Category Archives: Electric Brewing

Inkbird 1,000 Watt Sous Vide Cooker (Digital Recirculating Heat Stick)… $68.79 w/20% Off Coupon

Inkbird WIFI Sous Vide Cookers, 1000 Watts Stainless Steel Thermal Immersion Circulator with Recipe, Digital Interface, Precise Temperature and Timer for Kitchen, Food Slow Cooker

Inkbird WIFI Sous Vide Cookers, 1000 Watts Stainless Steel Thermal Immersion Circulator

More Info

From the product description, check product page for current description, price and availability:

Highlighted Features
  • ★ 【Wifi Remote Control】The WIFI sous vide cooker only support 2.4Ghz WIFI, but once connected with the sous vide machine with your router via APP InkbirdPro, it could be checked and controlled anywhere you're
  • ★ 【Powerful Yet Quiet Cooker】 This sous vide precision cooker keeps a homogeneous temperature for up to 20 L of water even at full 1000 W output; ultra-quiet with less than 40 dB noise at 1 m
  • ★ 【Precision Cooker & Intelligent Design】 Our sous vide cooker features a wide temperature range of 77-210°F (25-99°C) within 0.1°C accuracy and the max timer setting of 99 hours; intuitive LCD touch controls allow effortless adjustment and tracking
  • ★ 【Cook Like a Chef at Home】 Achieves restaurant quality meals with ease by preserving juices, moisture and flavors thanks to precise temperature control; retains all of the health and nutrition benefits that are difficult to achieve from traditional cooking; included easy-to-follow sous vide cooking recipe book recommended by top chefs
  • ★ 【Reliable Cooking Partner】Additional calibration function is added to Inkbird Precise Cooker, which can keep a more accurate temperature at any time. Calibration range: -10F~10F

From HBF: Make sure the components you use are compatible and rated for your intended application.  Contact manufacturer with questions about suitability or a specific application.  Always read and follow manufacturer directions.

 

Possible brewing uses could include: getting and keeping strike water at temp, direct use (with a filter bag in a mash tun or BIAB mash), maintaining temperature for sour mashes and getting to a boil more quickly (or helping to maintain a boil) for both all grain and extract batches.  Note that homebrewing is, generally speaking, not the intended purpose of this device.  Contact the manufacturer with questions about suitability for your application.

I have a Sous Vide Cooker from Anova (completely different model and manufacturer).  Check out my First Looks Post on that.  Anova also has an article on their website about brewing with the Anova One.

What are Other’s Saying?   Search this product’s Amazon reviews for “beer” – affiliate link, note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link

3/27 3 PM Central: This is selling for $85.99.  Apply the 20% off coupon on the product page and the price drops to $68.79 at checkout. Shipping is also free to many US addresses with Prime Membership [Try Prime for Free] or a qualifying order. Prices and availability can change quickly.  Check product page for current info – More About Prices

Inkbird Sous Vide Precision Cooker , 1000 Watts WIFI Sous Vide Machine Immersion Circulator ISV-100W with Recipes on Thermal Immersion Sous vide cooking Machines & APP (American Standard)  – affiliate link, note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link

This post contains affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our Amazon links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Homebrew Finds!

Northern Brewer Gigawort Electric Brew Kettle – on sale for… $199.97

Gigawort® Electric Brew Kettle

Gigawort® Electric Brew Kettle

More Info

From the product description, check product page for current description, price and availability:

Want to brew a quick batch without dragging out the gear? Got an extra hour on a weeknight and want to make the most of it? Limited brew space got you down? The Gigawort™ is the answer.

This fully portable electric brew kettle uses a standard 120 GFCI volt outlet, enabling you to brew anywhere, anytime. A fully integrated digital control ensures that steeping grains are always kept at the perfect temperature. Then simply adjust the set temperature to achieve a boil.

Gigawort 4.4 gallon capacity is ideal for both small batches and also partial-volume boils for 5 gallon batches. Full stainless steel construction is easy to clean and ensure durability.

The Gigawort utilizes our revolutionary patent-pending Iso-flow bulkhead and dip tube, which makes for trouble-free wort transferring, eliminating the need to lift and pour the wort into your fermentor. Ditch the stove and create your own custom brew cave anywhere you have an outlet.

Features:

Electric kettle, useful for steeping and boiling extract & partial mash recipes.
4.4 gallon capacity
Dual element, 1600W for heating to boiling, 600W for maintaining boil
Double walled construction for better heat retention
304 stainless steel construction
Digital temperature controller
Delayed Start feature, 3.5 hour shut-off to prevent total evaporation and safety.
EZ Clean bulkhead and valve for easy cleaning and assembly. No need for siphoning
Dimensions: 19.75″ high x 10.75″ in diameter


 

As of this posting AIH has the Gigawort on sale for just $199.97. No coupon code required, check product page for current availability.

Gigawort® Electric Brew Kettle

homebrewing.org sale

This post contains affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Homebrew Finds!

More: Recent AIH Finds

Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability. 

BrewZilla Gen 4 Ultimate Combo Pack – on sale for $649 + in depth hands on review

BrewZilla Ultimate Combo Pack | Gen 4 BrewZilla All Grain Brewing System | WiFi/Bluetooth/RAPT Enabled | Neoprene Jacket, Hop Spider & Wort Chiller Connection Kit Included | 9.25G | 35L | 110V

From MoreBeer:

  • The Ultimate BrewZilla Combo Pack! Get the Gen 4 BrewZilla & our most highly recommended accessories at an unbeatable price!
  • Includes all of our favorite accessories for the BrewZilla including the Neoprene Jacket to speed up heating times, Hop Spider to keep vegetal matter out of your wort, and Chilling Connection Kit so you’re ready to use the Immersion Chiller out of the box
  • We think all BrewZilla brewers will eventually upgrade their systems with these accessories, so buy them together and reap the savings!

As of this posting this combo is on sale for $649.99. Shipping is also free to many US addresses. No coupon code is required, check product page for avaiablility.

BrewZilla Ultimate Combo Pack | Gen 4 BrewZilla All Grain Brewing System | WiFi/Bluetooth/RAPT Enabled | Neoprene Jacket, Hop Spider & Wort Chiller Connection Kit Included | 9.25G | 35L | 110V AG581

Hands on Review: BrewZilla Gen 4 All Grain Brewing System

MORE MoreBeer Deals!…This post contains affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Homebrew Finds!

Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability.

1,500 Watt Stainless Steel Immersion Water Heater

Immersion Water Heater, with 304 Stainless Steel Cover Intelligent Temperature Control and Digital LCD Thermometer Portable Bucket Heater Heat 5 Gallons of Water in Minutes 1500W

Immersion Water Heater, with 304 Stainless Steel Cover Intelligent Temperature Control and Digital LCD Thermometer Portable Bucket Heater Heat 5 Gallons of Water in Minutes 1500W

More Info
Highlighted Features
  • Safe Design:UL certified Instant Water Heater With high quality stainless-steel protect cover,will effectively prevent the heating element is in direct contact with people or animals ,it is rust proof and durable, design for long term use.Our immersion water heater has an intelligent temperature control design, which automatically cuts off the power when the water temperature reached 75℃(165°F). The quality is safe, stable and reliable.
  • Fast Heating:1500W high-power electric water heater can heat up to 5 gallons of water in minutes. Heat dissipates to the water faster by flowing through the holes in the guard. The heater needs to be completely immersed in water in working condition. Please take out the immersion water heater before touching the water! Do not use it for more than 3 hours continuously! Please do not plug the two heaters into the same outlet to avoid fire hazards.
  • Wide Range Of Applications:Our portable pool heater suitable for portable bathtub,mini pool(Using more than one),sink, bucket, washbasin,etc.Make sure the container can hold hot water when using it.This immersion heater is handy and super lightweight, making it perfect for travels and road trips.Note, it is not suitable for using in big swimming pool .
  • Easy To Use :Take Electric Submersible water heater immerse in water at proper level,Plug into any grounded 110V AC outlet.with a digital LCD thermometer, easy to measure water temperature. Check power indicator light to make sure immersion water heater is working .Please note: people and animal can't be in the water while the heater is working.
  • Satisfactory Service: Lakkzoom immersion heater provides full refund and free replacement service, when you encounter product quality problems and use problems, please contact us in time, we will provide you with professional and satisfactory service. Our portable water heater contains 1* water heater, 1* digital thermometer, 1* stainless steel cleaning ball, 1* instruction manual, This is a gift for friends and family.

