All in one electric systems yae or nay ?

I use a Grainfather and I'm generally happy with it. I like it because I can brew any time without worry of weather or much impact on my family. I often brew on Friday nights while eating pizza and watching a movie with the kids. I've had some issues with mine, but customer service has been great.

That being said, there are cheaper options that are probably just as good or better. You can find some good comparisons on youtube from David Heath or Short-circuited Brewing.

Could you just adapt your system to be electric with some elements and a controller? Might save you money and allow for more flexibility/control.

 

I brew with the Anvil Foundry. It’s a nice set and I get good efficiency and clear wort. It’s 120v so it takes some time. Typically takes me 5-6 hrs start to finish, finish being everything is cleaned and ready for the next brew day. I went with the 5 gallon kettle so the grain basket is small. About 12-13 pounds is it’s max. At the max weight it takes along time to sparge. But all in all I would definitely buy again and I would go with the 10gallon kettle

 

I recently transitioned from an outdoor propane 3 tier setup to an indoor electric setup with 2 digiboil kettles. I am still learning the setup, but overall am very happy with being able to brew inside with digital temp control and no propane. I don't see an issue with brewing 1.060 wort at 5.5 gallons on this setup (or a grainfather / robobrew). It hasn't saved me any time on brew day, but my numbers are on track as predicted from my software and the brewday seems much smoother overall.

I haven't felt the need to brew with windows open either, although I could as there are several windows in my brew space. We have a fair amount of square footage, though, so that may help deter steam overload.

 

Brewed 300ish batches on a Grainfather. I can get 80% + mash efficiency on anything sub 1.060. Over that the efficiency starts to go down a bit but I can get 5+ gallons of 1.083 wort with a bit of extra work. You could double mash and probably get as high as you want. I don’t make many beers over 1.060 though.

As has been said they have their issues but most have been ironed out since the first generations I think. Customer Service is good. I’ve done a few modifications to mine to optimize it. If you get one PM me and I can give you all the tips and tricks I’ve learned after so many batches on one.

 

Not much input on the systems side of things as I have limited experience...but considering you'll be brewing inside in the heart of the cold season...my guess is that adding some humidity to the house every now and again may not be a horrible thing...just may need to dry some window panes the next morning. Some local backyard maple producers put out gallons of steam into their house when their syruping in spring.

 

I have a Robobrew. I like it. It's easy to brew on and 80% efficiency is easy to achieve. I've only brewed 12P lagers on it, but I'd be surprised if 15P beers weren't easy to get to. To me, the simplicity of it is well worth the money.

 

I moved off of my 15 gallon 3 tier propane system 2 years ago to a 5 gallon Mash & Boil... never looked back. I have mine on a metal rolling cart from H&F and the pump mounted just under it. Huge beers are an issue, but I just supplement with DME. 5-6 hour brew days. I can fill with strike water, set my strike temp, set a 12 hour delay, and get up in the morning ready to doughin. This model does take some recirc to get it clear but I simply run the wort via pump back into the kettle through a hop screen while it heats to a boil.

 

Thought i read you had problems with the anvil. What was it. I'd like to get one.

 

Actually I did, I forgot about that. I set the delay to heat the water to strike temp the night before and it never came on. This was about 5 brews in. I tried all the troubleshooting tips they provide and they didn’t work. The usual suspect was the thermal sensor that trips if you heat with out water in the kettle, but it wasn’t tripped and I bypassed it “ I know” and it still didn’t heat or kick the fan on. Only thing I could figure was the circuit board had something bad on it. Fuse was ok, I checked. So I called and it was at the beginning of Covid. So I had to wait a month for them to get back to work. All I could do was leave a message and no one ever called me back. I had to pay to mail it to them and they fix it and mailed it back with no follow up or anything as to what they did. It has worked since though.