We have come to a time in the age of this hobby that there are many options for homebrewers to buy off-the-shelf machines to brew beer. For a few hundred dollars, you too can purchase the one piece of equipment that you will need make batches of beer. In this video, we discuss the idea of getting an automated electric homebrewing systems and what that means for the hobby.

Buy a System – Lost Your Homebrewing Soul?

A few years ago, I wrote a post that expressed my initial feelings about these devices. Now, I was coming at it from a perspective of someone who had bought a home brew kit with buckets, a bottle capper, and a sad siphon. From there, I save my pennies and bought other pieces of equipment over time so I could brew better beer. There was a real need for patience and some satisfaction from building a system yourself. I saw the first countertop system as a cop out. I felt like it would cheat other homebrewers from going through the same process as me. Since then, I have come around to seeing a different perspective.

Technology Makes Brewing Better

My favorite parts of the hobby is the math and the science behind it. Who am I to criticize the innovation of homebrewing equipment? If you have the funds, these systems can jump start your home brewing skills to a level that many people take years to get to. Smart people putting more energy into building better systems is not a bad thing at all. After thinking about it, I have come to realize that people should have a choice to brew the way they want to at home.

Which Homebrewing System To Choose?

In the issue of BYO magazine that I am flipping through in the video (Nov. 2016), there are seventeen different systems that were on the market at the time. By the time you are reading this post, there are probably many more. I would research many of them. The article had a good a great matrix of the different features that each one came with. Some of the big questions you should ask yourself when researching are:

  • How much are you willing to spend?
  • How large of a batch size do you want to brew on the system?
  • Do you want to have the flexibility to brew all-grain, partial mash, and extract on the system?
  • Do you want it to have other cool stuff like a mobile app or for it to be WiFi enabled?

With the price you are willing to pay, you may need to make compromises with the feature the system provides.  I think with the number of options out there, you will be able to find the automated brewing system for you.

If you want to search for some of the models available, here are some of the names:

Counter Top Models

  • BeerDroid
  • BrauMeister
  • Brew-Boss
  • Brewcrafter25
  • Brewie
  • Grainfather
  • High Gravity BIAB Electric
  • iGulu
  • Minibrew
  • Pico
  • RoboBrew
  • Zymatic

Floor-sized Models

  • Brewbot
  • BrewEasy
  • BREWHA BIAC
  • BrewMaster – Freestanding
  • Unibrau Pro

Let us know if you have any of these – we’d like to know more about your experience.

Thanks and Brew ON!