Review - Kegland Brewzilla Review - Alll Grain Brewing System

Kegla BrewZilla mash 'boil' system for  all grain beerbrewing 

If you're moving beyond brewing with beer kits, an all-grain vessel may be just the system you need. 

The Brewzilla is designed to make beer batches up to 30 litres with a 35 litre total capacity. It is the ideal first step into all-grain brewing and the Gen 4 is competitively priced as an entry point for homebrewers everywhere. 

The unit features a complete turnkey system with a delay timing feature and step mash functionality.

Here's some key features of the Fermzilla:

Complete Concave Draining Base

The new base design completely drains out every single bit of wort. You will not need to tilt the brewery to extract every last bit of wort. This also makes cleaning super easy

False Bottom Pump Protection Screen

A key feature of all the BrewZilla single vessel unit is the false bottom protection screen. This screen means you can skip doing 'whirlpool' and it filters wort and prevents more than 95% of hops and 'hot break' getting sucked into the pump.  This reduces the chance of blocked pump issues that many other units tend to have. 

Ultra Low Watt Density

The BrewZilla has significantly lower watt density than other breweries. The main benefit of lower watt densities is that it enables you to produce lighter colours of beers that would otherwise get some caramelisation. 

You have less chance of boil overs, and you'll get less crud sticking to the element making cleaning easier.

RAPT notification system 

Using wifi (what is not connected to Wifi these days?) the RAPT BrewZilla will also allow you to fully customise your brewday with profiles specifically tuned to your style of brewing or your recipe.

For example, you could set up your profile to receive specific alarms or messages when you are required to do something. E.g. Adding grain when the strike temperature is reached. 

Mash-Out Alarm when you’re ready to sparge, Salt / Hop additions when you’ve reached the boil. As well as hop stand additions or chilling instructions. 

Improved Base Design with Easy Access Pump

The base design means all the electronics on the underside of the brewery are sealed into a separate junction box. This has allowed the Gen 4 Brewzilla to not require the bottom cover. This design change means that the pump can be accessed much more easily. This design alteration from the original makes it quite easy to take apart the pump for cleaning and maintenance as required.

The inlet for the pump is located in the base of the unit (next to the temperature probe) and allows for the wort to be recirculated from the bottom back to the top of the grain bed which acts as a filter as the wort flows back through it. 

Recirculating aids in increasing efficiency in terms of how much sugar is extracted from your grain mash. It helps to regulate water temperature and can also be used to transfer the wort from the BrewZilla to your fermenter. There's also a valve control that allows you to easily regulate the flow of the pump, as well as a dedicated switch at the base of the unit to easily turn the pump on and off.

User instructions for Kegzilla

There are no instructions included in the unit - but they are available online from the KegLand website. The instructions cover how to put everything together, including how to connect the unit to your wifi. Various social media channels and Youtube offer plenty of lessons from real live brewers who love the Kegzilla and want to share their best tips and tricks.

The base BrewZilla Geb 4 kit comes with the following;

• BrewZilla main unit including dual heating elements
• built-in recirculation pump and digital display
• Glass lid
• Top Screen
• Malt pipe, handle, bottom mesh screen
• False bottom
• Immersion chiller
• Ball valve tap outlet
• Recirculation pipe with camlock fitting
• Recirculation arm

Reviews of the Kegland BrewZilla:

Reviews for the Kegzilla are genuinely positive, some being quite supportive.



"After reading the reviews of this and comparable breweries, I decided on the Brewzilla 35 Gen 4. What a great choice! I brewed in it for the first time yesterday, and it performed exactly as described. I tried a whirlpool, but although quite adequate for recirculation and transfer, the pump is not really powerful enough. However with the "pump protector" false bottom whirlpooling is not necessary. Almost all of the trub and hops were caught, allowing the kettle to be completely emptied into the fermenter. I certainly recommend this great brewing machine!"


I've brewed 26 batches with the Gen 3 and never had any complaints, other than needing a sight glass. The Gen 4 model has all the improvements I ever thought of and others I never even considered. For the price and features, this system can't be beat.

Can the brewzilla be used as a fermenter drum?

While the unit could be used as your primary fermenter it is designed as a boiler. If you ferment in it the unit will be tied up and you can't brew anymore until you rack it off and give it a good old-fashioned elbow scrub.

