I have the 35L which now comes with a sight glass , Im a little concerned that the central drain takes all of the crap out of the kettle and doesnt leave a sump beneath a side drain tap (which I had in my last boiler) that would catch some crud.
Thanks for the review. At 9:50 you recommend putting the top grain cover on for wheat beers. Why is that important for wheat beers in particular, please?
Wheat doesn’t have a husk on the grain. As brewers we use the husk from the crushed barley as filter media. Since we don’t have that with the wheat, we need an additional filter material. You should add rice hulls or a hulled media but this screen adds another layer of filtering when you vorlauf. I’ve found it to be fairly helpful.
@@TheProfessionalHomebrewe-ug3iq Thanks for the quick reply. I had just completed my first all grain brew on the 35L Gen4. I used the top for the most part, but then it sank - seems to be compressing the grain, so I re-stirred and left it off in the second half. I'd also purchased rice hulls and made sure they were thoroughly mixed in. Thx
I see you are still whirlpooling but many brewers have said they don't usually bother as the bottom screen is so effective, is this mainly because of the volumes of wort and/or hops to get better extraction?
@@billybass4189 yes, on some beers I use the whirlpool for hop characteristic expression but whirlpooling on this unit while cooling clears the wort tremendously. I even use the technique on the three barrel system. In my experience, a 30 minute whirlpool and adequate rest help clear the wort run off way more than just chilling alone.
@TheProfessionalHomebrewe-ug3iq good tip I'll bear that in mind when I start using my brewzilla, first cpl brews will likely be smash to use some nice hops i have accumulated and get used to it but i will be wanting to do some hop heavy brews too.
RAPT portal is the main disappointment for me. It was presented as some kind of “press a button and get a beer” and turned out to be a marketing trick. Absolutely raw software. Unusable. And so I also became a dinosaur who presses buttons manually and I like it )) I agree with all the weak spots except the "pump and heating buttons": I don’t see any problem here. But I like brewing beer at this brewery, it's good for me. Thanks for the tip regarding the whirlpool tube.
I agree. The overall UX with RAPT left me less than thrilled with its performance. But this system is an affordable 65l all in one brewhouse so I can’t fault it too much.
I'm struggling BZ Gen 4. My SG is usually coming in higher than expected, but my FG is constantly stopping around 1.020 on every batch. I'm wondering if my mash is the issue. What settings are you using? Are you using PID? Are you just using the standard heating? Do you have recommendations for the hysteresis setting?
I tend to shy away from the software side of it. Running three at once is tough enough but considering none of them are the exact same and having three software profiles going would be a real hassle. As well, Getting the temperature delta on these dialed is difficult. While not the only variable, Mash temp plays a big part in attenuation. I set the controller to the temps I want. I use an instant read thermometer and tend to run the pump at a low outflow for most of the mash schedule. I check the temp at the outflow and make adjustments on the controller from there. It works better for me. It’s like adjusting the flame on a propane burner. I don’t really read the display temp while brewing. My thermometer is my primary tool. Hope that helps.
I think the fix for that is to get their rapt thermometer to run the pid off the mash temp in the centre of the mash. I havent tried it yet but I did see it on keglands website.
Personally, I don’t use it. For one. I’m running three at one time and no matter what, they don’t ever synchronize or are the temp deltas the same. The other reason is that I prefer to let the mash tell me what to do. I take readings, visuals, smell, and taste tests throughout the mash to determine what the mash needs. So a blanket program won’t allow me to maximize my output. I liken it to running a pellet smoker vs a wood fired one. If you just set it and forget it you’ll get good results. If you learn to interpret what the mash is telling you and learn to respond accordingly, you’ll make great beer. Just my two cents though.
I would overall. You are getting what you pay for. There are other all in one systems I think are inherently better but not at this price point. So yes, I do reccomend them if this is your target budget.
I am developing the most advanced homebrewing system on the market. Might want to see if you would be interested in testing a pre-commercial prototype this spring or summer
It seems you are trying to do commercial level brewing on upscaled homebrew equipment. IMO many of the drawbacks are just things homebrewers deal with. Brewzilla has the 300L pro level gear although I know nothing about that product line. Great video seeing how you are really pushing the limits of this gear
Great to see a review by a professional, based on lots of product use. Clear and highly informative.
Thanks mate. Glad I could help.
Great video. Just bought the 4.1 with the sight glass 👍
Thank you for providing your experience with this system!
