Have you ever wondered what does “+” means in the name of Brewie+? We know that it gives you much more than beer – but our friend Josh found a whole new meaning that surprised us too. Who wants to mess around with dating apps when you can have a steel box to stun everyone? Well, it was only half a joke…

Scrambled impressions

“I think everyone knows these ‘act cool, your crush is coming’ situations. Well, I was never good at that – so I had to find another way to gain the attention of my brother’s university classmate. Claire isn’t only pretty, but she has a very positive vibe around her, which comes from her passion: in her spare time, she goes to every cooking workshop she can get to, and binge watches the last few years’ Bocuse d’Ors. If only she was that into mechatronics, it wouldn’t be so hard to impress her – I thought. But in this field, my only idea was to smile and tell her I make the best scrambled eggs in the world.

Luckily, life gave me a better answer. My brother Kenny finally graduated and decided to throw a party with her uni friends at our garden. He also told me she would be there… so I quickly realised this is my moment. I furiously googled ‘how to make steak more fancy’, but just nothing seemed right.”

My chance of fanciness?

“My beer choice was the only thing certain – Hoppersonic was about to get ready in a few days according to my Brewie+ app.  I started to wonder what to brew next and searched on my shelf for the recipe guide, until I accidentally dropped the Brewie box to the floor. I absent-mindedly looked on the instruction manual that fell out of it, when one word caught my eyes: sous vide. I was sure it was a French word meaning something very fancy about food. At first, I was worried it is about snails or something even freakier – but when I found out it is basically slow cooked meat, I told myself, what could go wrong? Before the day of the party, all ingredients was ready, but I was a bit nervous. However, it was easy to calm myself down with the fresh IPA I just brewed: Hoppersonic was light, fresh, and even my ‘team wine’ father liked it.”

The courage of gastronomy

“With a little help of my family, my delicious steak was close to being ready when the first guests arrived. I concentrated on helping with the salads and talking about my beer that I almost forgot about my anxiety. A few moments later, Claire stepped among the guys, smiling, and pointed at the Brewie+ standing on a table: ‘Wow, is you beer that fresh? I mean, it’s unlikely to brew in just a few hours. What’s you secret?’” And I, miraculously, didn’t just started laughing awkwardly, but instead told the truth: ‘Well, it is not beer. I just threw in some fine Angus meat to the sous vide for a supreme steak’.  The surprised look on her face was priceless. ‘I have always wanted to try this technique – please tell me about it!’ So we spent the rest of the night talking about my freshly gained knowledge of fine dining, our favourite films, and so on… and our last topic was the day of our first date.

It has been six months and we are going strong: Claire is still much better in the kitchen, but in exchange, I’ve learnt and brewed the perfect beer matches for her favourite dishes. Brewie+ gave me good tastes, courage and a great relationship – thank you, guys!”

The post Brew your relationship appeared first on Brewie.

“What the hell”, twice a day

It was suspicious – I had too many surprises for an average Tuesday. The first was simply a happy news: I got a call that my Brewie+ plus will arrive to my home soon that day. But the second was hard to believe: my friend Ted finally popped the question to his girlfriend, got a yes, and is in quite a hurry: wedding in four months, stag party in three months. Did I mention that Ted is famous for his spontaneity? He casually said ‘Hey, just heard about that beer making box you bought. Would be nice to have some original booze on that weekend – don’t make me buy some cheap lame pilsner if you’re such a master!’  And here I was, freshly awarded with the title of brewing expert, without any clue what hop is and what it is supposed to do in the whole process.

Sweat and bubbles

“Luckily, I had the Exo-Zaic an all-grain beer kit it my order and a recipe in my mind that I kind of randomly picked from the guide. I choose the one that sounded the craziest at first glimpse: Mango Habanero IPA. It shouldn’t be bad, I thought, mango and IPA seem to fit for a summer party and all lads who come like a spicy Mexican taste. It shouldn’t be that hard, I also thought… and there came the surprise that hit me like a fist: it really wasn’t. I was stressing for weeks wondering if I did everything right, but there were such a little fuss that I almost forget about it. Then suddenly, there I stood in my home’s cellar in the middle of the night, shouting ‘Yes! Yes, I fcking did it!’ This is when my brew was ready.  And it tasted like mango. And habanero. And most importantly, it had that inexplicably fresh IPA aroma that I only got to taste in expensive hipster beers before. ”

That holy beer master

”Bottling and applying my logoed stickers were one of the proudest hours of my life – until the day of the party came. Even in the sober beginnings, I got those appreciative shoulder taps from friends I haven’t seen since uni. ‘So you brew beer, huh? Impressive, mate.’ I have to admit there are some scenarios that mysteriously disappeared from my mind about that night, but I can clearly remember a few things. I recall my always-single friend Matt, who drunkenly jumped on the table, kneeled in front of one of my IPA bottles and screamed ‘please marry me!’ in tears. I also have a vivid picture of a few members of the group sitting next to a taco restaurant. Tomorrow one of them said ‘thanks bro, that crazily fine beer of you made us want to eat something matching so we owe you lots. We drank a lot but as we ate, none of us has that hellfire hangover’.

