Braumaister 20 litre or 10

A forum to discuss one pot automated brewing systems.
Onthebrew

Braumaister 20 litre or 10

Post by Onthebrew » Wed Aug 24, 2016 12:33 pm

ok completely new to brewing ( and this forum) but going to jump in all Grain- done all my research and think the braumaister is best fit for me ( if not my wallet) so need to decide if 10 litre is sufficient or should i really be looking at 20 litres. i know you can get a short brew spout the 20l so it does both but makes it even more an investment.

one advantage with 10 litre is that you can brew more often allowing a quicker learning curve and a wider range of beers on the go - but are there specific recipe kits for 10 l? i know you could use a 20l one in two batches but that sort of defeats the point. Later on i will start playing around with recipes but my first few batches or so i want to keep things as simple as possible while i get the hang of things so would want to use tailored recipe kits ready to go.

Are there any compromises with the 10 litre in end results - i know for strong ales i will need to double mash - does that effective final quality of taste as opposed to doing in in 20litre with a single mash? but other than that? what about fermentation- does beer ferment better in bigger amounts- more consistent perhaps? or is there no difference?

is it more rewarding doing a bigger brew than a smaller one?

essentially i guess i am trying to find out , if the 10 litre option has any drawbacks other than final volume - any input on this will be most appreciated

User avatar
vacant
Even further under the Table
Posts: 2167
Joined: Mon Aug 20, 2007 5:39 pm

Re: Braumaister 20 litre or 10

Post by vacant » Wed Aug 24, 2016 2:06 pm

With my two-vessel kit I sometimes brew 38 ltr for two kegs, sometimes 23 ltr for one keg and a few bottles.

If you get the 20 ltr version you have the choice of doing sub-20 ltr batches every now and then. Maybe even 10 ltr? Any BM'er tried that?
I brew therefore I ... I .... forget

gobuchul

Re: Braumaister 20 litre or 10

Post by gobuchul » Wed Aug 24, 2016 2:21 pm

If I was going to spend that much on a system I would pay the extra for the 20 litre version.

10 litres of beer is that much really!

It's also much more flexible, you can brew 10 litres of beer in a 20 litre system but you can't brew 20 litres of beer in a 10 litre system.

Regarding recipes, I would suggest you get some brewing software such as Beersmith, this allows you to scale any recipe automatically. It's also just a really good tool in general.

Rhodesy
Lost in an Alcoholic Haze
Posts: 681
Joined: Wed Dec 10, 2014 2:09 pm
Location: Glasgow

Re: Braumaister 20 litre or 10

Post by Rhodesy » Wed Aug 24, 2016 4:13 pm

I would definitely agree on the 20L, the short malt pipe for 10L batches is a bit steep but you have the flexibility to do larger batches if desired. You also find that the 20 model is ideal for creating batches for kegs should you wish to go down that route, I always said I wouldn't but now have 7 kegs of my own :D

I dont think the size of the brew is necessarily rewarding in itself however when you make one that you love and it happens to be a bigger batch you are grateful you have more to go round.

I had a dilema when deciding between the 20 & 50L models however I went with the 20 as I can brew often and fill a keg with each batch and with the extras added in such as filters, thermal jacket, hood, hop spider etc it made the 20L be a better option from a cost perspective. I am happy with this and dont plan to go for higher volumes as this model allows me to brew 20-25L batches with ease.

duncans

Re: Braumaister 20 litre or 10

Post by duncans » Wed Aug 24, 2016 8:56 pm

What scale do you brew at now?

I went from 10l hob brewed batches to the bm10. Works fine for me as I like the variety offered by little and often . The only time I considered wanting the bm20 was when I wanted to brew a very high abv beer and would have need ed more than 2.4kg malt. As an alternative I would just mash again with the same wort. Or do a second batch and dump it on top in the fermentor.

If you think there's a remote chance that you might want to brew more, fairly often and you have the cash, go for the bm20 considering the 10l malt pipe.

woblylegs
Lost in an Alcoholic Haze
Posts: 505
Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2011 12:24 am
Location: near Pontop Pike, County Durham, UK.