From HBF: Make sure the components you use are compatible and rated for your intended application.  Contact manufacturer with questions about suitability or a specific application.  Always read and follow manufacturer directions.

 

Immersion Water Heater, with 304 Stainless Steel Cover Intelligent Temperature Control and Digital LCD Thermometer Portable Bucket Heater Heat 5 Gallons of Water in Minutes 1500W – affiliate link, note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link

This post contains affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our Amazon links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Homebrew Finds!

1,500 Watt Stainless Steel Immersion Water Heater

Immersion Water Heater, with 304 Stainless Steel Cover Intelligent Temperature Control and Digital LCD Thermometer Portable Bucket Heater Heat 5 Gallons of Water in Minutes 1500W

Immersion Water Heater, with 304 Stainless Steel Cover Intelligent Temperature Control and Digital LCD Thermometer Portable Bucket Heater Heat 5 Gallons of Water in Minutes 1500W

More Info
Highlighted Features
  • Safe Design:UL certified Instant Water Heater With high quality stainless-steel protect cover,will effectively prevent the heating element is in direct contact with people or animals ,it is rust proof and durable, design for long term use.Our immersion water heater has an intelligent temperature control design, which automatically cuts off the power when the water temperature reached 75℃(165°F). The quality is safe, stable and reliable.
  • Fast Heating:1500W high-power electric water heater can heat up to 5 gallons of water in minutes. Heat dissipates to the water faster by flowing through the holes in the guard. The heater needs to be completely immersed in water in working condition. Please take out the immersion water heater before touching the water! Do not use it for more than 3 hours continuously! Please do not plug the two heaters into the same outlet to avoid fire hazards.
  • Wide Range Of Applications:Our portable pool heater suitable for portable bathtub,mini pool(Using more than one),sink, bucket, washbasin,etc.Make sure the container can hold hot water when using it.This immersion heater is handy and super lightweight, making it perfect for travels and road trips.Note, it is not suitable for using in big swimming pool .
  • Easy To Use :Take Electric Submersible water heater immerse in water at proper level,Plug into any grounded 110V AC outlet.with a digital LCD thermometer, easy to measure water temperature. Check power indicator light to make sure immersion water heater is working .Please note: people and animal can't be in the water while the heater is working.
  • Satisfactory Service: Lakkzoom immersion heater provides full refund and free replacement service, when you encounter product quality problems and use problems, please contact us in time, we will provide you with professional and satisfactory service. Our portable water heater contains 1* water heater, 1* digital thermometer, 1* stainless steel cleaning ball, 1* instruction manual, This is a gift for friends and family.

From HBF: Make sure the components you use are compatible and rated for your intended application.  Contact manufacturer with questions about suitability or a specific application.  Always read and follow manufacturer directions.

 

Immersion Water Heater, with 304 Stainless Steel Cover Intelligent Temperature Control and Digital LCD Thermometer Portable Bucket Heater Heat 5 Gallons of Water in Minutes 1500W – affiliate link, note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link

This post contains affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our Amazon links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Homebrew Finds!

Upgrade Your Grainfather… Stainless Steel False Bottom for Grainfather G30 – on sale for $16.99, Nearly Half Off

Grainfather False Bottom

Grainfather False Bottom

More Info

From the product description, check product page for current description, price and availability:

This type 304 stainless false bottom has been designed to perfectly fit the G30 Grainfather. Includes pictured lifting ring. 11 5/8″ overall diameter (290mm), and the 3 legs are 1 1/2″ high, or 35mm


 

  • As of this posting this is on sale for just $16.99. That’s a whopping 43% discount.
  • Shipping is free or reasonably priced flat rate to addresses in the contiguous US depending on your order size for most items.

Grainfather False Bottom

Also: The Grainfather with Connect Controller

This post may contain affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Homebrew Finds!

Visit William’s Brewing – Web Only Clearance Sale

Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability. tag:watchan Announcing: Stainless Steel False Bottom for Grainfather Connect G30 10.24.22

1,800 Watt Induction Cooktop [Induction Brewing] – on sale for $41.28

COMFEE’ 1800W Digital Electric Portable Induction Cooktop Countertop Burner, with 8 Power & Temperature Settings & 180 Mins Timer Auto Shut Off and Energy-saving

Induction Cooktop

More Info
Highlighted Features
  • MULTI-FUNCTIONAL INDUCTION COOKTOP - 8 Power & Temperature mode from 300W to 1800W & 160 to 440℉ can meet your various cooking needs: boil, simmer, steam, stew, sauté, slow cook and fry with ease. Built-in digital timer shuts off automatically.
  • COMPATIBLE MAGNETIC BOTTOM COOKWARE - Induction burners rely on cookware to heat, so ONLY suitable for cookwares with a magnetic bottom, diameter is between 5.5 to 8.5 inches. If no or no suitable cookware is detected, it will display "U" and shut automatically after 60 seconds.
  • ENERGY-EFFICIENT - Induction burner is more efficient than traditional gas or electric stoves. Our portable cooktop is perfect for bringing water to a boil quickly and for all of your cooking needs. Saving you money and time.
  • EASY TO CLEAN - Non-Stick durable glass panel with water resistent LED display is easy to clean, simply wipe with a damp towel. Please allow the induction hot plate to cool down before cleaning.
  • SAFE TO USE - Multiple built in safety protection feaures including auto-pan detection, overheating protection and a diagnostic error system. Making it is safer to use than gas stoves for exhaust-free and flame-free cooking.
  • COMPACT & LIGHTWEIGHT - This single burner is compact for easy handling and storage. The Portable induction burner can be stored on it's side and is perfect for kitchen, office, dorm rooms, RV, etc.
  • This Comfee Induction Cooktop is UL certified, The Proposition 65 Warning on the package is required by California. We provide 1 year manufacturer warranty together with your purchase. If you have any questions, please refer to customer service information in the user manual.

From HBF: Make sure the components you use are compatible and rated for your intended application.  Contact manufacturer with questions about suitability or a specific application.  Always read and follow manufacturer directions.

 

 

Possible homebrewing uses include: Boiling wort in your compatible brew kettle, getting strike water up to temperature and maintaining mash temperatures.

2/18 5:30 PM Central: This is on sale for just $41.28. Shipping is also free to many US addresses. Prices and availability can change quickly.  Check product page for current info – More About Prices

COMFEE’ 1800W Digital Electric Portable Induction Cooktop Countertop Burner, with 8 Power & Temperature Settings & 180 Mins Timer Auto Shut Off and Energy-saving – affiliate link, note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link

This post contains affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our Amazon links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Homebrew Finds!

Hands on Review: Brewer’s Edge Mash & Boil Electric Brewery + Limited Time DEAL

This review is by Homebrew Finds Contributor Brad Probert.  Brad is an engineer, expert homebrewer and experienced reviewer.  Grab a link to Brad’s website at the end of this review.

Brewer’s Edge Mash & Boil

I reviewed a number of electric all-in-one brewing systems a little over a year ago. As a collective group, these systems offer a lot to the homebrewer. They provide the flexibility and control of brewing process of all-grain, and the equipment simplicity of brew-in-a-bag. The fact that they’re electric gives you the ability to brew inside and convenience of not having to chase propane tank fill-ups. The electric systems also have the ability to set a target temperature and control to it, giving you better control of your brew day. All of these combine to create a more streamlined and less stressful brew day.

Each system has its own strengths and they all span a wide price range. The units I tried last year ranged from $470 at the low end to $2,500 at the high end. When I saw the Brewer’s Edge Mash & Boil coming in at $300, I was intrigued to see how this unit would work and if you really could go all-grain with an electric system at such an affordable price point.