Who would mind to be called ‘that holy beer master’ among you friends for the rest of your life? This is what happened to me, a complete newbie, so thanks guys for creating Brewie+!”

The post That Holy Beer Master! appeared first on Brewie.

Back in the brew shed with my Brewie for the first time in 2019 and I am brewing a Mid XPA recipe that Damian Lawrie sent me to try out! Looking forward to brewing more regularly now the Summer of fun is over! If you have any awesome recipes you think I should try, shoot me a message.

Visit Beer Healer’s channel for more videos

The post [VIDEO] Learn how to brew a Mid XPA from the Beer Healer! appeared first on Brewie.

Release note for version 3.1.1

The post Latest Software Update appeared first on Brewie.

In this video we show you how to enter the Developer Mode on Brewie devices. Follow the step and learn how the device works.

Introduction to Developer Mode

With the aid of the Developer Mode you’ll be able to operate all hardware elements of the machine separately.

Disclaimer

Everything you do using the Developer Mode is your responsibility. Any damage suffered due to the negligent use of Developer Mode is not part of the warranty.

Caution

Do not use Developer mode during any running processes. The safety checks are turned off in Developer Mode. Never turn on the heaters, if there is no water in the tanks. Note, that you can only operate one heater at a time. Once started, the water intake doesn’t stop automatically, never leave the machine while it is filling water. When you drain, make sure the hoses are attached.

Developer Mode is available on all hardware variants starting from software version 3.1.1.

To enter the Developer Mode, type “morecontrol” in the Recipe search field and the Developer Mode appears right away. Enjoy! : )

Through the Developer Mode you can operate the boil and mash pumps (on/off), both heaters (on/off) and 12 valves (open/close, normally closed) and you can see the tank temperatures and the water volume in the boil tank as well.

Instead of explaining the parts separately, we will focus on the integrated function by performing a full manual brew.

1. Mashing water intake: Brewing starts with the mash-in water intake into the boil tank. Press “Water inlet” to open the inlet valve. If the machine is calibrated properly you can follow the process on the screen. ű

2. Reaching mash-in temperature: When there is enough water in the boil tank, activate “Boil heater” to heat mash-in water to the desired temperature then stop the heater.

3. Mash-in: Transfer the liquid to the mash tank by activating “Boil pump”, “Boil return” valve, “Mash inlet” valve and “Mash return” valve buttons. This will direct water through the bottom orifice of the boil tank to the mash tank via the bottom (“Mash return”) and side (“Mash inlet”) orifices.

4. Sparging water intake: After transfer completes, hit “Close all” and open “Water inlet” to allow in sparge water.

5. Mashing: After filling the boil tank start circulation in the mash tank by pressing “Mash pump”, “Mash return” valve and “Mash inlet” valve. Heating can be activated in the mash tank with the “Mash heater” button, if required.

6. Reaching sparge temperature: Since only one heater can operate at a time, if mash heater is not needed, the boil heater can operate and heat up the sparge water.

7. Sparging: When sparge water reaches the target temperature and the mashing process ends, the sparging phase can be started. This is a precisely controlled process. To imitate the automatic sparging, activate “Boil pump”, “Boil return”, “Boil inlet”, “Mash pump”, “Mash return” and “Mash inlet”.

8. Transfer to boil tank: When sparging is done, transfer all liquid from the mash tank to the boil tank. Press “Mash pump”, “Mash return”, “Boil return” and “Boil inlet”. This will pump liquid via the bottom orifice of the mash tank into the boil tank.

9. Boiling: After transfer completes, start “Boil heater” to bring the liquid to boil. The previous step can be repeated to pump the dripping wort from the mash tank to the boil tank as well.

10. Hopping: Start “Boil pump”, open the “Boil return” valve and with buttons “Hop 1-4” the hop tanks will allow the hot liquid flow through the hop cages.

11. Cooling: After boiling, the hot wort can be cooled down. Start wort circulation in the heat exchanger by pressing “Boil pump”, “Boil return” and “Cool valve”. To start cooling, open the “Cool inlet”.

