Authors: Matt Del Fiacco
I began using the Bräu Supply Unibräu V2 eBIAB systems a couple years ago and published a thorough review in mid-2017. Relying on a pair of 1600W elements and an EZBoil controller, the Unibräu served as my introduction to electric brewing and has allowed me to make great beer using a standard 120V outlet. Since publishing my review, I’ve recommended the unit to many others, as my experience with it has been very positive. However, Bräu Supply recently announced that they were working on a new version.
The Unibräu V3 All-In-One Electric Brew System offers brewers various updates intended to streamline the brewing process even more. For example, the dual-elements of the V2 were swapped for a single 1650W element and the grain basket is larger with a screen only at the bottom to force wort through the grains, both changes seemingly influenced by thoughtful consideration of the user experience.
We were informed by Bräu Supply awhile back that they were working on the Unibräu V3 and, given I’d put the V2 through its paces, asked if I’d be willing to do the same with the new version once it was ready to hit the market. With only the most minor complaints about the system I was using, the updates to the V3 sounded pretty cool, so I agreed to give it a go.
The product reviewed for this article was provided by the manufacturer in exchange for an honest review; no other compensation was provided. The opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author and a concerted effort was made to approach the review from an unbiased perspective.
The Unibräu V3 arrived in solid packaging that adequately protected the gear it contained.
Using the provided instructions, assembling the V3 was quite simple and only took about 20 minutes. Once the unit was together, I gave it a good cleaning and passivation, after which it was ready for use.
ETC Controller
There are two controller options when purchasing a Unibräu V3. While I’d been using the EZboil with my V2, I was interested to see how it would compare to the ETC controller that came with the V3. Unlike the EZboil, the ETC controller has an “off” option, a huge plus because it allows one to easily cut the power to the element without unplugging the connection at the kettle. I also appreciate that the heating element is not hardwired into the controller, which makes for easier storage and replacement of the power cord should it ever break.
One thing I miss is the ability to regulate the power sent to the element during the boil, as with the ETC controller, the element is either fully on or off. That said, running the 120V Unibräu V3 with its 1650W element at full blast leads to a boil of moderate intensity, so it’s really not a huge issue. While I personally prefer having a little more control over such things, the ETC controller is well-built, elegant in its simplicity, and certainly gets the job done well.
Stainless Kettle
The Unibräu V3 kettle is made of durable 304 stainless steel and has a 10.5 gallon/40 liter capacity, as indicated by internal markings.
It features 3 welded tri-clamp ferrules for the heating element, thermometer probe, and pump. Some may think they’re a bit overkill for homebrewing setups, but I love tri-clamp fittings, not only because they’re incredibly easy to clean compared to threaded fittings, but they also allow for more customization options.
Compared to the previous version, the Unibräu V3 kettle seems a bit heavier with a sturdier bottom and it also has rubber coated handles, all definitely improvements in my book.
Pump
The Unibräu V3 comes with a magnetic drive 120V pump that, unlike the V2, has a stainless steel head rated to withstand temperatures up to 248°F/120°C. The polysulphone impeller is capable of pumping as much as 5 gallons/19 liters per minute, and the flow of liquid can be restricted via the included stainless steel ball valve.
The pump pulls wort from the bottom of the kettle during the mash and recirculates it back to the mash basket, where liquid is returned to the mash via a length of silicone tubing. The pump is strong enough that restricting the flow is essentially necessary to avoid dry firing the element. With that in mind, being magnetic driven and having a valve on the outlet of the pump are big benefits.
Electric Element
The 120v Unibräu V3 system comes with a single 1650W element that connects to kettle with a tri-clamp and is more than enough to heat water to strike temperatures, though it does take some time.
Brau supply offers an element upgrade kit that includes an additional 1600W element, which connects to the kettle via twist-lock and runs directly to another 120V circuit, one option for those looking for more power. I’ve used the single element to brew many batches in my garage and, regardless of the season, it works just fine. Covering a portion of the kettle with the lid helps to regulate the boil, and I’ve never had issues with off-flavors from doing this.
Note: Bräu Supply does offer a 240V Unibräu V3 option with a 4000 watt element.
Thermometer Probe
The Unbräu V3 comes with a temperature probe that, when properly attached, results in the probe resting beneath the grain basket.
I found this placement leads to slight inconsistencies in mash temperature readings. One solution is to place the thermometer probe on a tri-clamp tee at the outlet of the pump, which can be done with the aforementioned element upgrade kit.
Since making this change, my mash temperature readings have been spot on.
Stainless Grain Basket
One of the more noticeable differences between the Unibräu V2 and V3 is in regards to the design of the grain basket. Whereas the prior version’s was almost entirely mesh, the basket on the V3 is closed around the sides.
After years of using the older basket, which allowed liquid to escape through the sides, I’d begun to wonder about the effectiveness of the grain bed as a filter. The enclosed basket that comes with the V3 effectively forces the liquid to flow through the grain when lautering. It also has its own set of rubber coated handles, which adds to the ease removing it after the mash is complete.
