What is a Brew System?

Brew systems vary but for the most part, they are designed to complete multiple brewing stages in one unit or with limited equipment. These automated brewing systems goes through the brewing process with little to no assistance on your part and some systems come with highly advanced technology that can connect with your smartphone to update you on the progress of your brew.

These brew systems are on a spectrum from simple to fully automated. The more advanced the system, the pricier it gets. However, you can't put a price on your time and that is the beauty of these brewing systems. They save significant amounts of time and energy when it comes to homebrewing. If you're dedicated to learning the craft the traditional way, we recommend picking up a homebrewing equipment kit to start.

What You Typically Need to Homebrew

When it comes to homebrewing, at a minimum, you may need about 13 different pieces of equipment from start to finish. The various brewing stages require multiple vessels, including boiling pots, brew buckets, and carboys. Not to mention, there are also various smaller pieces of equipment that may be small but are crucial for homebrewing. This includes airlocks, hop bags, an auto-siphon, beer line, stirring spoon, and fermenting thermometer.

These are just the minimum and if you are planning on milling your own grain, you're going to need a grain mill. Additionally, some technical pieces you may need for brewing are a hydrometer, acid test papers, and a small scale. After you're done with your brew, you'll need to store it somewhere, which means purchasing beer bottles or kegs. Don't forget that in order to reuse and maintain your equipment, you'll need sanitizer to properly decontaminate and clean your equipment. Check out our homebrew starter guide to learn more about the equipment necessary for homebrewing.

With a brew system, it eliminates virtually most of this equipment because so many brewing stages can occur just in the brew system vessel. So, while it is a pricey investment, you're getting almost everything you need to brew in one unit! Plus, with all the smart technology used in these devices, you will barely need to put in effort for your resulting brew. The environmental conditions you need for brewing and fermenting will be controlled and maintained by the brew system.

How Do Brew Systems Work

Many brew systems are designed to complete multiple brewing process stages without supervision or intervention from the brewer. These systems can even be used by beginning brewers because these systems are designed to be "set it, and forget it". The system often has timers and provides alerts to let you know that it is moving on to the next stage. Additionally, the alerts let you know if you need to intervene with the brewing process.

Essentially, after you mill your grain or get your grain milled, you can start setting up the system to start the boiling and mashing process. Some brew devices include recipes you can follow and the automation walks you through the entire process. The most advanced systems even include a cleaning cycle to limit even more hassle from the brewing process.

Brew System Features

All brew systems are different but we want to highlight some top features that we think make a brew system worthwhile. These features are the important ones that brewers often look for when shopping for a brew system.

Brews Various Batch Sizes

A system like this should be versatile and allowing you to choose from various batch sizes will make your brewing experience more enjoyable. It also allows you to experiment with different recipes without committing to a large batch.

Boil Temperature Settings

This feature allows you to set your ideal boiling temperature and maintains that temperature for you. No need to fuss with a thermometer and adjust the heat on your burner. The ability to set a consistent temperature reduces the chance of wild variables changing your resulting brew.

System Included Recipes

These systems leave out the guesswork on brewing, which can be incredibly technical, by providing recipes in the brew system. These are recipes known to produce great tasting beer so, if you don't feel like experimenting, you can still get a great brew. With many recipes to start with, it's a great jumping off point for experimenting or ideal for learning to brew.

Process Finish Alerts

Many brew systems will alert you about the completion of each stage in the brewing process. This provides insight into the progression of your brew. Some units will send messages and alerts right to your smartphone so, no matter where you may be, you can know the progress of your homebrew.

Error Alerts

Your brew system needs the most minimal interference from you but in the case, there is an error or need for your intervention, many units will have an error alert. This may be an audio cue or a message sent to you through your phone. The beauty of this advanced technology is that it will catch an issue before or as it is happening so, you can remedy it and proceed without disrupting your brew. If you are inexperienced with brewing, you may not catch these issues while they are occurring.

Brewing Delay Timer

Some brewing systems will allow you to plan your brew time, allowing you to set the time the system starts up, like a coffee maker. This means you don't have to wake up early to start your brewing day but ensures you'll be awake when you may need to assist the brew system in the brewing process. In the case that your system is full automated, you may need to only set a start time and allow it to do all the work.

Benefits of Brew Systems

Ideal for Small Spaces

Like we have discussed, brewing often requires a lot of equipment and when your home just doesn't have enough space, it isn't practical. With a brew system, you barely need to make room for homebrewing. This single advanced vessel has you covered from start to finish! All you need is some place to store your brew. We recommend a homebrew kegerator.

Low Footprint

Brew systems waste a lot less product and resources in the brewing process because not only are they efficient but they also make minimal errors, saving ingredients and resources. Efficiency is key when it comes to saving resources and there's no doubt that a system that can complete the brewing process down to the details is efficient.

Saves Time

The real benefit of brew systems is that they save so much time! Brewing can be a complicated and intricate process. It is a very laborious and time consuming task that has many stages but when it can all take place in one location and monitored by one device, it saves an incredible amount of time and energy. With a brew system, all you need is some patience and you will get an incredibly satisfying brew.

Beginner-Friendly

If you always wanted to learn to homebrew but was intimidated by the amount of equipment, time, and energy required to do it, then this is the device for you! With a brew system, you will only need a general idea of how to brew and the device will walk you through the process. They often have included recipes, which are known to produce great-tasting beer and are a great jumping off point for a beginner. Learn more about brewing in our Tips for Beginning Homebrewers Guide.

Consistent Brews

A brew system is an automated machine, which means it can maintain consistent brewing conditions and temperatures. This results in the same brew every time for every recipe! There is minimal chance of human error and other inconsistencies that normally arise from homebrewing.

Modernized Homebrewing

Brew systems are modernizing our concept of homebrewing. They make homebrewing beer much more accessible and approachable to the common beer enthusiast. With the need for less equipment and minimal knowledge, homebrewing feels like something easily accomplishable for someone who has less time on their hands. Obviously, there is so much more to learn and know about these brewing systems that we can't cover in this article but you can always contact our product experts at 800-710-9939 to answer all your questions.