Anybody using one of these? Any tips or comments?
I’ve done three brews on mine. I use it for 3 gallon biab. The mash temperature has a fairly large temperature swing. It reads the temperature from the bottom near the element. The range is 6 degrees ( +/- 3 ) from where you set your mash temperature. Most people stir every 20 minutes or so of the mash to equalize the temperature.
It’s a great platform for diy self mods. Many have turned the unit into a Grainfather with pumps and added sparging.
I’ve never done a 5 gallon batch. I really like it for 3 gallon biab. Easy cleanup.
There’s a automatic timer to start heating your mash.
Check out Mash and Boil group on Facebook. There is a lot of info there.
Thanks!
The Facebook group’s name is: “ Brewer’s Edge Mash and Boil Users Group”
It must be fairly popular. Robobrew is now pushing their unit sans pump and chiller to compete.
I have one and like it quite a bit. I have found that when pushing the limits of gravity on it (for a 5 gallon batch), the mash can get stuck because of the amount of grain in the pipe vs water. I recommend a brew bag to help with this, since it will channel all around during runoff, not just the bottom of the pipe.
I have also done a few batches that were bigger beers. I used the M+B to heat my mash water and actually mashed in a cooler for space, then returned the runoff to the M+B for boil (no sparge). It has its limitations on batch size and gravity, but it is a well made and handy little unit. If you are making 3-4 gallon batches it is a REALLY handy solution for space and equipment saving.