Continue reading

Ends Today: BrewZilla Gen 4 on Sale at William’s Brewing + In Depth Hands on Review

Brewzilla 35 Liter Gen 4 110 volt

Brewzilla 35 Liter Gen 4 via William’s Brewing

More Info

From the product description, check product page for current description, price and availability:

The Brewzilla Gen 4 features a RAPT compatible controller, which means you can track, record, and monitor your beers online through the RAPT portal at https://app.rapt.io. It SHIPS FREE to lower 48.

• Recirculation Pump

• Mash & Boil, and Chill

• Mash up to 20 pounds

• Distilling Options

• Free Wort Chiller Tubing Connection Kit Included

• Runs on 110 volts, plugs in anywhere

New Detachable RAPT WIFI Controller

The RAPT portal has many features: you can see a record of your previous brews, remotely control the unit and turn it on to preheat from your phone, alter temperature settings from your phone, and more. Custom mash temperature profiles can be created and stored, alarms can be set if you want it to remind you when to add hop stages, or tell you when the strike water is heated and it is time to mash. All functions go through the RAPT controller; there are no longer toggle switches to control things like wattage and the pump.

New Concave Draining Base

The new base is dished towards the center so it drains all the wort. No need to tilt the unit to extract every drop of wort.

Larger Capacity Malt Pipe with Two Positions

The new high flow malt pipe is 20% larger than the old, meaning the 35 Liter Brewzilla can now mash up to 20 pounds of crushed malt per batch. This is great for high gravity beers, and enabled by the new concave base drain, which gave the designers more room for a malt pipe. The malt pipe also now has two positions, so you can lift it halfway up and twist for smaller batches, or lift it all the way like before for full batches. This is the latest version, with side perforations in addition to bottom of the basket perforations.

Easy Access Pump

The bottom cover has been reduced in size to only house the sensitive electrical components. This leave the pump easily accessible in case you need to clear a clog or replace a drain hose.

The Gen 4 Brewzilla with Pump from KegLand features a recirculation pump, as well as a false bottom and grain pipe to both protect the pump from clogging, and hold the crushed grain above the bottom for good wort circulation. The Unit holds 9 gallons, although we do not recommend boiling more than 6½ gallons (perfect for 5-6 gallon batches). The grain pipe (basket) holds up to 20 pounds of crushed malt, and a pipe with included silicone hose on top feeds the recirculated wort from the pump evenly on top of the grain bed. Runs on any GFCI protected 110 volt plug with at least 15 amps. Includes a free Chiller Tubing Connection Kit with 15’ of tubing. Dimensions: 12” by 12” by 25” with the grain pipe removed.


 

  • For a short time William’s Brewing has this on for $549.99
  • Shipping is free or reasonably priced flat rate to addresses in the contiguous US depending on your order size for most items.

Brewzilla 35 Liter Gen 4 110 volt

Hands on Review: BrewZilla Gen 4 All Grain Brewing System

This post may contain affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Homebrew Finds!

Visit William’s Brewing – Web Only Clearance Sale

Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability.

Hands on Review: BrewZilla Gen 4 + Choose from two DEALS

 

This review is by Homebrew Finds Contributor Brad Probert.  Brad is an engineer, expert homebrewer and experienced reviewer.  Grab a link to Brad’s website at the end of this review.


TWO BrewZilla Deals…

#1 On Sale at William’s Brewing

Brewzilla 35 Liter Gen 4 110 volt

  • For a short time William’s Brewing has this on for $549.99
  • Shipping is free or reasonably priced flat rate to addresses in the contiguous US depending on your order size for most items.

Brewzilla 35 Liter Gen 4 110 volt

#2 Save on Ultimate Combo Pack at MoreBeer

BrewZilla Ultimate Combo Pack | Gen 4 BrewZilla All Grain Brewing System | WiFi/Bluetooth/RAPT Enabled | Neoprene Jacket, Hop Spider & Wort Chiller Connection Kit Included | 9.25G | 35L | 110V

From MoreBeer:

  • The Ultimate BrewZilla Combo Pack! Get the Gen 4 BrewZilla & our most highly recommended accessories at an unbeatable price!
  • Includes all of our favorite accessories for the BrewZilla including the Neoprene Jacket to speed up heating times, Hop Spider to keep vegetal matter out of your wort, and Chilling Connection Kit so you’re ready to use the Immersion Chiller out of the box
  • We think all BrewZilla brewers will eventually upgrade their systems with these accessories, so buy them together and reap the savings!

As of this posting this combo is on sale for $649.99. Shipping is also free to many US addresses. No coupon code is required, check product page for avaiablility.

BrewZilla Ultimate Combo Pack | Gen 4 BrewZilla All Grain Brewing System | WiFi/Bluetooth/RAPT Enabled | Neoprene Jacket, Hop Spider & Wort Chiller Connection Kit Included | 9.25G | 35L | 110V AG581


Hands on Review BrewZilla Gen4

I’ve brewed on several different all-in-one units. Like any brew system, they each have their own strengths and weaknesses. I did a hands-on review of the Robobrew when it first came out in late 2016. It has since changed its name to BrewZilla and is on the 4th generation of the brew unit. As you’d expect with repeated generations, they’ve been able to focus on fixing deficiencies in their previous models and also introduce new features.

The basic premise of an all-in-one brewing system is that your mash and boil kettle are in the

same vessel. So just like Brew In A Bag, after mashing, you pull the grains out and the wort stays behind to be boiled. They use electricity for heat, so they can be used outdoors where you can reach power or indoors where you have a venting system that can take care of all the steam you make during your boil.

BrewZilla Without Jacket

Stamped Volume Markings

Here are some basic stats on the Gen4 BrewZilla. It’s available in a 35-Liter form (for 5-6 gallon batches) with either a 110V setup, or 220V. There is also a larger 65-Liter that is only 220V (targeted to 10-12 gallon batches). The 35L unit holds 9.25 gallons, the mash basket can hold up to 23.5 lbs. of grain, and its electric heating elements can output up to 1500W of power (110V system) or 2400W of power (220V system). The 65L unit holds 17.1 gallons, the mash basket holds 41.5 lbs. of grain, and 3500W of heating power. All the Gen4 units have a pump bolted into the base. The pump can be used not only for wort recirculation during the mash, but also to pump beer through your wort chiller apparatus (should you choose to not use the immersion chiller coil included with the BrewZilla). The pump is more modular and accessible than previous Gen models. To protect the pump from clogging with hop debris during the boil or whirlpool, there is a filter screen (a perforated stainless disc that sits at the bottom of the unit) that sits at the bottom of the kettle. The small magnetic drive pump has a pump head rating of 1.5 – 2.1 m (4.9 – 6.9 ft) and a max flow rate of 11-12 L/min (2.9 – 3.2 gal/min).

Control Panel Notification During Mash Profile

One of the key upgraded features of the Gen4 BrewZilla is the controller. RAPT Is Kegland’s line of wireless connected brewing devices. The BrewZilla now has a RAPT controller so it adds a lot of features that can be monitored and controlled over Wi-Fi. This includes basic things like monitoring temperature from your laptop/cell phone, but also allows you to program complex mash programs online and then download to your BrewZilla. You can also adjust control parameters on the fly such as pump output duty cycle and heater output level. If you get the optional Bluetooth thermometer, you can stick the temperature probe into the middle of your grain bed, and then have the controller use that as its control signal in combination with the built-in temperature sensor that sits on the floor of the unit.

Bluetooth Temp Probe in Middle of Mash

Although All-in-One units are essentially BIAB, they use a stainless steel basket with holes in the bottom of it instead of a bag, and call it a “malt pipe”. These provide functional improvements over a nylon bag. The obvious one is they are way easier to clean. But they also allow you to ensure you get full flow through your grain bed by having holes only on the bottom. This means recirculating wort has no sneak paths out the side. The other benefit is malt pipes have simple brackets/feet welded onto the outside that allow you to lift your wet grains up and prop the malt pipe on the brew rig to drain or sparge. The BrewZilla has 2 sets of feet for this. One set is halfway up, allowing you to do the deadlift of grain & wort halfway and then let the liquid level drain down. Then when you lift it the full height, it’s not as heavy. It’s simple, but makes the process much better.

