Countertop Automated Homebrew Systems
Anyone remember the Ronco Rotisserie Oven infomercials where they said to “Set it, and forget it”? Well, there are a lot of companies making homebrew machines that could use that catch phrase too.
In recent years we’ve seen a huge influx of compact electric brewing machines and even a few all-in-one systems that can heat water, mash, lauter, sparge, boil, chill, ferment, and dispense from the same unit. Traditionally, all of these brewing steps required separate vessels and transfer methods, but new technology innovation has engineers thinking differently.
Many of these systems got started as projects on crowdfunding sites like IndieGoGo and KickStarter and quickly saw interest grow. These machines answer questions like how can I combine steps for less cleaning and sanitizing? How can I reduce transfers for less oxygen exposure? How can I harvest yeast without transfers? How can I track and control the mash/boil for a more repeatable brew?
These compact brewing systems are being made in many different countries across the globe.
Availability of each machine varies, but many can be shipped worldwide. With so many systems to choose from, what’s so different about each one? We looked at the most popular systems currently available to see what sets each one apart. Plus — check out the chart on page 82 and 83 for side-by-side comparisons of the features of each system.
BRAUMEISTER
The Braumeister is one of the original countertop all-in-one mash/boil systems. A proven system since 2003, the team at Speidel has made many improvements and added new features to the Braumeister over the years. It features a true automatic step mashing system controlled over WiFi. The Braumeister control panel has a large LED screen, allowing for easy recipe selection, as well as a memory bank to store recipes for future brews. To brew, water is poured into the system and heated. The malts are added and a return tube and screen are put in place. During the mash the machine uses a recirculation pump for clear wort production. After the mash, the inner vessel is raised up and put on a stand to allow the wort to drain out for boiling. The sparging is done during the mash via the pump and circulation. The Braumeister reaches and maintains a true boil. After the boil, the wort can be cooled in the system with the optional wort chiller attachment. You then transfer your wort to a vessel of your choice for fermentation.
Best For: Intermediate all-grain brewers needing programmable mash profiles in a compact unit, but also freedom to control hop additions.
Max Batch size: 2.6-gal. (10-L), 5.2-gal. (20-L), 13.2-gal. (50-L)
Recipe Type: All-grain, partial mash, extract
Power: 230V
Boil: Yes
Auto Hop Addition: No
Chilling: Optional Accessory
Ferment: No
Dispense: No
MSRP: $1,127 (2.6-gal./10 L), $1,773 (5.2-gal./20-L), $2,539 (13.2-gal./50-L)
www.speidels-braumeister.de/en/braumeister.html
BEERDROID
The BeerDroid from BrewArt is essentially a temperature-controlled fermentation vessel for extract brewing that also dispenses the finished beer. It is WiFi enabled for firmware upgrades and their BrewArt App (for iOS) allows you to monitor and control the BeerDroid wherever you are. The machine features a no-thread tap system, which makes cleaning simple and fast. The unit uses a quiet compressor for temperature control during fermentation.
The brewing process does not require mashing, lautering, boiling, so your brew day is extremely fast with minimal cleanup. You can use one of their pre-packed BrewPrint recipe packs, or create your own custom recipe on their website. After the beer has completed fermentation you can bottle or keg the beer straight out of the bottling tap on the machine. The BrewArt website also features several instructional videos for using the BeerDroid.
BeerDroid is currently only available for delivery in Australia.
Best For: Any beer lover who wants to make beer at home using extracts and have control over the process with a smartphone.
Max Batch size: 2.6-gal. (9.8-L)
Recipe Type: Extract
Power: 110V or 240V
Boil: No
Auto Hop Addition: No
Chilling: Yes
Ferment: Yes
Dispense: No
MSRP: $604
store.brewart.com/beerdroid/
BREW-BOSS
The Brew-Boss COFI Filter System is designed to take advantage of Brew-In-A-Bag efficiency in an all-in-one brewing system. The filter, heating elements, and fittings are all manufactured from 304-grade stainless steel.
The Brew-Boss has a software program with audible queues to control and guide the entire brew session using an Android tablet or iPad. Water is heated in the kettle to the desired strike temperature. A mesh mash basket is filled with grains and placed inside the kettle. A pump recirculates the water through the grain bed using their Center Out Forced Infusion technology to assure that all the grain is in constant contact with the mash water and that there are no dead spots. After mashing is completed, the filter is lifted and the grain gets squeezed. The squeezing action extracts much of the trapped sweet wort from the grain and boiling begins.
