Brewed on a Brewzilla today!

Yooper

Yooper

Ale’s What Cures Ya!
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Well, I learned some things today! I made a German pilsner with a step mash on a Brewzilla 35L.

Some things were super easy and intuitive. Some things were not.

Overall, it was a good experience for my aging body. Sparging has me shaking my head though- you can't fly (continuous sparge) very easily, as the malt pipe drains right away, and you can't really batch sparge as the malt pipe drains right away. You can't really do a full volume mash with more than 10 pounds of grain or thereabouts. But otherwise, it was pretty decent.

I used 5.5 ounces of low AAU hops, bagging all but 1.5 ounces. OMG the amount of hop debris on the false bottom. Eventually clogged the pump a bit, and I hand scooped that out until I could get the false bottom out. And...the false bottom just fits perfectly so you have to turn it to get it out.....so that was a pain. I guess I bag ALL hops no matter what any youtube videos say.

I hate the chiller that comes with it. I had 5 gallons in the kettle at the end, and the chiller doesn't go to the bottom so three coils are out of the wort, making chilling less efficient that I though it would. I'll use my old immersion chiller or CFC next time.

I don't love it, but don't hate it. It's..........ok.
 
Yooper said:
Well, I learned some things today! I made a German pilsner with a step mash on a Brewzilla 35L.

Some things were super easy and intuitive. Some things were not.

Overall, it was a good experience for my aging body. Sparging has me shaking my head though- you can't fly (continuous sparge) very easily, as the malt pipe drains right away, and you can't really batch sparge as the malt pipe drains right away. You can't really do a full volume mash with more than 10 pounds of grain or thereabouts. But otherwise, it was pretty decent.

I used 5.5 ounces of low AAU hops, bagging all but 1.5 ounces. OMG the amount of hop debris on the false bottom. Eventually clogged the pump a bit, and I hand scooped that out until I could get the false bottom out. And...the false bottom just fits perfectly so you have to turn it to get it out.....so that was a pain. I guess I bag ALL hops no matter what any youtube videos say.

I hate the chiller that comes with it. I had 5 gallons in the kettle at the end, and the chiller doesn't go to the bottom so three coils are out of the wort, making chilling less efficient that I though it would. I'll use my old immersion chiller or CFC next time.

I don't love it, but don't hate it. It's..........ok.
Click to expand...
Can you not partially close a valve to make it pump slower?
 
Yooper said:
Well, I learned some things today! I made a German pilsner with a step mash on a Brewzilla 35L.

Some things were super easy and intuitive. Some things were not.

Overall, it was a good experience for my aging body. Sparging has me shaking my head though- you can't fly (continuous sparge) very easily, as the malt pipe drains right away, and you can't really batch sparge as the malt pipe drains right away. You can't really do a full volume mash with more than 10 pounds of grain or thereabouts. But otherwise, it was pretty decent.

I used 5.5 ounces of low AAU hops, bagging all but 1.5 ounces. OMG the amount of hop debris on the false bottom. Eventually clogged the pump a bit, and I hand scooped that out until I could get the false bottom out. And...the false bottom just fits perfectly so you have to turn it to get it out.....so that was a pain. I guess I bag ALL hops no matter what any youtube videos say.

I hate the chiller that comes with it. I had 5 gallons in the kettle at the end, and the chiller doesn't go to the bottom so three coils are out of the wort, making chilling less efficient that I though it would. I'll use my old immersion chiller or CFC next time.

I don't love it, but don't hate it. It's..........ok.
Click to expand...
Ya, the chiller isn't any good, used it once myself, I use a CFC chiller, I also bag all kettle hops. Did you get a new one the Gen 4?
 
Yooper said:
Well, I learned some things today! I made a German pilsner with a step mash on a Brewzilla 35L.

Some things were super easy and intuitive. Some things were not.

Overall, it was a good experience for my aging body. Sparging has me shaking my head though- you can't fly (continuous sparge) very easily, as the malt pipe drains right away, and you can't really batch sparge as the malt pipe drains right away. You can't really do a full volume mash with more than 10 pounds of grain or thereabouts. But otherwise, it was pretty decent.

