Anyone using the Blichmann Breweasy Compact?

Systems, Gear, & DIY
1

I literally just found out about the Compact version a short time ago, and it ticks a LOT of boxes for me. (Currently using an Anvil Foundry 10g, which has been giving me a few problems lately.)

I immediately went to do research on it, and I’m finding surprisingly little info. Short Circuited did a couple of intro videos on it, and then never mentioned it again. Another channel has a series of videos detailing all the different components and one or two brewdays. But that’s it. I don’t see any other video reviews, and only a few scattered mentions from several years ago on the forums / Reddit / etc.

Am I just not finding them? Or is this thing really flying so far below the radar, no one is talking about it? I’m honestly shocked by the seeming lack of coverage of this thing… and has me second-guessing whether I should be thinking about getting one.

Anyway, I’d love if any Compact users would chime in with their thoughts on it, particularly as a 120V kitchen brewer.

Cheers!

2

I am not a Blichmann Breweasy Compact user, but the fellow at Bitter Reality Brewing seems to like his Compact:

You may have already seen these.  I would compare this with the Clawhammer Supply all in one for a similarity perspective.

I have an Anvil Foundry 10 gal set up for 5 gallon batches and a different set up for 10 gallon batches (combo of stout tanks and SS InufSSion Mash tun).

I am curious about what the Foundry is giving you problems?

3

Yes, Bitter Reality is the other channel I mentioned (forgot their name when I made my original post).

I’m just surprised that this unit is pretty much ignored across the homebrew community right now. It looks really nice to me, and it’s a major manufacturer… am I missing something obvious?

As to the Foundry: first I had a complete power loss. Turned out the connector on the wire leading to the fuse assembly snapped off. (How it managed to do that, while inside the unit, is beyond me – the Foundry has never left my house, in fact it never moves more than about 15 feet, from where I keep it just outside of the kitchen, into the kitchen on brewday. It’s been very well-cared for, so I chalk it up to cheapo Chinese manufacturing).

Now it’s completely ignoring my timer, set temp, and power settings. If the unit it powered on, it’s on maximum and heads straight to a boil (and, a stronger boil than usual!). Had to manually manage the power on my last brewday, and that was a huge PITA particularly during the mash.

Anvil support said they think it’s the controller board, but a.) since I have the original Foundry I’d have to replace both the board and the screen, and b.) the controller is back-ordered until May.

So, right now I’m pretty frustrated and considering all options.

I’m 100% into the concept of all-in-one kitchen brewing, I came from a traditional three-vessel propane-fired rig and the Foundry has been a total game-changer for me by every metric. I knew I would eventually look to upgrade into a more “premium” model, but hadn’t really started that research until this most recent issues.

And, to be totally honest, I would still recommend the Foundry, and buying the newer model is definitely on my list. But the Breweasy looks far better-made, more robust, and I like that the controller is a separate unit and the whole thing feels more “modular” (meaning if I have any problems with one component I can just focus on that one part… hopefully I’m explaining that well).

And it ticks almost all of my other boxes in regards to all-in-ones and other compact brewing systems: no center pipe, no integrated pump, separate controller, 120V option, compact form factor.

The fact that no one is talking about it has be concerned… but then again, it’s essentially a boilermaker with a custom basket, and the Brew Commander controller, both of which are long-term products in their lineup. Perhaps I’m just way over-thinkiing this (wouldn’t be the first time LOL)

4

Sorry to hear your woes on the Foundry - I have been lucky with my setup.  I, too, have the old model with the older basket, so I usually just do a BIAB approach (with a bag) within the Foundry and don’t even recirc usually.  The removable button louver bottom of the grain basket on the new iteration is intriguing to me.

One other model to consider in your upgrade would be the Grainfather G 40.  I have heard nothing but good from it and you can push it to a 10 gallon batch, if you want (though with 120V, it might need some heat assist to make a 10 gallon batch in a reasonable time frame - maybe the old Foundry can be a heater assist for a portion of the wort.)