Leave a Comment all grain, brewzilla

Do I need to boil a malt extract kit can?

Boiling malt extract kits for better beer - should I?

The short answer is that as far as I can really tell, the main reason to boil a wort extract is so that you can keep boiling the wort so you, extra speciality grains and that you can add your hops and thus boil the hops to the timings of your recipe and thus extract the kind of hops bitterness you are going for.

Read on for the long version and in and outs of doing so.... 

Using a beer kit is kind of like doing an all-grain brew without the mashing and steeping of the grains - that's all be done for you with the kit.

For if brewing is not one massive scientific experiment that's quite fun, what is it?

I've made probably just shy of a hundred malt extra kit brews without boiling the wort. The way I see it is that I'm following a pretty simple cake recipe - I just pack everything together, pitch some hops (dry hopping) and let the fermentation begin. 

I'm a simple man, I make simple beer.

Sometimes I go crazy and add some golden syrup...  

Sure, this is a pretty basic position to achieve the most simplest of brews, however, like a pick-a-path book, there are many options which may yet convince you to boil the extract malt and then have a bit it of a play.

If you want a more nuanced beer, one that hits the right flavour notes, then boiling your malt extract and turning it into a hot wort, might be the way to go for you. 

Here's the why:

Adding hops into the wort (unfermented beer) produce a bitterness that is used to balance out the malt's sweetness and of course also to provide the hoppy fruity flavours and smells & aromas that make beers like unique, brilliant and most of all, a genuine drinking experience

At the most basic level, if you don’t boil hops into a kit beer, you’re just making the beer style indicated on the kit. And that beer could be totally drinkable, and chances are it will be. There's nothing wrong with taking a Coopers lager kit, adding some DME, yeast and you're away.

It's the same as if you don’t boil hops into an all-grain beer, you’re not going to like the result.

But what if like Fleetwood Mac, you want to go your own way?

Some choices in a pick-a-path are better than others right?

This is a grand generalisation but here's an excellent guide, especially for noob beginners:

How to boil a malt kit to make great beer

We're going to assume you are down with the basics of brewing beer. 

You appreciate that your gear and fermentation device need to be cleaned and sanitized. You've got a big enough kettle drum to do the boil in and you've got a gas burner that has the balls to do the job, because when it comes to boiling wort, heat is neat.

In its most basic form, extract brewing involves dissolving your chosen malt extract in about eight litres of hot water to give you wort. In some cases, you'll need to add sugar or dextrose too (or a beer enhancer), depending on the recipe. 

Bring to the boil, add your favourite hops and continue to boil the wort for as long as your recipe specifies to develop the bitterness. You'll need a vigorous boil but try not to let too much liquid boil off -as three things that you do not want to happen can - your wort wort may darken, the sugars could caramalise, and the hops won't deliver the bitterness you want imparted into you beer. 

Once that's all done, you need to cool the wort as fast as you can.

There's all kinds of ways to do that - from putting the kettle into an ice bath through to using a wort chiller. You then transfer to the fermentation drum, top up to about 23L with cold & clean water, pitch the yeast and then continue with normal practices such as storage at a proper fermentation temperature.

Now that above is the most basic guidance, the timing of adding hops to impart bitterness is a bit like that Roy Orbison song, She's a Mystery To Me... 

For the more curious, here's some handy tips to think about: 

Be wary of over boiling the malt

You must remember to stir the wort as you add the malt extract to avoid scorching it on the bottom of the pot. 

Extract is denser than water, so it will naturally sink to the bottom of the kettle and be exposed to that 60 - 70 centigrade heat you've got going. 

A hot kettle will not take long to caramelize and then burn to a sticky, ashy mess. Keep a close eye in it and stir often, at least until the malt has become one with the water. 

You do not need to add the malt extract in all at once. You could do a half and first, wait 10 minutes and then add, or if you wish to be quite cautious you could add a third, add a third and finish with the last third over a 10 - 14 minute period. 

Here's a handy trick, use a wire coat hanger across the kettle and use as a line to hand the malt kits on:

Image credit: Matt Boucher

From wort to boiling hops for bitterness

Most recipes call for a 60 minute boil with several hop additions along the way.

Some brewers advocate a shorter boil to save time and propane, especially if the recipe only calls for late addition hops or whirlpool hopping. That can work out fine, but it’s best to boil for a minimum of 20 minutes to sanitize the wort and get a decent hot break to clear proteins (especially if doing an all grain brew rather than a kit). 