I used 5.5 ounces of low AAU hops, bagging all but 1.5 ounces. OMG the amount of hop debris on the false bottom. Eventually clogged the pump a bit, and I hand scooped that out until I could get the false bottom out. And...the false bottom just fits perfectly so you have to turn it to get it out.....so that was a pain. I guess I bag ALL hops no matter what any youtube videos say.

I hate the chiller that comes with it. I had 5 gallons in the kettle at the end, and the chiller doesn't go to the bottom so three coils are out of the wort, making chilling less efficient that I though it would. I'll use my old immersion chiller or CFC next time.

I don't love it, but don't hate it. It's..........ok.
Click to expand...
I tried to tell you about that pump on the bottom but I was in a hurry that day
 
Yooper said:
Well, I learned some things today! I made a German pilsner with a step mash on a Brewzilla 35L.

Some things were super easy and intuitive. Some things were not.

Overall, it was a good experience for my aging body. Sparging has me shaking my head though- you can't fly (continuous sparge) very easily, as the malt pipe drains right away, and you can't really batch sparge as the malt pipe drains right away. You can't really do a full volume mash with more than 10 pounds of grain or thereabouts. But otherwise, it was pretty decent.

I used 5.5 ounces of low AAU hops, bagging all but 1.5 ounces. OMG the amount of hop debris on the false bottom. Eventually clogged the pump a bit, and I hand scooped that out until I could get the false bottom out. And...the false bottom just fits perfectly so you have to turn it to get it out.....so that was a pain. I guess I bag ALL hops no matter what any youtube videos say.

I hate the chiller that comes with it. I had 5 gallons in the kettle at the end, and the chiller doesn't go to the bottom so three coils are out of the wort, making chilling less efficient that I though it would. I'll use my old immersion chiller or CFC next time.

I don't love it, but don't hate it. It's..........ok.
Click to expand...
I batch sparge exclusively, by lifting the malt pipe (on the rests) and dumping hot water into it. I guess it might be more accurately called a rinse.

I managed to fit 13.5 pounds in there, once. I now stay below 13.

I haven't used the false bottom in years. I think it takes away more than it adds, just getting in the way.

I always bag hops or use a hops spider. I have never clogged the pump, except once. For that, I just used my breath to back-flow the pump* and it fixed it. *beware of hot wort!

And I gave never ever used the immersion coil it came with, preferring my home made counterflow chiller.

With step mashes, if you calibrate the temperatures, you can set the automation and walk away for a couple hours, allowing you to do other things (like mow the lawn) during mash time. My hefeweitzen comes out better when I step mash.

Is it easier than a propane 3-vessel system? Yes. Is it effortless? No

It gets better when you get more used to the system.
 
I have a CFC I can use, but the whole idea for me was to take up less laundry room space so I hate to drag out my pump and cfc and spread out, so I think I’ll use my old immersion chiller.

I put the heat exchanger dish (optional, of course) onto the false bottom and it seems like that was not a bad idea, so I’ll have to bag all hops. The anemic pump is ok, but the whole idea of using it to ‘whirlpool’ did make me laugh at the end. The whirlpool arm that I bought was a huge disappointment for sure.

The malt pipe that came with this only has one set of feet, and I wish that they hadn’t had to remove that second set as that would have been very handy for me for sure. Sparging in this case means dribbling water over the grainbed at throat level for me, so not sure that is going to be a good time. I’ll probably have to let the malt pipe drain a little, then move it over to a cooler or bucket to do a mini-sparge. Sort of a PITA for me, as a bit wider but not as tall vessel would make lifting that malt pipe out much easier for short thin people for sure. The tall skinny design has a small footprint but it’s really awkward lifting up out of it.

Overall, it’s ok. Should be much easier as I get used to it. Even with the 220V, it took a while to ramp temperatures with a step mash because of the undersized pump so I’m sure glad I didn’t get the 110V!

