Speidel Braumeister V2 (20 Liter)

A solid automated, all-in-one electric all-grain brewing system that lets you program in recipes, takes the heavy lifting out of brewing, and offers a bright, easy-to-read LED panel in front to display steps, temperature, and basic processes as you go. PROS: The small footprint allows all-grain brewing in a cramped space such as a laundry room or kitchen. The system is solid but fairly lightweight at 44 pounds (20 kg). After we figured out how to enter recipes, the rest of the process was pretty easy. The 2,100watt system heats the mash water quickly, at about one degree per minute. Assembling the mash tube and its sieves and filters was quick and seamless, and we were impressed by how easy it was to lift the tube out of the kettle and rest it on the supporting stirrup for sparging. Also notable was that the boil was set to start when the water reached 100°C, but it stopped at 96°C (brewing took place at about 5,000 feet elevation), and the system maintained the perfect boiling temperature automatically. Once we pitched the yeast, cleanup took 15 minutes—far less than a three-pot system! CONS: The unit is European, which means you’ll need a converter to a North American plug-in. And you’ll also need to work with a 220V outlet or a converter box— this prevents brewing right out of the box, unless you’ve planned ahead.

The instructions weren’t intuitive, and the included manual was difficult to follow. Just to get the system up and running, we had to consult several Youtube videos and homebrew forums. Throughout the brewing process, we needed the Internet to troubleshoot or understand a step that wasn’t clear.

Sparging for us was an issue. We knew we’d need to heat water on the stovetop to use for sparging. The instruction manual didn’t provide much detail on how to sparge with the system, so we treated the process the same as we would using a gravity system. Unfortunately, the grains absorbed the 4 gallons of water we started with, leaving the heating coils exposed. Worried about scorching and the risk of fire, we quickly poured in the stovetop water we’d started, which created a dip in temperature and meant we had to increase the mash time.

The system lets you program up to three hops additions for each recipe. If you have more hops additions than that, you’ll likely skip this step in the programmed recipe.

The unit comes with several electrical outlet adapters that work for various countries throughout the world. However, if you are in North America, you’ll either have to have an electrician wire a European 220V outlet or buy a voltage converter box (110V to 220V, and at least 3,000 watts) that costs about $115. While the voltage converter was the least expensive option, the converter became hot and smelled like burning plastic. If you’re going to use this system on a regular basis, the electrician is the best option. The cost for installing the 220V outlet begins at about $175.

You also need a wort chiller and hoses, which run about $69–$150; a large pot of boiling water for sparging; a fermentor; and a calculator (all measurements are metric).

This is a slick unit that, once you figure out the bells and whistles, is fantastic for one-person, press-and-go brewing. However, if you like to be more involved in your brewing, it’s going to feel like trading Dad’s classic Mustang for a self-driving Tesla. $1,800 as tested $99 Thermo-sleeve for brewing outside $349 copper hood for achieving a more vigorous boil