12. Sedimentation: To sediment the particles, hit “Close all”.

13. Draining: When sedimentation completes, the wort can be drained

a – Following sedimentation, drain the wort from the hop tanks by opening the hop valves #1-#4 and the “Outlet valve”

b – Drain the boil tank while leaving the sediment behind, open “Outlet valve” and “Boil inlet”

c – or to drain all: start “Boil pump”, open “Boil return” and “Outlet valve”

If you would like to now more about the homebrewing or the Brewie+ join the BeerExplorersClub.org Cheers!

The post Introduction to the Developer Mode on Brewie Homebrewing Device appeared first on Brewie.

You can get all the necessary ingredients in the Brewie Shop at https://brewie.org/product-category/brewiepads/

If you prefer using your own ingredients that is fine too, just make sure to use the Brewie bag that you receive with the machine.

You can purchase additional Brewie bags here: https://brewie.org/product/5x-brewie-bag/

What is the source of the Brewie Pad ingredients?

All beer kits consist high quality, natural ingredients that are sourced by some of the most well-known European malt and hop suppliers.

Can I brew gluten-free beer?

Yes, of course. Unfortunately we don’t yet provide a beer kit that is gluten-free, but you can find many gluten-free beer recipes online. In case you need assistance contact our Support Team.

What is shipping time of the ingredients & accessories?

Standard shipping time is 2-10 business days. It can differ greatly based on your location for more info you can contact us at https://brewie.org/knowledge-center/general-contact/

I can’t find what I’m looking for. What can I do?

Contact us and we will do our best to help you out! Our Support works from 9 am to 5 pm in Central European Time (GMT+1). Our response time is within 24 hours.

The post Ingredients & Accessories appeared first on Brewie.

Craft beer can be expensive, however as you can see from the image below (made specifically for craft beer, it would be completely different for commercial beer), the material price is only about 10% of the MSRP. Now if you’re making your beer at home you can save the excess 90%.

(source: huffington post)

Obviously raw material is more expensive is small quantities – you might say, and you’re right. Also, there’s no labor and equipment cost, also water and electricity is not included, so in the end it’s not 10%. But it’s not much more. Let’s see the whole calculation below:

Let’s say you would like to brew an amber ale. You choose a Brewie Pad called Rusty Rex which is just right for you and you order it for $31.50. This package let’s you brew 20 liters of beer which results in 60 bottles of beer (0.33L/12 oz). If you calculate the per bottle price you’ll get  $0.53. Not bad huh?

If you want to compare it with your local average beer prices you can refer to the chart below:

(source: Business Insider)

As you can see, your beer price is somewhere between 9% and 33% which is not far from our initial calculation and since you used a Brewie Pad this is your end user price.

Now there’s still a few things missing, like the equipment price, utility costs and your labor cost. Let’s say that you bought your Brewie+ for $1999 shipping cost included. Let’s say that you’re charging a $20/hour labor cost and you’re brewing a beer worth $3.5 in your local supermarket.

Adding everything together you’re still facing a $0.7 price which is still 80% off from the local price.

Based on this calculation the machine returns your investment within 12 batches, which is not a bad deal. Here’s your RoI function:

The following chart shows you the price of bottles you brew in function of the batches you made

Interested to see your break-even point? You can download our excel sheet on the following link: http://brewie.org/documents/brewieroi.xlsx

Want to read more about Brewie? Check out one of our most popular article: https://brewie.org/7-reasons-why-you-should-brew-with-brewie/

The post Why craft beer costs so much? appeared first on Brewie.

The article lightens the facts why our fully automated brewing machine suits everyone who eyeing with the opportunity of evolving into a homebrewer and doesn’t want to fuss about all the annoying parts of the brewing process. The Brewie+ saves you time, money, space and provides you with the tastiest craft beers you’ve ever tasted.

Here’s a quick recap for foretaste:

• it’s one of the only automated brewing systems that will brew a full five-gallon batch of homebrew
• it has direct water hookup that removes the extra step of hauling water to your system
• it won’t limit your fantasy: brew with your own ingredients or use the pre-packaged Brewie Pads
• the Mobile App is coming very soon
• it cleans itself

Read the full article here and stay tuned: BeerFuse is going to be back with a hands-on test soon!

The post More time for drinking and less time for brewing – Brewie in BrewFuse appeared first on Brewie.

Visit this site, and fill the form at the bottom of the page.

The post Partnership appeared first on Brewie.