I have a lot of parts laying around- two March pumps, a CFC and immersion chiller, lots of tubing, etc, so I may decide to rig up something but most likely I’ll just accept the limitations and brew smaller batches. I can see how easy a 3 gallon batch would be, except for the immersion chiller that doesn’t reach the bottom, and goes up to the 6 gallon mark on the vessel. That makes no sense……make the ‘arms’ longer so it reaches the bottom and it would be fine. It’s a poor design for sure.
 
Yooper said:
I have a CFC I can use, but the whole idea for me was to take up less laundry room space so I hate to drag out my pump and cfc and spread out, so I think I’ll use my old immersion chiller.

I put the heat exchanger dish (optional, of course) onto the false bottom and it seems like that was not a bad idea, so I’ll have to bag all hops. The anemic pump is ok, but the whole idea of using it to ‘whirlpool’ did make me laugh at the end. The whirlpool arm that I bought was a huge disappointment for sure.

The malt pipe that came with this only has one set of feet, and I wish that they hadn’t had to remove that second set as that would have been very handy for me for sure. Sparging in this case means dribbling water over the grainbed at throat level for me, so not sure that is going to be a good time. I’ll probably have to let the malt pipe drain a little, then move it over to a cooler or bucket to do a mini-sparge. Sort of a PITA for me, as a bit wider but not as tall vessel would make lifting that malt pipe out much easier for short thin people for sure. The tall skinny design has a small footprint but it’s really awkward lifting up out of it.

Overall, it’s ok. Should be much easier as I get used to it. Even with the 220V, it took a while to ramp temperatures with a step mash because of the undersized pump so I’m sure glad I didn’t get the 110V!

I have a lot of parts laying around- two March pumps, a CFC and immersion chiller, lots of tubing, etc, so I may decide to rig up something but most likely I’ll just accept the limitations and brew smaller batches. I can see how easy a 3 gallon batch would be, except for the immersion chiller that doesn’t reach the bottom, and goes up to the 6 gallon mark on the vessel. That makes no sense……make the ‘arms’ longer so it reaches the bottom and it would be fine. It’s a poor design for sure.
Click to expand...
The internal pump easily moves wort through the CFC. Try it. No need for another pump.
I agree about ramping times. 500 W doesn't move temperatures very fast. Sometimes I'll sit there and pulse the 1900W element to move it along faster, but for step mashes I just set it and ignore it.

Whirlpool? You really can't. It'll make a whirlpool, piling up the gunk right in the center...where the pump inlet sits. Ugh, worse than useless. I use the 'whirlpool' arm to connect up the hose to the CFC. My regular arm is used for recirc, with hose on the end.

My normal 5 gallon batch (5.5 into the fermenter) starts with 8 gallons of water. I add my brewing slats, then drain off 1.75 gallons into my spaghetti pot. (That's the sparge water. The sous vide heater keeps it at 170 or so). I put in the malt pipe, no false bottom. Once the 6.25 gallons hits strike, I start pouring in the grain (covering the center tube with foil), about half to start, give it a stir, then 1/4 (stir) and 1/4 (stir). I fit the top screen, then the extension thingie. After a couple of minutes, I start recirculating, adjusting the volume so it doesn't overflow into the malt pipe tube, usually 1/3 to 1/2 throttle. Once I have that stable, I re-check the temperature (I drilled a small hole in the top screen to accommodate my thermometer) and once we hit mash (often it is very close to begin with), I walk away and go do errands, after setting a timer on my phone. I do check that recirc is not overflowing after 10 minutes or so, but once that's good, it seems to stay good.

Draining the malt pipe: It is just a hair small for a 5 gallon bucket, but I got a lid and cut out much of the center, leaving about 1/2" around the circumference, and the pipe fits there fine.

Let me know if you need photos of anything.
 
