This is great news, since I’m considering shelling out the big bucks for an Electric BrewEasy system. Please keep me posted.
Brewed my first 10 gallon batch on my Breweasy on Sunday. Everything worked great.I had a little trouble getting the right adjustment on the auto sparge but that only took a couple minutes. I made a clone of Sierra Nevadas Ruthless Rye. Hit the gravity right on at 1.064. Can’t wait to try it out.
I found a helpful video on YouTube about the Breweasy system which I picked up some tips from. Search under getting the most out of your Breweasy.
Watched the same video a couple times, does a good job of over viewing the process with some good tips. Will say the dude’s water chemistry process is a bit wonky though
Bumping the thread because I’m getting close to pulling the trigger on a BrewEasy system.
How are the beers coming out? Everyone has talked about the process and the system, but the bottom line is does it make great beer?
Of course. I count about 18 batches that I’ve brewed on mine. The last six or so were done with a Tower of Power controller added, and I love it. But it’s no different than any other system, in that it only makes wort as good as your ingredients, recipe, and attention to mash parameters allow. Then it’s still up to you to control the fermentation parameters for your chosen yeast to do its thing.
This weekend’s brew was a good 8 hour day, but it was a lengthy mash, and I also lost about 15 minutes looking for and measuring out my first hop addition when the timer went off (and which I neglected to do in advance), and couldn’t find the ones I wanted. I used the Top Link software to send a continuous-rising 1:50 mash profile to the TOP controller from 113-162° (with a 10 minute rest at 148) then a mash-out at 168.
BTW, Sunday’s Brew Year’s Saison saw a calculated 72% efficiency which was much higher than my usual 64%. It might be the water adjustments I made for this batch with the help of Bru’n Water, and the extended mash over a wide temperature range. (Recipe is 75% Belgian Pilsener and 25% Munich malts…never used Munich in a Saison before but I had it on hand and was looking for a little more color and malt flavor, so WTF.) Gravity is down from 1.066 to 1.022 after just two days, with a combination charge of WLP565 and Belle Saison yeasts. I’ve been ramping it up from 68° at pitching to a current 80, and on its way to 85 tonight.
https://www.thebeerbug.com/main/index.php?id=20000c2a690a323b
(The ambient temp graph is erratic because I’m not using the BeerBut’s immersion temperature probe. My Ranco temp controller is controlling a heater that surrounds my fermenter, but the BeerBug is exposed to room temp air so it’s not showing the actual wort temp. (I’ll eventually drill another hole in my conical’s lid that lets me add the BeerBug’s temperature probe at the same time I’m using the Ranco and a thermowell. The gravity and alcohol graphs tell the picture.)
It sounds like you’re getting the system dialed in.
I figured that the beer was pretty much the same as on any system, given the same variables. I just haven’t heard many BrewEasy brewers talking about the results, so I thought I’d ask. You haven’t had any issues with the final product that you could attribute to the BrewEasy process? Adjustments that you had to make, other than projected efficiency?
Thanks for answering.
I have the 10G gas version as well, but haven’t started using the software to control the Tower of Power. Have you figured out the rise time on the system?
Nope, don’t think so. Efficiency, and water volume was really the only thing to dial in…and water/pH adjustments which I think are reflected in my last batch.
If you mean how quickly the system can raise mash temp in a step mash, I haven’t specifically timed it but depending on which orifice size you use, and the size of the mash, I’m sure it could do a couple degrees per minute. Without the TOP controller, I went slower with a lower flame under the kettle, to avoid over-shooting.
My first brew turned out very well considering it was my first time using the Breweasy and the first time doing a 10 gallon batch. The only issue I had was chilling the wort down. My chiller was way undersized. I did get a Therminator a few weeks ago though so looking forward to trying that out soon.
I have the terminator, works really well, you should be happy with the upgrade
Tightened up the crush today and hit ~70% efficiency, crystal clear wort-preboil sample:)
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Looks great!