The Brew-Boss controller can be purchased separately to fit into any
homebrew system or you can buy complete systems ready to brew right out of the box.
Best For: Intermediate or advanced all-grain brewers interested in electric-style Brew-In-A-Bag brewing with a sophisticated audible software controller.
Max Batch size: 5-gal.(19-L) or 10-gal. (38-L)
Recipe Type: All-grain, partial mash, extract
Power: 120V or 240V Boil: Yes
Auto Hop Addition: Yes
Chilling: Optional Accessory
Ferment: No
Dispense: No
MSRP: $1,399
www.brew-boss.com
BREWCRAFTER25
The Brewcrafter25 is an affordable unit with a lot of capability. The system includes a 220V circulation pump that fits on the ball valve outlet and recirculates wort back up through a port in the lid. This is a Brew-In-A-Bag (BIAB)-style setup with a grain basket, and uses built-in heat elements with an LCD temperature control panel. After mashing your grains and recirculating, the grain basket is lifted up and locked into place for draining. Sparge water can be added from an external source and then the boil begins.
The grain basket can hold 18 lbs. (8 kg) of grain and has a patented stepless lifting system and feet to rest on top of the boiler, which prevents aeration of the wort during mash-out. You then chill the wort with the included stainless steel wort chiller and transfer the beer to a vessel of your choice for fermenting.
Brewcrafter25 is currently only available for shipment to Europe.
Best For: Intermediate all-grain brewers needing a BIAB-style system with a recirculating pump for clear wort production.
Max Batch size: 6.6-gal. (25-L)
Recipe Type: All-grain, partial mash, extract
Power: 240V
Boil: Yes
Auto Hop Addition: No
Chilling: Yes
Ferment: No
Dispense: No
MSRP: $615
www.brewcrafterstore.com
BREWIE
The Brewie system is a fully automated beer brewing device with step-like mashing, sparging, boiling, hop additions, cooling, and cleaning. For people who are new to brewing they provide a wide range of all-grain “ready-to-brew” packages, called “Brewie Pads.” These “pads” include all the ingredients that are needed for around 5-gallon (19-L) batches (malt, hops, yeast). After ordering a pad the only thing left is to place the hops and malt into the machine and press the brew button. The machine takes care of the whole process and can be monitored from anywhere via internet from your smartphone, tablet, or PC.
Once the brewing process is done, the user receives a notification that the wort is ready for fermentation. The user then presses a button to transfer the ready wort into a fermentation tank and run the automatic cleaning program. Brewie has an online community where brewers can interact, exchange recipes, learn from each other, and organize events. Advanced homebrewers can use their own mix of ingredients, create or modify recipes and reproduce their favorite beer anytime.
Best For: Anyone who wants to make high quality beer without any previous beer making knowledge. Also, for the veteran homebrewer wanting a fully controllable compact device for 5-gallon (19-L) batches.
Max Batch size: 5.3-gal. (20-L)
Recipe Type: All-grain, partial mash, extract
Power: 120V or 240V
Boil: Yes
Auto Hop Addition: Yes
Chilling: Yes
Ferment: No
Dispense: No
MSRP: $1,849
www.brewie.org
GRAINFATHER
This is not a push button, fully automated system so it still allows the brewer some control during brewing. Grainfather works for all-grain, partial mash, or extract brewing.
The Grainfather is made with 304-grade stainless steel, tempered glass, a magnetic drive pump, and copper cooling coils. The temperature controlled heating elements allow you to set mash temperatures and not worry about fluctuations. You are able to manually enter step mashes for on-point mash profiles The 8-gallon (30-L) capacity allows it to produce approximately 6.6 gallons (25-L) of beer at one time.
The magnetic drive pump and constant recirculation helps extract all sugars in the grain giving optimal brewing efficiency. The unit does not heat sparge water, but you can add an optional sparge water heater ($169.99), which is sized to work with the Grainfather. The expandable grain basket can hold up to 19.8 lbs (9 kg) of grain and allows the brewer to create very high ABV beers (almost 10%) as well as lower ABV beers. The included copper counter flow wort chiller chills 6.6 gallons (25 L) of wort in under 20 minutes. It also runs the chilled wort from the Grainfather into a separate fermenter.
Best For: Intermediate brewers looking for a Brew-In-A-Bag-style all-grain brewing system, who also want the ability to customize some of the process.