Welded-on Carry Handle (top) and Tip Handle (bottom)

There is a cool feature in the BrewZilla which normally only comes on much higher end systems, and that’s the central drain. With a concave bottom with a drain at the lowest point in the center, you don’t have to leave wort behind or goof around with tilting it to get the last drops of wort out at the end. This also enables the malt pipe to extend down lower and thus you can hold more grain (30% more than their Gen3). If you compared to other All-in-one units in the “5 gallon batch” size range, the 23.5 lbs. grain capacity is 30 – 50% more. This of course only matters if you’re trying to make high gravity brews. The drain in the floor is plumbed to the inlet of the pump below, and then you can direct pump output either to an external spigot for fast/easy transfer of wort out after brewing, or up the recirculation pipe for wort to get directed down on top of the mash.

Polished Bottom with Center Drain and Built-in Temp Sensor to Side

Bottom Side of Pump Filter Plate

To help with mash efficiency and mash temperature uniformity, they offer a Heat Exchanger Dish, which is just a stainless dish/plate that sits below your malt pipe and above the central drain. Without this dish in place, the flow of recirculating wort tends to go through the center of your grain bed, and straight out the drain. With the dish there, it directs the flow around the full circumference before it gets to the drain, which helps ensure a broader portion of the grist sees the flow.


Compare Prices, Review Continues Below:


This article contains affiliate links. We may make a small percentage if you use our links to make a purchase. You won’t pay more and you’ll be supporting Homebrew Finds and more content like this. Thank you for your support!


Another helpful option is the neoprene insulation jacket. This helps keep mash temperatures more consistent by cutting down heat loss through the walls of the unit. The jacket on BrewZilla also smartly covers the recirculation pipe to minimize heat loss during wort recirculation. The overall mash temperature response with a multi-step mash was impressive, with more detail provided in the Hands On section, below.

Hands on Trials

First off, all of the different parts were well made with good quality manufacturing. As I’ve found with all Kegland gear, it’s of good quality- but nothing flashy. The one exception was probably the smooth and highly polished dished bottom. That was flashy. And being a previous owner of a 1st Gen Robobrew, I was very happy to see the camlock fitting on the recirculation pipe and see that Kegland was obviously tuned in to customer feedback on their products.

Mashing-in Sequence

Sparging

I brewed three different batches before writing this review. Two of them followed a simple single temperature mash, and the third one I exercised the RAPT Controller more with a multi-step mash profile, with lots of monitoring via my smartphone. I was impressed with the mash efficiency I achieved. There can be a misconception that BIAB = lower mash efficiency, but really, it’s “full volume mash = lower efficiency”. I had previously done experiments with an Anvil Foundry that showed a sparge step can get you mash efficiencies > 80%. Therefore, my batches in the BrewZilla were all done with a sparge step. I rested the malt pipe at the top while pouring heated sparge water through it with a 1-gallon pitcher. The perforated plate sitting on top of the grain bed made it super simple to sparge like this and get a good water distribution pattern. The perforated plate also allowed me to push down very easily and squeeze out remaining liquid in the grains. If you’re in the school of thought that squeezing the grains is bad for your beer, this isn’t relevant for you. For the rest of us, being able to easily squeeze that out without making a mess was awesome. And it meant when I picked up the basket of spent grain, I didn’t have a trail of sugary malt drippings to clean up after. My first batch achieved 77% mash efficiency, the second one 80%, and the third 81%.

Recirc Flow Rate After CFC

I experimented a bit with the Bluetooth RAPT wireless thermometer, but I didn’t properly understand it at first. I thought the concept was I could choose whether to use the built-in sensor at the bottom of the unit or the Bluetooth thermometer, but that wasn’t the case. When you add the Bluetooth thermometer, it will then control to that temperature, but it still uses the built-in sensor as part of your heating in a way that lets you fine tune how the system as a whole responds to temperature steps in your mash. After tinkering with it a bit, I realized it has some really powerful potential, but requires a deeper dive and some experimentation to back it up. So I’ll save that for a future write-up.

Bluetooth RAPT Thermometer

My typical brew system uses a 10-gallon kettle with a pump recirculating wort through a 240V RIMS with a 3500W heating element. With that set-up, I get about 3.1 degrees/minute temperature rise when doing multi-step mash profiles. I was therefore expecting this 120V/1500W system to be slow but was shocked to find similar performance that averaged around 2.5 degrees/minute. I attributed this capability to the neoprene jacket. On the plus side, that means you can do multi-step mashes even on only a 120V outlet and not take all day. But leaving the lid on as you heat to a boil is still a must. With the large opening in its domed top, it still can allow any volatized compounds to flow out.

BrewZilla Mashing by Itself in Basement

I found the RAPT software a bit non-intuitive and as such, had a learning curve to it. Luckily, I did a trial run just with water in it so I could get a feel for where various controls were located and how it worked. I definitely recommend this before you try to do any multi-step mash program, or live monitoring of things from the App. Way less stressful when it’s just water! After I got the hang of it, I was able to monitor my mash well and know what was going on as it chugged away in the basement and I worked at my day job one floor above. One key thing I learned was the in-flight plotting of mash temperature isn’t a continuously updating graph, you have to hit refresh in the App to get the updated data that it is recording and holding. I assume this is for computing efficiency and Wi-Fi bandwidth load management. It was perfectly fine once I figured out how it worked.

Screenshot of RAPT Controller Interface

The RAPT Controller allows you to program in multi-step mashes. But it’s a bit clunky as you figure it out. When you build the profile up using the App or Web interface, that profile sits on the RAPT server. My brain kept wanting to think I was programming the controller directly on the unit, but that’s not how it works. So after you program in the profile, you have to download it to the controller on your unit for it to work. You do all of this through the RAPT portal, and it only requires your BrewZilla to be powered on to let you download to it. This would be cool if you could just export something from Brewfather and then import it in RAPT, but you can’t. However, when you think about it, you probably don’t have that many different mash profiles, so it’s not really a big deal.

Malt Pipe

Draining Malt Pipe

One super cool feature of the mash profile programming is Kegland finally did what many have wanted these controllers to do for a long time. Rather than open loop programming a temperature and a time and guesstimating how long it will take for your mash to reach that temperature, you can tell it to not start counting down your mash step timer until it reaches the temperature. So if you want a 45-minute rest at 150F, you don’t have to think about how long it will take to get to 150F, it just heats up, and then starts the 45-minute timer when you hit 150F. I really liked this. You are also able to set up notifications at either the beginning or end of a particular mash step. I had it send an alert to my phone once it had reached mashout temperature and thus had 10 minutes left in my mash. That was cool, too. This isn’t quite as simple as it sounds, though. What I found was if the PID controller didn’t overshoot my target temp, I spent several minutes closing in on the target, but didn’t hit the temperature to start your countdown timer. So I’d end up with long mash times. I did some experiments with PID gains and the Bluetooth probe that got this working as I wanted, but I’ll detail that in a later write-up.

Rolling Boil at 75-percent Power

There wasn’t a boil timer interface, the controller was really just geared to controlling & monitoring mash temperatures. Not a big deal, as my Brewfather boil timer works great for this, so it isn’t a feature RAPT needs to spend time making. I could easily maintain a robust boil if I wanted to, but I like to keep it at just a good rolling circulation, so I dialed down the heating element power to 75% and maintained a constant churn of the wort and allowed boil-off of 0.4 – 0.5 gallons per hour. And the filter dish at the bottom of the kettle worked great to keep hop debris out of the pump, but not restrict flow. I had a thick cake of hop mush at the end when it was time to clean. Cleaning was fast and easy with parts light and easy to pull out, come apart, and rinse. And with the built-in pump, it was also easy to fill the unit up with cleaning solution at the end, circulate it through the unit & my Counter Flow Chiller to get everything clean.

