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!
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!