Potion Craft
An automated electric home brewery
Always under construction
An automated electric home brewery
Always under construction
Home of the Auto Brewer, for home Brewers who feel there just isn't enough time. This system frees up your brew day when you need it so you can spend it doing anything else. You have small kids and don't want to sacrifice time with them? Than brew a batch while your at work, or even over night while sleeping. Set up and take your family to the zoo, or go play a round of disc golf. Still want a brew day with your friends? Want to do a cookout and brew with your brew club? Just don't use it dumb dumb! This system is for those days where your kegs are almost empty and you just don't have time, now you do!
It's not a "short cut," it's a full brew day using the no squeeze Brew In A Bag method, of course you could go out there any time after the mash to squeeze the bag yourself, sometimes I do if I'm home.
How long does it take you to collect water and measure out additions and set up your kettle to be hot in the morning?
How long does it take you to mash in?
How long does it take you to chill (if no glycol), transfer and clean up?
That's all you need to do. The system waits however long you told it to mash, lifts your bag, starts heating, adds fermcap, waits for the wort to start to boil, starts a timer for the boil length, however long that is, and drops your additions according to your schedule. If your using a glycol chiller it does that by itself too! All that's left for you to do is come back later to transfer to your fermenter and clean up.
How much does it cost?
I'll assume you already have a way to control your electric kettle, if not you gotta start there. I plan to add a page on how to build a basic kettle controller eventually. nothing fancy, just some switches and plugs and a relay in a wooden box, maybe a meter to show volts, amps, watts and Kwh used.
The AutoBrewer base is the part that handles the vast majority of the brew day, from mash out to chill. This part waits for your kettle to start boiling and adds your additions. materials are about $150. If you need to buy the two ITC 308 wifi temperature sensors that's another $70. The WiFi sensor is a requirement because of the smart automation capability which is explained on the operating principles page.
If you add the mash out hoist it costs around $100-150 more
Glycol chiller? I'll leave this one up to you how much you want to spend, when I started making the auto Brewer I already had a window AC glycol chiller for fermenting. Building it cost me about 250 dollars, and another $30 ish for the stainless steel coil in the boil kettle.
Home Depot:
Plywood: 40
2x Square edge 1x2: 10
Various screws...20ish?
From Aliexpress:
Arduino starter kit: 8
Solenoid locks: 20 to 30
8 relay board: 5
Strip of male to female control wires: 3
pig tail connectors for solenoids: 2
Box of plastic stand offs: 8
Scoops: 2 each (at the time)
stainless chiller coil: 30 to 60
Amazon:
2x ITC 308 wifi inkbird temperature controller: 60-70
Spring: 6
22g wires black and red: 10
Terminal strips: 6
Harbor freight:
440lb hoist: 100
GLYCOL CHILLER:
Glycol: 100
used window AC unit: 60
2 pond pumps: 15 each (30)
tubing and fittings: 40ish?
48 quart cooler from walmart: 25
As seen on the Brülosophy show, I am in no way affiliated with Brülosophy beyond this epp and gain nothing from views of this video.
The gantry crane, for lifting heavy objects, eliminating the need for pumps, and automatically pulling out the BIAB.u
Used to keep fermenters cool and chill wort at the end of the boil.