The Best Homebrewing Setup | Which Should You Choose?

What's Brewing: All-In-One System Vs. Three Tier Vessel System

When I brewed my first batch of homebrew back in 2013, all-in-one brewing systems had not saturated the market yet. I started with an extract kit, and even though the first batch was rough (turns out it helps to add yeast…). It’s safe to say I was hooked. After the first few extract batches, I started getting the itch to do better. Homebrewers ultimately want to brew like the pros brew, just on a smaller scale. This is achieved by graduating to all grain brewing. The normal starting point for all grain homebrewing is to go with a three tier approach: cooler mash tun, cooler HLT, and a brew kettle.

This is the route I went, and it worked very well for me for a lot of years. However, as time went on, I started feeling like the whole process was a balancing act - not having temperature control on the mash was challenging. Lautering would take forever and was a very inexact science, and sometimes the false bottom just wouldn't do a great job. I was pouring large, heavy quantities of boiling liquid into different containers in the middle of my kitchen (evidence of some of these shenanigans below).

It just turned into a complete headache, and because of that, I stopped brewing for awhile. A hobby is supposed to be enjoyable, and ultimately the cooler three tier setup was a bit soul crushing, at least for me. Maybe a dedicated water heater for the HLT would have helped, a BIAB bag for the mash tun so lautering was easier, or a small mobile pump to help with transfers, but at the time I felt out of options and restricted as an apartment brewer.

A few years ago, I had the itch to brew again. My wife kept telling people in passing "my husband actually brews his own beer", and then I would have to explain that I hadn't brewed in a couple years but that it used to be a hobby of mine. After countless iterations of that same conversation, I had a reckoning - I am a brewer, and I needed to brew.

I had a few years of homebrewing advances to catch up on. Cue: Google rabbit hole. 

I discovered the world of all-in-one brewing units - they offer an incredibly small footprint, they are easy to clean, and best of all come with temperature control and an onboard pump. This functionality makes mashing at a stable temperature, whirlpooling for late hop additions, and transferring to the fermenter a breeze. There are many great options, but I bought the Brewzilla Gen 4 on a Black Friday sale.

It is an absolute game changer. Suddenly brew days were cut by several hours because I would set the Brewzilla up the night before and could remotely start heating up the water while I was in bed. The lauter is only about 10 minutes with an all in one unit - you just lift the grain bed up, let it drain and sparge if necessary to meet volume. This definitely reduces efficiency a bit, but I just accounted for that with a larger grain bill.

Now that I am in all-in-one brewing land, I’m not sure if I could go back. Give me a brand new fully automated stainless steel three tier system with temperature control and pumps like Matt Giovanisci from Brew Cabin? 100% I'd switch if I had the room and money for it. But for just $600 or less and an apartment friendly one vessel footprint, you absolutely can't beat an all-in-one brewing system.

Answer the poll below to let us know your preference of homebrewing setup!

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Beer Trivia Question

🍺 What is the world's oldest known recipe for beer, and how old is it?

Read to the end to find out if you're right!

Homebrewing Equipment Highlight

Brewzilla Gen 4

It seemed appropriate to highlight the Brewzilla Gen 4 since we had the all-in-one "talk" before. While there are other all-in-one units that may command more respect from a wider audience like the Grainfather, it's hard to beat the Brewzilla at a price point of $600. I can vouch from personal experience, this unit is a workhorse and extremely reliable over many brews.

I recommend adding the whirlpool attachment as well as the neoprene jacket - both are surprisingly effective. I also recommend buying a BIAB mesh bag for mashing - the malt pipe works well, but if grain slips through it can clog the pump. Throwing a bag overtop mitigates this issue and the unit performs flawlessly.

For more information, check out the writeup on our blog of the Brewzilla Gen 4 here.

What’s Brewing in the News

Happy belated Learn to Homebrew Day for all who celebrate. Yesterday, November 4th was a holiday that was created by the AHA to help newcomers get started with the craft that we all love. I didn't participate because I don't need a holiday to do what I love, and I also may have forgotten about it. 

However, if you missed it like me but you're curious in the event and want to mark your calendar for next year, here is the link to the event page.

And the Answer Is...

🍺 The world's oldest known recipe for beer comes from China and dates back over 9,000 years. The recipe, which was found in an old tomb, calls for the use of barley and honey, at least that's what they could deduce. Sounds like a Dogfish Head experimental brew.