Sabco Brew Magic is a cutting-edge brewing system that revolutionizes the way beer is made. This advanced set-up is designed for both homebrewers and professional brewers, offering an efficient and precise process for creating high-quality beer. One of the standout features of the Sabco Brew Magic is its compact size, making it suitable for use in a small space. Despite its compact design, this system is equipped with all the necessary components for brewing, including a brew kettle, a mash tun, a hot liquor tank, and a heat exchanger. The Brew Magic system also incorporates advanced technology to ensure optimal results. For instance, it features a digital control panel that allows users to easily monitor and adjust brewing parameters such as temperature and time.

Brew-Magic

I brew on a Brew-Magic system. Below are articles and posts that may help you get up and running, address some key techniques, as well as a variety of upgrades. The V350M is a hybrid RIMS system, featuring 3 kettles with direct fire, a RIMS tube and pump that allows for continuous recirculation. The kettles are “new” Sabco keggles, and the Mash Tun and Boil Kettle contain false bottoms. Some of the upgrades I have made include false bottom stands (from Jaybird), a whirlpool line for the BK, Loc-line for circulation and lauter. Sabco upgrades include the latest software for the PLC (I did not opt for the wireless feature) and the site glass on the circulation return plumbing.

Please feel free to ask any questions. I am happy to answer what I can. I am not affiliated in anyway with Sabco.

• Brew-Magic V350MS Review
• Brew Magic™ Tip: Learn to Pump
• Brew Magic™ Tip: Clean In Place mod
• Brew Magic Software Upgrade…
• Brew Day – Brew Magic Upgrade, Initial Thoughts
• Brew-Magic Upgrade, the Recipe Function
• Brew Day, Immediate Thoughts… Magic Soft Upgrade
• Practical Guide to Efficiency and the Brew-Magic
• Hopback, a shiny new toy in the brewery
• Malt Crush: Getting Nerdy with your Mill
• Practical Guide – Low Oxygen Brewing on the Brew-Magic
• Brew Magic Mods: Loc-line and Whirlpool

For instance, it features a digital control panel that allows users to easily monitor and adjust brewing parameters such as temperature and time. This not only enhances convenience but also enables brewers to replicate their favorite recipes with accuracy. Additionally, the Sabco Brew Magic employs a closed-loop software system that maintains consistent temperature throughout the brewing process.

13 thoughts on “ Brew-Magic ”

I have gone as high as 40# of malt, but beware that the very low water/grist ratio drops the efficiency quite a bit. If you are looking to make a very big beer, I would do two mashes at a higher efficiency into a single boil, assuming we are talking a 10 gallon batch. I don’t have the specific numbers handy from that batch. If I recall, my normal 83% efficiency dropped into the low 60%.

Hello Matt, I have been using the Brew Magic for a few years now as well. I feel like my process is pretty good. However, in terms of cleaning a Sabco fermenter, I was wondering if you have any tips/methods to share? I’m basically just scrubbing that thing and it’s a bit of a pain in the arse particularly where the crusty surface of the fermentation takes place. Any thoughts? Much appreciated.

Hi Ron, my apologies for the late response. Starting a new business and have been heads down. I am a big fan of using a hot soak. You have several options – but I really rely on 140F PBW. I can heat up the water on the Brew Magic and just rack the solution right into the fermenter. Let that go for a bit, drain, hit with cool water to drop the heat, and then hose it out and a wipe down with a soft cloth. I will either soak the dip tube assembly or run it through the dishwasher, but do run a brush up past the valve. The fermenter is usually then sanitized with SaniClean or StarSan, or occasionally I will bring a half gallon of water to boil in the fermenter, with the valves open! So steam sanitize the interior. Just remember that you want it to steam vigorously, and then cool before you close the valves. It will form a light vacuum.

I just began using the sabco brew magic about a month ago and been having issues maintaing the temp and flow resulting in blocking up the system with malt almost everytime i use it. I begin by adding water through the bottom until about 2 inches above the false bottom, then slowly adding the malt (usually 20-25 lbs total malt bill) and remaining water through top (ususally around 11 gallons total). stirring until i feel mash bed is evenly distributed. At this point i will leave mash sit for a my first rest period and let it begin to settle (there’s always more then several inches of liquid above the grain bed). Next i will place hose in mash tun at a horizontal angle and begin to recirculate slowly (trying to maintain an even flow and increase the temp. Once the temp hits and tells me to turn of burner my temp quickly drops and i end up turning on burner again. this happens over and over and as i try to increase the flow rate i end up collapsing the bed. Any help would be much appreciated