Re: Braumaister 20 litre or 10

Post by woblylegs » Thu Aug 25, 2016 1:01 am

ive a 20 litre bm but id be more than happy with a 10 litre version. i was going to buy the ten but i got a deal on a 20 that was good.
30 + on a 20 so am sure you could do 15 + in the ten litre version.
lifes what you make it!

Fil
Telling imaginary friend stories
Posts: 5229
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2011 1:49 pm
Location: Cowley, Oxford

Re: Braumaister 20 litre or 10

Post by Fil » Thu Aug 25, 2016 3:13 am

I would brew up on the stove a couple of 10l batches to ensure you want to spend a day brewing 17pints or so on a regular basis before investing heavily in the pastime, and discovering it to too much faf for such a low volume of beer.

Basic seat of the pants brewing can also be very enlightening as to just what if any extra equipment would actually benefit you and make the task easier or improve the results.

also i would suggest the grainfather to be a much more flexible and complete solution/option than a 10 or 20l BM..
ist update for months n months..
Fermnting: not a lot..
Conditioning: nowt
Maturing: Challenger smash, and a kit lager
Drinking: dry one minikeg left in the store
Coming Soon Lots planned for the near future nowt for the immediate :(

User avatar
IPA
Under the Table
Posts: 1731
Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2011 9:29 am
Location: France Gascony

Re: Braumaister 20 litre or 10

Post by IPA » Thu Aug 25, 2016 7:19 am

I made the mistake of buying a 20 litre model 6 years ago. I realised very quickly that it was not big enough so I sold it and bought the 50 litre one with a 25 litre optional malt tube. Never had any regrets.
"You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on." Dean Martin

1. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming... "f*ck, what a trip

It's better to lose time with friends than to lose friends with time (Portuguese proverb)

Alone we travel faster
Together we travel further
( In an admonishing email from our golf club)

jaroporter
Drunk as a Skunk
Posts: 996
Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2012 11:12 pm
Location: Garden of England

Re: Braumaister 20 litre or 10

Post by jaroporter » Thu Aug 25, 2016 8:17 am

woblylegs wrote: 30 + on a 20 so am sure you could do 15 + in the ten litre version.
you'd be suprised! i got the ten and although it's a great little machine i struggle to get 10L into a keg with a gravity of much over 1,040!

duncans, how do you find the BM10 for efficiency?
Onthebrew wrote:one advantage with 10 litre is that you can brew more often allowing a quicker learning curve and a wider range of beers on the go - but are there specific recipe kits for 10 l? i know you could use a 20l one in two batches but that sort of defeats the point.
don't totally agree here. my learning curve didn't start until i spent time brewing and repeating similar recipes. it's the only way you learn what effect different techniques or ingredients are having on your beer, rather than bouncing around from a stout to a sour to a bitter to a wheatbeer. making some great beers as you go for sure, but not learning as much.

i use and love the BM10, as it allows me to brew more often. not for consumption reasons, but because it's small enough to set up on the counter top, wash in the sink, use 10L kegs that i can wash in the sink, or not have to bottle too much at a time.

wish i could sort the efficiency out just a little bit though..
dazzled, doused in gin..

Rhodesy
Lost in an Alcoholic Haze
Posts: 681
Joined: Wed Dec 10, 2014 2:09 pm
Location: Glasgow

Re: Braumaister 20 litre or 10

Post by Rhodesy » Thu Aug 25, 2016 11:25 am

Fil wrote: also i would suggest the grainfather to be a much more flexible and complete solution/option than a 10 or 20l BM..
Sorry Fil but I disagree the GF to be much more flexible and complete. I am not getting into which one is better as they both suit needs and cost plenty. The GF like the BM has a minimum volume and also requires sparging? You can choose to sparge or not on the BM which itself is another debate. The BM is totally automated for the step mash, boil time etc whilst the GF using the V1 controller requires the user to determine times and ramp up temps etc.

There are pro's and con's for both systems and also considerable price differences which is why when buying these should be investigated to determine what best suits the buyer.