Cleaning is the least pleasant and the most essential part of brewing, but Brewie+ eases the task by washing itself. However, cleaning and sanitizing fermentation vessels and other tools is a task that remains in your hands. Pay attention to cleaning; an improperly cleaned fermentation bucket containing different bacterial species from a previous brew can easily infect the brew and change its taste, or even spoil it.

Special attention must be paid to spaces where yeast can easily settle but are hard to reach and clean, such as corners, pipes, stirrers, and taps. Each item used during fermentation should be soaked in a Chemipro Oxi solution for several minutes. The aforementioned cleaning agent does not need to be rinsed off, as it forms a thin layer on surfaces, keeping microorganisms away.

CLEANING YOUR EQUIPMENT

• CHEMIPRO (Sanitizer)
  Description: Chemipro Oxi guarantees hygienic cleaning after the brewing process is finished. Sanitize the bucket and everything that will interface with the wort. ChemiPro does not substitute detergent, it only serves for disinfection.
  Use it for: fermentation tank, party keg, bottles,

• TABLETS (Detergent)
  Where to place: 1st and 2nd hop tanks
  When: while using a full clean program
  Usage: Before starting a full clean program, put 1-1 tablets in each of the 1st and 2nd hop tanks, and close the lid. Follow the instruction on your Brewie+’s screen.

• SPONGE
  Use it to clean your Brewie+, its accessories and the fermenting equipment, to wipe away bigger stains.

• BRUSH (part of the Starter Kit)
  Use it only to clean the hop tanks and hop cages. Do not use the brush to clean your Brewie+, the fermentation tank or any fermentation equipment, since it might damage their surface, causing bacteria to settle in microfissures, and spoil the wort.

• PROTECTIVE GLOVES (recommended)
  The skin’s direct contact with reagents might cause injuries, so wearing rubber gloves while cleaning is highly recommended!

• HIGH PRESSURE CLEANERS (recommended)
  Universal cleaning device. It is the most efficient way to disinfect the equipments.
  Use it for: Fast, efficient and gentle cleaning of the inside of your Brewie+. Disinfecting barrels, kegs (while cooling outside with water – but preventing it from flowing inside)

• PBW – Powdered Brewery Wash
  Description: Environmentally friendly alkali cleaner. Safe for use on metals, rubber gaskets, tubing, plastic parts, and your skin.
  Usage: How to keep Brewie+ clean with BPW If you have chosen ‘Full clean’ or ‘Sanitising clean’, add 6 tsp PBW evenly to the hop tanks. The ‘Full clean’ program starts with a ‘Short clean’ to rinse out all contamination left behind from brewing. Only add PBW when the ‘Short clean’ has finished. (This stands for all types of detergents.)
  Cleaning the fermenting vessel: Fill the vessel up with water and dissolve 1 tsp PBW/liter. Leave it for half a day and drain it. Rinse with hot water.

CAUTION: DO NOT USE StarSan to clean your Brewie, as this chemical may damage the silicone tubes inside the device.

CLEANING PROGRAMS

Cleaning your Brewie+ after every brew is important, so Brewie+ has built-in cleaning programs to aid you.

Use a non-abrasive cloth or sponge to clean Brewie+. For cleaning, follow the instructions on the screen. Except for the touchscreen, non-agressive surfactants can be used if necessary. Check detergent manufacturer label for information on applicable surfaces. Brewie+’s outside surfaces are made of stainless steel and plastic.

Before launching the cleaning program, make sure Brewie+ is connected to the water system and take everything out of the machine (brewing bag, false bottom, hop cages). The items may be hot when removing from the machine. Handle with care!

Caution! During the cleaning process excessive amount of waste water is drained through the wort/ cleaning water outlet. We advise you to place the outlet tube into a sink or attach it to the household wastewater system.

Caution! In case you need to attach a longer drain hose to the wort outlet (because the sink cannot be reached otherwise), keep in mind, that longer hose means increased resistance for the pumps, which causes decreased flow rate, that may lead to overflows. To avoid overflows, feel free to regulate the incoming water flow by closing the tap.

Caution! Automatic cleaning is only possible if Brewie+’s water inlet is connected to the household water system and the tap is open.

Caution! Hot! Risk of spoiling the brew! After choosing automatic water addition, do not disturb Brewie+ while water is being circulated in the machine. Disturbances can cause the weight sensor to report false data.

Caution! Never add water to the mashing tank!

• SHORT CLEAN
  Manual or automatic cleaning options can be chosen.
• 
  when: after every brew
  target: to remove contaminants
  how: wipe out with a non-abrasive cloth or sponge (no chemicals, no hot water)
  duration: 6 minutes, excluding draining

Before you start, please check the followings then follow the instructions on the screen:
· No ingredients in tanks and containers
· No hop cages in containers
· No false bottom in mashing tank
· Hoses are connected
· 8 liters of water in the boiling tank (in case of manual water inlet) IF needed, repeat the process.

