As the title says. I currently use a robobrew 35L and love it. I just need to make more beer in the same amount of time. I enjoy the process, don’t get me wrong, but I also share with friends and the beer goes quick. I have been looking at the 65L version and it would be apples to apples but the cost is 1000$.(I am in Canada). I can afford that, but am wondering if there are any recommendations or other options from the many brewers here.
Want to move from 5 to 10 gallon batches. Any recommendations oh wise ones of the brew community?
- Thread starter BarLee
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AkTom
Well-Known Member
Tell your friends to buy it, or you’ll cut them off! Or not. Brew on 
Might be worth sticking with what works, do the upgrade, and hopefully amortize a decent chunk of the cost by selling the current machine.
Otherwise, a BIAB system would be the least expensive alternative...
Cheers!
Otherwise, a BIAB system would be the least expensive alternative...
Cheers!
Transamguy77
Well-Known Member
The answer is very easy and clear and not at the same time.....yes, by all means make 10 gallons and the not clear part is are you asking about a different style in terms of vessel, size and heat source?
it sounds like you just want a bigger robobrew but maybe looking for a cheaper option? A turkey fryer with a 15-20 gallon kettle and a bag can get you to 10 gallons at a fraction of the price. Maybe I’m not quite understanding your question so I hope this helps.
it sounds like you just want a bigger robobrew but maybe looking for a cheaper option? A turkey fryer with a 15-20 gallon kettle and a bag can get you to 10 gallons at a fraction of the price. Maybe I’m not quite understanding your question so I hope this helps.
If you like the robobrew and the cost is not unreasonable to you then stay with what you know.
Abhishek Dewan
Well-Known Member
I can simply share my own experience. I work in Africa & have no LBS or even access to malted grains there. I only have a simple kitchen pot of 10 litres, a brew bag & a plastic fermenter bucket. when I go to Africa, I take stuff like DME & hops with me.
I make my own malt now a days to travel light. I simply make high gravity wort and put it in the bucket and top off with cold RO water. My batches are 23 litres. I brew full boil (60 min) as well as no boil style beers, with no problem. I add DME directly to the fermenter & it dissolves. It even dissolves in cold water. So may be all you need is a bigger fermenter.
I make my own malt now a days to travel light. I simply make high gravity wort and put it in the bucket and top off with cold RO water. My batches are 23 litres. I brew full boil (60 min) as well as no boil style beers, with no problem. I add DME directly to the fermenter & it dissolves. It even dissolves in cold water. So may be all you need is a bigger fermenter.
If you're wanting to make bigger batches but are limited to the size of the vessel(s) in your system, could the Robobrew or others allow you to do partial volume boils? I remember when first starting this hobby, I did 2.5G partial boils in my 5 gallon kettle. Then I would pour the wort into my 6 gallon bucket that had 2.5 gallons of room temp water in it to get me my 5 gallons. This was the way I had to do it before getting my larger kettle for full volume boiling.
I don't own any of these electric systems, so know nothing about them (I do like them though). I was wondering if doing a higher gravity partial boil and topping off with water to doubling your batch would be feasible (and free) until you can get the larger Robobrew.
I don't own any of these electric systems, so know nothing about them (I do like them though). I was wondering if doing a higher gravity partial boil and topping off with water to doubling your batch would be feasible (and free) until you can get the larger Robobrew.
verboten
With Low Expectations, you're rarely disappointed
I built a fancy 2 vessel RIMS system shortly before the big robobrew came out. At times I wish I had gone with the Big robobrew, I really like my small one.
Thanks for all the replies guys and gals. I guess I was reaching out for some viewpoints and suggestions and all your answers and questions are great! To elaborate. I guess I am asking that at $1000 bucks are there better options brewers like yourselves would suggest. I have only done all grain in the robobrew. I like the small footprint and ease of use. The other option might be a brew bag and 20 Gallon Electric Kettle. I do brew indoors because, well Canada. Thanks to all who have responded and keep those suggestions and opinions rolling!
Like I say I have $1000 to spend, but only Once!!!!!
Cheers
Like I say I have $1000 to spend, but only Once!!!!!
Cheers
From what I can tell, you don't ferment inside the robobrew, right? You run the wort off to a fermenter?
