awaiting my brewziilla 3.1

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mikenotts
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awaiting my brewziilla 3.1

Post by mikenotts » Sun Jul 19, 2020 7:39 pm

Hi all,

After 10 years (since I retired) of kit brewing and intermittent 3 pot AG brewing, I've bit the bullet and bought a brewzilla 3.1 from Angel Homebrew (pic is its arrival on the dock - mine is 3rd row down, 4 along - this an actual pic of the delivery from aussi land). When I went into lock down I bought 5 AG "kits" from HBO along with a load of actual kits - I made one, a citrussy smash beer which is very very nice (2 bottles left). The remaining "kits" (grains, hops and yeast) are :

Brewolution All Grain Kit - Five O'Clock ESB
Brewolution All Grain Kit - Galena Grenade Imperial Stout
Brewolution All Grain Kit - Uncle Sam's American Pilsner
Brewolution All Grain Kit - 4th of July American IPA

After x months in lockdown (since march) it will give me something to do aside from bouncing off the walls and quietly gibbering :D .

mikenotts
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Re: awaiting my brewziilla 3.1

Post by mikenotts » Sun Jul 19, 2020 8:16 pm

The "pic is its arrival on the dock - mine is 3rd row down, 4 along" comment was a joke in case anyone thought it was serious etc. But my attempt to upload the pic seems to have failed (or been cancelled) so as a joke, its a busterino on multiple levels. My 2 metre interaction with the delivery driver will give me my 5th 30 second interaction with another homo sapiens since early March (2 Tesco, 2 Home Brew Online and now my BREWZILLA).

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Wizz69
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Re: awaiting my brewziilla 3.1

Post by Wizz69 » Sat Aug 08, 2020 11:13 am

Hey Pal

Really interested to hear you views once you get it setup and complete a brew.

I am waiting to press the button on for the same product from Angelbrew.

Haven't pressed the button yet as they are not expecting stock until end of Aug.

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---- Keep Calm and Brew On ----

buddsy
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Re: awaiting my brewziilla 3.1

Post by buddsy » Tue Aug 11, 2020 1:31 pm

Hi all

Im in a similar possition. Ive ordered one from Brewkegtap.

Ive only done a few all grain brews of 1 gallon after getting the book "kitchen Brewing" from my library just before lockdown.

https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Brewing- ... 178488183X

Although Ive done a good few extract kits over the years (mainly Woodfordes Wherry which is only 4 miles from my house). My one gallon brews worked out very well.

An easier start I have bought an English IPA kit from geterbrewed. I have no idea what these kits re like as I was unable to find any reviews etc.

Im interested to hear how the Brewolutions kits go? Should be good as they are 1/3 more expensive than the kit I bought.

Anyways keep in touch.

buddsy

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Wizz69
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Re: awaiting my brewziilla 3.1

Post by Wizz69 » Tue Aug 11, 2020 1:45 pm

I did also reach out to the supplier to ask if the setup is capable of brewing smaller volumes such as 13-15ltr FV.

I mainly work on 13-15ltr into the FV to yield me 10-12ltr racking amounts.

This is perfect for me as it means I can keep brewing different styles without havig to keep a lot of stock.

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---- Keep Calm and Brew On ----

mikenotts
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Re: awaiting my brewziilla 3.1

Post by mikenotts » Tue Dec 15, 2020 4:09 pm

Wizz69 wrote:
Sat Aug 08, 2020 11:13 am
Hey Pal

Really interested to hear you views once you get it setup and complete a brew.

I am waiting to press the button on for the same product from Angelbrew.

Haven't pressed the button yet as they are not expecting stock until end of Aug.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
Hi, sorry for the long delay in replying (Covid etc, my all-encompassing excuse....); I've brewed 5 all grain brews with the BZ and:

- its an excellent system, well worth the money

- don't overload it - 4K of grain is as much as I'll risk: 6-7 Kilo and you risk a stuck mash and clogged pump; Its great for 20L at 3-4%; you can do more (I have), but I now do bigger beers on my old analog system

- after each brew, flush it out thoroughly (kegland stellarclean is the go to product)

- read and follow the instructions (e.g. don't do an end of mash temp boost using both temp gauges)

Looking at youtube videos, there does seem to be a problem with units arriving with dings in them - this happened to me (an almighty dent in the base), although it does work fine. I think this is due to it price point -more expensive systems have twice the metal thickness etc., more robust (it is sent from aussi land).

So - yes, if you want a recirculating mash tun (which if you have an existing setup up, is what you are paying for) at a reasonable price, go for it. There are cheaper options which I have no knowledge of so can't comment on.

mikenotts
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Re: awaiting my brewziilla 3.1

Post by mikenotts » Tue Dec 15, 2020 6:16 pm

buddsy wrote:
Tue Aug 11, 2020 1:31 pm
Hi all

I'm in a similar position. I've ordered one from Brewkegtap.

I've only done a few all grain brews of 1 gallon after getting the book "kitchen Brewing" from my library just before lockdown.

https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Brewing- ... 178488183X

Although Ive done a good few extract kits over the years (mainly Woodfordes Wherry which is only 4 miles from my house). My one gallon brews worked out very well.

An easier start I have bought an English IPA kit from geterbrewed. I have no idea what these kits re like as I was unable to find any reviews etc.

Im interested to hear how the Brewolutions kits go? Should be good as they are 1/3 more expensive than the kit I bought.

Anyways keep in touch.

buddsy
While I'm replying to months old questions.............

the brewolutions kits are excellent and produce tremendous beer, the only downsides are (not the beers fault) (1) they are a bit too big for a 30L brewzilla (stuck mash etc) (2) they are too strong for me - I'm in my late '60's and I like 4-5 % (I could drink less of a given beer, I suppose, but when I drink that is NOT an option.....)

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Wizz69
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Re: awaiting my brewziilla 3.1

Post by Wizz69 » Wed Dec 16, 2020 9:34 am

I bit the bullet and purchased the 35l Brewzilla from BrewKegTap. It came within a few days and is in perfect condition.

I plan to do my first brew on it over the Christmas period.

I will let you know how it goes

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---- Keep Calm and Brew On ----

mikenotts
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Re: awaiting my brewziilla 3.1

Post by mikenotts » Mon Jan 18, 2021 6:13 pm

Please do; I've bought more AG "kits" from malt miller and I'm going to do their Berliner Weisse brew next. This is one of a series of all grain "kits" they sell with a link to a podcast that discusses it. The guy that come up with the BW hadn't actually brewed it yet (its his "take" on a BW) so this could be interesting. One thing I would say: having done a number of brews on the BZ and seen lots of youtube videos on same, don't be afraid to use it as a BIAB - you don't have to recirculate, or sparge. For this BW brew, I'm going to do 2 mashes, no sparge; rack off to an aluminium pot; 5 minute boil (as per recipe) rack to a cube, put in my brew fridge at 16c, add yeast and bacteria and leave for a few weeks.

Oh, and I would absolutely recommend Kegland stellarclean (KL09430) - sold by malt miller - to flush out your BZ after each brew.

mikenotts
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Re: awaiting my brewziilla 3.1

Post by mikenotts » Fri Mar 19, 2021 7:48 pm

did anyone brew? haven't brewed for months, sporadically bought online booze - harryboy, local 12/24 can deliveries, etc. currently drinking the latter, deelish. I get my second jab in mid may, 3 weeks after (as bullet-proof as I'll get) , get all outstanding plumbing/ elec jobs done, then make the 5 AG "kits" I have in my freezer; also have 9 kits in the garage.

[oh, and not continuously boozing for the last year - I've lost many stones in weight]

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