Hi Gary, I feel your pain. It takes a bit to get used to. First, take a look at the milling… too much flour and small grits will naturally pass through the false bottom. I mill to a mid-level grind, with whole husks and medium-sized grits. So start there… I have an article on milling on the site – should be easy to find. It does take about 15 minutes for the temperatures to stabilize. I still play the fire on/off dance. With all of that steel, it’s a giant heat sink. I do find that the initial rest really helps a lot. It will take some experimentation to get the strike temperature just right. BeerSmith does a good job in helping to estimate, but I find that 5-6 degrees above my rest temperature works reasonably well. Second, here is how I grain in. It might help. First move water into the mash tun, up to about an inch above the false bottom. Then move the hose such that it lays down there just under the water. Make sure the valve under the mash tun is closed at this point. Add your grains onto the little water that is there. Then, slowly, after opening the HLT valve, pump over the strike water, filling from the bottom. You will see the grain bed respond much differently than pumping over through the top. This will also nearly eliminate dough ball formation. Once you have the volume that you want, stop the pump and let everything rest for 5-10 minutes. Only a few husks and lighter particles should be floating. I give this a little stir, looking for clumps, then reposition the hose (loc-line in my case) around the outer perimeter of the tun, and at least an inch below the water level. Then VERY slowly start circulation (close the HLT valve, and open the valve under the MLT). Let this go as slow as you are comfortable, and let all of the air purge out of the plumbing. Then slowly move the return valve between 1/4 and 1/2. You should see the water at the top begin to swirl, and very little malt/flour coming out of the tube. With experience, you will figure out how fast to flow without compacting the mash too much, or carving down the sides of the mash. I have not seen that much difference between a medium or fast circulation, other than the impact on the loose top of the mash. If the system is cold, especially the MLT, then it gets a little fussy. If you have the time, you could run a small amount of boiled water through the plumbing and into the MLT to bring the temperature up with direct fire. It takes no time to boil a few gallons in the MLT while you are heating up your strike water. Finally, it is possible that your RIMS element is not working properly. Starting with cold water, you should be able to circulate without direct fire and see the temperature slowly rise about 1-2F per minute. If it is not doing that, I would give Sabco support a call. Best of Luck!

I was tossing up on the single vessel system of which the Braumeister seems the flagship, or a 3V of which clearly the Sabco is the flagship. I was wondering if you had any thoughts on why the Sabco trumps the Braumeister. As I see it the Sabco has the advantage of :
1) using LPG (if that is an advantage where you live)
2) You can do big beers given the 15 gallon mash tun capacity
3) You can do multiple batches, ie boil batch 1 while mashing batch 2 where the Braumeister type has the advantage of:
1) a much smaller footprint
2) more automated control from mash through boil with programmable steps. And that is because it is fully:
3) Electric. Which opens the door for automation whilst the Sabco requires knowledge and operation of many valves both on the gas and liquid flow side.
4) Its far cheaper than a Sabco setup. Would be keen to know your thoughts. Cheers
HB

Seems like the question here is more about your personal brewing goals, and of convenience. How much space can you dedicate? You are asking tne right questions. Both systems will make fine beer. I do wish Sabco offered the system in a fully electric eHerms config. Propane is a hazard, and pales in heating efficiency compared to well design electric systems. Best of luck!

Thanks Matt. Actually I have the space but need to decide whether the extra flexibility of the Sabco is worth the extra investment. I also like the “set and forget” function of the BM made possible by the fact that it is all electric. From what I see the Sabco is not good at step mashing without constant attention and intervention. However the BM also has further drawbacks that I can see:
1) for a 50l version unless you are tall and with a strong back you ideally need a pulley or winch to raise the malt pipe from the mash
2) there is no conventional sparging process (though many of the owners claim efficiencies in excess of 80pct somehow)
3) during the mash process, the wort clears perfectly but as soon as the malt pipe is lifted, all the fines that have been collected during the recirculation get dumped back into the wort. That’s because the recirculation is from beneath and upward as opposed to top down in the Sabco or other single vessel systems like the Grainfather. So you end up boiling cloudy wort, I am guessing that can’t be good. Best
HB

I don’t find the step mashing procedure all that fussy. Of course, with LP, you should always be present. The computer tells you when you need to light the fire or drop it, and a few brews in, that becomes a fairly intuitive process. It does become a trick if you run the fire too hot… but again… I do like the flexibility – I can do 5-12 gallon batches, and no sparge at 5-6 gallons makes a fairly short brew day. I understand that Zymatic is making larger systems very soon… that might be of interest? I believe they announced a 5 and 10 gallon system at CES. That will most likely be close to the BM budget.

Matt, I´ve been using the brew magic for almost a year now. I am now investing on a water filter and trying to get a little bit more into it. I´ve been questioning my settings for the brewmagic on the software that I use to create my recipes. Do you have an equipment profile for the brew magic on beersmith?
The mash process that I´m generally doing is a Temperature Mash at 68C-156F for 60 minutes, then I raise the temp to 75C-167 for ten minutes (total time is around 1:35).
I do a Mash out and end up with approximately 45 liters (11 gallons) pre boil volume. After 60 or 75 minutes depending on the recipe I end up with 35 liters (9 gallons). I´ve been questioning myself if I am using the equipment to its maximum capacity. Are the volumes correct? Do they sound good to you? Any help is appreciated…thanks a lot, Serge

Hi Sergio, check your email in a few. You can try out my BeerSmith profile and adjust it as needed. I would do a couple of things. First use a reliable thermometer to check your mash temps, using the valve out to the boil kettle. Just pull a small sample and check the temp – it should be reasonably close to your PID temperature – but assume a cup will slightly cool the sample. Second, measure your boil off rate in gallons. You can do this using your sight glass by filling some mark above the minimum line, boil for an hour starting the clock at an aggressive simmer. I boil off about 1.5 gallons per hour, but it varies slightly with the weather. The boil off set correctly will help immensely with hitting the correct volumes and having an accurate estimate in OG from BeerSmith. I regularly do 12 gallon batches, starting with a 14.5 gallon boil volume (hot) and boiling for 90 minutes. It just takes some patience and keeping the foam from building up too much. A little foam control or a water spray bottle works wonders.

