I want to go into All-Grain

I don't know if you'll get much feedback about the Robobrew/Brewzilla on this forum, because there are not many fans/users of all-in-one automated system around here. Hopefully someone will chime in, but in case they don't, don't feel like you're being (personally) ignored.

 

Welcome to the BA site and to the Homebrewing forum.

@VikeMan has it right, but hopefully you can get some genuine feedback. Here's a link to a search that I did in this forum for some past information about Brewzilla. https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/search/118116646/?q=Brewzilla&o=date&c[node]=8

Good luck.

 

All in one brewing systems really only combine the kettle and mash tun.
Ive found the lauter on these (with a pump) is really efficient.
Also the grainfathers chiller is really effective if you use a 3rd party pump and bucket of ice water. Im seeing a 40 degree drop in kettle to fermenter.

 

I have no experience with that but wanted to welcome you back to the hobby.

Have you asked around on other homebrew forums?

 

You can get a standard 3 vessel brew setup for around the same price. The brewzilla aint gonna brew for you.
Just in case youre asking.
Youll need a kettle, some kind of cooler based mash tun, a hot liquor tank. And of course a fermenter (with either setup).
Ive got both, I brew on both. I certainly like the cleanup better on the grainfather. I like the boil better on propane.
lots of the online brew stores have starter packages to get you going. Austin Homebrew AIH, Northern, More beer etc.

 

Welcome to the madness indeed. No idea on that system.


If you decide to go a more traditional route there is a wealth of info here.

 

I'd recommend brewing a couple more extract kits to get back in the swing of things before going all-grain. Not 100% necessary, but doing that does get you back in the habit and able to dial in fermentations before adding the complexity of all grain (not really that complex, but it's that many more steps to take.)
One thing that has gotten a lot of traction around here is Brew In A Bag (BIAB)
As long as your kettle is big enough, you can brew anything without worrying about transferring back and forth.
I think minimum is a 10 gallon kettle, depending on your brews (others can chime in on that)
The only additional equipment you need is the bag - those are pretty cheap.

 

I’ve been planning to move my brewing inside and utilize a robobrew when I do so. Been using a 3 vessel propane system for a lot of years and see many benefits to the robobrew or similar system. Are people on this board opposed to them or just haven’t adopted those systems since they’re relatively new? Just trying to make a well informed decision before I take the plunge.

 

Over the past couple of years, I think it's safe to say the majority of folks on this forum (at least those who have expressed opinions) don't like these systems. It's not that they're new. It's mostly that they are not considered by some to be true hands-on home brew setups. One common theme is that if you're not going to put in all the work, why bother?...there's plenty of craft beers at the grocery store (or distributor). There definitely has been some feeling that these systems are basically just a hipster toy.

Second, and perhaps as/more important, these systems are not as flexible as someone might want, unless you want to be limited to some (small) batch size, and brew what's essentially BIAB. Some of these systems don't allow a true vorlauf. Some take a really long time to reach a boil. And in at least one case, there is no actual boil. Stuff like that.

Also, there's a repeating theme where first time posters spam the products, under the guise of asking questions about it. They either don't post again, or spend a couple posts spouting righteous indignation at being called out. In both cases, we never see those User IDs again.
Read the first post in this thread. I'm not sayin,' I'm just sayin.'

 

It's true the boil is hard to reach on these 110v systems. Aside from the silly beeping it's not much different than standard brewing. The kettle and the tun are shared. Still need a hlt and a way to heat. Also has way faster cleanup and small footprint.
Hipster brew systems to me at least are those like pico and such. It's more like brew on a basket. Same concept as biab.

 

My buddies and I bought a 35l Brewzilla about 6 months ago and really enjoy it. The beer we've made has always been tasty. For our purposes, it was a great next step after extract brewing. It is super easy to clean, has a small footprint, and we dig it. Will we brew on it forever? No. But it was a good intro to all grain.

If there is one thing I've learned over the years with various hobbies like cars, craft beer, etc... is that there are always going to be "purists" that will piss on anything they feel is below them.

Watch some videos, see if your local homebrew store does demos of them (mine does) and make a decision based on what will work best for you for your purposes. You can always sell it later if you decide to upgrade.

 

I use a Robobrew exclusively and love it. I typically brew 3-6 gallon batches, and last year I did 30 batches total. Four more already this year.

I was a real cheap-ass and got the ultra-base model, so no recirc/pump. I took out the malt pipe and use a custom-sized BIAB bag in it. I stir frequently during the mash, and on larger batches use my Anova sous vide to equalize temps top-to-bottom in the machine. At the end of the mash I squeeze the hell out of the bag.

I get great results from it. Highly recommend if you want to save space and brew indoors. It may not be "traditional" brewing, but it's still hands-on and still requires finesse. Ultimately, I just want to make beer that I like, and this gets the job done with a minimum of fuss.

 

I have seen reviews of this gear on youtube and suggest you look there if you haven't yet.

Since you like dunkels and pilsners, you'll probably want to have some temperature controls that get you down to lager fermentation temperatures. There are many different approaches to this, with price tags that range from <$20 to >$1000.

 

For what’s its worth I use Anvil Foundry system. To get to the boil faster I just use my propane torch and heat the outside to help along. It’s fast anyways so I use this only when I don’t plan accordingly and run out of time. The only thing I regret is I wish the grain basket was bigger so I could make bigger beers. Didn’t really research that before I pulled the trigger.