Here's a quick guide on how to boil a malt kit and hop timings.

In general:

• hops added at the start of the boil will contribute a lot of bitterness but little flavour
• hops added with 20 – 30 minutes remaining will add a bit of bitterness and a bit of flavour
• hops added in the last 0 – 10 minutes of the boil will add quite a bit of flavour but little bitterness

Here's the step by step:

• Prepare and sanitise all equipment as you would with a kit beer.
• Bring 6-7 litres of water to the boil in a kettle or pot.
• Add the malt extract, stirring in immediately and taking care not to allow any to sit on the bottom of the pot and burn as discussed above.
• Get all of this to a gently rolling boil and add 10 grams of your chosen hops. Start a countdown timer for 20 minutes.
• With 10 minutes remaining, add 15 grams of extra hops
• With 5 minutes remaining, add 15 grams of extra hops
• With 1 minute remaining, add the final 10 grams of hops (stick with it, you're on the road to make the best-bittered beer you ever have!)
• When the time is up, remove the pot from the heat and cool it as fast as possible. On this small scale, it may be possible to do this by placing in a sink or bath of running cold water or using a wort chiller is probably ideal. 
• When cooled to 25 – 30°C, pour the beer-to-be into your sanitised fermenter or drum.
• Stir and splash the cooled wort to expose it to as much air as possible. You're trying to add Oxygen - at this point of the process, it's really helpful. 
• You can now top-up the fermenter with cold water to around the 23 litre mark, if that's what's recommended on the kit instructions. 
• Pitch yeast and proceed as you would with a kit beer and then expertly store in a place that's warm.
• Follow out beer brewing guide if you need any further intel.

Adding grains to the extracted wort

If you a feeling really adventurous, it's time to consider adding some grains to your brewing process. 'Specialty grains' as they are known in the parlance will add different flavors and colourings to your beer. It's really easy to incorporate them into your boil - the simple trick is to steep them in your hot water before you do the steps described just above:

Put your grains in a steeping bag and let it sit in your pot of water at about 70 degrees for half an hour. Then pull out the bag, crack open your malt extract and get brewing.

If you're just getting in to rock and roll, you may wish to be circumspect with your first choice of grains. Some grains, especially the paler malts, generally need to be properly to be mashed to get any decent flavour from them. 

Handy grains to try steeping are black malt, caraamber malt, chocolate malt, and roasted barley.

If you do this, you are well on your way to brewing a beer that's worthy of being entered in your local beer brewing competition!

What is the difference between extract brewing and all grain brewing?

The key difference between all-grain and extract brewing is that an all-malt wort made from grains is almost always more fermentable than an all-malt wort made from extract. 

It's just the way it is due to how extract kits are made. 

The early beer kits of thirty years ago solved this problem by combining the malt extract with sugar — which is completely fermentable — to yield reasonably dry beers, and this is why homebrew was often looked down in the 70s and 80s (and beyond) because brews could be so very dry. Back in those days not every town had a brew shop you could run down to for some enhancer or dry malt extract. 

The increased availability of the sugar known as dextrose over the last 20 years has changed the kit game considerably.  

One way to look at it is that an extract kit has had the maker decided the beer style for you already, whereas, with grains, the world is your oyster. You can experiment or have a go with recipes that brewers have found tried and true. 

Those such recipes are often shared between good keen blokes and lasses on forums. Some 'google fu' may help you out! 

If you're interested in a Steinlager clone....

Leave a Comment all grain, beer kit, how to brew with a beer kit

>> Best mash tuns for sparge & lautering

Tuns.

Not tons.

Nor tonnes.

But tuns.

Mash Tuns.

Though it's pronounced ton.

What the heck is a mash tun and why do I need one for brewing beer?

The mash tun is the vessel in which the mashing of the grain is conducted. The 'grain bill' is heated with hot water.

This process of mashing causes the enzymes in the malt to break down the grain's starch. The starch is reduced into the sugars which form the malty liquid we all know as 'wort'.

So how is important in preparing a good wort is a mash tun?

If you want the efficient extraction of the wort from your grains, you need to be able to sparge efficiently, and a well set up mash tun will do just that.