Max Batch size: 6.6-gal.(25-L)
Recipe Type: All-grain, partial mash, extract
Power: 120V or 220V
Boil: Yes
Auto Hop Addition: No
Chilling: Yes
Ferment: No
Dispense: No
MSRP: $890
www.grainfather.com
HIGH GRAVITY BIAB ELECTRIC
The High Gravity BIAB 120V and 240V systems are electric Brew-In-A-Bag (BIAB)- style setups with a dedicated electric brewery controller and pump. The systems include a Blichmann BoilCoil heating element (2250W for the 120V, 4500W for the 240V), Chugger SS Inline pump, and EBC SV controllers. The 44-qt. and 62-qt. vessels are larger than most all-in-one systems on the market and the controllers utilize PID control and platinum RTD temperature probes, which are superior to other controllers in this space. They can also control a three-vessel brewing system or an essential oils extractor (still).
For most batches strike water is heated and grain is added. When mashing, the temperature is controlled by the PID controller while recirculating the wort. The pump is controlled manually with a switch on the controller. After mashing has completed, the BIAB basket is lifted out of the vessel and the boil begins. When the boil is finished, an optional plate chiller is attached and the wort is transferred into your fermenter of choice.
Best For: Intermediate all-grain homebrewers looking for a basic electric BIAB-style system, but wanting less automation and more manual interaction with each step in the process.
Max Batch size: 5-gal. (19-L) and 10-gal. (38-L)
Recipe Type: All-grain, partial mash, extract
Power: 120V and 240V
Boil: Yes
Auto Hop Addition: No
Chilling: Optional Accessory
Ferment: No
Dispense: No
MSRP: $699 (120V), $999 (240V)
www.highgravitybrew.com
iGULU
Available for pre-order now (delivery estimated for December 2016), this crowd-funded project sought to build a machine that brews, ferments, and serves all-grain batches from the same machine. You choose the type of beer you want to brew either from the iGulu library or by creating your own recipe. To brew, fill iGulu with the ingredients (each in a dedicated compartment) and fill the “MiniKeg” with the specified amount of water. Press start on the machine or via your mobile phone through an app and the machine initiates a boil, adding the ingredients per the recipe program. The brewing status is uploaded to the cloud server, so you can keep track of it on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. Next, you take the ingredients out of the container, remove the waste, rinse the malt and hops, and place the container back into the machine for fermentation. This is done by leaving the keg inside the machine and adding the yeast. You may also pull out the MiniKeg during this stage, put on an airlock, and do the fermentation outside of the machine — a nice option if you are trying to brew another batch of beer and have another MiniKeg ($50). After fermentation, the beer is transferred to a clean serving keg, carbonated, and dispensed from the machine’s built-in draft tap.
Best For: A brewer wanting a fully automated all-grain brewing appliance that performs all the brewing steps and dispenses finished carbonated beer.
Max Batch size: 1.3-gal. (5-L)
Recipe Type: All-grain, partial mash, extract
Power: 100V~120 or 200~220V
Boil: Yes
Auto Hop Addition: Yes
Chilling: Yes
Ferment: Yes
Dispense: Yes
MSRP: $1,000
www.igulu.com
MINIBREW
The MiniBrew system is a fun little piece of engineering. It may only brew 1.3 gallons (5 L) of homebrew at a time, but it claims to be a true all-in-one system with no other equipment needed. The mini all-grain system heats water, mashes, recirculates, sparges, boils, chills, ferments, and dispenses homebrew.
After adding all of the ingredients, this small-batch brewing machine will boil and cool the wort. After adding the yeast the machine is ready for fermentation, which is done automatically in the same copper vessel. If desired you can add some extra yeast or hops before fermentation. Brewing takes around three-and-a-half hours and in as little as a week you could be sipping on your personalized beer, five liters at a time. If you want to keep brewing while your other beer is fermenting, you can order an extra keg.
Using the MiniBrew software, brewers can replicate their favorite recipe or pick and choose one of the 10 recipes that are already available via an app. The MiniBrew Discovery App uses a taste wheel to help you select your desired beer style based on color, alcohol % ABV and flavor. Once you’ve selected your personal beer style you can order the ingredients direct via the app.
Best For: A beginner with no previous homebrewing knowledge who wants to make small all-grain batches of beer from grain to glass.
Max Batch size: 1.3-gal. (5-L)
Recipe Type: All-grain
Power: 120V
Boil: Yes
Auto Hop Addition: Yes
Chilling: Yes
Ferment: Yes
Dispense: Yes
MSRP: $2,214
www.minibrew.io
PICO
The Pico from PicoBrew brews 1.3-gallon (5-L) batches using ready-to-brew “PicoPaks.” The PicoPaks are available in the PicoBrew BrewMarketplace, which is like an app store for beer recipes. Each PicoPak contains all the brewing ingredients (grains, hops, etc) required, and the recipe is automatically recognized by the machine. You can adjust the bitterness and alcohol level with a turn of the dial on the control panel.