• SANITIZING CLEAN
  Manual or automatic cleaning options can be chosen. Caution! Hot liquid!
  when: if you want to sanitize the machine (run a short clean first)
  target: disinfecting
  how: hot water, be careful!
  duration: 90 minutes, excluding draining

Before you start, please check the followings then follow the instructions on the screen:
· No ingredients in tanks and containers
· No hop cages in containers
· No false bottom in mashing tank
· Hoses are connected
· 8 liters of water in the boiling tank (in the case of manual water inlet)

• FULL CLEAN
  Caution! Hot liquid!
  when: after every 5th brewing or if you haven’t used the machine recently
  target: cleaning the machine and the tubes
  how: chemical tablets + hot water + wiping
  duration: 2 hours, excluding draining

Before you start, please check the followings then follow the instructions on the screen:
· No ingredients in tanks and containers
· No hop cages in containers
· No false bottom in mashing tank
· Hoses are connected

CLEANING THE PARTS

The basic requirement of brewing is to have everything clean. Always inspect Brewie+ and all additional beer brewing equipment for cleanliness before using it (hoses, false bottom etc.). If inspection skipped, the wort might get infected. Certain parts of your Brewie+ need manual cleaning. The hop cages and the false bottom in the mashing tank must be taken out and washed with standard hand-use dishwashing liquid and a non-abrasive sponge or in a dishwasher.

Hop Cages
Hop cages should be removed after each brew and washed in a dishwasher or by hand. Use standard hand-use dishwashing liquid and/or wash in dishwasher at 70 degrees.
Clean the hop cages with brush, to get rid of the contamination jammed in the cage. Separate disinfection is not needed.

False bottom
The false bottom should be removed after each brew and washed in a dishwasher or by hand.

Hoses
Boil them in a kettle for 3 minutes.

Standard Brewie Bag
Thoroughly cleaning the bag after each use is critical to ensure the high quality and hygiene of both Brewie+ and the brew. Mashing bags can be cleaned both manually or by washing machines. Do not leave any malt in the bag and rinse it thoroughly!

Fermentation Tank
Tap:
Disinfect after every use.

1. Take it off the fermentation tank.
2. Open the tap and place the screw carefully in it, then boil them for 3 minutes.

Airlock:
Disinfect after every use. Boil it for 3 minutes

Caution! The airlock can soften by heat. Take care to place it in the water to avoid deformation!

Fermentation bucket+lid:

1. Wipe the sides with a sponge to get rid of bigger stains. Use only non-abrasive sponges for cleaning! Any coarse material might damage the surface, causing bacteria to settle in microfissures and spoil the wort.
2. After disinfecting the tap, place it back and tighten the nut.
3. Pour 1 l of 100 C° water inside, but keep the tap closed!
4. Put 2 teaspoons of ChemiPro/PBW or 1,5 ml StarSan inside.
5. Carefully dissolve the disinfectant with circular motions.
6. Close the lid and shake the bucket, so the liquid can reach every part.
7. Caution! Hot! Risk of spilling hot water! Do not shake it too much, since the top can drop off!
8. Pour all the water out.

Important: If you are using Iodophor for sanitizing your equipment, use about 0,75 ml per liters and use it only in cold water!

Now it is ready-to-use!

BOTTLE
Useable for secondary fermentation. 
Use only clean bottles, or clean a bottle in the following way:

1. Dissolve 2 teaspoons of ChemiPro/PBW or 1,5 ml StarSan in 1 l of hot water.
2. Rinse the bottle with ChemiPro water.
3. If the ChemiPro you pour out from the bottle is dirty, do not use that for further cleaning. Make new solutions.
4. Put on rubber gloves and use hot water and a brush to clean all contaminants from the bottle.
5. Hold the bottle against light and look into it. If there is still contamination inside, repeat the process.

Important: If you are using Iodophor for sanitizing your equipment, use about 0,75 ml per liters and use it only in cold water!

PARTYKEG
Useable for secondary fermentation.

1. Dissolve 2 teaspoons of ChemiPro/PBW or 1,5 ml StarSan in 1 l of hot water
2. Pour it into the keg, then shake it. Caution! Do not open the tap!
3. Pour it out of the keg.

Important: If you are using Iodophor for sanitizing your equipment, use about 0,75 ml per liters and use it only in cold water!

The post Cleaning & Care appeared first on Brewie.