BrannigansLove
Hollow Legs
Posts: 408
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2015 1:09 pm
Location: Boogie Down Brim

Re: Braumaister 20 litre or 10

Post by BrannigansLove » Thu Aug 25, 2016 12:24 pm

Rhodesy wrote:
Fil wrote: also i would suggest the grainfather to be a much more flexible and complete solution/option than a 10 or 20l BM..
Sorry Fil but I disagree the GF to be much more flexible and complete. I am not getting into which one is better as they both suit needs and cost plenty. The GF like the BM has a minimum volume and also requires sparging? You can choose to sparge or not on the BM which itself is another debate. The BM is totally automated for the step mash, boil time etc whilst the GF using the V1 controller requires the user to determine times and ramp up temps etc.

There are pro's and con's for both systems and also considerable price differences which is why when buying these should be investigated to determine what best suits the buyer.
You can choose to no-sparge with the GF.

Rhodesy
Lost in an Alcoholic Haze
Posts: 681
Joined: Wed Dec 10, 2014 2:09 pm
Location: Glasgow

Re: Braumaister 20 litre or 10

Post by Rhodesy » Thu Aug 25, 2016 2:31 pm

BrannigansLove wrote:
Rhodesy wrote:
Fil wrote: also i would suggest the grainfather to be a much more flexible and complete solution/option than a 10 or 20l BM..
Sorry Fil but I disagree the GF to be much more flexible and complete. I am not getting into which one is better as they both suit needs and cost plenty. The GF like the BM has a minimum volume and also requires sparging? You can choose to sparge or not on the BM which itself is another debate. The BM is totally automated for the step mash, boil time etc whilst the GF using the V1 controller requires the user to determine times and ramp up temps etc.

There are pro's and con's for both systems and also considerable price differences which is why when buying these should be investigated to determine what best suits the buyer.
You can choose to no-sparge with the GF.
cool, I wasn't aware fully hence the question mark. My point was that one is not much more flexible or complete than the other . I do get that the BM does have some extra's such as a chilling method to be fair.

BrannigansLove
Hollow Legs
Posts: 408
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2015 1:09 pm
Location: Boogie Down Brim

Re: Braumaister 20 litre or 10

Post by BrannigansLove » Thu Aug 25, 2016 3:38 pm

Rhodesy wrote:
cool, I wasn't aware fully hence the question mark. My point was that one is not much more flexible or complete than the other . I do get that the BM does have some extra's such as a chilling method to be fair.
GF comes with a counterflow chiller. The BM has more automation options, the GF is cheaper. They both make beer in a very similar manner.

User avatar
IPA
Under the Table
Posts: 1731
Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2011 9:29 am
Location: France Gascony

Re: Braumaister 20 litre or 10

Post by IPA » Thu Aug 25, 2016 4:56 pm

BrannigansLove wrote:
Rhodesy wrote:
cool, I wasn't aware fully hence the question mark. My point was that one is not much more flexible or complete than the other . I do get that the BM does have some extra's such as a chilling method to be fair.
GF comes with a counterflow chiller. The BM has more automation options, the GF is cheaper. They both make beer in a very similar manner.

With the BM you have a choice of models 10,20, 50, 200, and 500 litre.
"You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on." Dean Martin

1. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming... "f*ck, what a trip

It's better to lose time with friends than to lose friends with time (Portuguese proverb)

Alone we travel faster
Together we travel further
( In an admonishing email from our golf club)

Onthebrew

Re: Braumaister 20 litre or 10

Post by Onthebrew » Fri Aug 26, 2016 10:15 am

thank guys for all the input. defo going for DM but still undecided on size.

this is a good point -

......don't totally agree here. my learning curve didn't start until i spent time brewing and repeating similar recipes. it's the only way you learn what effect different techniques or ingredients are having on your beer, rather than bouncing around from a stout to a sour to a bitter to a wheatbeer. making some great beers as you go for sure, but not learning as much.

so i think i will be brewing smaller volumes, a lot as above until i think ive nailed a recipe, then it might be handy to to a 20 litre brew. but getting the b20l then the 10l malt tube will pricey. If i get the 10l i would look to spend more on fermentation vessel and temp control. so in n terms of budget what else do i need - hop spider? something to whirlpool?

will a plastic FV do as good a job in the short term as a conical steel jobbie?

cheers guys for the help.

Post Reply