Product Review | Bräu Supply Unibräu 120V BIAB Electric Brew System

Authors: Matt Del Fiacco

My approach to brewing has evolved quite a bit over my 5 years as a homebrewer. I started with a Mr. Beer kit and quickly upgraded to 1-gallon  glass fermentors that I’d store in the cabinet of my desk. I eventually built a converted cooler MLT and jumped into all-grain brewing, swapping out the stainless braid for a fabric filter after many batches. Finally, I landed on a direct-fired recirculated Brew In A Bag (BIAB) setup that utilized a 16-gallon kettle with a fabric filter and false bottom for lautering. This is the system that kicked off my love of the BIAB method, as I found it elegant in its simplicity and the single vessel aspect was appealing to me as well.

I started considering moving toward electric BIAB (eBIAB) primarily for the purposes of mash temperature stability (my direct-fired setup loses a few degrees per hour) and convenience (you can’t run out of electricity and there are no burners to lug around). In all of my searching, I was unable to find a system that supported all of my picky needs, though one in particular certainly seemed to have a lot of potential.

Bräu Supply’s Unibräu 120V EZBoil eBIAB system utilizes two 1600 watt elements along with an electronic controller to take care of all heating needs. Owner Steven Liesch reached out a few months back seeking a review of his product, which I accepted after ensuring I would have ample time to put the unit through its paces so as to formulate a thorough and honest review.

Confident they’d be ideal for future dual mash xBmts, Steven sent me two Unibräu systems that arrived to my house quickly and in good form.

The product reviewed for this article was provided by the manufacturer in exchange for an honest review; no other compensation was provided. The opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author and a concerted effort was made to approach the review from an unbiased perspective.

My first order of business was unpacking everything and laying it all out to get a good look at what I was dealing with.

Assembly was relatively painless thanks to a helpful video provided by Bräu Supply. It took me about 30 minutes to put each system together, after which I followed the cleaning instructions in order to remove any residue from the manufacturing process and passivate the stainless. In all their glory, the units looked pretty impressive!

EZboil Controller

I received the Auber EZboil controller from Bräu Supply, which is different than other standard controllers in that it is not a PID. Despite not being a PID, it maintains temperatures within one degree of precision and comes pre-set with functions meant to make the brew day easier.

The controller is well built and sturdy, in fact it ended up being a bit larger and heavier than I expected based on images on Bräu Supply’s website.

The key functions of the Auber EZboil are relatively intuitive, though I found some of the cooler features to be a bit more complicated. For those who invest in an  EZboil, I highly recommend reading the Quick Start Guide provided by Bräu Supply, as it goes over all of the features in detail. While not necessarily bad, the display options on the EZboil controller are rather limited, which made understanding all of its functions somewhat difficult for me. Again, the primary functions weren’t very confusing at all and a quick read through the aforementioned guide was enough to easily get me on track. Overall, I really come to appreciate the features offered by the EZboil controller and find it adds to the convenience of my brew day.

Stainless Kettle

The 304 stainless steel kettle has a capacity of approximately 12 gallons and comes complete with 3 tri-clamp ferrules welded on in various spots for recirculation.

The beauty of tri-clamp fittings is that they have no threads, meaning no places for gunk to hideout and potentially contaminate my beer, and they’re also super easy to disassemble and clean!

Volume markings are provided in both liters and gallons, which is nice, and I particularly like the half-gallon indicators.

The markings on the units I received weren’t printed properly, something Steven assured me was an isolated issue that was being resolved immediately (he is currently offering $70 off to people who don’t mind minor imperfections).

Pump

The Unibräu comes with a magnetic drive 120V pump that has a polysulphone head rated to withstand temperatures up to 248°F/120°C. Capable of pumping as much as 12 liters per minute, the flow can be restricted via the included stainless steel ball valve.

The pump pulls wort from the bottom of the kettle during the mash and recirculates it back to the top, where liquid is dropped into the kettle via a length of silicone tubing you cut yourself. I’ve found myself restricting the flow quite often, so the fact it is magnetic driven is a huge perk of this pump!

I do like the lower profile of the pump and that it is connected directly to the kettle, though this setup doesn’t offer much room to maneuver, which could be an issue for those with limited space. An extra tri-clamp to barb fitting with a little extra tubing would be an easy fix.

Electric Elements

One of my requirements when planning an electric system was that it had to be compatible with a standard (in the US) 120V circuit, as I tend to move a lot and wanted a rig that could be easily transplanted in new spaces.  While the standard version of the 120V Unibräu comes with a single 1600 watt element, the EZboil version I received had 2 elements that attach to the kettle via tri-clamp, making for easy installation, removal, and cleaning.