Chilling Wort Using CFC and Built-in Pump

For wort cooling at the end of the boil, I used the built-in pump and circulated wort through my CFC. With the camlock fitting on the BrewZilla, I could easily hook up my typical ½” silicone tubing hoses. I was unsure if the pump would be up to the job, but it handled it easily. I could get a good volume flow rate with the recirc valve wide open on the BrewZilla and could easily restrict it when I wanted a slower flow.

A couple of pro tips to wrap things up. First, is to make sure you add your grains to the malt pipe BEFORE you lower it into the vessel. This ensures the weight of the grain keeps the bottom plate in place, so that as you lower it down, the water doesn’t push the bottom plate out of position and create a sneak path for whole grains to get through. Second is to make sure you have the plug fully seated in your brew unit. This might sound stupidly logical, but with a 6-foot power cord, you might end up pushing the limits of where you want the unit to sit vs. where the outlet is you’re plugged into. I had the cable become partially unseated and I wasn’t aware- until I went to remove the cord at the end of a long session of PID controller experiments. If the cord isn’t fully seated, you get less electrical contact on the pins and less contact means higher heat as electricity flows through it. I ended up damaging the cord and the receptacle from overheating.

Conclusions

The BrewZilla Gen4 delivered. The controller worked great, and I absolutely loved the step mash ability to start the mash step timer using actual mash temperatures. The RAPT interface wasn’t quite as slick as I would’ve liked but overall worked flawlessly, with no glitches. And I was definitely surprised how well a mere 120V/1500W system could handle mash steps and boil intensity. The well-thought-out little pieces of the malt pipe and various recirculation designs showed to me a system that was engineered with actual brewing hours spent on the unit, which is great. I feel with all of this, I won’t have compromises on my brew day using an all-in-one system versus my bigger 2-vessel system. And that says a lot.

Special thanks to Kegland for providing the unit used for evaluation in this review.

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Data Plots

Related: Hands on Review: Robobrew (BrewZilla v1) All Grain Brewing System

More Photos

Included Immersion Chiller (Fittings Sold Separately)

Collecting Wort for Gravity Check

Control Panel and Cord

Easy Access Pump and Hose Routing Underneath

Glass Lid with Handles

Hanger Plate for Control Panel

Heat Exchanger Dish

Holes in Malt Pipe to Help Flow

Malt Pipe Fits Perfectly in 8 Gallon Bucket

Malt Pipe Sitting at Halfway Point to Drain

Malt Pipe Screen Bottom (Left) and Top (Right)

Hop Debris on Filter Screen At End

Neoprene Jacket

Power Connection for 110V Cord and Multi-pin Connector for Control Panel

Recirc Pipe with Valve and Camlock Fitting

Recirc Pipe, Drain Spigot, and Malt Pipe Lift Handle

Robust Hard Rubber Feet

Convert RoboBrew to BrewZilla

If you’re looking to convert your Robobrew to a BrewZilla an upgrade board is available

robobrew upgrade board

Robobrew Gen 3.1.1 Upgrade Board Set 110 volt via William’s Brewing

More Kegland Gear Reviews!

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By Brad Probert.  Check out Brad’s website – beersnobby.com

Special Thanks to Keg King with the help of MoreBeer for providing the unit used for evaluation in this review

Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability.

Make sure the components you use are compatible and rated for your intended application.  Contact manufacturer with questions about suitability or a specific application.  Always read and follow manufacturer directions. tag:lnksfxd review:bprobobrew rs:7 #tag:tpru tag:watch

 

Hands on Review: Wort Hog Turnkey Electric e-BIAB System

highgravitybrew.com wort hog review

This review is by Homebrew Finds Contributor Brad Probert.  Brad is an engineer, expert homebrewer and experienced reviewer.  Grab a link to Brad’s website at the end of this review.

Wort Hog 120V eBIAB System

When it comes to electric Brew In A Bag (eBIAB) systems, there are several choices out there. I’ve tried both 240 Volt and 120 Volt systems. While I love the speed of heating water/wort on the 240V systems, I don’t love the constraints/expense of wiring a 240V plug in a convenient place. The 1500 Watt and 1600 Watt eBIAB units out there are good, but they do lack when it comes to speed of heating strike water or getting a really vigorous boil. The Wort Hog 120V system slides into this niche with the convenience of a 120V system, but using a 2250W Blichmann heating element to give a notable boost.



Also Consider… BrewZilla!

BrewZilla and DigiBoil at MoreBeer

Hands on Review: BrewZilla Gen 4 All Grain Brewing System

System Overview

The Wort Hog Turn Key System via High Gravity Fermentations Supplies uses a Bayou Classic 11-gallon kettle. I’d never seen a Bayou Classic kettle in person before, and I’ll admit I had a pre-conceived opinion of them. I thought of them as “cheap turkey fryers” based on their low price and marketing, but I found my baseless opinion was completely off. This 11-gallon kettle has a super shiny, polished exterior, but most importantly it was made of a very robust thick gauge stainless steel. With high quality, clean welds, this baby is certainly going to live up to wear and tear for a long time, and cleaned up very easily.


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BrewZilla Gen 4 Ultimate Combo Pack – on sale for $649 + in depth hands on review

BrewZilla Ultimate Combo Pack | Gen 4 BrewZilla All Grain Brewing System | WiFi/Bluetooth/RAPT Enabled | Neoprene Jacket, Hop Spider & Wort Chiller Connection Kit Included | 9.25G | 35L | 110V

From MoreBeer:

  • The Ultimate BrewZilla Combo Pack! Get the Gen 4 BrewZilla & our most highly recommended accessories at an unbeatable price!
  • Includes all of our favorite accessories for the BrewZilla including the Neoprene Jacket to speed up heating times, Hop Spider to keep vegetal matter out of your wort, and Chilling Connection Kit so you’re ready to use the Immersion Chiller out of the box
  • We think all BrewZilla brewers will eventually upgrade their systems with these accessories, so buy them together and reap the savings!

As of this posting this combo is on sale for $649.99. Shipping is also free to many US addresses. No coupon code is required, check product page for avaiablility.

BrewZilla Ultimate Combo Pack | Gen 4 BrewZilla All Grain Brewing System | WiFi/Bluetooth/RAPT Enabled | Neoprene Jacket, Hop Spider & Wort Chiller Connection Kit Included | 9.25G | 35L | 110V AG581

Hands on Review: BrewZilla Gen 4 All Grain Brewing System

MORE MoreBeer Deals!…This post contains affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Homebrew Finds!

Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability.

Tri-Clamp Heating Element – Three to Choose From + Great Deal on Tri-Clamp Fittings

Heating Element for Home Brewing. 1.5" Tri-Clamp - Locking Plug Built In

1.5″ Tri-Clamp/Tri-Clover Kettle Electric Elements.  The nice thing about these is that you can take them completely out of your kettle come cleaning time or whenever you want.  Also if you’re kettle already takes TCs, there is really no work involved in converting your kettle over.  Multiple voltages and wattages to choose from.

Heating Element for Home Brewing. 1.5″ Tri-Clamp – Locking Plug Built In

Also: Great Deals on Tri-Clamps via PFD – Tri-Clamp Fittings – As of this posting, HBF Readers get a 10% discount when you use this link.

More Tri-Clover/Tri-Clamp!  Tri-Clamp Fittings at Proflow Dynamics

This post may contain affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Homebrew Finds!

Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability tag:updtd rpu:tcelement

KitchenBoss 1,100 Watt Waterproof Sous Video Cooker (Digital Recirculating Heat Stick)

KitchenBoss Wifi Sous Vide Machine: Ultra-quiet Precision Sous-vide Cooker Immersion Circulator APP Control, IPX7 Waterproof Stainless Steel 1100W Professional Low Temperature Cooking Machines, Black

KitchenBoss Wifi Sous Vide Machine

More Info
Highlighted Features
  • Wi-Fi APP Control: Download and connect to the “KitchenBoss ”APP. No matter where you are, you can easily set and monitor the WIFI Sous Vide Machine through your phone. Regular updates to the APP can get the latest advances in Sous Vide technology.
  • Stainless Steel Design: The parts of G300PT sous vide machine in contact with water are made of food-grade SUS304 stainless steel, which is safe, robust, and high temperature resistant, avoiding any plastic materials that produce harmful substances when used at high temperatures for a long time!
  • Whisper-Quiet Cooking: The G300PT sous vide cooker uses an ultra-quiet brushless DC motor similar to high-end UAVs, ensuring a peaceful kitchen environment. The stainless steel sleeve has a noise-reducing diamond-shaped water inlet, and the stainless steel double-sided 45-degree spiral design also helps keep things quiet. To make it even more discreet, just press and hold the time mode for 3 seconds to activate mute mode.
  • Precise Control and Even Heating: Our precision cooker uses a strong brushless DC motor and high-precision control chip for quick and accurate cooking. With temperatures from 104°F to 194°F (40°C-90°C), the G300PT sous vide circulates water uniformly at 2900r/m with 16L/min flow. This means consistent heating and even cooking, even when you're using one pot for multiple ingredients.
  • Waterproof & Easy to Clean: Sous vide cooking machine has passed IPX7 waterproof certification, and the whole machine can be washed in water. Removable stainless steel sleeve allows deep cleaning of stains in every crevice.
  • Healthy Goodness: Low-temperature sous-vide immersion circulator cooking preserves the moisture and nutrients of raw materials, preserving nutrients and moisture for better taste. Experience professional chef quality dishes with ease. Stylish carbon fiber design. Perfect gift in a sleek box for birthdays or holidays, sharing the joy with loved ones.

From HBF: Make sure the components you use are compatible and rated for your intended application.  Contact manufacturer with questions about suitability or a specific application.  Always read and follow manufacturer directions.

 

Possible brewing uses could include: getting and keeping strike water at temp, direct use (with a filter bag in a mash tun or BIAB mash), maintaining temperature for sour mashes and getting to a boil more quickly (or helping to maintain a boil) for both all grain and extract batches.  Contact the manufacturer with questions about suitability for your application.

I have a Sous Vide Cooker from Anova (completely different model and manufacturer).  Check out my First Looks Post on that.  Anova also has an article on their website about brewing with the Anova One.

KitchenBoss Wifi Sous Vide Machine: Ultra-quiet Precision Sous-vide Cooker Immersion Circulator APP Control, IPX7 Waterproof Stainless Steel 1100W Professional Low Temperature Cooking Machines, Black – affiliate link, note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link

This post contains affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our Amazon links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Homebrew Finds!

$19.99 Peanut Butter Conspiracy Stout Kits!

$19.99 Peanut Butter Conspiracy Stout Kits!

Peanut Butter Conspiracy Recipe Kits for just $19.99


Double Points – 10% Back – Works on EVERYTHING!

Adventures in Homebrewing’s Rewards program typically offers about 5% back. Each qualifying item earns 1 point per dollar. 200 points gets you a $10 discount code.

For a limited time, they’re giving double points back. That equates to about 10% back on most things including many sale items.

My contact at AIH says this works on EVERYTHING excluding gift cards.

This is a great chance to get a de facto discount on items and lines that are typically not discounted like Blichmann, Anvil, TILTReview, Grainfather and TapcoolerReview. If you work for one of these companies… no item is being directly discounted.

Sale items at AIH are typically excluded from discounts, this is an exception… Sale Items – sorted low to high AND sorted most popular first

2x Rewards! <<< Important, go to this page to double check that 5x rewards points are still being offered.

Note: In order to earn rewards points, you must log in to your AIH account.

See: Rewards Program Complete Details


Up to 30% Off Bootleg Biology!

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We hand-selected 12 of their strains to showcase the diversity of what they offer. These were propagated special for our first order to make sure you receive the freshest yeast possible. From crispy lagers and juicy IPAs to complex mixed fermentations, Bootleg has a culture for every brew. Using Bootleg cultures ensures your beer stands out while still delivering familiar, predictable results.


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Hands on Review: BrewZilla Gen 4 + Limited Time DEAL

 

This review is by Homebrew Finds Contributor Brad Probert.  Brad is an engineer, expert homebrewer and experienced reviewer.  Grab a link to Brad’s website at the end of this review.


Limited Time Deal, Save on Ultimate Combo Pack

BrewZilla Ultimate Combo Pack | Gen 4 BrewZilla All Grain Brewing System | WiFi/Bluetooth/RAPT Enabled | Neoprene Jacket, Hop Spider & Wort Chiller Connection Kit Included | 9.25G | 35L | 110V

From MoreBeer:

  • The Ultimate BrewZilla Combo Pack! Get the Gen 4 BrewZilla & our most highly recommended accessories at an unbeatable price!
  • Includes all of our favorite accessories for the BrewZilla including the Neoprene Jacket to speed up heating times, Hop Spider to keep vegetal matter out of your wort, and Chilling Connection Kit so you’re ready to use the Immersion Chiller out of the box
  • We think all BrewZilla brewers will eventually upgrade their systems with these accessories, so buy them together and reap the savings!

As of this posting this combo is on sale for $649.99. Shipping is also free to many US addresses. No coupon code is required, check product page for avaiablility.

BrewZilla Ultimate Combo Pack | Gen 4 BrewZilla All Grain Brewing System | WiFi/Bluetooth/RAPT Enabled | Neoprene Jacket, Hop Spider & Wort Chiller Connection Kit Included | 9.25G | 35L | 110V AG581


Hands on Review BrewZilla Gen4

I’ve brewed on several different all-in-one units. Like any brew system, they each have their own strengths and weaknesses. I did a hands-on review of the Robobrew when it first came out in late 2016. It has since changed its name to BrewZilla and is on the 4th generation of the brew unit. As you’d expect with repeated generations, they’ve been able to focus on fixing deficiencies in their previous models and also introduce new features.

The basic premise of an all-in-one brewing system is that your mash and boil kettle are in the

same vessel. So just like Brew In A Bag, after mashing, you pull the grains out and the wort stays behind to be boiled. They use electricity for heat, so they can be used outdoors where you can reach power or indoors where you have a venting system that can take care of all the steam you make during your boil.

BrewZilla Without Jacket

Stamped Volume Markings

Here are some basic stats on the Gen4 BrewZilla. It’s available in a 35-Liter form (for 5-6 gallon batches) with either a 110V setup, or 220V. There is also a larger 65-Liter that is only 220V (targeted to 10-12 gallon batches). The 35L unit holds 9.25 gallons, the mash basket can hold up to 23.5 lbs. of grain, and its electric heating elements can output up to 1500W of power (110V system) or 2400W of power (220V system). The 65L unit holds 17.1 gallons, the mash basket holds 41.5 lbs. of grain, and 3500W of heating power. All the Gen4 units have a pump bolted into the base. The pump can be used not only for wort recirculation during the mash, but also to pump beer through your wort chiller apparatus (should you choose to not use the immersion chiller coil included with the BrewZilla). The pump is more modular and accessible than previous Gen models. To protect the pump from clogging with hop debris during the boil or whirlpool, there is a filter screen (a perforated stainless disc that sits at the bottom of the unit) that sits at the bottom of the kettle. The small magnetic drive pump has a pump head rating of 1.5 – 2.1 m (4.9 – 6.9 ft) and a max flow rate of 11-12 L/min (2.9 – 3.2 gal/min).

Control Panel Notification During Mash Profile

One of the key upgraded features of the Gen4 BrewZilla is the controller. RAPT Is Kegland’s line of wireless connected brewing devices. The BrewZilla now has a RAPT controller so it adds a lot of features that can be monitored and controlled over Wi-Fi. This includes basic things like monitoring temperature from your laptop/cell phone, but also allows you to program complex mash programs online and then download to your BrewZilla. You can also adjust control parameters on the fly such as pump output duty cycle and heater output level. If you get the optional Bluetooth thermometer, you can stick the temperature probe into the middle of your grain bed, and then have the controller use that as its control signal in combination with the built-in temperature sensor that sits on the floor of the unit.