So why not just get a bigger fermenter capable of doing 10g batches and run two batches through the robobrew, one after another, into the fermenter? My understanding is that small brewpubs often do this because they'll have 3.5bbl brewhouses with 7 bbl fermenters. So you run two batches into the fermenter rather than one.
Or get a second fermenter and just two dual 5g batch brew days of different ingredients?
So why not just get a bigger fermenter capable of doing 10g batches and run two batches through the robobrew, one after another, into the fermenter? My understanding is that small brewpubs often do this because they'll have 3.5bbl brewhouses with 7 bbl fermenters. So you run two batches into the fermenter rather than one.
Or get a second fermenter and just two dual 5g batch brew days of different ingredients?
I went from 5 to 10 and regretted it.
Back to 5 now and that's as big as I'll ever go again.
Smaller is easier all around.
We're homebrewing!
If you wanna go pro- go pro!
10,15, hell 30 gallon batches still aren't close to pro brewing. Why bother?
Back to 5 now and that's as big as I'll ever go again.
Smaller is easier all around.
We're homebrewing!
If you wanna go pro- go pro!
10,15, hell 30 gallon batches still aren't close to pro brewing. Why bother?
Production kinda needs to meet demand, aimiright? Otherwise, why bother?
If I brewed five gallon batches I'd have to brew 35-40 batches a year.
10 gallon batches meet my needs with half the brew days.
Cheers!
If I brewed five gallon batches I'd have to brew 35-40 batches a year.
10 gallon batches meet my needs with half the brew days.
Cheers!
verboten
With Low Expectations, you're rarely disappointed
With pumps, hoses, fittings, etc etc you couldn’t touch my system for $1000 USD, let alone CAD.
Your the first person I've heard to regret going bigger. I'm the lone drinker in my house, so you would think 10 gallon batches would be too much for someone like me.
Like @day_trippr mentioned, you double the batches, you reduce the brew days. If you enjoy brewing as much as drinking (pretty much all of us), then that's totally understandable too. I wished I could brew more often than I currently do, but I can't. So with that, me doubling up to 10 gallons makes perfect sense. It keeps the pipeline maintained and there's plenty of beer for sharing, competitions, etc. You'd be surprised how quick a 5 gallon keg will go.
If you refer to 'Brewton's 3rd law of Drinking', it goes.....
"The better the beer tastes, the faster it will be drank."
I brew 20g batches a lot. I use a 3 vessel NG setup. I built it way before BIAB came around. I’d personally build a large electric kettle and go BIAB for my large batches. You could do that for way less than $1k. You can go smaller with a large system, but you can’t go large with a small system. That has always been my thinking. I usually do 12.5g batches.
I usually make 5 gallon batches, but every once in a while have to ramp up production for a party. What I do is make a high gravity wort in my existing kettle, split it between two fermenters and top off the fermenters with water so I have at least 5 gallons in each fermenter. So, instead of making 5 gallons of wort with an OG of 1.040, increase your grain bill and shoot for an OG of 1.080+. When you dilute the wort in your fermenter, voila, you have 10-11 gallons of wort at your normal OG.
Some big brewers do this, but add water after fermentation so they don't need as much fermentation capacity. However, doing that can add oxygen to the beer, so I prefer to dilute the high gravity wort before fermention. Because I have plenty of fermentation capacity, it's no big deal for me. Good luck.
Some big brewers do this, but add water after fermentation so they don't need as much fermentation capacity. However, doing that can add oxygen to the beer, so I prefer to dilute the high gravity wort before fermention. Because I have plenty of fermentation capacity, it's no big deal for me. Good luck.
I used to brew 10 gallon batches, but it took too long to drink a batch. When I started brewing again, I went with 5 gallons for this reason and the fact that I'm getting old and the lifting it took for 10 gallon batches was too much.
I still have the capability top do a 10 gallon batch and I do once a year when I brew for our Oktoberfest party.
I still have the capability top do a 10 gallon batch and I do once a year when I brew for our Oktoberfest party.
Jordan Logo
Well-Known Member
I'd suggest with staying at 5 gallon batches and just making different beers so that you can try different styles to see what you truly love before committing to brewing 10 gallons of one beer, because if you wanted to test a different style with a 10 gallon system you might have trouble with the submersion of all the grain of a 5 gallon batch in a 10 gallon batch system (if that makes any sense to you lol).