Good luck on your hunt, I really think many of these units are very worthwhile, including the  Gen4 Brewzilla (I am more of a manual type, so the technology would be overkill in terms of meeting my needs for an AIO).  Cheers and let us know which one you decide to acquire.

5

If I were to spend money on an All-in-One I too would go for a modular system as I don’t like throwing out stuff that is/was mostly still good.  Perhaps the Blichmann unit isn’t being reviewed because it’s not being sent out for review?  It seems a lot of positive stuff is being said about the Grainfather because they have provided units for review and/or for keeps by the likes of the Experimental Brewing guys.  Nothing wrong with that- it’s very good marketing if you ask me.

6

That’s a really good point, that perhaps Blichmann simply isn’t sending out any units to the various YouTubers and other reviewers. They probably don’t think they have to, given their reputation… and they’re probably right.

But it’s so weird that I don’t even see any videos of people just filming their brewdays on the BE Compact (i.e. not an actual review, more like “incidental coverage”).

I have a few different products I’m thinking about right now, but the Compact is still at the top of my list right now. It’s just hard to pull the trigger on that expense with so little to go on. (And, I admit, I’m a bit of an “obsessive researcher” when it comes to expensive kit LOL)

7

You might also look into the claw hammer system.  Just thought of its similarity to the brew Easy Compact.

8

The Clawhammer is on my shortlist as well… and there are significantly more reviews and brewday videos for that system! :slight_smile:

The one thing I need to contact them about is whether I could buy the system without the plate chiller. I have ZERO interest in that (I prefer immersion chillers w/ a whirlpool), and don’t want to have to pay for something I will never use, that I might not be able to sell to someone else.

(I’m actually surprised they don’t have that as a clickable option! One thing I like about the Blichmann is that I can buy the kettle and controller only, I don’t need to buy the pump, the chiller, or any other accessories that I either already have or don’t want.)

9

Did you end up getting a Breweasy Compact? I’ve had mine for few months now. Just over 10 brews in. Like you, I had very little to go off of due to the lack of content out there. I watched all the Bitter Reality and Short Circuited Brewing videos that are available and made my decision with those along with research on other all in one systems. I decided to go with the Breweasy compact and am very happy with it. I was a little frustrated with Blichmann at first because it took a while to get it sent out to me. I haven’t had the best of luck with their shipping dept/ customer support. Shortly after I received my system, I decided it would be a good idea to have some replacement parts on hand, gaskets, o-rings, etc. So I placed an order which I ended up cancelling because it was going on 2 weeks and no communication or shipping update. Might just be my luck, because I’ve heard/seen people receiving their orders in a timely manner. There are some mixed reviews on Blichmann’s customer service. Some people love them where as some people thing they could use a lot more help over there. Always something to consider when making a purchase. Well Id like to report that everything I’ve got from them is well made in the USA (another reason, I went with them). Ultimately, I went with the Breweasy Compact because of superior products like the BrewCommander, the riptide pump, and the Therminator. I went with the 240v tri clamp version. I couldn’t be more happier with my purchase. I did have to make some upgrades as it doesn’t come with quick disconnects for it’s hoses like the Clawhammer system. Also, having to switch hoses from recirculating to whirlpool was kinda annoying so I fixed that by purchasing a 3 way valve and now Im much happier. Maybe I can do my own review and upload brew days on youtube someday to help people like me and you, who were searching far and wide for more info.

10

I’ve had the compact since Jan 2022. I did the re-circulation tee mod that SHort Circuit Brewer did, just like the idea of the additional wort flow around the basket. For black friday I orderd the Surface kettle, because cleaning the coil was my biggest gripe about the system and I didn’t like the boil coil connection either. My only other “gripe” would be the grain basket, it’s stout and well made, it just doesn’t utilize the best amount of volume space and now with the surface, there is a lot of wasted space that a new basket design would solve. Thinking about just switching to a bag.

TLDR: The overall system is great, love the controller, love the re-circulation arm, I get 75-80% calculated mash efficiency, and never got anywhere that close with the foundry or brewzilla. Basket could utilize more volume…