Best home brewing or pilot brewing system?

The Blichman line is excellent but on the pricey side http://morebeer.com/products/blichm...-gallon.html?gclid=CPzO9v_stb8CFVE1aQodKF4Ajg

 

How many gallon boils you looking to do?

 

If I had the space & cash to spare: http://morebeer.com/products/10-gallon-digital-singletier-brewsculpture.html

I'm eagerly awaiting pricing on the electric version of: http://www.blichmannengineering.com/products/breweasy

 

I've brewed on all of them. It really depends on what you want.

TopTier is good for 10 gallon batches if you can tolerate not having a single tier system. If you want to automate the TopTier then the cost definitely starts approaching the other systems. I haven't used a Blichmann Brew Easy system, but that would probably be the system I'd consider if leaning toward Blichmann.

Sabco is nice for RIMS and hard plumbing, but the Chill Wizard frustrates me and I absolutely hate brewing with those keggles / fermenting with those ridiculously expensive keggle fermenters. Don't get suckered by the whole Sabco "save your recipe" bs as it isn't hard if you can take notes and aren't an idiot. If you are planning on spending this much money on homebrewing, I'd hope you can take notes and aren't an idiot.

Morebeer Brew Sculpture would be my choice hands down if you wanted the larger set up (26g kettles I believe for 20g batches). It's kind of pricy if going for the 10g setup. Morebeer 10g system is a good system to brew on, but not nearly as good of a value as the 20g setup. Oh and if you are going to plunk some serious coin on the Morebeer setup, make sure to get the stainless frame version. Small price to pay for a system that will last much longer.

P.S. Keep in mind that, while all parts are important, the "hot side" of brewing is the easy part. It can be accomplished very well with a cheap system. The bells and whistles are really only convenience and consistency improvements. If you don't already have a solid "cold side" set up (stir plates, temperature controlled fermentation chambers, etc), spend the money on that first.

 

I'd lean toward the Morebeer systems as well, after considering koopa's advice. Controlling your fermentation is about 95% of making good beer and a fancy brew day setup doesn't contribute much toward that goal (except for being able to chill quickly). A tightly controlled mash is important too but you can get that on a stovetop system with a little attention to detail.

Get a 15-20 gallon system unless you have a fondness for boilovers. It's also handy if you get drafted to make a lot of beer for a wedding or something.

 

I would have to agree with Koopa, spend the money on the "cold side" first. Cntrolling phenols, oxygen, and fermentation temps when fermenting and, as we will know that is where 80%+ of your flavor comes from, is far more important. (IMHO)

 

Or build your own
http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac329/bazowie/20130330_072935_zps81ca22c2.jpg

 

don't overlook ruby street or psycho brew systems as well. That said, the tipy-dump system is pretty sweet...would probably go towards morebeer system as well, but i love my boilermakers too!
If this is a pilot system for a brewery...I was just talking with some brewers at Harpoon yesterday and they were talking about hopefully building a pilot brewery with steam coils plumbed into the system. That is ideal imo, reach strike temp and boil in no time flat.

 

High Gravity has some good electric brewery options.

 

I'm going with the Alpha Ruby 1 barrel system - tremendous bang for the buck & you can brew a true barrel. About $4,300 ready to rock - add a herms system, digital controller and a chill plate and you're looking at about $7,000.

http://www.rubystreetbrewing.com/tp60/page.asp?ID=299440

 

I couldn't possibly be happier with the Sabco Brew Magic. It is a boss system.

 

My morebeer 1550 10 gallon sculpture is going on about 5 years with little to no problems and I use it almost every weekend.

 

Good advice. Hot side needs can be satisfied with a minimalist BIAB setup.

 

My MoreBeer 2050 Tippy makes everything I want to make right up to the High Gravity stuff. Nice big mash tun and boil kettle. The hot liquor tank gives you plenty of sparge water. Mine is 100% manual and I got it used for less than $3K.

 

Ruby street system is pretty rad. Or build it for half the price.

 

The More Beer systems are used by many pros on the West Coast. DFH has the Brew Magic, and a new one at the production brewery. There are a few Blichmann's in the Midwest, and some nanos have Blichmann's as the brew house. I am seeing more Psychobrew stuff around.

They all make beer. Decide what features you need, find one that matches your budget. Don't overlook getting a premium mill to feed that system. The cold side advice is golden. You will also want to have some place to put the finished beer, so a keg going set up should be considered.

 

To date building my custom eherms system to fit my requirements has been one of the most enjoyable and exciting times in this over grown hobby. The Electric Brewery is a great website to reference, especially if you ware going to build your own controller.