NEW Bulldog Master Brewer All in One.

[Bertie Doe]

I purchases a Master Brewer and Sparger about 6 weeks ago but I'm finding Step 4 on the controller - a nightmare. The retailer and/or HB, agreed that the controller should be replaced. The new one seems little better than the old.

Re-calibrated the temps up or down during idle or stages 1 to 3 is a doddle. However, trying to nail 100 C during the stage 4 COUNTDOWN step is frustrating. It selects ANY number OTHER than 100 C. The first brew was a full boil with the lid on, which resulted in hot wort squirting thru the lid's hole.

Brew 2 (lid off) resulted in a full boil but I lost about 2 litres to evaporation. Brew 3 after a dozen attempts to hit the magic 100 (target 103C at 2200 watts) I phoned HB. Still no luck, until he suggested target 107C at 1000 watts. Huzzah it worked, nice rolling boil but no repeat luck on brews 4 and 5, a couple of weeks later.

One quick question if there are any owners reading can advise uring the 100c coundown recalibration at Step 4, is it easier to achieve if the boiler is off or on? No mention is made in the HB Instructions (lol).

Thanks in anticipation. Bertie

 

[LeeH]

It’s my 40th soon and I’m looking at getting one of these systems for doing small batches on.

But I’m torn between just getting;

1. Robobrew from brewkegtap £350 ish
2. Brew Devil, ACE, Hopcat variant. £350 ish
3. One of these or a grain farther.

Help?


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[Bertie Doe]

One quick question if there are any owners reading can advise uring the 100c coundown recalibration at Step 4, is it easier to achieve if the boiler is off or on? No mention is made in the HB Instructions (lol).
Thanks in anticipation. Bertie

Mea culpa and a quick update : For some bizzare reason I believed that on the final boil step, the controllers on these new brewers kept the wort somewhere between a simmer and a full boil. I was clearly wrong.

After a quick call to HB, the controller's job is to maintain a rolling boil for the final step, by preventing the stat from switching the boiler off. Hence the need to set a target temp of say, 103. Of course it can't reach 103 C, therefore the boil remains uninterupted.

 

[AdeDunn]

The one thing nobody ever mentions regarding these brewers is if the anti-scorch feature actually works?

I always wonder, as this seems to be the single feature that separates the master brewer from all of the other all in one machines on the market (not counting the super expensive Speidels that is... lol).

I'd love to see somebody brew a proper wit in one, with at least 40% flaked wheat, and then show us what the element area look like before cleaning...

 

[Bertie Doe]

Can't answer that one Ade. The fact that the elements on the Bulldog Masterbrewer are not exposed, suggest (to me) that the anti-scorch feature maybe superfluous ??

 

[AdeDunn]

Not the case I'm afraid bud. Hidden elements are still high watt density, so still prone to scorching, they're just easier to clean, as I found out the hard way with my old ACE boiler when I did a wheat beer... lol