The large rim at the top of the basket rests on the lip of the kettle, holding it off of the element on the bottom of the kettle while also providing a place to rest the recirculation tube. The holes at the bottom of the basket are a bit large and can allow a small amount of grain through into the wort, though I haven’t noticed any negative impact from this.
Cleaning the basket couldn’t be simpler– dump the grains, spray it out to remove any remaining material, then scrub it with your cleaner of choice. If you’re neurotic like me, you can soak the grain basket in hot cleaning solution in the kettle, or even use a CIP spray ball attached to the tri clamp fitting in the basket.
Wort Chiller
A new addition to the Unibräu V3 is the included plate chiller, which is constructed of copper plate surrounded by stainless steel. The welded tri-clamp fittings allow for very easy connection of the recirculation tube so that the wort can be pumped through the chiller.
The chiller is quite effective, particularly during the winter months when my groundwater is very cold. I ended up attaching a ball valve to the outlet, which allows me to restrict the flow of wort during warmer weather. One drawback to plate chillers is being unable to see the inside, as it’s impossible to know for certain how clean it is. For this reason, I recirculate hot PBW through mine between each batch, usually at the same time I’m cleaning my grain basket and kettle.
| THE VERDICT |
I can say with confidence that not only is the Unibräu V3 All-In-One 120V Electric Brew System a step up from the previous version, it is an excellent option for brewers considering jumping into electric brewing. Of all the positives, many of which I detailed above, the one I really want to reinforce is the modularity of the system. In the unlikely event the heating element dies, a replacement is relatively cheap and very easy to swap out. If the controller breaks, you can replace or re-adjust however you’d like. The tri-clamp compatibility opens up a ton of accessory options so that brewers can brew how they please.
A point of consideration for anyone looking at this system is that, due to the size of the mash tun/kettle, some concessions have to be made when brewing higher OG beers. For a full 5 gallon/19 liter batch, I’ve found the limit is right around 1.075 OG. Of course, there are ways to account for this, one of the easiest being to reduce the batch size bit.
Overall, I’m beyond satisfied with the Unibräu V3 and feel it hits all the marks for a 5 gallon/19 liter 120V electric brewing system. While unnecessary, the numerous accessories offered by Bräu Supply can contribute to brew day convenience, and their customer service is great to boot. The Unibräu V3 is just as great for the brewer looking to simply their process as it is for those who like to tweak and fine tune.
If you have any experience using a Unibräu V3 Electric Brewing System or questions about the unit, please share in the comments section below!
Support Brülosophy In Style!
All designs are available in various colors and sizes on Amazon!
Follow Brülosophy on:
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM
If you enjoy this stuff and feel compelled to support Brulosophy.com, please check out the Support page for details on how you can very easily do so. Thanks!
20 thoughts on “Product Review | Bräu Supply Unibräu V3 All-In-One 120V Electric Brew System”
I get that Tri-clamps are more sanitary generally, but I dont understand when they’re used on a pump with NPT threads and people claim they’re more sanitary. The threads are still there… I also think tri-clamps are harder to use one handed than other disconnects (thinking the more beer disconnects, not cam-locks). They’re also really bulky.
Yeah, one upgrade was that all of the ports on the kettle now are welded tri-clamp, as opposed to the V2 unit which was a threaded outlet for the pump. So if you wanted to get a tri-clamp pump, you can. I was more-so hopping to get at the fact that the kettle itself no longer uses the NPT threads.
I would agree entirely, definitely not easy to use one handed. Thankfully in most brewing situations I have both hands available, but I can see times when a quick disconnect would come in handy!
Also, yeah, there’s some weight to them for sure.
Did you notice any difference in clarity or efficiency with the solid sided grain basket?
I am actually looking to get one very soon. I’m split on 120v vs 240v. Did you find the 1650w adequate or was there a real want for power from the extra 120v element upgrade? Also I didn’t see it mentioned here, but do you have any experience with their trub filter plate?
Awesome! It’s a great unit. I personally find the 120v adequate, but given that I won my home now and have the flexibility to install a 240v outlet sometime, I will probably transition eventually.
The 1650W element works totally fine, and it is what I’m using now and have been doing so for several years (from the v2). But the time to get to mash temp and to boil definitely adds time to the brew day.
I do have experience with the trub filter plate! I’m hoping to write some more about it sometime, since I’ve only used it twice now, but in my limited experience so far it works as intended. Definitely blocks trub. Unfortunately, with a medium amount of pellet hops, it can totally block the plate so you need to use a spoon to shift hops off of the plate or it will slow your pump to a trickle.
Have you seen any similar systems for smaller batch brewing…say 3 gallon BIAB??
Similar to the Unibrau I have not unfortunately, but there are a lot of systems out there like the Anvil Foundry and the Robobrew that would work for smaller batches. Obviously the Unibrau would work at the batch size still as well.
I have the Robobrew and have used it to brew batches from 3-7 gallons. They’ve just dropped the price on them so it’s very affordable, relatively speaking.