After you press the ‘brew’ button, the system takes about two hours to heat the water and complete the mash. Once the process has completed, the entire PicoPak can be discarded and is compostable. The brewer then adds the provided White Labs PurePitch yeast package and the beer ferments for about a week. The beer is then carbonated and transferred into small drinking kegs. If you want to brew bigger batches, check out PicoBrew’s Zymatic model (scroll down).
You can make money with Pico too.The PicoBrew BrewMarketplace allows homebrewers and popular breweries to scale their recipes down into ‘PicoPaks’ and receive royalties on every Pak sold.
Best For: A beginner or intermediate small-batch homebrewer looking for automation with their all-grain brewing and pre-packaged recipe kits from well-known craft breweries.
Max Batch size: 1.3-gal. (5-L)
Recipe Type: All-grain
Power: 120V or 240V
Boil: Yes
Auto Hop Addition: Yes
Chilling: Yes
Ferment: Yes
Dispense: Yes
MSRP: $799
www.picobrew.com
ROBOBREW
The RoboBrew all-in-one single vessel brewery from Australia’s Keg King looks like a great big coffee percolator, and is designed for all-grain brewing.
The system is not overcomplicated and allows an all-grain brewer flexibility to brew in many different styles. Water is quickly heated using two heating elements (1900 watt element + 500 watt element). A steel Brew-In-A-Bag-style malt basket is inserted along with the grains for mashing. Once mashing is completed the basket is raised out of the vessel and rested on a stand for draining. Sparge water is manually added over the grains and then you turn on the heating elements to start the boil. Once the boil is complete you chill the wort with the included stainless steel immersion chiller, then transfer to a vessel of your choice for fermentation.
RoboBrew is currently only available for delivery in Australia.
Best For: An extract or partial mash homebrewer wanting to get into all-grain brewing with a single vessel system.
Max Batch size: 8-gal. (30-L)
Recipe Type: All-grain, partial mash, extract
Power: 240V
Boil: Yes
Auto Hop Addition: No
Chilling: Yes
Ferment: No
Dispense: No
MSRP: $340
kegking.com.au/35l-all-in-one-single-vessel-brewery.html
ZYMATIC
The Zymatic from PicoBrew brews 2.5-gallon (9.5-L) batches. It can hold up to 9 lbs. (4.3 kg) of grain in its removable step filter, has four hop/adjunct baskets, and features a powerful recipe customizer that allows a lot of freedom with recipe creation. The advanced recipe creator allows you to choose between a single infusion mash at a single temperature or a high efficiency mash schedule, which will allow more control for dough-in, protein rests and saccharification rests. The unit also has settings for sous-vide cooking.
You can import your favorite recipes in BeerXML, or seek inspiration from their recipe library filled with hundreds of recipes. The Zymatic can perform multistep mashes, accurately timed hop additions, and automatically log and save brewing data on the PicoBrew cloud servers. The entire system is WiFi enabled and connects to the internet so that you can monitor remotely from any phone, tablet, or computer.
Best For: An intermediate or advanced homebrewer looking for some automation with their all-grain brewing, but also wanting the ability to customize some of the process.
Max Batch size: 2.5-gal. (9.5-L)
Recipe Type: All-grain, partial mash, extract
Power: 120V
Boil: Yes
Auto Hop Addition: Yes
Chilling: Yes
Ferment: Yes
Dispense: Yes
MSRP: $1,999
www.picobrew.com
FLOOR-SIZED SYSTEMS
BREWBOT
The purpose of Brewbot is to make an easy-to-use, controlled brewing environment that is aesthetically pleasing. The system can be wrapped in many different styles including rustic barn wood (pictured) or a custom design to match your own logo design.
The whole process is pretty simple. Source your ingredients, set up your recipe in the app (available only in iOS) and connect your iPhone to Brewbot. Create or choose a recipe to begin brewing. Tap ‘Start Brew’ to automatically add the exact amount of water to be heated. Once heated, the valve in the container releases and the water drains down into the mash tun container with the grains. After the mashing is complete the wort moves into the boil phase. At the end of the process the wort filters through the plate chiller, cooling it from 212 °F (100 °C) to under 72 °F (22 °C), now ready to ferment in your fermenter.