BUT, if you know what you like, and I'm assuming you'll keep your 5 gallon system - you won't have this problem.
If you only had $1000 to spend I'd get a quality kettle, a propane burner, and a quality BIAB bag.
1. BrewBuilt Kettle 22g - $429.99 (MoreBeer)
2. Bayou Classic Propane Burner - ~$50 (Amazon)
3. Propane Tank - ~$50 (Any refill place near you - my CVS refills these - I think its $50 initial, $25 each refill... each tank for my 5 gallon batches lasts around 5+ batches I'm just under estimating because I've never really counted)
4. Quality BIAB Bag - ~$30 (wilserbrewer BIAB Bags - makes the best damn bags on the market. He'll make a custom bag for you, add in hop bags, and a pulley system, all for under $40)
+
5. Fridge w/ temp control
6. Plastic Buckers/Fermenting Vessels
There you go bud. Way less than $1000.
With the extra cash I'd go ahead and buy a nice long chest freezer and make a cool serving fridge, along with another fermenting fridge so you have something always on its way to a keg. Craigslist, or LetGo is always a good place to find people selling freezers.
PS. I've always contemplated going full electric due to its ease of use and less cleanup, but honestly, I love my brew day and have no problem with washing dishes... I work in a fire house with sometimes over 10+ people so washing dishes is pretty much my side hobby. Propane is pretty cheap, and heats your stuff up way faster than electric anyways.
BUT, if you know what you like, and I'm assuming you'll keep your 5 gallon system - you won't have this problem.
If you only had $1000 to spend I'd get a quality kettle, a propane burner, and a quality BIAB bag.
1. BrewBuilt Kettle 22g - $429.99 (MoreBeer)
2. Bayou Classic Propane Burner - ~$50 (Amazon)
3. Propane Tank - ~$50 (Any refill place near you - my CVS refills these - I think its $50 initial, $25 each refill... each tank for my 5 gallon batches lasts around 5+ batches I'm just under estimating because I've never really counted)
4. Quality BIAB Bag - ~$30 (wilserbrewer BIAB Bags - makes the best damn bags on the market. He'll make a custom bag for you, add in hop bags, and a pulley system, all for under $40)
+
5. Fridge w/ temp control
6. Plastic Buckers/Fermenting Vessels
There you go bud. Way less than $1000.
With the extra cash I'd go ahead and buy a nice long chest freezer and make a cool serving fridge, along with another fermenting fridge so you have something always on its way to a keg. Craigslist, or LetGo is always a good place to find people selling freezers.
PS. I've always contemplated going full electric due to its ease of use and less cleanup, but honestly, I love my brew day and have no problem with washing dishes... I work in a fire house with sometimes over 10+ people so washing dishes is pretty much my side hobby. Propane is pretty cheap, and heats your stuff up way faster than electric anyways.
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I have 27 gal pots my boil kettle has 11,000 watts. I can have 20 to 23 gals of wort boiling in 20 minutes. Then one element shuts off and I have a nice boil on one 5500 watt element at 59 % duty cycle. I like electric because it's quiet, no fumes, less heat, and you can brew indoors. Excellent temperature and time control. Also, no running out of propane.
Thanks for the reply. I dont mind the cleaning as I work in an industry that requires that as 25% of what I do!
For me I dont really have the outside brew option where I live and I prefer indoor brewing. That and a small footprint. I have a small house with no Garage
. So I am aiming at electric brewing. EBIAB.This sounds like a nice setup. I obviously would have to wire a 220v setup to achieve this, but I would have to do that for the 65L Robobrew anyways. The expense that puts it over the top is the Controller. Those seem to be around $500 alone.
when i moved from 5 to 10 gallons, i just bought a 15 gallon pot and 10 gallon cooler instead of my old 7.5 gal pot and 5 gallon cooler.....
When I moved from 5 gallon extract kits with a turkey fryer I went right to doing 10 gallons all grain. I made a 70 qt cooler with manifold and got a keg to make a keggle. Also made a counterflow chiller. My next move if and when I make it would be to go to an electric brew in a basket setup and stay with 10 gallon batches so would need to go to a 20 gallon plus kettle.
The stilldragon controller is about $50. You have to put it together yourself and it isn't super fancy but it's a good value.
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