Keg King ROBOBREW 35L SINGLE VESSEL BREWERY

[Damn]

How much without the wort chiller, also drop the malt pipe, they could get this below the price of a crown urn? Being Aussie, they should of known to make them options. Exciting times ahead, I'm waiting for someone to beef up the German jam maker.

 

[takai]

Is there any day that you're not "down there"?

Lol, i have to drive past regularly for work. Plus they were the closest place with camlock seals in stock.

 

[Fylp]

Not sure about lifting 5 or 6kg of wet grain up in the basket and trying to get that trivet thing underneath by yourself.

A lot of us I guess do that with a bag of grain anyway.

 

[Drick]

Hi Folks, just been on to Keg King and they're working on a 60L version which we should see in the near future.

 

[takai]

A lot of us I guess do that with a bag of grain anyway.

Yeah, the weight isnt the issue. The trivet has little posts that centre it around the top of the urn and then other little posts that centre the pipe. That sort of thing just gets fiddly when you are lifting/holding 6-8kg of wet grain one handed. A flat trivet is much easier here where you can just put it under and if its off centre you can shift it later.

 

[kaiserben]

Looks great for the price.

Me and my mates bought a Grainfather together (and love it). We've been wanting to get another. We might get one of these instead and then modify it to be more like the GF.

A couple of issues (easily solved) with this KK one:

I don't agree (with the KK video) that recirc isn't important at this volume. From experience using the GF I know for sure that it is - and, if not recircing, temps at the bottom near the element can be very different than temps at the top of the grain bed. I'd definitely modify this KK model to include recirc. (Not recircing can also cause scorching near the element particularly in grain bills including rye etc. I know from due to my own stupid mistakes and forgetfulness).
Also that immersion chiller would be rubbish (residual heat in the stainless steel would make chilling it a long, tedious process. I'd solve that by either buying a counterflow chiller or no-chill.
Other than that it looks good. And the fact they're bringing out bigger volume versions is great!

Can anyone who has bought one tell me what controller it uses?

EDIT: Also, wouldn't that controller get too hot?

 

[Alex.Tas]

Also that immersion chiller would be rubbish (residual heat in the stainless steel would make chilling it a long, tedious process. I'd solve that by either buying a counterflow chiller or no-chill.

I've got a stainless IC and it works well. It doesn't work as quickly as a copper one of similar length does, but that doesn't mean it is an inferior product.

You are right about a pump though for mash temps. I reckon a pump would make the chilling efficiency much better too by recirculating the wort whilst chilling.

 

[indica86]

Any point in getting a Crown or Birko Urn, when this comes in at $449? Seriously tempting. Was surprised there was not already a post on this.

Yep, I don't want a chiller or a pipe.
I like the BIAB and the no chill.

I also regularly boil 35 litres so how will have this little urn help?

 

[kaiserben]

I've got a stainless IC and it works well. It doesn't work as quickly as a copper one of similar length does, but that doesn't mean it is an inferior product.

You are right about a pump though for mash temps. I reckon a pump would make the chilling efficiency much better too by recirculating the wort whilst chilling.

I think the bigger difference is between IC and CFC rather than copper or stainless. (admittedly I've never used an IC)

One common GF mistake (I've done it myself) sees people rercircing through their counterflow chiller back into the GF. It's inefficient and a waste of time and water. You're basically chilling your wort only to have it heat back up again. Residual heat in the stainless/kettle makes it worse. (the only reason you'd chill back into the GF is a quick 5 mins to get the pump filter working at it's best and/or if you want to do a hop stand at a particular temp).

 

[panzerd18]

Yep, I don't want a chiller or a pipe.
I like the BIAB and the no chill.

I also regularly boil 35 litres so how will have this little urn help?

I forgot the Crown Urn is 40 litres.

 

[dropbear85]

Robobrew arrived yesterday, got to say it looks like a good bit of kit for the price. I filled it with water and played around with the controller and it does everything it's supposed to. No instructions were included but I probably wouldn't have read them anyway. setting temps was pretty straight forward and it scrolls through numbers really quick, a lot faster than an stc1000.

looking forward to using with a pump but I am going to try as it was designed (without the pump) first to see how it goes.
when I add the pump I'll just throw a grain bag in to allow the wort to overflow the malt pipe but keep the grain under control.

size wise I reckon it will be fine for single batches and as I keg my batches are generally less than 20l anyway.

just wish these came out a few years ago before I spent all that money on my other ebiab setups

 

[Elz]

Instructions are on the web site
http://cdn.kegking.com.au/Downloads/Robobrew35LInstructions.pdf
Or one page back

http://kegking.com.au/35l-all-in-one-single-vessel-brewery.html

A little basic but runs through the brewing process
Cheers
Elz

 

[dropbear85]

yeah like I said it's pretty straight forward. I think the instructions are more aimed at a first time all-grainer.
saying that I think that is the target market considering its size

 

[cliffo]

Looks like I'll be getting back in to brewing much sooner than I expected.

Coming from a 50L Brau this seems to be a great bang for your buck system.

Was always planning to move to a smaller system and brew different beers more often.

At this price point, whilst it certainly isn't a Braumeister, it has me thinking about my options.

Keen to hear people's experiences with this system.

 

[HBHB]

I forgot the Crown Urn is 40 litres.

And a 2 year warranty and electrical compliance for Australia.

 

[pist]

Add a kaixin pump and some silicone hose/fittings for some recirculation , and you still come in well under the price of a grandfather. Immersion chiller wouldn't be that efficient but i guess thats a trade off you could live with at this price

 

[dropbear85]

anyone here own a grainfather? I am looking at turning my robobrew into one and wanted to get some dimensions. I'm looking for the outside diameter of the lower part of the overflow pipe and the inside diameter of the top part of the overflow. also how does the top part telescope? On the GF website you can buy the top part for $25. am I right to assume it's the little clips on the bottom that give it a little bit of friction?

I also gave the robo its first run yesterday. went pretty well but there are a few opportunities for improvement. I'll do a full write up sometime this week

 

[goatus]

What kind of efficiency are people getting on these things without recirc?

 

[dropbear85]

I got 20l at 1.048 into the fermenter from a 5kg grain bill. not sure what that works out to be.
I also recirculated using a jug every 20 min. also mashed for 90min

 

[dropbear85]

it was my first run so after playing with the crush you could probably do better