Best For: An intermediate brewer interested in an all-grain brewing system with smart wifi sensor controls and app integration.
Max Batch size: 5.2-gal. (19.7-L)
Recipe Type: All-grain, partial mash, extract
Power: 240V
Boil: Yes
Auto Hop Addition: No
Chilling: Yes
Ferment: No
Dispense: No
MSRP: $1,959
www.brewbot.io
BREWEASY
The BrewEasy system from Blichmann Engineering is a modular mash/boil brewing system that recirculates wort between two kettles during the mash. The system is available in gas or electric versions and comes in 5-, 10- or 20-gallon (19-,38-, or 76-L) batch sizes. The BrewEasy system can be purchased as a complete system or separate pieces can be purchased if you already own some of the equipment.
To brew, water is heated to strike temperature and the grain is added to the top kettle fitted with a false bottom. Once the dough-in is complete, additional water is heated in the kettle sitting below. You can use a Tower of Power module, an optional component, to automate and control the burner (or BoilCoil) heat source and pump. The wort is recirculated through the grain bed until starch conversion is complete. After the mash is complete, the wort drains down into the bottom kettle for boiling.
The BrewEasy offers no-sparge convenience and time savings from a Brew-In-A-Bag type of setup. With the BrewEasy, you can grow into it as your brewing techniques change and develop. You can also still perform fly sparging with the separate kettles if that is a technique you prefer to use in your homebrewing.
Best For: An intermediate all-grain homebrewer that wants the ease of use of a two-pot system without sacrificing the beer quality of a RIMS system.
Max Batch size: 5-gal. (19-L), 10-gal. (38-L), or 20-gal. (76-L)
Recipe Type: All-grain, partial mash, extract
Power: 120V or 240V
Boil: Yes
Auto Hop Addition: No
Chilling: No
Ferment: No
Dispense: No
MSRP: $1,939.99 (5-gal./19-L), $2,263.99 (10-gal./38-L), $2,554.99 (20-gal./76-L)
www.blichmannengineering.com/products/breweasy
BREWHA BIAC
The BREWHA BIAC (Brew in a Conical) combines heating, mashing, boiling, chilling, and fermenting all inside one mobile conical unit.
To brew, water for mashing is added and heated. A large colander style basket is then inserted and grain is added. Mash temperature is regulated by the temperature controller and heating element. When mashing is complete, the grain is removed by raising the colander. The wort filters through the spent grain and down into the vessel for boiling. Sparge water can externally be heated and added to rinse the grains. After the boil, the wort is chilled by passing cold water through the cooling jacket. After cooling, cold break is dumped out of the bottom port, the wort is aerated and yeast can be added. Fermentation temperatures are regulated with the cooling jacket and temperature controller. When fermentation is complete, you can bottle or keg the beer.
Some nice features are the automated valves and temperature sensors to give you many options for customizing the system to fit your specific brewhouse needs. The BREWHA BIAC can also be used for producing wine and even spirits with the optional condensing assembly.
Best For: An advanced all-grain homebrewer that brews large batches and wants professional level features with a small equipment footprint.Max Batch size: 5-gal. (19-L), 15-gal. (57-L), 45-gal. (170-L)
Recipe Type: All-grain, partial mash, extract
Power: 120V or 240V
Boil: Yes
Auto Hop Addition: No
Chilling: Yes
Ferment: Yes
Dispense: No
MSRP: $3,019 (5-gal./19-L), $4,076 (15-gal./57-L), $6,680 (45-gal./170-L)
www.brewhaequipment.com
BREWMASTER – FREESTANDING
The BrewMaster™ – Freestanding from WilliamsWarn is a little different from most of this collection of systems because it is not an all-grain system, instead it brews with extract under pressure, cools under pressure, and clarifies under pressure. The system focuses on temperature control and clarification techniques for balancing the beer’s final flavors. You simply clean/sanitize the unit, then fill with water, add malt extracts, optional hop teas or other flavorings, add yeast and ferment. So when those steps are done in seven days you can keg or bottle the carbonated beer or drink right out of the integrated kegerator.
WilliamsWarn currently has 14 pre-packed beer kits and one cider kit available for purchase. These kits match 15 specific beverage styles within the BJCP Style Guidelines. They also provide an advanced guide to show how you can brew 80 different styles with their recipe kits as the base and adding extra hops and malted barley. You can also brew your own extract recipes outside of the beer kits. You also have the option of mashing an all-grain batch and adding the wort into the The BrewMaster™ – Freestanding to benefit from its temperature control fermentation capabilities. WilliamsWarn also offers a more stripped down version of the system called the BrewKeg50, which does not incorporate the chilling/cooling or dispensing components. The unit is currently only available in Australia and New Zealand, but those interested from the US and Canada can be added to a waiting list.
