kegking / robobrew history

[neil aldred]

Hi

I've just bought a robobrew and had a few issues with quality (I'm in NZ its come direct from china via a local brew shop) . Was interesting trying to deal with Keg KIng who basically dont care about orders that come direct from china. Anyway thats all sorted (well it doesn't quite work properly but thats alright)

Anyway I got digging and found the thread about the change in management at keg king and that whole history, but I was wondering if anyone can fill in the blanks and also which came first grainfather, robobrew or something else. robobrew seems very very like grainfather so I wondered if there was some sort of copyright thing that ever happened somewhere?

Does anyone know any of this history

PS I love the robobrew

 

[Ronwales]

Hi i also got a robobrew, I believe in u get what you pay for and in this case it's definitely the case. But it does the job at the end of the day.
What problems did u have? I found the bottom plate to sit on the tap a little bit and was flimsy as hell. Even new if I put on a flat surface u could not get 3 legs to sit on ground.

 

[neil aldred]

original unit was bent, so the screens didnt go in, then the two subsequent replacements have had slight issues with the thermastat no behaving as expected, but all sorted, well I can work with it. yeah bottom screen is squishy but definitely did the job when I made a heavily hopped beer it kept the pump clear which I know my friend with grainfather has a lot of issues with pump blocking.

I love it - super easy and super easy cleanup, done 3 brews now and haven't tried any yet but stout especially is looking good

 

[MHB]

I think the Braumeister came well before any of the others, if I recall correctly then came Grainfather then Robobrew.
Braumeister is still the best, their pump-up through the malt is a patent system that gives them several advantages, not to mention the build quality.
If you look world wide there are a lot more systems in the compact benchtop family (either 1-2 vessel), still think the Braumeister is the nuts.
Mark

 

[lost at sea]

I think the Braumeister came well before any of the others, if I recall correctly then came Grainfather then Robobrew.
Braumeister is still the best, their pump-up through the malt is a patent system that gives them several advantages, not to mention the build quality.
If you look world wide there are a lot more systems in the compact benchtop family (either 1-2 vessel), still think the Braumeister is the nuts.
Mark

yep i toyed with the idea of buying one of the other single vessel offerings that are capable of double batch (50L), but i firmly believe you get what you pay for, hence ill continue to wait until i can afford a BM- 50 new (or 2nd hand which i think will still be superior to the cheaper competitors on the market.)

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Braumeister is streets ahead in quality next would be the Guten / Grainfather, both from the same stable, bringing up the rear is the Robobrew, generation three has been copied from the Guten, just don't know why they didn't go that bit further and use the same yellow mag pump (proven to be reliable) and dial in wattage.

 

[Ronwales]

original unit was bent, so the screens didnt go in, then the two subsequent replacements have had slight issues with the thermastat no behaving as expected, but all sorted, well I can work with it. yeah bottom screen is squishy but definitely did the job when I made a heavily hopped beer it kept the pump clear which I know my friend with grainfather has a lot of issues with pump blocking.

I love it - super easy and super easy cleanup, done 3 brews now and haven't tried any yet but stout especially is looking good

I agree only made 2 brews so far but I am very happy with it. Too tell you the truth I don't think I would of got into All grain if the robobrew didn't exist. Just cheap and doesn't take too much room.

 

[Sidney Harbour-Bridge]

Too tell you the truth I don't think I would of got into All grain if the robobrew didn't exist. Just cheap and doesn't take too much room.

Yep me too

 

[pcmfisher]

I don't know why the grainfather hasn't gone to the perforated bottom plate like the robobrew rather than the silly little tube with the rubber cap.

 

[S.E]

I agree only made 2 brews so far but I am very happy with it. Too tell you the truth I don't think I would of got into All grain if the robobrew didn't exist. Just cheap and doesn't take too much room.

I had a cheap and simple Electrim bin like this https://www.google.com/search?q=ele...QsAQIag&biw=1680&bih=908#imgrc=5q4YNwZ7rRBU8M: when I first started all grain in the UK. One of the earliest single vessel systems I’m aware of. The Bruheat was a bit older I think.

 

[dblunn]

I had a cheap and simple Electrim bin like this https://www.google.com/search?q=ele...QsAQIag&biw=1680&bih=908#imgrc=5q4YNwZ7rRBU8M: when I first started all grain in the UK. One of the earliest single vessel systems I’m aware of. The Bruheat was a bit older I think.

Hi Sean, that photo look pretty much like the old Bruheat kettles. Regards, Dave

 

[S.E]

Hi Sean, that photo look pretty much like the old Bruheat kettles. Regards, Dave

Were Bruheat boilers sold here in AU? From what I understood they weren’t. I know Ray Mills had one but when I asked he said he had got it second hand and didn’t know if it was originally bought here or abroad.

 

[dblunn]

I only ever saw second hand units, never a new on in the shops so perhaps there were never sold here.

 

[S.E]

I only ever saw second hand units, never a new on in the shops so perhaps there were never sold here.

Brewery is the first thing you make sure to pack when moving abroad. I still have an Electrim under the house somewhere that I brought with me.

 

[dblunn]

Brewery is the first thing you make sure to pack when moving abroad. I still have an Electrim under the house somewhere that I brought with me.

You should get it out and do a retro brew some day.

 

[S.E]

You should get it out and do a retro brew some day.

Don’t tell Scotty I have a portable brewery, he will expect me to brew at big brew day instead of sampling.

I last used it as a HLT years ago but if I remember right it had a small crack in the bucket and leaked a bit so I retired it.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I don't know why the grainfather hasn't gone to the perforated bottom plate like the robobrew rather than the silly little tube with the rubber cap.

Agree about the bazooka they should really be able to do better than that, sold the lauter helix to some Grainfather owners perhaps they should look at that as an alternative.

 

[dblunn]

Don’t tell Scotty I have a portable brewery, he will expect me to brew at big brew day instead of sampling.

I last used it as a HLT years ago but if I remember right it had a small crack in the bucket and leaked a bit so I retired it.

Yep, I dusted off my old Bucket'o'death to use as a HLT to sparge my new robobrew.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I think the problems with the Robobrew Gen 3, (the bent screens) could have been overcome quite easily with barely any extra cost.From what I have seen the bent screens are caused by memory, the perforated sheet is on a roll being fed through a metal stamping machine, and probably not going through a coil straightener. The blanks then end up bent,(memory from the coil) if the press had a die which stamped out a blank which was plate shaped it would be flat and have the added strength of rims.
Robobrew owners could get some perforated plate cut the same size as the screens and wire the together with some copper wire.

 

[kieran]

Does anyone have any experience with the Kegland Brewzilla 3.1 (the next 1/2 gen on from the old Kegking robobrew moniker... presumably Kee is keen to dissect away all old keg kingness from his kegland products).