The elements are connected to a power source via a twist-lock, one of which is integrated directly into the control panel. The other is a stand-alone plug that can run directly into an outlet and is not controlled by or factored into the algorithms of the EZboil.

In the  five batches I’ve brewed on the Unibräu, I’ve found the single element to be sufficient for heating strike water and sustaining a vigorous boil of 7 gallons of wort; the second element definitely reduces the time it takes to heat water to strike temperature and makes performing different mash steps easier.

Using the single element on a 4.5 gallon no sparge (full volume) batch, I’ve been able to consistently heat room temperature water to strike temperature in about 45 minutes, while adding the second element shaves about 20 minutes off the process. All in all, I have no complaints about the elements at all, they’re pretty awesome. One important thing to remember about the EZboil option is that the second element is not regulated by the controller, so when it  is plugged in it stays on, which is great for quickly raising the temperature, but is unnecessary for mash temperature maintenance and should be unplugged.

Note: Bräu Supply does offer a 240V Unibräu option with a 5500 watt element for those with the capability who are looking for an even more hasty brew day.

Stainless Grain Basket

I was admittedly skeptical of Bräu Supply opting to use a stainless mesh grain basket with the Unibräu, concerned mainly that it would be easily clogged. On the plus side, stainless is far more durable than fabric, so I was open to being proven wrong.

The only issues I’ve had so far with the grain basket are largely user error and have caused me to tweak my process slightly. First off, a grain basket full of soaked grain is deceptively heavy, which coupled with the height of my table made lifting it out of the kettle after the mash rather difficult. Bräu Supply sells a pulley rig that’s probably worth looking into for those who don’t like back pain. Another minor annoyance I noted when making larger batch sizes is that the entire mash volume (water and grain) can raise above the lip of the basket, which sits slightly below the edge of the kettle, resulting in small amounts of grain drifting outside of the basket into the wort. The obvious solution here is to simply adjust batch sizes, which is what I’ve done.

I’m happy to report my experience with the grain basket has been largely positive and I haven’t had any of the issues I was originally concerned with– no clogs and the grain is well retained. One of my favorite aspects of the basket is that a mill can be placed directly on the top, allowing for milling directly into it. The little things!

Cleaning the basket is a breeze, just dump the grains into the trash then spray it down with a hose to remove any remaining grain. For an even deeper cleaning, the basket can be placed in the kettle while hot cleaner is being pumped through.

| THE VERDICT |

Without a doubt, the Unibräu 120V BIAB system is awesome! I absolutely love brewing on this rig and trust anyone willing to drop the cash on one will agree that it is a worthy investment. Some of the major highlights of the Unibräu for me are that it is portable, compatible with standard US power outlets,  capable of 5 gallon batch sizes for most styles, and it has awesome features like tri-clamp fittings and the EZboil controller.

Other than the minor inconveniences I noted earlier about the grain basket, I’m struggling to come up with any real negatives of the Unibräu, it really is an excellent electric all-grain solution right out of the box. However, I have made a few small modifications in order to meet my picky needs. I recently swapped out the plastic pumps for stainless versions, as Bräu Supply recommends recirculating during the last 10 minutes of the boil for sanitation and, despite being rated for such hot temperatures, I was a little wary of the plastic. Because of this recirculation step, I’ve had to start using hop bags during the boil in order to avoid clogging the pump. Finally,  I plan to replace the silicone tubing with Loc-Line soon, which will give me more control over where the flow of water/wort is directed when being pumped, thereby reducing splashing and making it easier to create a whirlpool. Other than that, I have zero complaints.

As a bonus, Bräu Supply has been great to work with. Steven and his crew are very responsive and upfront with everything. After agreeing to the review but prior to receiving the product, I was contacted in regards to the faded kettle markings, Steven explaining he was displeased with the imperfections and was getting it fixed immediately. While this wasn’t a problem for me at all and I encouraged him to send me the defective product, I took Steven’s concern as a sign of Bräu Supply’s dedication to quality and customer satisfaction, which I can’t help but admire.

For people thinking about getting into electric brewing and prefer the simplicity of BIAB, I strongly recommend Bräu Supply Unibräu system. In addition to the “countertop” Unibräu I reviewed, they have a range of other products including the larger Unibräu Pro line as well as more traditional electric 3 vessel systems.

If you have any experience using a Unibräu BIAB system or questions about the unit, please share in the comments section below!

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