I don't have the brewzilla but they are very similar, all I do is raise the basket then pour the needed water on top and I bought a cheap quiet pump, and have it set up like this

20220617_105838~2.jpg
 
Last edited:
Donoroto said:
The internal pump easily moves wort through the CFC. Try it. No need for another pump.
I agree about ramping times. 500 W doesn't move temperatures very fast. Sometimes I'll sit there and pulse the 1900W element to move it along faster, but for step mashes I just set it and ignore it.

Whirlpool? You really can't. It'll make a whirlpool, piling up the gunk right in the center...where the pump inlet sits. Ugh, worse than useless. I use the 'whirlpool' arm to connect up the hose to the CFC. My regular arm is used for recirc, with hose on the end.

My normal 5 gallon batch (5.5 into the fermenter) starts with 8 gallons of water. I add my brewing slats, then drain off 1.75 gallons into my spaghetti pot. (That's the sparge water. The sous vide heater keeps it at 170 or so). I put in the malt pipe, no false bottom. Once the 6.25 gallons hits strike, I start pouring in the grain (covering the center tube with foil), about half to start, give it a stir, then 1/4 (stir) and 1/4 (stir). I fit the top screen, then the extension thingie. After a couple of minutes, I start recirculating, adjusting the volume so it doesn't overflow into the malt pipe tube, usually 1/3 to 1/2 throttle. Once I have that stable, I re-check the temperature (I drilled a small hole in the top screen to accommodate my thermometer) and once we hit mash (often it is very close to begin with), I walk away and go do errands, after setting a timer on my phone. I do check that recirc is not overflowing after 10 minutes or so, but once that's good, it seems to stay good.

Draining the malt pipe: It is just a hair small for a 5 gallon bucket, but I got a lid and cut out much of the center, leaving about 1/2" around the circumference, and the pipe fits there fine.

Let me know if you need photos of anything.
Click to expand...

I think we have a slightly different set up- I don’t have a center tube, for example. The malt pipe is just a big basket. The top screen does have a hole for the thermometer, but I took that screen out as I tried to stir the mash (it was heavy at the bottom) and it was slowly sinking and not sitting on top. The recirc definitely was going to overflow if I didn’t stir the grain. A LOT. I will try a bucket- that’s a good idea!

I really hate the idea that the Brewzilla could have been a bit wider and held 10 gallons and I could have continued with my no-sparge batches.
 
I raise the basket up and have a hose set up recirculating over the top, sort of a sparge but as that's recirculating I dump a bucket of about 3 gallons of cold water over it as it running, I thought I had a pic but couldn't find it
 
It's best not to max it out, just brew 1050 beers and you can't really stir you stick down and lift from different angles
 
Well, for all the hype, it sure sounds like it needs a redesign. I'm glad I haven't gone down that rabbit hole yet.
I really want something like this, but I can build something that'd work better. Just not with the controllers.
Anyone know of a system that works better than this?
Brian
 
@Yooper did you get the Gen 4 with the controller at the top?
 
Craigerrr said:
@Yooper did you get the Gen 4 with the controller at the top?
Click to expand...

Yes. It's ok like that, so that was convenient.
The 'newest' version is the one missing the middle feet and with my short 130 pound body even lifting 10 pounds out with the malt pipe was a bit tough without a rest between the bottom and above the top of the unit. I have to lift the malt pipe above my neck, which is really hard to do. I could stand on something, but then I might be off balance, so not sure what I'm going to do.

I've considered leaving the malt pipe out entirely and going with BIAB. Might be even harder, but maybe not(?).
 
Yooper said:
Yes. It's ok like that, so that was convenient.
The 'newest' version is the one missing the middle feet and with my short 130 pound body even lifting 10 pounds out with the malt pipe was a bit tough without a rest between the bottom and above the top of the unit. I have to lift the malt pipe above my neck, which is really hard to do. I could stand on something, but then I might be off balance, so not sure what I'm going to do.

I've considered leaving the malt pipe out entirely and going with BIAB. Might be even harder, but maybe not(?).
Click to expand...
Maybe a step later with ratchet winch?
 
Something stable to stand on might help, or simply a lower table to put the "machine" on?
 
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