week ago and just got the 240v sorted out.

For those of you who've used them, do you have any comments/suggestions? I've programmed a few recipes into it, I'll do a practice run with just water, but I'd appreciate any feedback you might have.

Hints, tips, observations.

Thanks.
 
I just did my first run with my 10gal equipment over the weekend and everything went smoothly. I made recipe templates for a regular Pale Ale, IPA, Dry/Belgian Ale, Wheat, and a stout. Posted them here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=533633

I went with the recommended settings for the heating element power PID stuff. I might suggest tweaking those so it gets up to temp faster, but you may overshoot then. Probably just best to manually change the output% on the fly
 
Looking at this very closely, especially after seeing the entire brew day video that Darin posted on you tube.

Are any of you veteran users adding anything to your water to adjust ph or just brewing as you did prior?

Have you noticed any difference in your finished beer or is it just purely ease(which is totally ok)?
 
I apologize if this was already addressed, but about how long does it take to heat tap water to strike temp with the 5500w element for both 5 and 10 gal batches?
 
FreddyMar3 said:
I apologize if this was already addressed, but about how long does it take to heat tap water to strike temp with the 5500w element for both 5 and 10 gal batches?
Click to expand...

Darin is the developer. Go to the Brew Boss website and I'm sure he'll be happy to answer any questions.

As for the 5 gal batches, there are some youtube videos that will run you through a full brew day. I think he did a 5 gal batch and reached 154 degrees in about 24 minutes.
 
FreddyMar3 said:
I apologize if this was already addressed, but about how long does it take to heat tap water to strike temp with the 5500w element for both 5 and 10 gal batches?
Click to expand...

You can also adjust the PID settings to get it to temp quicker. With my first run, I noticed the heating element powder dropped off from 100% to like 50 when it was within 10 degrees or so, then went down to like 5% for the last bit. It took like 10min just to go from 150 to 154 so changing the setting may result in some overshoot but could make it go faster
 
m00ps said:
You can also adjust the PID settings to get it to temp quicker. With my first run, I noticed the heating element powder dropped off from 100% to like 50 when it was within 10 degrees or so, then went down to like 5% for the last bit. It took like 10min just to go from 150 to 154 so changing the setting may result in some overshoot but could make it go faster
Click to expand...

Good to know! I'll be feeding my kettle from a 13kw on demand hot water heater that has a max temp output of 125F, so that should take a 60% of the wait out of the equation.

I found another thread that had some data on a 5500w element. It came out to about 35F per gallon per minute at 95% efficiency. Pretty damn quick.
 

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