Electric BIAB Systems Comparison

Ultimately I want to have a three-vessel electric system setup for my brewhouse. Unfortunately, my current house doesn’t offer an outbuilding or basement for a dedicated brewery space. I could always build one in my garage but I don’t want to deal with moving it in a few years so I’ve decided to buy one of the electric BIAB systems in the meantime for bad weather days and to fight the winter brew blues.

Coffee urn style EBIAB systems were first to come out and continue to evolve. Coffee urns are essentially a giant vessel with a heating element built into the bottom. Luckily innovators were smart enough to turn them into easy to use brew vessels. These systems offer a way to boil, mash, and sometimes even ferment in the same vessel. The basic ones feature at least 2 heating levels for mashing and boiling. The more advanced ones include a grain basket along with a pump. I love these systems for price and simplicity but do have to point out the fact that if something breaks you’ll likely have to replace the whole unit.

The other versions of the all in one system or EBIAB systems use a brew kettle, element, and basket (or bag). These tend to be more expensive than the coffee urn style systems but also offer more versatility. Clawhammer brewing offered one of the first systems but now we have more options with Spike and Ss Brewtech. These systems are great when you want an easy to clean brewing with replaceable parts. Personally, I’d go this route if you have the money and a dedicated space to set up for brewing. Below is a constantly updated table comparison of current EBIAB systems.

Pros:

• Compact design
• Quicker and easier brew day cleanup
• Can brew inside
• Generally takes up less space to store

Cons:

• Slower heating on lower voltage systems
• Some systems don’t have replaceable parts

Check out my review of the main system I use the Mash and Boil.