Bluetooth Temp Probe in Middle of Mash

Although All-in-One units are essentially BIAB, they use a stainless steel basket with holes in the bottom of it instead of a bag, and call it a “malt pipe”. These provide functional improvements over a nylon bag. The obvious one is they are way easier to clean. But they also allow you to ensure you get full flow through your grain bed by having holes only on the bottom. This means recirculating wort has no sneak paths out the side. The other benefit is malt pipes have simple brackets/feet welded onto the outside that allow you to lift your wet grains up and prop the malt pipe on the brew rig to drain or sparge. The BrewZilla has 2 sets of feet for this. One set is halfway up, allowing you to do the deadlift of grain & wort halfway and then let the liquid level drain down. Then when you lift it the full height, it’s not as heavy. It’s simple, but makes the process much better.

Welded-on Carry Handle (top) and Tip Handle (bottom)

There is a cool feature in the BrewZilla which normally only comes on much higher end systems, and that’s the central drain. With a concave bottom with a drain at the lowest point in the center, you don’t have to leave wort behind or goof around with tilting it to get the last drops of wort out at the end. This also enables the malt pipe to extend down lower and thus you can hold more grain (30% more than their Gen3). If you compared to other All-in-one units in the “5 gallon batch” size range, the 23.5 lbs. grain capacity is 30 – 50% more. This of course only matters if you’re trying to make high gravity brews. The drain in the floor is plumbed to the inlet of the pump below, and then you can direct pump output either to an external spigot for fast/easy transfer of wort out after brewing, or up the recirculation pipe for wort to get directed down on top of the mash.

Polished Bottom with Center Drain and Built-in Temp Sensor to Side

Bottom Side of Pump Filter Plate

To help with mash efficiency and mash temperature uniformity, they offer a Heat Exchanger Dish, which is just a stainless dish/plate that sits below your malt pipe and above the central drain. Without this dish in place, the flow of recirculating wort tends to go through the center of your grain bed, and straight out the drain. With the dish there, it directs the flow around the full circumference before it gets to the drain, which helps ensure a broader portion of the grist sees the flow.


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Another helpful option is the neoprene insulation jacket. This helps keep mash temperatures more consistent by cutting down heat loss through the walls of the unit. The jacket on BrewZilla also smartly covers the recirculation pipe to minimize heat loss during wort recirculation. The overall mash temperature response with a multi-step mash was impressive, with more detail provided in the Hands On section, below.

Hands on Trials

First off, all of the different parts were well made with good quality manufacturing. As I’ve found with all Kegland gear, it’s of good quality- but nothing flashy. The one exception was probably the smooth and highly polished dished bottom. That was flashy. And being a previous owner of a 1st Gen Robobrew, I was very happy to see the camlock fitting on the recirculation pipe and see that Kegland was obviously tuned in to customer feedback on their products.

Mashing-in Sequence

Sparging

I brewed three different batches before writing this review. Two of them followed a simple single temperature mash, and the third one I exercised the RAPT Controller more with a multi-step mash profile, with lots of monitoring via my smartphone. I was impressed with the mash efficiency I achieved. There can be a misconception that BIAB = lower mash efficiency, but really, it’s “full volume mash = lower efficiency”. I had previously done experiments with an Anvil Foundry that showed a sparge step can get you mash efficiencies > 80%. Therefore, my batches in the BrewZilla were all done with a sparge step. I rested the malt pipe at the top while pouring heated sparge water through it with a 1-gallon pitcher. The perforated plate sitting on top of the grain bed made it super simple to sparge like this and get a good water distribution pattern. The perforated plate also allowed me to push down very easily and squeeze out remaining liquid in the grains. If you’re in the school of thought that squeezing the grains is bad for your beer, this isn’t relevant for you. For the rest of us, being able to easily squeeze that out without making a mess was awesome. And it meant when I picked up the basket of spent grain, I didn’t have a trail of sugary malt drippings to clean up after. My first batch achieved 77% mash efficiency, the second one 80%, and the third 81%.

Recirc Flow Rate After CFC

I experimented a bit with the Bluetooth RAPT wireless thermometer, but I didn’t properly understand it at first. I thought the concept was I could choose whether to use the built-in sensor at the bottom of the unit or the Bluetooth thermometer, but that wasn’t the case. When you add the Bluetooth thermometer, it will then control to that temperature, but it still uses the built-in sensor as part of your heating in a way that lets you fine tune how the system as a whole responds to temperature steps in your mash. After tinkering with it a bit, I realized it has some really powerful potential, but requires a deeper dive and some experimentation to back it up. So I’ll save that for a future write-up.

Bluetooth RAPT Thermometer

My typical brew system uses a 10-gallon kettle with a pump recirculating wort through a 240V RIMS with a 3500W heating element. With that set-up, I get about 3.1 degrees/minute temperature rise when doing multi-step mash profiles. I was therefore expecting this 120V/1500W system to be slow but was shocked to find similar performance that averaged around 2.5 degrees/minute. I attributed this capability to the neoprene jacket. On the plus side, that means you can do multi-step mashes even on only a 120V outlet and not take all day. But leaving the lid on as you heat to a boil is still a must. With the large opening in its domed top, it still can allow any volatized compounds to flow out.

BrewZilla Mashing by Itself in Basement

I found the RAPT software a bit non-intuitive and as such, had a learning curve to it. Luckily, I did a trial run just with water in it so I could get a feel for where various controls were located and how it worked. I definitely recommend this before you try to do any multi-step mash program, or live monitoring of things from the App. Way less stressful when it’s just water! After I got the hang of it, I was able to monitor my mash well and know what was going on as it chugged away in the basement and I worked at my day job one floor above. One key thing I learned was the in-flight plotting of mash temperature isn’t a continuously updating graph, you have to hit refresh in the App to get the updated data that it is recording and holding. I assume this is for computing efficiency and Wi-Fi bandwidth load management. It was perfectly fine once I figured out how it worked.

Screenshot of RAPT Controller Interface

The RAPT Controller allows you to program in multi-step mashes. But it’s a bit clunky as you figure it out. When you build the profile up using the App or Web interface, that profile sits on the RAPT server. My brain kept wanting to think I was programming the controller directly on the unit, but that’s not how it works. So after you program in the profile, you have to download it to the controller on your unit for it to work. You do all of this through the RAPT portal, and it only requires your BrewZilla to be powered on to let you download to it. This would be cool if you could just export something from Brewfather and then import it in RAPT, but you can’t. However, when you think about it, you probably don’t have that many different mash profiles, so it’s not really a big deal.

Malt Pipe

Draining Malt Pipe

One super cool feature of the mash profile programming is Kegland finally did what many have wanted these controllers to do for a long time. Rather than open loop programming a temperature and a time and guesstimating how long it will take for your mash to reach that temperature, you can tell it to not start counting down your mash step timer until it reaches the temperature. So if you want a 45-minute rest at 150F, you don’t have to think about how long it will take to get to 150F, it just heats up, and then starts the 45-minute timer when you hit 150F. I really liked this. You are also able to set up notifications at either the beginning or end of a particular mash step. I had it send an alert to my phone once it had reached mashout temperature and thus had 10 minutes left in my mash. That was cool, too. This isn’t quite as simple as it sounds, though. What I found was if the PID controller didn’t overshoot my target temp, I spent several minutes closing in on the target, but didn’t hit the temperature to start your countdown timer. So I’d end up with long mash times. I did some experiments with PID gains and the Bluetooth probe that got this working as I wanted, but I’ll detail that in a later write-up.

