Brewzilla? Anyone have one and can give some advice?

[Yooper]

The time has come. I'm about ready to go small, and so 5ish gallon batches from now on. My big system is just too big, too much, too heavy, and I'm ready to downsize. I rarely do larger batches these days and I love the idea of an all-in-one.

I saw a Grainfather in action a few years ago, and was not happy by what seem to be messy, and lifting up the grainbasket seemed like a huge pain.

One of my friends over at Homebrew Happy Hour (podcast) told me his dad loves his Brewzilla Gen 4. I looked at it online, but really love some advice from Brewzilla owners about the messiness (I brew indoors, in my laundry room) and the real-world cleaning, etc.

 

[The Brew Mentor]

I'm at the same spot, so I'll be following

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

The time has come. I'm about ready to go small, and so 5ish gallon batches from now on. My big system is just too big, too much, too heavy, and I'm ready to downsize. I rarely do larger batches these days and I love the idea of an all-in-one.

I saw a Grainfather in action a few years ago, and was not happy by what seem to be messy, and lifting up the grainbasket seemed like a huge pain.

One of my friends over at Homebrew Happy Hour (podcast) told me his dad loves his Brewzilla Gen 4. I looked at it online, but really love some advice from Brewzilla owners about the messiness (I brew indoors, in my laundry room) and the real-world cleaning, etc.

On a recent podcast of theirs, they referred to "Lorena coming down soon". I wondered if they were talking about you.

 

[Simonpyman]

The time has come. I'm about ready to go small, and so 5ish gallon batches from now on. My big system is just too big, too much, too heavy, and I'm ready to downsize. I rarely do larger batches these days and I love the idea of an all-in-one.

I saw a Grainfather in action a few years ago, and was not happy by what seem to be messy, and lifting up the grainbasket seemed like a huge pain.

One of my friends over at Homebrew Happy Hour (podcast) told me his dad loves his Brewzilla Gen 4. I looked at it online, but really love some advice from Brewzilla owners about the messiness (I brew indoors, in my laundry room) and the real-world cleaning, etc.

I bought my v 3.1.1 in 2021 and I love it. I have done 10 brews so far without any issues. Lifting the grain basket to sparge is a little bit of a pain and once you are done sparging you just have to have a trash bag ready to dump out the spent grains. Its a little messy but not too bad. I put towels down the floor as you get some wort spilling down when you undo the cam locks while changing the recirculation arm for the whirpool arm during cooldown. Its really easy to clean as well.

The gen 4 has two sets of feet so that you can lift out the grain basket in two stages so that it can drain a bit before lifting it fully out. The gen 4 from what i hear is a lot easier to clean as well compared to the gen 3.1.1.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I have the anvil, it's not bad, I would only use a 240v all in one but cleanup is a snap compared to the big rig, hot water and a green scratch pad

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I like my pump separate and not underneath, not very friendly if the pump clogs

 

[west1m]

Anvil user, I have to use a hook in the celing and a locking cord and pulley thing. Makes it real easy. My celing is just a bit low to get high enough to get the 5 gallon bucket under the basket but just tilt it a bit and it is in the bucket with out spillage "usually".

 

[Yooper]

Thanks! I can’t do a pulley system in my laundry room- old house with a drop ceiling, and I do have 240v or 120 easily available.
I was leaning towards Brewzilla gen 3 because it seems to have what I want…..but a gen 4 with a two-place lift for the grain seems like a good addition. I don’t need blue tooth for brew day.

I’d like to hear more about the Anvil though.

 

[Yooper]

On a recent podcast of theirs, they referred to "Lorena coming down soon". I wondered if they were talking about you.

I think so- I was there for a weekend in February. I spent a few days at the ranch, and then went into the business to see James and Josh. We didn’t do a podcast together this time, but still managed to laugh a lot.

 

[Yooper]

I like my pump separate and not underneath, not very friendly if the pump clogs

Todd, can you tell me more about the pump and how it works for you?

 

[west1m]

The pump for the Anvil. I believe the Brewzilla is built into the bottom of the unit
Mine is on 220V , long extension cord from the stove upstairs kitchen.

 

[west1m]

I just looked at the picture. Old one in the phone. Messy, messy messy! Boil over!

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

Todd, can you tell me more about the pump and how it works for you?

My only issue are a full boil at 100% foams up and splashes, the only other issue is it's very light weight so care is needed

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

There are several threads on hombrewtalk on the anvil

 

[Yooper]

View attachment 28740
The pump for the Anvil. I believe the Brewzilla is built into the bottom of the unit
Mine is on 220V , long extension cord from the stove upstairs kitchen.

Ah, thank you. I guess it could be put on a stand(?) so it’s easier to prime the pump but one of the things I’m afraid of is a big mess- I hardly ever make a mess in my current set up, but it’s flippin’ heavy stuff!

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I would also invest in a sight glass, you'll have to install it yourself but I think it's crucial, not just for water amounts but also tells you when you have a stuck mash

 

[The Brew Mentor]

They have a steam condenser for this too.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I have a better pump now but this is mine

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

Also this, I haven't used it yet but my friend wants to make whiskey

 

[TWS]

Have a BZ 3.1.1 and have several brews under my belt. I use an overhead pulley on the grain basket and it really helps. Wish I had 240v version but as it is the 120v puts a load on my basement circuit such that one extension cord literally began to melt. Make sure to use a heavy duty extension cord (12 gauge or better?). Temperature consistency in the BZ has been a struggle. My answer has been to use a kitchen thermometer inserted into the lid, run the pump at low speed, and not begin timing anything until the BZ temp and the thermometer temps agree. This also involves being sure to calibrate the BZ temp before doing the initial brew and periodically thereafter. Steps to do this are easy and in the directions available in the box or online. I also like the feature that allows you to have the BZ step timer set so that it does not start until the designated temperature has been achieved. Another step I take is to rinse/scrub the canister after removing the wort and boiling some water to sanitize the unit and, importantly, rinse and flush the pump and the spigot. Oh, and one more thing - this device is easy-peasy to clean, even with the eventual boilover.