Newbie considering Brewart Beerdroid for simplicity and hopefully taste...

[Rookie23]

Hi, I am very new to brewing and occasionally I check the market for a system that may suit but I am getting closer to wanting to take the plunge.
Hopefully this post is in the right forum.
Here is what I think I am looking for, but there may be something better out there or maybe I just shouldn't bother as I do not have heaps of spare time:

• The big question, after a few brews, will I be drinking as good as or better beer than I am now by brewing? I like lots of different beers but my regulars takeaway would be Asahi/Tsingtao or White Rabbit/Montieths Dark Beer, this is what I would want to get good at. Maybe a Porter and Ginger beer might be good to try also.
• I know the Beerdroid is not All-grain brewing but if I can make good beer than I think I am ok with this, if it is not simple or time efficient I do not think I will do it often enough, thus the need for an all in one type of system with minimal clean up and brewing steps
• Keeping it low cost is not as important as simplicity and taste for me, my goal is to buy once
• 10 litres is plenty of capacity for me, the Brewart Beerdroid suits this, less could be suitable also and maybe have more than 1 beer on the go.
• My thinking is 2 x 5 litre kegs that I can stick in an existing fridge horizontally (do not need any more fridges), 10 litre keg likely to big for our fridges
• I liked the idea of a Minibrew system with 2 kegs but its unlikely to work with my garage temperature of about 30 deg Celsius and they seem a bit niche still. If the Beerdroid is kept on a Dolly under a work bench that rolls it out, plug it in, make a brew / keg / clean up and store it again.
• I have an existing 2.4 kg CO2 bottle setup for sparkling water that I could make use of to pressurise kegs, would the kegs/beer last 2-4 months on the fridge like this?
• Is there any pressure loss over a few months drinking and is there any pressure loss by having a few schooners occasionally? (I assume I would have to remove tap or gun each time to refit horizontally in the fridge)
• Any other systems I should check out that suit the above list? eg. Pico Pro would it be worth a look
• Any concerns about reliability, tech and parts with these units and maybe buying second hand, are the later models much different? There is an FB forum for the Beerdroid so it seems there is plenty of assistance around as needed
• What other gear would I need besides what I have mentioned above?
• If I take a 5L Keg to a BBQ for several hours in a neoprene sleeve, will it stay cold of the fridge in the shade? (ambient temp about 28 degrees)

 

[MHB]

I've never seen one of these, had a bit of a look at what it does and frankly I wouldn’t be spending my money on one!

If you got a 20L pot, a hot plate , fermenter and ideally a temperature controllable fridge (just an STC or similar and an old fridge with a computer fan in it) you could be doing all the Beerdroid does and if you are careful get change out of $100-200.
You could also start exploring small batch all grain brewing when you’re ready, or just make extract brews for a fraction of the cost that they are offering (mostly $30-$50/10L) their recipes at. I think a decent home brew shop could sell you equivalent recipes for around half the prices on offer.

I own a 10L Braumeister, much as I like it I'm not going to recommend it to you at this point. But I wouldn’t be recommending a Beerdroid either.
Have a long hard think about what you want to get from your brewing. Anyone that sugests not boiling worts or brewing on the trub that forms during the boil should be viewed with a touch of suspiscion.
Mark

PS
You have a lot of other questions, better to start at the beginning...
M

 

[Brewman_]

Agree with MHB.

When you have nothing good to say...

Cheers
Steve

 

[Ballaratguy]

I started with the BrewArt then bought another
They make good beer with lots of recipes to try
The guys at BrewArt are the most helpful that you will ever encounter
As a fermenter these are really good as you can ferment and cold crash your brew without a seperate fridge
Both my BrewArt droids are for sale @ $350 ea as I’ve moved onto all grain (which you ca. still ferment these in the droids)

 

[Drubbing]

Thirded. A waste of money IMO. When I was kit brewing It would take me less than an hour to clean, sanitise and get a brew on. Then do nothing for 10+ days til bottling - another hour or so. That is hardly a big time sink.

I've got along brewing for 6 years with a fermenter, old fridge and inkbird temp controller as my brew kit. Now doing BIAB, and only need to add a big pot. Although all grain with BIAB takes longer, the results are better.

As per the excellent advice above, you have listed a lot of stuff to do, but given you want to be hands off and brew small quantities, you need to think how to go about it. Small batches + kegging with an all in one system doesn't seem very efficient to me. It's a very expensive entry point for small amounts of beer.

If specific tastes are your goal, you are not going to get that with a closed system. Beer is about variables - and using them to produce what you like. I don't develop my own recipes, but I do tweak store ones with hop amounts, yeast choice and temp.

 

[bradmcm]

I thinnk picking up one second hand might be a good idea if you don't know whether you are going to make brewing a serious hobby or not.
The device looks good in the kitchen or bar (a big plus if you have a partner that might not like you having all the equipment and bottles cluttering up laundrys or sheds) and you can experiment with the hobby without the mess.
As per Ballaratguy, I imagine there are plenty out there now from those who got them a year or two back during lockdowns/work from home times. You can always re-sell it if you find the hobby is not for you.

 

[pete-ej20]

Have you considered using Fresh Wort Kits? Typically 15L of brewed wort (unfermented beer) that you can (optionally) top up to 20L with spring water if you wish. A bit more than 10L batch you mentioned, but it's as easy as pouring it into a fermenter along with some yeast, let it ferment for 1-2 weeks, potentially add some dry hops depending on the style and you've got an all grain quality craft beer ready to go, and all you'd need is a plastic fermenter like the Apollo or All Rounder.

In terms of simplicity and quality I don't think they can be beaten.

All Inn Brewing Co make a pretty good range of fresh wort kits.

 

[Ballaratguy]

With 2 BrewArt fermenters you could split the FWK between them both (or put 7.5 Lt into the BrewArt and top of to the 10Lt and the fermenter will do it’s thing

 

[Hangover68]

No equipment will make better beer if you don't have the process down pat.

 

[Ballaratguy]

Actually with the BrewArt system it’s very hard to stuff up their beers