What is the COST of eh kit you tested ?
The Unibrau V3 with the ETC controller and single element is $1,170. The element upgrade kit, which contains the additional element and the tee to move the thermometer probe to the outlet of the pump is $120, which I quickly did after using the system a few times.
I have a few other accessories that weren’t included in this review, and are more so quality of life items.
I have this unit and by and large agree with the review. For the most part, it has made my brew days smoother and more enjoyable. After many batches, I do have a few quibbles, many of which mirror yours:
– The heating element is quite slow to get to strike temp, and the boil it generates is often barely a burbling simmer. This isn’t a problem unique to Unibrau, of course, it’s just the limitations of 120V. I’ve mitigated it somewhat two ways: with some insulation wrapped around the kettle, and with a timer that gets the strike water heating while I’m still asleep, so it’s waiting ready for me in the morning. Of course this doesn’t help once it’s time to get to boil, which takes roughly one minute per degree Fahrenheit, or even slower. Brew days are often 5-6 hours, including cleaning (but not including heating the strike water). Thankfully, due to the automation, I’m spending much of that time doing other things.
– On a related note, boil-off rates are very low. Again, not a problem unique to Unibrau. It wouldn’t be so much of an issue if capacity weren’t also a challenge (see below).
– I get quite a bit of grain coming through the grain basket. I’ve learned I can limit it if I don’t stir too deep — but then I want to stir deep to get all the goodies! It’s not really grain in the kettle that bothers me so much as grain in the chiller, of which there is lots. It’s always quite a job flushing it, and I can’t ever be sure I’m getting all of it. I’ve had the system for about a year. Over the course of many years, I could see the build-up becoming a problem.
– Finally, as you noted, the capacity of the system limits how much grain you can add and therefore your gravity. Apart from upper limits on gravity, in general I find the grain basket cramped. You really need to take care to settle the grains in and stir out clumps without sloshing out of the kettle. I think that the basket is needlessly cramped given the size of the kettle. If I were to tweak the design, I would find a way to make more use of the kettle capacity. It seems like there doesn’t need to be so much space between the walls of the basket and the kettle. It’s keeping wort out that would make stirring easier. The effect is that every mash feels like a thick mash, even when it’s not. Remember, we’re not sparging here, so all of the water’s in there and it should not feel thick!
All of that being said, in general I’m happy with the unit and would recommend it, with these caveats in mind.
All of these comments are spot on. And your note about grain in the chiller is a great one. Personally, I rinse the chiller out, then bake it, then rinse with pbw and hot water before a final rinse.
I’ve been happy with my unibrau v3 and have made some delicious brews since getting it. I have made a few changes that seem to simplify my brew days a just a bit whether it be during brewing or cleanup. I now use a BrewBag within the grain basket as I was getting a bunch of grain particles slipping through the cracks and swapped out the wort chiller for an Exchillerator. I do like your idea of moving the temperature probe to a tri clamp T off of the pump. I think I’ll order that up and as well as their new HopBlock screen. Thanks for the review.
Any reason why you went with the exchillerator instead of the counterflow chiller brau supply offers as an option?
I’m curious what sort of efficiency you are getting with the unibrau? I have been looking at this system to replace my current system and doing no sparge.
I’m typically floating around 70%
I have had the 240V version for a few months and agree with most of thoughts above. Well built and designed system that does a great job. The 240V version does a good job of getting to boil fast and keeping a rolling boil going for volume reduction during the boil. I did get the optional hopblock filter plate and dip tube, which has helped reduce pump clogs.
A few things I added to my system after the first few brews:
a hop spider to keep the volume of pellet hops down in the wort. During the boil, I recirculate gently through the spider
A quarter-turn valve and a little run of tubing between the kettle and pump to allow me to isolate the kettle when cleaning so I can disconnect the kettle and dump out the misc grain/hops that end up in the bottom of the kettle after back-flushing the pump. Then, I can hook the kettle back up and run my cleaning solution.
A thermal jacket made of a insulated foil I had let over from insulating my garage door. This allows me to hold a more constant temp during the mash.
The 240V system includes a second controller that allows you to throttle power to the heating element by percentage. I found that when heating to mash temp, I can use 90-100% power until about 20 degrees below mash temp and then throttle down to about 30-40% to avoid overshooting. I go back to 80% to heat to boil without scorching and increase to 90% when at a full boil.
I’m currently downsizing from a 10g system (single-tier, 3 15g kettles, propane). Brewing and cleaning after a 10g batch was getting too much hassle for me. Was initially looking at the RoboGrew/Grainfather systems, but discovered this review. The modularity of the components and the quality of the system sold me. I made my purchase earlier this week and can’t wait for it to arrive!
You’ll love it!
The system might work well but their business is terrible. I have been waiting for over two months for mine and they will not communicate with me. Trying to cancel my order is a nightmare. I have only been able to speak with the company on their chat application available on the website (they have not answered my emails and will not call me despite my requests. I’d recommend Spike or SS Brewtech unless you want to wait forever and receive zero customer support.