I have the 35L which now comes with a sight glass , Im a little concerned that the central drain takes all of the crap out of the kettle and doesnt leave a sump beneath a side drain tap (which I had in my last boiler) that would catch some crud.
Thanks for the review. At 9:50 you recommend putting the top grain cover on for wheat beers. Why is that important for wheat beers in particular, please?
Wheat doesn’t have a husk on the grain. As brewers we use the husk from the crushed barley as filter media. Since we don’t have that with the wheat, we need an additional filter material. You should add rice hulls or a hulled media but this screen adds another layer of filtering when you vorlauf. I’ve found it to be fairly helpful.
@@TheProfessionalHomebrewe-ug3iq Thanks for the quick reply. I had just completed my first all grain brew on the 35L Gen4. I used the top for the most part, but then it sank - seems to be compressing the grain, so I re-stirred and left it off in the second half. I'd also purchased rice hulls and made sure they were thoroughly mixed in.
Thx
I see you are still whirlpooling but many brewers have said they don't usually bother as the bottom screen is so effective, is this mainly because of the volumes of wort and/or hops to get better extraction?
@@billybass4189 yes, on some beers I use the whirlpool for hop characteristic expression but whirlpooling on this unit while cooling clears the wort tremendously. I even use the technique on the three barrel system. In my experience, a 30 minute whirlpool and adequate rest help clear the wort run off way more than just chilling alone.
@TheProfessionalHomebrewe-ug3iq good tip I'll bear that in mind when I start using my brewzilla, first cpl brews will likely be smash to use some nice hops i have accumulated and get used to it but i will be wanting to do some hop heavy brews too.
RAPT portal is the main disappointment for me.
It was presented as some kind of “press a button and get a beer” and turned out to be a marketing trick.
Absolutely raw software. Unusable. And so I also became a dinosaur who presses buttons manually and I like it ))
I agree with all the weak spots except the "pump and heating buttons": I don’t see any problem here.
But I like brewing beer at this brewery, it's good for me.
Thanks for the tip regarding the whirlpool tube.
I agree. The overall UX with RAPT left me less than thrilled with its performance. But this system is an affordable 65l all in one brewhouse so I can’t fault it too much.
I'm struggling BZ Gen 4. My SG is usually coming in higher than expected, but my FG is constantly stopping around 1.020 on every batch. I'm wondering if my mash is the issue. What settings are you using? Are you using PID? Are you just using the standard heating? Do you have recommendations for the hysteresis setting?
I tend to shy away from the software side of it. Running three at once is tough enough but considering none of them are the exact same and having three software profiles going would be a real hassle. As well, Getting the temperature delta on these dialed is difficult. While not the only variable, Mash temp plays a big part in attenuation. I set the controller to the temps I want. I use an instant read thermometer and tend to run the pump at a low outflow for most of the mash schedule. I check the temp at the outflow and make adjustments on the controller from there. It works better for me. It’s like adjusting the flame on a propane burner. I don’t really read the display temp while brewing. My thermometer is my primary tool. Hope that helps.
I think the fix for that is to get their rapt thermometer to run the pid off the mash temp in the centre of the mash. I havent tried it yet but I did see it on keglands website.
Do you recommend activating the PID setting on the Gen 4? New to using the gen 4…..
Personally, I don’t use it. For one. I’m running three at one time and no matter what, they don’t ever synchronize or are the temp deltas the same. The other reason is that I prefer to let the mash tell me what to do. I take readings, visuals, smell, and taste tests throughout the mash to determine what the mash needs. So a blanket program won’t allow me to maximize my output. I liken it to running a pellet smoker vs a wood fired one. If you just set it and forget it you’ll get good results. If you learn to interpret what the mash is telling you and learn to respond accordingly, you’ll make great beer. Just my two cents though.
Thanks so much for the reply. I agree I think the pellet smoker analogy is the right approach.
Mighty Brew Mods
One question: Would you recommend these units as I got the feeling you were a bit unhappy with a few parts of this product.
I would overall. You are getting what you pay for. There are other all in one systems I think are inherently better but not at this price point. So yes, I do reccomend them if this is your target budget.
I am developing the most advanced homebrewing system on the market. Might want to see if you would be interested in testing a pre-commercial prototype this spring or summer
Shoot me some details and I’ll be happy to discuss it.
It seems you are trying to do commercial level brewing on upscaled homebrew equipment. IMO many of the drawbacks are just things homebrewers deal with. Brewzilla has the 300L pro level gear although I know nothing about that product line. Great video seeing how you are really pushing the limits of this gear
Kuźwa, polski sarmata😀