Gear Review: Brewer's Edge Mash & Boil with Pump

The older I've gotten, the more I've wanted to make my brew days easier. While I appreciate the exercise I get from lifting heavy wet grain bags, and moving large pots of water or wort back and forth around the kitchen, that doesn't mean I want to work that way forever. 

My back, for one, doesn't dig all the weight lifting like it used to. My spine was badly injured quite a few years back, and can only take a certain amount of strain, no matter how much I focus on lifting with my legs. Gravity is our friend, and it would be nice to take advantage of that fact more than I have. Simply having my wife give me a brew pot with a ball valve for Christmas two years ago seemed like a gift from above, since I was no longer tipping a heavy pot to transfer wort to a fermenter. 

Brew day has also meant taking over the kitchen for several hours. Or many hours, on the days I decided to perform a multistep mash. That's not exactly fair to the rest of the family, which lead me to planning my brewing calendar around everyone else's schedules. 

To save my back and my family's sanity (justifying purchases is fun), I finally broke down and bought an electric all-in-one brewing system. In this case, the Brewer's Edge Mash & Boil. 

The Good Stuff

While I looked at the standard model, I decided to spring for the upgraded one with the built in pump. The internal pump meant there was one less piece of brewing equipment to mess with, and also provides an easy way to both perform a recirculating mash and to transfer wort. 

The Mash & Boil is very well put together for its price. While it comes in well below several other all-in-ones, it does not come across as cheaply made. Perhaps after many more uses, I'll change my mind. But out of the box, I'm very pleased with the build quality. The welds are clean. There are no rough or sharp edges to cut yourself on. All of the switches have a nice heft to them. The only OCD niggle I have is that the digital temperature control panel on mine was installed slightly crooked. 

A big plus for me is the mash temperature control. Performing a multistep mash is a simple matter of pushing SET, hitting the + button a few times, and pushing SET again. Then you just monitor the unit while it heats at roughly 1.5F per minute from one step to the next.  

From reading other reviews and through my own testing, the Mash & Boil does tend to let the temp go up and down +/- 5 or so degrees as it cycles the heating element on and off (I've found that regularly stirring the mash helps narrow this range). However, that's no worse than the heat variations many cooler based mash tuns experience. It's also more precise than what I was achieving with my stovetop, a thermometer and blankets. The built in recirculation pump also keeps the temperature of the grain bed more even than I ever could pull off on my stove.

(Update 1/30/22) I've started being better about monitoring the mash regularly with my own digital thermometer, and have come to realize that the Mash & Boil's built in thermometer is regularly around five degrees optimistic. For example, if you're target mash temp is 150F, it's best to set the temperature control on the Mash & Boil to 155F to compensate.

What Could be Better

At this price point, there's not much to complain about. 

While the unit does have a delayed start feature, everything else is manual. Mash temperature and time changes can't be programmed in. Instead, it's up to you to pay attention to a timer and remember to make the temperature adjustments. Since I've been operating that way forever, it doesn't bother me. Plus, the 1950s Mirro Matic timer I use, while quite a bit older than I am, has never failed. However, those searching for a set-and-forget system will want to look elsewhere.

It also takes the unit a long time to heat up. This is largely a function of it running on 120V instead of 220V. If you want faster heating times and have an available 220 line, I'd go for one of the higher end units out there that support the higher voltage. If I'm in a rush, I'll cheat by heating the strike water in my existing brew pot on the stove, and then use the Mash & Boil as a temp controlled mash tun. 

My last niggle is around the pump flow when using a large grain bill. On paper, the Mash & Boil can handle 16lbs of grain. When I did a mash with 15lbs, I found that the recirculating pump pumped much faster that the grain sleeve drained. To compensate, the manual recommends adjusting the valve on the pump to slow the flow. However, getting the valve opening just right takes a fair amount of trial and error. I found myself turning the pump off and on quite a bit.

A Minor Modification

I've made one minor change to the Mash & Boil. In order to avoid puddles forming in the grain bed when the recirculation pump is on, I added a Fermenter's Favorites Fighter Jet Fly Sparge to the end of the included 1/2" diameter hose. A small hose clamp prevents it from popping off. I feel it was worth the $5.00 investment.

Day to Day Use

It only took me one brew day to realize that using a grain bag is extremely beneficial. First, the holes in the bottom of the grain sleeve are rather big. Unless your mill is set for a very coarse grind, bits of grain will get through. In addition, the grain bag speeds up the cleaning process, as the seam between the bottom and side of the grain sleeve tends to trap errant bits of grain that can be difficult to clean out.

I've also started calculating for a slightly thinner water to grain ratio of 2quarts of water per pound of grain. This is because the grain sleeve sits on small feet that leave around a one inch gap between the bottom of the grain bed and the bottom of the pot. Because of that gap, my old ratio of 1.5quarts of water per pound made for a much thicker mash than I'm used to. While I haven't done the math, the extra water makes my mash feel like what I was used to with my old stovetop setup.  

Beyond that, the Mash & Boil is a pretty flexible system, as there's no set way it has to be used. 

For those used to a Brew in a Bag setup, you're in luck. Just treat the grain sleeve as you would your grain bag. When the mash is done, pull the sleeve up, set it on the supports and wait for it to drain. That's basically all there is to it. The only caveat is that a full five gallon batch might get a little precarious. The water level in the grain sleeve can get awfully close to the edge. 

If you prefer to batch sparge instead (this is the method laid out in the Mash & Boil's manual), heat your sparge water in a separate pot, put the grain basket on the supports, and pour the sparge water over the grain about a gallon at a time.

Since my existing brew pot has a ball valve, I've taken what's essentially a modified fly sparge approach. I attach one end of a short 3/8" inside diameter tube to the valve end, add my Fly Sparge to the other, and extend the tube over the top of the mash sleeve. From there, I open the ball valve just enough to keep up with the draining wort. 

One quirk with my setup is the difference between the top of the raised grain sleeve, and the top of my counter. To get the valve on my sparge water pot high enough, it takes five Haynes manuals. Your mileage may vary. 

On a brew day when I do have the kitchen to myself, I'll use the Mash & Boil just for mashing. Since my brew pot is already being used for heating strike and sparge water, I might as well boil my wort in it too. Brewing that way also shaves a good 30 minutes off of my brew time. Because while the Mash & Boil needs 45 minutes to an hour get to a boil, my stovetop will do it in 15. 

If it's a nice day out, I'll use the Mash & Boil outside for the entire process. This means waiting for the unit to reach a boil, which is an admittedly long process. Once it is boiling, I can get a relatively vigorous one if I leave the lid on and slightly cracked, rather than removed. I used the system on a slightly cool Spring day, and removing the lid dropped the wort below boiling pretty quickly. It's definitely easier to leave it on and watch for boil overs.  

One oddity with the boil behavior might be attributable to my altitude. The Mash & Boil manual has you set the temp controller to 218F to reach a boil. The boiling point of water here is around 202F. Once the Mash & Boil's thermometer reached 202F and I had a decent boil going, the unit never got any hotter, even though the controller was set to 218F.  

Extract efficiency has been OK. I'm getting roughly 72-75%. That's right around where I was at with my old setup, which means I haven't really had to adjust my recipes. Perhaps as I use it more, I'll figure out how to dial it in for better efficiency. 

Final Thoughts

I'm really happy that I took the plunge. The Mash & Boil is a straightforward brewing tool that won't break the bank. As long as you're cool with its manual operation and leisurely heating times, I strongly recommend it.