This is the Ultimate 2024 Review of the Clawhammer Digital Home Brew System…
Do you know that brewing your own suds at home can cut your costs in half?
Especially so…
…if you’re brewing in large batches. This way, you’re making more out of the electricity, money, and energy you’re using.
Taking the Brew In A Bag (BIAB) system to a whole new level, the folks at Clawhammer have found a way to make beer-making less complicated using nothing but a single powerful vessel only.
Never waste any brew day ever again with a large capacity electric brewing system such as the Clawhammer Digital Home Brew System.
In this comprehensive review, we’ll cover:
- All in one home brewery setup
- Next level BIAB system
- Stainless steel food grade components and fittings
- Semi automated PID digital controller
- Lots more…
Oh and have I mentioned that this brand’s quality is top notch? Wait for it.
Buckle up.
Let’s get started.
Clawhammer Digital Home Brewing System
- Capacity: 10.5 gallons
- Dimensions: 18 x 18 x 26 inches
- Temperature: Starting temperature of 79°F/26°C,and a boiling point in 152°F/67°C
- Power / Voltage: 1650 watts
- Manufacturer: Clawhammer Supply
Overall Score:
90
The Bottom Line:
A jam-packed all-in-one brewing system that can hold as much as 10.5 gallons. It comes with high-quality equipment and accessories such as a heavy-duty wort chiller, a couple of baskets, and tubings. Customer service is excellent.What’s Good
- Easy assembly
- Made from 304-grade stainless steel
- Easy and straightforward to use
- Comes with the necessary equipment needed such as a wort chiller, hops basket, drain basket, and more
- Wort chiller’s quality is second to none
- Cool instructional videos on their site
- Great customer service
What’s Bad
- A little pricey (but definitely worth it with its features)
Our Verdict: Clawhammer Digital Home Brew System
In case you don’t know, the Brew in a Bag system is made to make homebrewing much easier. Instead of using 2 or 3 vessels for all-grain beer-making, the BIAB system lets you do everything in one vessel only!
Sounds impossible?
I was skeptical at first. How could a low voltage unit possibly do everything in a shorter period of time?
But that’s exactly what Clawhammer Supply claims so I was thrilled when my package arrived.
The package was securely and neatly packed in one large box with 3 individual boxes inside containing the components, the fittings, and the heating element and control.
Mind you…
It did look a little intimidating laid out on the table with all the fittings and tubes included (a lot of them!).
Fortunately, Clawhammer supply has instructional videos online as well as their own fun YouTube channel and everything was so easy to understand that even I, who isn’t that fond of assembling things and fitting nuts and bolts, was able to accomplish the assembly fairly easily. It was quite a task, honestly. I had to cut the long tube into the recommended sizes and then fit the female fittings before attaching them to the unit. After that, I also had to work on the included 15 amp PID digital controller.
What I can tell you is, you really have to mind the instructions carefully so as not to make things tricky.
Anyway…
…Aside from the laborious assembly, the end result was really satisfying, not to mention it did look really professional.
After that, it’s all very simple.
Heat your water, put your grains in the bag…or in this case, in the huge wire mesh basket.
After mashing, just lift the self draining grain basket up and attach the 3 basket support clips to rest the basket on while you drain and sparge.
The plate heat exchanger along with the ultra low watt density heating element will then take care of the boiling and all I had to do was set the desired temperature up in the PID controller.
What’s cooler…
…is that hop additions have never been easier with its stainless steel removable hop basket for effortless mashing boiling hop additions.
And unlike other hop baskets, this one is bigger and longer which is really cool.
Now it’s time to cool the wort down with the plate wort chiller that’s included in the package. You can then direct the wort to your fermenter right after cooling it down.
Oh this 10 gallon unit also has a food grade heavy duty pump and everything, including the chilling process, happens through the silicone hoses I cut earlier, but you can also choose to ditch the tubing for recirculation and the wort will then be sprayed from the lid of the vessel.
These high temperature thick walled silicone hoses were able to withstand the boiling wort without breaking which is really impressive, too.
What of its quality? Is it durable?
Well, I really can’t say much since I’ve been using this for only a couple of months now, but the fact that it’s a complete 304 stainless steel brewing system means it’s supposed to be long-lasting and non-corrosive.
I was a little skeptical about the wire mesh because honestly, it looked flimsy and frail. But lo and behold.
