Equipment advice

I think others will agree with me: You should gain some all grain experience before purchasing equipment like this. Most people start out with extract brewing. Still others, myself included, jump right into all grain brewing. But I wouldn't want to learn to brew all grain and learn how to use a fully automated system.

 

I do not like what I see with the Brew Boss at all. It seems gimmicky. A whole batch in 3 1/2 hours including clean-up? Hmmm? The equipment doesn't even look like it's of great quality. But what really turns me off is the one vessel system and that the grains aren't removed. I'd imagine that evaporation is going to be rising, forming on the grain, and then falling back into the boil. There would have to be tannins pulled out. Ahhh... maybe I've missed something, but it just doesn't feel right to me. I'm a professional brewer, and I really feel like this is not the way to go.

For $999 it's way too much. I started all-grain with a picnic cooler I found in the trash at a campground, a spiral tube of copper from Home Depot, a few mesh bags, a thermometer, a 7 gallon S.S. kettle and a few plastic buckets. A couple of other tidbits fit in as well, but I learned to mash, sparge, boil, and transfer/chill and I'm not sure you're going to get the nuances of that with this automated system. Additionally, I can brew on any system, I don't need to know the specifics of it because I know the basics; and I'd know how to fix something if something went wrong and I'm not sure that'd be the case here. For a few hundred more you could buy a 15.5 gallon system like the one that Dogfish Head started out on at their brewpub in Rehoboth.

 

This is essentially what I got to start, plus a better thermometer, 10Gal kettle and wort chiller. It's nothing fancy, but it's everything I needed.

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/The-AHS-Brewing-Equipment-Kit-Glass-Secondary.html

 

I am not a big fan of automated brewing systems. This hobby, for me and for the vast majority of people who stick with it, is about discovering beer and brewing. Drinking your own homebrew, even if it is mediocre is just about the coolest thing since the other side of the pillow. Pushing some buttons, screwing with software and maybe buying proprietary kits seems like no fun at all.

Now many of us certainly have automated parts of the brewery over the course of years. Pumps, welded stands, valves etc. But that is mostly to make things easier and not replace the hand made work.

I suggest you get a decent all grain set up. Better yet, build it yourself. This is a hobby with a famous DIY mindset.

Basically you want to be like this guy


Not this guy

Cheers.

 

OP, this is a solid recommendation for making 5-gallon batches or smaller. You'll still have to provide the bottles, so start saving them from the commercial beer that you drink. You can also browse back 6-10 pages in this forum to find other threads that ask the same question about equipment. Your question is a common one here, so you'll see a variety of threads and recommendations.

 

I think that the best way to answer your question is to first determine what your purpose is:

1. To save costs by making beer rather than purchasing it?
2. To impress friends by saying you make your own beer with fancy equipment?
3. You enjoy making beer as a hobby but can't handle some of the physical aspects because you are physically handicapped or elderly?
4. You are really enthused about beer and hope to make it a key hobby and learn and experience all you can?
5. You enjoy homebrewed beer better than commercial beers, but are not too interested in homebrewing as a hobby?

The answers to these questions will help determine what 5 gallon homebrew equipment to buy, if any.

 

It's pretty hard to ruin a batch. You may not always get the best results, but it will almost always still be good enough to enjoy.

I can see why you wanted to go to a system, but as others have said, in order to make the best use of an automated system, and make repairs, etc., as well as to design the types of beers you want with all the minor adjustments, it's best to start with a much lesser expensive system and work up. Once you have a better understanding of the process, and all the changes that make different types of beer, you would have a much better understanding of the automated systems and be able to make even better beer.

If you're worried about time, I hear that a huge amount of time can be saved by making smaller batches, say 2-1/2 galllons, or even 1 gallon batches. It takes no time to bring water to a boil, to do most of your mashing and boiling on the stovetop, etc. You can do numerous small batches when you have time, and end up with the same amount and with even more varieties of beer to experiment with.

I think that once you start brewing on the smaller systems, it will be hard to want to go to an automated system. However, that can still be a choice later, should you so wish. For now, I think it's best to start small. Try small batches first.

 

As some of you, i started with extract then moved to all grain, just cos i felt like i was actually doing something when i did all grain. Nothing against extract, is just up to the homebrewer if you wanna go all grain or extract, both can make great beer as far as i know.
But imo getting and all automatic system feels like it kills the beauty of homebrewing, is not just making beer, is a time for yourself, to forget about everything, no work problems, no family issues, is also a good excuse to gather some friends and spend a good time.
If a machine is going to do all that for me, i dont see the fun of it.

 

As far as I see it, these are the possible advantages of purchasing an automated system:

1. You enjoy homebrewing but have physical handicaps or/and are elderly;
2. You have limited time, are not too keen with homebrewing itself, but enjoy experimenting with different recipes;
3. You still homebrew most of the time but like to be able to experiment with different recipes at the same time;
4. You just enjoy the same specific recipes again and again, and homebrewing itself has become boring.

 

I agree with what everyone else has posted about starting smaller to ensure you like homebrewing and to get a feel for the nuts and bolts of it. Part of the fun for many of us is not only developing recipes and actually brewing (not to mention tasting the final product) but also putting together the various pieces of equipment that suit our needs best. I started many years ago on partial extract brewing and then after taking a year or so off of brewing when my brewing buddies dropped out (what was I thinking???), I jumped back in directly to all grain and have loved it.

That all being said, I am not against automated systems and am looking to go to the grainfather or a similar system in the next 6 months for two reasons: 1. I want my tried and proven recipes to come out consistently every time, 2. I intend to brew 2 beers at a time and having one system automated would really be nice!

Good luck with brewing!

 

If the reason to jump right to an automated system is just error prevention, I'd say save yourself many hundreds of dollars and start with a basic setup. It certainly has appeal to be able to dial-in temperatures precisely batch after batch, but if you get within a couple of degrees Fahrenheit of your targets, you're largely going to be ok. I certainly lust over some electric systems with automated temperature control, but have gotten along just fine without it for quite a few years at this point. If money were absolutely no object, sure.

If I were to drop some decent coin on fancy brew gear up front, I'd probably spend it on fermentation temperature control rather than your brewday setup.