Brewzilla Gen 4 Review - Over 100 Brews in the year is it still any good?
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- In this video we go over our experience this past year with the Brewzilla Gen 4 system. What do we love and not love so much?
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I love my version 3.1.1. When it dies I will absolutley buy another Brewzilla!
We got a lot of use out of our 3.1.1 and it's still going strong. Cheers!
Thanks guy's.
I've been thinking about buying one for some time and compairing systems and now I have decided to buy this one 👍
I think it's the best value for the money, I just wish they included the chiller tubing. Cheers
I have been able to clear a blocked recirculation pump by Inserting a turkey baster tip into the intake port and sucking out the sediment.
If that alone doesn't do the trick, remove the recirculation arm, open the valve and direct a pressurized stream of water from your bottle/carboy cleaner through it.
The combination should unblock the pump.
I have the old version one bought from you some years ago …, and this is always the best purchase i’ve made !
That's awesome to hear. Cheers!
Hey! I just bought a Brewzilla gen 4 and I've brewed my first beer: an irish red ale. Currently it is fermenting. I bought it because of your great review and followed your brew day video in my brew day. Greetings from Mexico!
It's awesome to hear that our videos are reaching and helping people all over the world. Congrats on your first brew, cheers!
I've been using it for well over a year as well (not nearly the volume of usage that you guys have of course!) and I can say that it has consistently made my brewdays faster, less messy and generally more relaxed - not to mention much lesser cleaning! Over time, I got the BT thermometer, the flexi arm, the sparge head and the CIP rotor. I think the CIP, I have had mixed results (admittedly small sample size since I only recently got it) but the BT thermometer has been the absolute best accessory.
Like you said, the inbuilt thermometer is off and I haven't really bothered calibrating it. I also tried the PID the first few times but did not find something that worked. The BT probe is super simple to use, modular and just works.
I've also only used the flexi arm + sparge head for one brew now but it is just absolutely superb in the recirculating, not to mention, making transferring to the fermenter a breeze with no need to remove the camlock, moving the recirc arm and then fitting it in. Simple enough but unnecessarily messy.
Overall, highly endorse it for anyone who's looking to simplify things and also have a great experience doing it.
Thanks for sharing your personal insights on the system. I can't wait to try out the Bluetooth thermometer. Cheers!
Great folluw up. I have the 3.1.1 system and its been working great for the last two years, however, the tempatue is not reading properly on the screen. I use an instant thermometer like the one shown. Still brews amazing suds.
Cheers!
Honest and funny! Been happy with my brewzilla thanks for the comparison of the different versions
Cheers!
I would thoroughly recommend the heat exchange plate and the Bluetooth thermometer to control the elements.
I went with those options when I bought my gen 4.
And luckily here in the UK we don't even need to think about a 110 v , 240 volts is standard. 🍻
My Bluetooth thermometer should arrive any day now. Can't wait to test it out!
nice to see the unit has performed great over a one year period. I might consider one when I have to upgrade. Cheers 😀 👍 🍻
We've been really happy with them. Cheers
You guys are awesome! I had emailed you about a week ago inquiring about products, pricing and shipping to northern ON. I'm definitely excited to order this bad boy from you and start brewing! I just have to decide on the 110 or 220. Still making up my mind on that one haha.
Both the 110v and 220v make great beer. The 220v is definitely faster. The one thing I do like about the 110v is that you can plug it in almost anywhere. In the house, on your deck, at a friends house, at work etc
I love my 65L 3.1.1 and I've been on it for 2-3 years now. I almost upgraded to the Gen 4 but I already use my 35L as a HLT for sparging. I couldn't imagine having 3 unit kicking around! lol I agree with the temp probe and will be watching your in-line temp probe hack here next! Thanks for the videos (bought the CIP piece per your review and I can vouch - awesome!!) I fully agree with the praise you give Kegland too!
I wish Kegland would get the larger 65L systems CSA approved so we could sell them out here in Canada, Maybe one day. Cheers!
There's an additional bluetooth thermometer for these that connects to the controller and measures the top or middle of the mash bed to control the elements (KL24334). Works really well.
I have one on order, can't wait to test it!
I use my Gen 3 as my HLT also at the end of the brew day, I use it to catch my cleaning water from the chiller so I can start prepping my PBW and warm water.
Good idea, cheers!
Well done
@@curtpick628 cheers
Thanks to this video, I've decided to finally buy it, I guess Kegland ows you one ;) can't wait to brew my first batch finally without using brewkits. Cheers from Poland!
That's awesome! Enjoy your new toy, cheers!
I love it. Compared to gen 3 I find the upgrades worth it. But agree it's a lot of money if you're happy with the system. The heat exchange plate helps. It definitely improves times but I also use the 220V and it's not entirely necessary. But if you want to improve it just a little more it does work
Nice, I'll have to try using it the next time I brew.
The other thing to mention to your point in the video Paul, I highly suggest giving PID brewing a shot, it's way better. It does vary depending on your brewing habits, but for a general-ish guideline on the 220V system brewing at room temp, using a standard 18-19 liter mash, try these settings: P coefficient: 0.426, I: 0.0027 D: 0.000.
Your shop is similar to my brewing area so your values should be similar. have zero overshoot and it keeps my mash temp bang on for the entire duration. For new PID brewers, just make sure to switch off PID after mash. Heat up for mash out and boil as you normally would. Cheers
I recently bought the Brewzilla Gen4. Thank you for putting these videos together - really a good source of information. In the KegLand instructions they mention an optional method for plumbing the tap to bypass the pump. In your experience, is it necessary to change the tube routing on the pump - so that the drain could bypass a stuck / failed pump ?
