Making the plunge into e-BIAB

[Pyrexic]

I am making plunge into electric brewing. I have the 240V plug getting installed into my garage next week, which is the first step. I have narrowed it down to 3-systems: The Clawhammer 20 gal; the Unibrau 20 gal; or the Brew Hardware 15 gal. My requirements are 240V, I mostly brew 5 gal batches but do occasionally brew 10 gal batches. Most of my 5 gal batches tend to be higher gravity beers, so I want enough room for grain and good conversion.

At the moment, I am leaning towards the Clawhammer as it seems to provide the best bang for the buck. My concerns with the Clawhammer are: threaded vs TC fittings, no side whirlpool nozzle, controller looks clunky and very basic. I do like the large grain basket and that it is a complete kit.

The Unibrau has TC fittings, whirlpool connection, although the controller is not quite as clunky as the Clawhammer, not sure there is any additional features so still fairly basic. Not a big fan of the counterflow chiller and that outside of the basic kettle, mash basket, element, and controller, you need to buy the rest separately. But once you add in all the comparable items to the Clawhammer it is more expensive and then you pay for shipping.

I love the customization you get from Brew Hardware, but once I put together a 15 gal system with the lower end pump (which appears to be better than either of the pumps that come with Clawhammer or Unibrau), the price is higher than either of the above for a 15 gal system. That said, all TC fittings, brew commander, upgraded pump. But still brewing in a bag - not sure this is a downside, just feels cheap after laying out that much for a system.

These are my perceptions based on comparing these online for a while now, but have never brewed on them. They all get decent marks but was wondering if anyone has had any issues with any of these or wish it was different once you used it for a while. I would prefer not to buy something and need to make modifications right away. I know there are plenty of reviews out there, but very few say what they wish was different or what they don't like. So just wanted to get some real feedback from folks that have used any of these systems or similar systems.

Thanks in advance!

 

[fsewall]

I just bought a clawhammer 20 gallon 240v, couldn't be happier!

 

[Kevin58]

There is nothing cheap about BIAB so don't use that as a consideration when comparing systems. Clawhammer is a solid choice but so is Brewhardware especially when you consider the personal touch and awesome customer service you get from Bobby, the owner.

 

[patpawlowski]

I haven't used any of these systems, but it appears that the Clawhammer systems use Quick Disconnect. I work with both tri-clamp fittings and Quick Disconnect, and the Quick Disconnect fittings are much easier to work with. The QD can be put on and off with one hand, while the TC fittings require between 2.5 and 3.5 hands. I did a bit of research before standardizing on the QD specification. I looked at tri-clamps and cam locks in addition to the Quick Disconnects and found the QDs to be the least expensive and on par with the range of use of tri-clamps.

It is worth noting that I'm not speaking of generic quick disconnects like you get for your water hose or whatever, where they may or may not work with different brands, etc. This is a specification that you can buy from many manufacturers, and they all work together. I tried to find some general information on the specification but could not find any. I generally just look for the Q and D to be capitalized.

Here is a short video where you can see some details on how they work:

Try not to cringe too bad when this guy pries the snap ring off with a carpet knife.

Here is a look at some of the connectors available.

 

[fsewall]

There is nothing cheap about BIAB so don't use that as a consideration when comparing systems. Clawhammer is a solid choice but so is Brewhardware especially when you consider the personal touch and awesome customer service you get from Bobby, the owner.

It's definitely not the cheap option lol

 

[Pyrexic]

Update: I was able to pick up a used 20 gal Unibrau system with a Brew Commander controller. It came with just about all of the accessories and I have now brewed 3 5-gal batches and absolutely love it. I am sure the Clawhammer would perform similarly and was leaning towards getting that had I bought new. Here are a couple of general observations in my journey:

• I reached out to Unibrau via email 2x trying to get some information on the system I was going to buy before I bought it. There was no response so not impressed with the customer service. In comparison, I had question regarding the Clawhammer systems and got responses from Emit within 24 hrs. Super impressed.
• I cannot say enough about how impressed I am about the Brew Commander controller. I know that is not standard with either system, but if buying new, I would recommend trying to purchase without a controller and spend the money on the Brew Commander. If Clawhammer or Unibrau are listening, I think they would do well to offer this as an option (obviously an upcharge) but totally worth it in my opinion.
• Noticed a slightly lower mash conversion as compared to 3 vessel system, which is expected going to e-BIAB. Was able to bring that up some by adding BIAB bag inside mash vessel and reducing grain crush to .035. This along with adding 5% added grain able to hit my numbers again.
• Going with 240V system and counter flow chiller which came with it, my brew day has been reduced by ~1.5 hrs (~6 to 4.5 hrs)