V3 with Pump

I've been all grain brewing for years now and have a robobrew without the pump. I really like the pump for vorlauf and during chilling. I also use it to help circulate while I run the chiller. Wish I had the pump before. I also think the Version 3.1 heats faster and the internal stainless parts are higher quality than my old Robo Brew 3.0 . Very good system for the price !

I moved to electric from propane to get out of the heat and into my garage at least. The only downside to this system can be the heat times. I purchased an immersion water heater on amazon to assist with heating times and now faster than propane on 120v. Just need to plug each into their own circuits to not trip the breaker. The built-in pump and automation steps are awesome. Shipped on time and packaged great. No issues. I did make one adjustment to the malt pipe handle. I filed the ends some to make it 'grip' in the holes better.

This is my 2nd system as I had to send the 1st one back. I never could get the kettle to a boil. I figured one of the elements was damaged in shipment and didn't work. So I sent the product back and received the replacement the next day! The replacement works great! I love the simplicity of the system. A turn-key operation. I can get to mash in temp in about 10 mins (~154 degrees) and a boil from there in about 15 mins. I have a lot less equipment too.

It is very practical and intuitive to use, but you really need to get familiar with it to have an "optimal" efficiency, that because it has a space between the bottom of the kettle and the lower parte where the pump is, so that you can't use the same proportion water / malt you are used to.

I just got my Breewzilla 3.1.1 and it did not come with the fine mesh screen. I don't know if they stopped putting them in the box or if I got shorted. I did see a video where someone said he stopped using it due to it causing a stuck sparge.Also. This thing absolutely needs the neoprene jacket! There is no outer layer of protection to this tank. Everything except the control panel gets as hot as the temperature to which it has been set. Aside from the fact that you want your sparge insulated to maintain proper temperature, the jacket will give you some personal protection.

I bought this almost a year ago and I have completed 12 brews with this brew system so far and have not had any major issues except for maybe design "flaws".The lids doesn't fully secure/fit onto the system. The latches help but it feels like I'm really having to force it down and I'm afraid of breaking the glass lid...though I'm sure it's strong. Having the lid on can make the wort foam up very quickly during the boiling stage from the lid retaining the heat. (turning off one of the heaters might help with this).I wish the controls were easier to use since they are at the bottom of the unit. You have to crouch down and get on the floor to see and use the display unless you elevate the unit onto something....I used a milk crate.I would definitely buy a mesh strainer for throwing in hops during the boiling process otherwise when you go to transfer, the hops from the unit, it can clog the pump or release a ton of hop from the spigot into your fermentation container when transferring making for a much more murky beer.When doing the cooling process. You really gotta make sure that the hoses connecting to the cooling coil are on really tight so they don't leak water into your beer.I do wonder about less expensive units but this is still way cheaper than the Grainfathers and I feel like I have got my money worth out of it especially with it having a built in pump and it comes with the cooling coil.

I went with this over the Grainfather to save approximately $500.00. I was excited to get started. Here are my observations after returning this product and purchasing the Grainfather. Please note: Others may have had a better experience than I so this is based solely on my experience and opinion.The packaging of the Robobrew was very cheap. While carrying the box into my house, you could hear things rattling inside. The feel of the stainless steel is light and cheap. But overall it looked like a great low cost substitute to the Grainfather. After unpackaging and some minor assembly, I went to clean it. I filled it with 7 gallons of water and some PBW. Once I plugged it in and went to turn on the pump, I heard water dripping!!!! I had about a half gallon of water on the floor and it was flowing out fast. I immediately unplugged the unit. Drained it and then inspected it. All the electronics are underneath the boiler as well as the pump!!!! Very cheap electronics at that. Plus the pump was hanging by one bolt and nut.The other nut was floating around the bottom of the unit. Recipe for electrocution in my opinion.I was done. Immediately boxed it back up and sent it back.Now the Grainfather observations. Amazing packaging. Amazing quality of stainless steel. More heavy duty than the Robobrew. Amazing documentation where the Robobrew came with a little book with a lot of spelling errors in it. 3 year warranty where the Robobrew spoke of none. The pump and electronics are on the outside of the unit away from the underside of the boiler. Bluetooth control. Awesome website and brewing software....the list goes on and on. In a nut shell, I would highly recommend the extra $500.00 for a homebrew system that will offer you a 3 year warranty, support, web site etc.....It is really night and day. Again just my experience and I am not knocking the Robobrew. But when they say you get what you pay for ring very true here!!!