Keg King ROBOBREW 35L SINGLE VESSEL BREWERY

[paulmclaren11]

Anyone had issues with the temp display going blank?

Did another test last night with the pump, all was going well and as I got to mash out temps the blue back light was there but no numbers. I turned it off from the mains and then it was fine....

Have let my LHBS know - hopefully just a one off glitch...

 

[cliffo]

Actually I think I noticed that happen once or twice when i was chilling the wort but didn't think anymore of it.

Will pay further attention on my next brew in a week or so.

 

[paulmclaren11]

Yeah don't mind if it happens once the mash is done and/or I am still getting a rolling boil....

I emailed Keg King to see if it's a fault or whether there is a reason it happens (can't think of one...)

 

[Drick]

LCD displays can blank out when the temperature goes too high, maybe the base needs a built-in fan to cool around the elements.

 

[keifer33]

I am quite disappointed with the controller on mine. Have experienced the LCD going off twice. Other issues is there doesn't seem to be a set amount of degrees before the element kicks in and with no apparent way of modifying anything.

Also the +/- button is a bit sticky and sometimes gets stuck when adjust temps.

I am currently trying to think of a way to attach an external Controller and bypass the internal one.

 

[paulmclaren11]

Hmmm seems like a common issue. We get what we pay for I guess.

As soon as I turned it off at the mains and back on again it worked fine but the base was hot.

 

[cliffo]

True, but regardless of price you still expect a product to work as advertised.

That being said, I was happy with how it performed on my first couple of brews.

Will pay closer attention to mine and raise any issues with supplier if I run in to any problems with the operation if the unit.

 

[dropbear85]

never had a problem with mine. done about 6 brews on it

 

[Elz]

Only two brews in, had nil problems to date

 

[sarahmohawk]

Hi all,

Signed up just so I could join this thread, I'm a homebrewer from New Zealand and this seems to be the only place online where people are discussing the Robobrew. Been seriously considering it as the cheap grainfather alternative with recirculating added too.

Just wanted to add a few thoughts.

• Full setup with the pump here would cost NZD $640ish as opposed to Grainfather's $1150 so almost knocks it down to half price.
• However, Grainfather users already confirmed that it stands up to a lot of wear and tear (these guys had 86 brews completed and counting) whereas RB is relatively unproven. Double the cost might be worth it, if it's more survivable in the long run.
• Correct me if I'm wrong - Biggest design flaw I don't like about it is that the temp controller looks like it can't be replaced as easily as opposed to the GF side mounted one. Especially since you guys are reporting a possible fault with the display, that's a little troubling.
• GF as an established brand would have an easier time being resold if you chose to upgrade. Also less likely to stop producing spare parts.
• That little stand for sparging looks flimsy/awkward as hell. The videos seem to show people struggling with it a bit. Probably easy enough to DIY up an alternative though.

Despite all that, the cost of the unit is bloody fantastic and seems great for small spaces. Making something similar would cost almost as much plus the time wasted trying to get all the right parts together. For price alone it's tempting but still feels like a risky investment since they haven't been fully thrashed by anyone yet.

 

[sparkatron]

Man, I did a brew today and I got the display issue as well. You guys jinxed me! ;-)

Wasn't a big issue though. I just turned it off/on again and I was back in business. That ol' chestnut always works.

 

[tmaybo]

I brewed my second batch today and all is well.

I found that I had a bit of a stuck mash so will try the rice husks for the next go round.

It's my second all grain brew and it makes me very happy to have upgraded from kits and bits!

 

[paulmclaren11]

Will do a short report on my first brew day yesterday which seemed to go well with a new piece of brew gear.

Thankfully the display issue didn't happen this time - will keep an eye out for it. I emailed keg king about and no one has responded as yet.

I used 5.3kg of grain - mash in water was 22lts.

I recirculated using the keg king magnetic pump, highly recommend getting one of these to maintain mash temps and get nice clear wort. I mashed in at 40c like I did with my old braumeister and then started the pump.

I did notice there was about a 2-3 degree drop before the elements would kick in. Eg, I set my mash temp to 66 and it would drop to 63 before the elements would kick in. I had both elements on during the mash. I just upped my mash temp setting to rectify this. After a while it settled and maintained an even temp.

Mashed out at 78c.

Lifting the malt pipe was an absolute ball ache on my own - as I had to have the kettle above the pump to recirculate it was a mighty effort to lift the malt pipe so high and then get the stand in place. Need a lower brew table...

Sparge went well using 8 litres.

The boil was vigorous! I nearly had a boil over with the temp set at 103, I lowered it to 102 and it maintained a good rolling boil through out.

I no chilled and was maybe a ltr or 2 off what I wanted but as long as it fills a keg I don't care. Numbers seemed fairly spot on as well.

Super easy to clean which I like. No mesh or grain bags etc is what I like!

The unit, I think for the money, is great. Need to work on my water calcs some more and look at trying to maintain steady mash temps (insulation maybe) but all in all a simple, easy brew day. :super: :beerbang:

 

[Drick]

Spoke to Kegking today about their possible future Robobrew system which may have a integrated pump and they said it's still in the design stages. I also told them about this thread and the reported LCD issue (which they didn't know about). Hopefully the feedback will help them with designing their next generation.

 

[keifer33]

I agree on the lifting the malt pipe out Paul. Tried it once solo and until I put a winch in place its a 2 person job.

Brewed on mine again yeaterday and had a better brewing experience than the first few. Dialed in my volumes a bit more but after adjusting my crush to get a bit better flow my efficiency went to shit. The increased flow helped alot in getting a consistent temperature throughout quicker.

No display issues and element kicked in when it was supposed to so I call it a success even though it needed nearly a kilo of DME to get my gravity back up.

 

[paulyman]

Spoke to Kegking today about their possible future Robobrew system which may have a integrated pump and they said it's still in the design stages. I also told them about this thread and the reported LCD issue (which they didn't know about). Hopefully the feedback will help them with designing their next generation.

Did they confirm how powerful it would be? I think I posted in here earlier my LHBS had heard it would be the same elements for nearly double the batch size!

 

[lael]

Anyone in Sydney have a Robobrew I can take a look at in person?

 

[dropbear85]

Anyone in Sydney have a Robobrew I can take a look at in person?

Hey Lael,
I'm in Quakers and you are more than welcome to pop around next time I brew. probably won't be for a couple of weeks though.

 

[Drick]

Did they confirm how powerful it would be? I think I posted in here earlier my LHBS had heard it would be the same elements for nearly double the batch size!

sorry I didn't ask and they weren't volunteering information, all that was said is they were designing the next generation which may be a little more like a grainfather. As I say, the person I spoke to wasn't giving much away.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

Someone in this thread had the idea of using an Ikea trivet for the malt pipe. I'm going to be doing this. Seems much easier than the fiddly thing that comes with the unit.