Best For: An intermediate or advanced extract brewer looking for a beer dispenser and fermenter for making cold, clear, carbonated beer in seven days.
Max Batch size: 6-gal. (23-L) Recipe Type: Extract
Power: 220V~240V Boil: No
Auto Hop Addition: No Chilling: Yes
Ferment: Yes Dispense: Yes
MSRP: $4,969
www.williamswarn.com
UNIBRÄU PRO
The Unibräu Pro allows you to mash, boil, and ferment all in the single vessel. It reduces the number of vessels you need to brew by being your temperature controlled fermenter, your mash tun, and your boil kettle. It is built with all 304 stainless steel with 1.5-inch sanitary fittings throughout for easy sanitation. They included quick take apart sanitary ball valves for easy cleaning and offer optional stainless steel brewing elements with an integrated twist lock connector.
This system, like a few others, is similar to a Brew-In-A-Bag setup. You bring your water to the desired mash temperature and the system recirculates the wort over top of the grain bed. The heater elements mounted under the mash bed can be fired on for control of the temperature. Once the mash is completed, the mash basket is raised out of the vessel and the boil begins. After the boil, the cooling coil lid is added and chilling starts. Once the wort is chilled, you can pitch your yeast into the fermenter.
The Unibräu Pro comes in three sizes. The 11.9-gallon (45-L) size has an extra element port and can be configured for 120V or 240V power to suit worldwide power configurations.
Best For: An advanced homebrewer needing stainless steel components, full control of the brewing process, large batches, but also requiring a small equipment footprint.
Max Batch size: 11.9-gal. (45-L), 26.4-gal. (100-L)
Recipe Type: All-grain, partial mash, extract
Power: 120V or 240V Boil: Yes
Auto Hop Addition: Optional Accessory Chilling: Yes
Ferment: Yes Dispense: No
MSRP: $2,399 (11.9-gal./45-L, 120V), $2,985 (11.9-gal./45-L, 240V),
$3,389 (26.4-gal./100-L, 120V)
www.brausupply.com/collections/single-vessel-systems
Conclusion
So there you have ‘em! Seventeen all-electric systems that can appeal to many different kinds of homebrewers, fit into a variety of small spaces, and are available in a range of prices to satisfy many wallets. What we like so much about these new systems is that someone with no experience can start brewing, while other more experienced brewers can appreciate cutting down on some of the steps of a typical brew day. Plus, because they are all electric you can do all your brewing inside!
One of the ways that we’ve appreciated these systems here at BYO headquarters, where most of us have been brewing for many years, is that these machines allow us to get a brew day in more often — we can set up a recipe to brew, flip a switch, and move on to other tasks while the machine does its thing. Using these systems is also a great way to tweak a recipe that you might be working on trying to perfect, which we do a lot of; rather than spend days and days sweating over the kettle brewing the same beer with just minor changes to the grain bill or hop additions each time, you can use one of these systems to do the work of brewing those batches for you. It’s also convenient when using one of the systems that has a smartphone app or wifi connection to be able to watch what’s going on in the machine while you’re doing other things. Their small footprints make them a great choice for anyone living in cramped quarters, and they don’t take up much shelf space in an already existing homebrewery.
Because there is such an array of choices among these brewing machines, be sure to look into all the features of each potential setup before you commit to buying anything. Batch size is of course important, but also take a look at whether or not you might need to buy any extra optional pieces, such as a pump or chiller. Also be sure you choose a unit with the appropriate voltage for the electrical wiring in your home and region. The most common voltage in North America, for example, is 120v, and you can easily have an electrician wire a 240v outlet (which are the same as those used for many ovens, refrigerators, dryers, etc.). Most of Europe, Australia, South America, Asia, and Africa, on the other hand is 230v, so depending on the origin of the machine you choose, you may need to use an electrical converter.
The growth of this segment of homebrewing equipment doesn’t seem to show any signs of slowing down, either, and you can be sure that more systems will show up on the marketplace in the coming months, as well as new innovations and options from existing companies.
And while all-electric compact indoor systems are great, we do also have a lot of love for bigger three-tier systems as well. Keep your eye on Brew Your Own in the coming year when we’ll explore some of the latest and greatest innovations and upgrades to some of our favorite larger brewing systems.