Rolling Boil at 75-percent Power

There wasn’t a boil timer interface, the controller was really just geared to controlling & monitoring mash temperatures. Not a big deal, as my Brewfather boil timer works great for this, so it isn’t a feature RAPT needs to spend time making. I could easily maintain a robust boil if I wanted to, but I like to keep it at just a good rolling circulation, so I dialed down the heating element power to 75% and maintained a constant churn of the wort and allowed boil-off of 0.4 – 0.5 gallons per hour. And the filter dish at the bottom of the kettle worked great to keep hop debris out of the pump, but not restrict flow. I had a thick cake of hop mush at the end when it was time to clean. Cleaning was fast and easy with parts light and easy to pull out, come apart, and rinse. And with the built-in pump, it was also easy to fill the unit up with cleaning solution at the end, circulate it through the unit & my Counter Flow Chiller to get everything clean.

Chilling Wort Using CFC and Built-in Pump

For wort cooling at the end of the boil, I used the built-in pump and circulated wort through my CFC. With the camlock fitting on the BrewZilla, I could easily hook up my typical ½” silicone tubing hoses. I was unsure if the pump would be up to the job, but it handled it easily. I could get a good volume flow rate with the recirc valve wide open on the BrewZilla and could easily restrict it when I wanted a slower flow.

A couple of pro tips to wrap things up. First, is to make sure you add your grains to the malt pipe BEFORE you lower it into the vessel. This ensures the weight of the grain keeps the bottom plate in place, so that as you lower it down, the water doesn’t push the bottom plate out of position and create a sneak path for whole grains to get through. Second is to make sure you have the plug fully seated in your brew unit. This might sound stupidly logical, but with a 6-foot power cord, you might end up pushing the limits of where you want the unit to sit vs. where the outlet is you’re plugged into. I had the cable become partially unseated and I wasn’t aware- until I went to remove the cord at the end of a long session of PID controller experiments. If the cord isn’t fully seated, you get less electrical contact on the pins and less contact means higher heat as electricity flows through it. I ended up damaging the cord and the receptacle from overheating.

Conclusions

The BrewZilla Gen4 delivered. The controller worked great, and I absolutely loved the step mash ability to start the mash step timer using actual mash temperatures. The RAPT interface wasn’t quite as slick as I would’ve liked but overall worked flawlessly, with no glitches. And I was definitely surprised how well a mere 120V/1500W system could handle mash steps and boil intensity. The well-thought-out little pieces of the malt pipe and various recirculation designs showed to me a system that was engineered with actual brewing hours spent on the unit, which is great. I feel with all of this, I won’t have compromises on my brew day using an all-in-one system versus my bigger 2-vessel system. And that says a lot.

Special thanks to Kegland for providing the unit used for evaluation in this review.

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Data Plots

Related: Hands on Review: Robobrew (BrewZilla v1) All Grain Brewing System

More Photos

Included Immersion Chiller (Fittings Sold Separately)

Collecting Wort for Gravity Check

Control Panel and Cord

Easy Access Pump and Hose Routing Underneath

Glass Lid with Handles

Hanger Plate for Control Panel

Heat Exchanger Dish

Holes in Malt Pipe to Help Flow

Malt Pipe Fits Perfectly in 8 Gallon Bucket

Malt Pipe Sitting at Halfway Point to Drain

Malt Pipe Screen Bottom (Left) and Top (Right)

Hop Debris on Filter Screen At End

Neoprene Jacket

Power Connection for 110V Cord and Multi-pin Connector for Control Panel

Recirc Pipe with Valve and Camlock Fitting

Recirc Pipe, Drain Spigot, and Malt Pipe Lift Handle

Robust Hard Rubber Feet

Convert RoboBrew to BrewZilla

If you’re looking to convert your Robobrew to a BrewZilla an upgrade board is available

robobrew upgrade board

Robobrew Gen 3.1.1 Upgrade Board Set 110 volt via William’s Brewing

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By Brad Probert.  Check out Brad’s website – beersnobby.com

Special Thanks to Keg King with the help of MoreBeer for providing the unit used for evaluation in this review

Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability.

Make sure the components you use are compatible and rated for your intended application.  Contact manufacturer with questions about suitability or a specific application.  Always read and follow manufacturer directions. tag:lnksfxd review:bprobobrew rs:7 #tag:tpru tag:watch

 

1,600 Watt Stainless Steel Heating Element – $43.99 + Free Ship Eligible, Limited Availability

1600 Watt Stainless Steel Heating Element BE446

1600 Watt Stainless Steel Heating Element from MoreBeer

More Info

From the product description, check product page for current description, price and availability:

A powerful, 304 stainless steel heating element well suited for most kettles. With its weldless design and a diameter of 1 1/4″ it’s easy to install. Install by simply drilling a 1.25″ hole in your kettle and tightening the nut from the outside. The heating element requires a power cord which can be purchased separately (Electrical connection requires a computer power connection IEC320 C13 to your 110 v plug). 11.5″ Long

Features:

  • 1600 watt 110 v element
  • Food grade, high temperature silicone seal
  • The element itself is 11.5 in long, 0.75 in. Diameter.

Please Note – Having electrical devices around liquid can be hazardous, and should not be left unattended. Please use caution while using this device, and read the instruction manual prior to use.

Use the H902 1.25″ Hole Saw to drill a hole for this product.


 

Limited Availability Deal of the Day: As of this posting, this on sale as as a MoreBeer Deal of the DayShipping is also free to addresses in the contiguous US with most $59 Orders. Availability: This is available today only, while supplies last. Quantities are limited. Check the MoreBeer’s Deal of the Day to check today’s offering.

Product Description – Here – Use coupon code BEERDEAL to get this discount.

1600 Watt Stainless Steel Heating Element BE446

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1,000 Watt Coil Water Heater… $9.99!

1,000 Watt Coil Heater

\What are Other’s Saying?   Search this product’s Amazon reviews for “brew” – affiliate link, note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link

1/14 11 AM Central: This is selling for just $9.99.  Shipping is also free to many US addresses. Prices and availability can change quickly Check product page for current info – More About Prices

Portable Water Heater Coil Aluminum Hot Water Heater (1000 Watts) by GCG – affiliate link, note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link

This post contains affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our Amazon links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Homebrew Finds!

Make sure the components you use are compatible and rated for your intended application.  Contact manufacturer with questions about suitability or a specific application.  Always read and follow manufacturer directions.

BrewZilla Ultimate Combo Pack – on sale for $649 + in depth hands on review

BrewZilla Ultimate Combo Pack | Gen 4 BrewZilla All Grain Brewing System | WiFi/Bluetooth/RAPT Enabled | Neoprene Jacket, Hop Spider & Wort Chiller Connection Kit Included | 9.25G | 35L | 110V

From MoreBeer:

  • The Ultimate BrewZilla Combo Pack! Get the Gen 4 BrewZilla & our most highly recommended accessories at an unbeatable price!
  • Includes all of our favorite accessories for the BrewZilla including the Neoprene Jacket to speed up heating times, Hop Spider to keep vegetal matter out of your wort, and Chilling Connection Kit so you’re ready to use the Immersion Chiller out of the box
  • We think all BrewZilla brewers will eventually upgrade their systems with these accessories, so buy them together and reap the savings!

As of this posting this combo is on sale for $649.99. Shipping is also free to many US addresses. No coupon code is required, check product page for avaiablility.

BrewZilla Ultimate Combo Pack | Gen 4 BrewZilla All Grain Brewing System | WiFi/Bluetooth/RAPT Enabled | Neoprene Jacket, Hop Spider & Wort Chiller Connection Kit Included | 9.25G | 35L | 110V AG581

Hands on Review: BrewZilla Gen 4 All Grain Brewing System

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Hands on Review: Blichmann Engineering BrewEasy Classic!

This review is by Homebrew Finds Contributor Brad Probert.  Brad is an engineer, expert homebrewer and experienced reviewer.  Grab a link to Brad’s website at the end of this review.

Blichmann BrewEasy Classic

Blichmann came out with the BrewEasy in 2014. It was when all-in-one units were starting to pop up in the market everywhere. Blichmann went in a different direction, by building on the strength of their existing kettles, and finding an innovative way to connect them together. They came out with a revised model in 2021 that they call the BrewEasy Compact, but they still offer the original configuration and call it the BrewEasy Classic. This review will focus on the BrewEasy Classic.


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