Hi, I haven't had pump issues so I never looked into the rerouting the tubing. Cheers
@@graintoglass OK, thanks for getting back to me. I am going to leave as is - don't need to create a problem with messing with something that works.
I LOVE my Gen4!!! Seriously. Would you guys ever buy the 100L version and do a review of that?
I'd love to but it's not CSA approved for sale in Canada :(
Only have a couple brews on mine. What is the right way to put the bottom of the malt pipe? Domed up or domed down?
I install it dome up. Cheers
Happy to say thanks to your great videos I have purchased a Gen 4! Question, where my kettle would located the 6 ft. Cord will not reach to my outlet. Do you recommend using an extension cord and if so do I need to consider a voltage or wattage rating?
To be safe you would want a high amp good quality extension cable. Enjoy your Gen 4!
Good vid
Cheers!
Great info. Ive done two brews on mine, had issues with plugged pump/lines both times. I used rice husky on second brew.
Have you tried the pump bypass setup? I m not sure that would make a difference when recirculating, just possibly keeping the bottom tap clear. Thoughts? Maybe my grains were molled too fine. Ive now got my own mill so will try coarser.
Hi, I haven't heard of the pump bypass. I haven't had issues with the pump getting clogged. What was your clogged with? If it's grain try a coarser grind next time as you mentioned. Cheers
Hey, you think I should upgrade from version 2 the RoboBrew I've thought about it but I don't know if I can justify it just yet, but I have thought of it
Do I think you would enjoy brewing more on the Gen4? Absolutely. Is it a necessary upgrade, not really. If you enjoy the process on your gen2 and the beer is turning out good you could stick with what you already have and then upgrade if your gen2 ever fails. Cheers
What do you think about the temp probe calibration process? Did you performed that under the 1 year?
I did try calibrating the thermometer. The 110v seems more accurate than the 220v but they're both close to what is being displayed on the controller.
I love my 3.1.1
Does the Gen4 need to be connected to the internet to be used? Even for an initial setup?. I have no internet access at my brewroom. Zero bars.
Hi, it can be used without being connected to the internet. I would however recommend connecting it to wifi at least once to register it and to update the firmware. Cheers
@@graintoglass thanks man. I'll stick to breaking my back trying to read a 3.1.1 then 🤣
@@user-dx4dl5bn8p 🤣🤣🤣
How quickly does it heat up from mashing temp to boiling when you have it fairly full (30 liters)?
I haven't timed it in a while but 25-30min. Cheers
@@graintoglass that's pretty quick. Thanks for the answer!
Do you recommend the 65L one or the 35L on works just as well ( with the extender)?
35l with extender is ca. the same price than the 65l. I bought the 65l one, you can do 1 keg batches in it without problem but if you go for some high alc % beer with a lot of malts or do you plan 2 keg batches then its easier to do in the 65l one. Depends, on your needs.
In Canada the 65L is not CSA approved for sale so I have never had a chance to use it. If you want to make bigger batches on the 35L with the extender make sure to get the 220v version The 110v will struggle. Cheers
You'er dead right Kegland do listen to what we want and are ALWAYS coming up with stuff to make our brew day easer be it making beer or mashing in for a spirit. I've dealt with them here in Aussie for Yonks and 'Highly Recommend' their products. Shout out to Kee our Aussie rep. 🦘🦘👍.
Kee seems like such a good guy and Kegland is doing a great job with their innovative and affordable products. Cheers
honestly, I am not happy with this brewzilla. I always get stuck mash, the temperature is always incorrect and it's very up and down. The only positive is the bottom pump which can suck all the wort out. By comparison, I use another brewer, that doesn't have any famous brand (half price) and I get way more efficency and less troubles
Would you be able to send a link? We'd love to try it out.
Thinking about buying a Gen4. In your opinion how does it compare to an Anvil Foundry? Bluetooth aside, interested in mash efficiency, etc
I haven't tried the Anvil foundry but it looks similar to the gen4 so I would assume both would have similar efficiency. For me personally unless it's changed I would hate having the external pump on the Foundry. Cheers
If you would be starting into this world of brewing, and you could buy e Gen 3.1 for € 350 or get the Gen 4 for € 600, what would you recommend (where money is an issue)?
That's a tough question. Both will make great beer but the gen4 has a few things that I really like. The new grain basket is much better, the gen4 draws from the center instead of the side when going into the pump, the false bottom keeps more hop and grain particles from clogging the pump and the controller is at the top of the unit for easier access and also supports wifi connectivity. It's also easier to fix if you do have a clogged pump or need to replace it in the future (this hasn't been an issue for us yet though). If money isn't an issue I would hands down recommend the gen4. If you have a fixed budget you could go for the gen3 and then spend the other $150 on more brewing equipment like a fermzilla fermenter or more kegging/bottling equipment. If the question was is the gen4 worth $150 more than the gen3 then my answer would be that it is. I hope that helps.
Cheers
@@graintoglass thank you, that really helps in my decision making!
What is the maximum amp? I am thinking about buying this but I’m wondering what wiring I need and receptacle in USA. Thanks
Hi, I believe it requires 15 amp. Cheers
Has anybody run into the problem where the sediment is too much and so both the pump and the bottom faucet get jammed?
Haven't run into that issue. Are you on the gen 3 or 4?
65L 的设备，最大麦芽使用量是多少？
I have the 3.1.1 and have been looking at the extended malt pipe and boil extender but the bottom screen on the gen 4 is different than the 3.1.1 with the screw in overflow tube (the one you cover with the little silicone cap). Is there a different bottom you can buy with the extended pipe?
As far as I know there's no way to use the extended malt pipe on the 3.1.1 Cheers