It didn’t break at all even when I repeatedly washed it with pressurized water afterwards (sorry, I’m that lazy). So that’s a really good and telling sign about its quality.
Aside from the surprisingly top notch integrated stainless steel grain brewery…
Customer service was super impressive too.
I’ve read reviews about the Clawhammer folks (executive officers, actually) themselves replying to customers and monitoring the resending of missing parts for free…
…and I called them out just to see for myself.
They’re very accommodating and were willing to stand by on the line while I assembled the intimidating set but of course, I didn’t bother them too much and let them go after finding the online instructional videos.
This unit isn’t overly simplified so I didn’t feel like I was being spoon-fed. It had the right amount of challenges but everything was made easier by their manuals.
Suffice to say…
This is a perfect stainless steel brewing mash system for both seasoned home brewers like me or all-grain beginners.
Do you want to view other options for all-in-one electric brewing systems?
Check out our comprehensive buying guide below:
Our Analysis Comparisons and Test Results Clawhammer Digital Brewery vs other Brewing Systems
Testing all these babies out wasn’t easy let alone ranking and rating them side by side!
But of course, we know that homebrewers like you and me (and yes, including you, you who’s still researching and testing the waters) have different needs and preferences, and because of that, we’ve set 5 different metrics most homebrewers look out for and consider when rating their purchases.
Some people prioritize the value the unit can give for their money, some prioritize the durability and some, energy efficiency. Whatever your preference is, you can take a look and compare with our roundups below.
Value For Money
When shopping for a home appliance, the first thing we usually like to look out for is the price tag. You’re lucky if you can find something that doesn’t only fit your budget but is even cheaper.
But you’re luckier if you’re able to find something that gives more than its price is supposed to offer.
Well, I’m lucky because the Clawhammer is jam-packed with great attachments, fittings, and features that make my few hundred bucks worth it. Perfect points for this!
How the Clawhammer Digital Home Brewing System stacks up in the value for money ratings:
Ease of Use
Well, assembly was no joke but everything felt easier because the Clawhammer guys were with me throughout the process. One call away and you’re not alone anymore.
Once the assembly was finished, everything was smooth and easy. Even the PID digital controller was very simple and straightforward without all the bells and whistles so even my grandfather was able to use it without assistance!
How the Clawhammer Digital Home Brewing System stacks up in the ease of use ratings:
Durability
Almost all the components included were made from 304 grade stainless steel material so they’re non-corrosive and anti-rust. One month on and the unit is steel shiny and looking new. Even the mesh wire basket was able to stay perfectly in shape even after several heavy duty use.
How the Clawhammer Digital Home Brewing System stacks up in the durability ratings:
Energy Efficiency
I was surprised to see that the Clawhammer 10 Gallon brewery runs not on a higher 240 voltage but on 120V instead. That made me a little skeptical about its power so it’s surprising to see how well and fast it heated up the moment I plugged the monster in.
How the Clawhammer Digital Home Brewing System stacks up in the energy efficiency ratings:
Features
With the goal of taking BIAB to a whole new level, the Clawhammer digital brewing system comes with numerous features and attachments to accomplish one vessel-brewing, including a semi automated PID digital controller, stainless steel removable self draining basket, hose fittings, grain and hop baskets, grain basket drain clips, heavy duty pump removable temperature probe, 20 plate wort chiller, and release sanitary hose fittings among others.
How the Clawhammer Digital Home Brewing System stacks up in the features ratings:
Clawhammer Digital Home Brewing System FAQs
Does This Product Cool The Wort To Fermentable Temperatures?
It includes a 20 plate wort chiller that does a great job cooling the wort down to a fermentable temperature.
What Is The Maximum Amount Of Grains That Can Be Used On This System?
This 10 Gallon capacity brewing system can hold up to 20-24 lbs of grains.
What Is The Brewing Capacity?
You can make up to 5 gallons of beer output with this Clawhammer 10 Gallon brewing system.
What kind Of Grain Efficiency Have Users Been Getting With This?
I usually get 70% efficiency for beers with 1.070 and up SG but if it goes above that, you can adjust the efficiency down a little. Sparging the grains helps too.
Our Final Verdict: Clawhammer Digital Electric Home Brewing System
So there you have it, here’s our last word. We’ve done the quality check, the mashing and the boiling, and even the taste test… a Pilsner maybe? 🙂
Below is the result of our beertastic tests with the overall results to help you decide. Read on and take your pick.
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