Many brewers like to make their own mash tun from manufactured coolers and simply add a false bottom to assist with the lautering process (removing the wort from the mash) but if you just want to get on with, here's a few mash tuns that we recommend:

• Northern Brew's lauter ton  
• Igloo mash tun
• Brewer's Edge Mash and Boil

Northern Brewer's tun

• Argiuably the most affordable mash/lauter tun in all-grain brewing
• Loaded with brewing power for superior sparging and exceptional efficiency
• Featuring Fermenter’s Favorites™ Cooler with an expanded full capacity of 11.7 gallons
• Includes the new Titan Stainless Steel 11.5" False Bottom
• Includes Bronze Ball Valve Cooler Kit with Barbed Hose Fittings, plus tubing

Reviews of the Northern Brewer tun:

"This is a nice product for the money. I've moved from extract brewing to all grain and didn't want to break the bank when it came to purchasing a mash tun. This one fit the bill! The size is decent and it's easy to put together and tear down. This makes cleaning a snap. It's light and easy to more around, and it holds its temperature quite well. I've brewed four batches of beer with it and look forward to using it for the next batch."

"Just finished my first brew. Everything was straightforward to assemble and easy to use so long as you know what you're doing. Excited to brew more with these."

"Got to use this for the first time last weekend while brewing my first all grain batch with my brew club. I have never produced a better beer than what I have with this. I would highly recommend this for anyone looking to take the next step in their brewing adventure."

If you think these reviews from real brewers have merit, check out more on Amazon.

Igloo Mash Tun

An almost iconic mash tun, due to the Igloo's almost universal recognition amongst brewers and Powerade drinkers alike and maybe the fact it kind of looks like a Baywatch lifeguard?

The Igloo comes as the following specs:

• 10 gallon mash ton
• Perfect for 5 to 10 gallon batches
• All metal is stainless steel
• 12" false bottom
• Upgraded leak free design

While it's no Pamela Anderson, Igloo boast you "will notice barely any temperature loss throughout your 1hr+ mash" which seems the whole point of having a quality mash tun and this reviewer confirmed it "It works perfectly. I've used it twice with no temperature loss in a 60 minute mash at 152 degrees."

Check out the price on Amazon.

Brewer's Edge' Mash and Boil

Listen up fellas, Big Jim just rode into town so pay attention.

The Brewer’s Edge Mash and Boil transforms brewing day, making all grain brewing easy and affordable. If you want to compare this to

No need for an outdoor gas burner, a complicated brewing stand, or a 220 volt special circuit - the unit plugs into any 110 volt GFI household outlet.

Constructed with a double wall stainless construction, it is designed to conserve heat to achieve a rolling boil with only 110 volts and 1600 watts.

The precise thermostat and internal sparging basket let you mash and boil in the same vessel saving you a fair whack of time in your brew day. The thermostat may be switched from Fahrenheit to Celsius and features an adjustable run time preset at 3-1/2 hours to allow for safety in case you get distracted by the Big Game!

A handy function is the delayed start timer, which allows you to program the Mash and Boil to turn on up to 24 hours after setting. For example, load it with strike water, and have it set to be hot when you come home from work to save even more time!

Here's some reviews from actual brewers who have used the Mash and Boil:

"Son and I wanted to step up to all-grain home brewing and this looked like a perfect way to do it: It is. So much easier from start to finish. Wort chiller fits in kettle and temperature display shows when ready: We’ve done 3 batches and love it!

"The time it takes to get to brewing temperatures is rather good. I use the low wattage setting to get to mash temperatures and the time it took was to my liking. To get to the boil temperature was rather slow but I am accustomed to a propane burner."

What are you waiting for, permission from your partner? Check out the price and delivery arrangments on Amazon.

Why do mash tuns need to use false bottoms?

If you simply extracted the wort from the tun using the exit valve the spent grain would quite likely collect at the exit point and block the extraction.

A false bottom is effective acts a filter or sieve to prevent the crushed grains from causing a blockage. The wort drains through the mash, past the sieve and into your draining vessel.

What are some good mash tun tricks?

• Limit your outflow from the tun to a trickle.
• It can take an hour to properly sparge your wort. Be patient.
• To help avoid a stuck sparge, make sure you mill your grain properly.
• Adding rice hulls can assist with preventing a blocked sparge.
• Fun fact: a hot sparge will kill any weevil in your grain

Leave a Comment all grain, beer brewing, lauter, mash, mash tun, sparge, wort