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Brew-Magic V350MS Review

I receive a lot of mixed responses from other homebrewers and professional brewers when I mention that I brew on a Brew-Magic system. They range from awe, comments about having money to burn, even some very snarky suggestions that suggest a real homebrewer builds his/her own system. Truly a mixed bag, and I am sensitive that so many brewers biggest challenge really is their budget. That said – I am proud of my Brew-Magic, it’s a fine piece of equipment, but hardly makes me a better brewer than anyone else.

When I struck out into all grain, I became EXTREMELY frustrated at adjusting and maintaining mash temperatures. Of course, this was complicated with poor measurement tools and practices, as well as a lot of misunderstanding (and over complicated ideas) of brewing science. For example, I never considered mash pH, other than dipping a strip into the mash and giving up because the color of the wort blew away the color strip. I decided I needed a 3 tier brewery – and drooled over all electric systems (Kal’s electric brewery is jaw droppingly stunning!) or something more practical.

In this process, I struck out to find the best system with a track record in commercial brewing. I looked at everything from Blichmann (also stunning premium quality – for the record) to MoreBeer to random custom stands (usually bring your own kettles, etc.). I spoke with several local brewers, and even was offered a 2 barrel system that one was planning to retire. I always had my eye on the Brew-Magic.

So it finally came down to a Blichmann Top-Tier system versus the Brew-Magic. I went to price the Top-Tier out at AHS… and fully kitted (15 gallon kettles) it was (at the time) well north of $3500, and with the addtions of a pump and third burner, closer to $4000. Someone in the shop owned a Brew-Magic, and I sat with him for a half hour and compared the two. He convinced me the Brew-Magic system was worth the extra bucks.

There are three key features that tipped me over – and was worth the extra couple of grand:

1. Repeatability. Which, while I admit I do not use this feature as often as I expected, gives me a tremendous tool in comparing batches. Where and when did I change the mash schedule, were temps the same, and so forth.
2. Direct Fire and RIMS controls. This really has a lot of advantage over a pure direct fire system. Blichmann has since released their “Tower of Power” system that looks very interesting, but at the time – RIMS and HERMS were largely a DIY engineering exercise.
3. Completely featured. All parts included. That meant that within hours of receiving the palettes, I was running a test cleaning cycle and preparing to brew! Despite the daunting task of laying so many parts and pieces, it all went together perfectly. Nothing missing, and no frustrations! This is a high quality and extremely well engineered system.

So now, after 3 years of brewing on the Brew-Magic system, I am thrilled with the choice I have made. By eliminating some of the more frustrating variables – I can brew with confidence that the equipment will be reliable and consistent. I can focus on brewing practice, recipe creation and fermentation.

I am not saying there are no cons, and to be fair, I should review these:

1. System sits high. Not as high as a Top Tier, but I am 6′ 5″ and it is still uncomfortable to work in place (like for cleaning). I would recommend a bench stool. Sabco has created a metal step for this purpose.
2. Keggles are a PITA to clean. All of the rolled tops, edges and other nooks and crannies catch malt dust that can get wet and drip down onto the burners, and sometimes the edges, though smooth, catch your fingers and nails while scrubbing. Smooth walls and simple handles would be nice. Still – these do look pretty cool.
3. Pump issues. Of course, this is not so much a Brew-Magic problem, and more the nature of brewing pumps. There are too many ways for air to lock up the pump, and doubly so when dealing with a sticky mash. Fortunately, there is a bottom valve that can help relieve the air lock. I have the same issue with my ChillWizard and spare March pump.
4. Whirlpooling. Since these are “keggles”, the dip tubes connect through a false bottom to the very center of the kettle. So traditional whirlpool techniques don’t work, and using pellet hops becomes a serious challenge. I have to bag them or use a hybrid recirculation and chill process through a strainer bag. This works, but is less than ideal. I still get trub into the fermenters – not a huge issue, but there are times when I wish the wort was brighter. I have an idea that might allow me to whirlpool with a modified false bottom – but will save that for another day.
5. Valved liquor/wort distribution. In my mind, there has to be better a better valve choice. I am sure they would cost a ton more, but repeatability is somewhat dependent on speed of recirculation, sparging, etc. Without calibrated valve settings, this is tough… and a very picky nit on my part.

I should also add, that I bought the ChillWizard, mentioned above, Brew-Magic Fermenter and Select Sanke. These two make up my Belgian pipeline, as I ferment at room temperatures with them, as well as condition in the sanke. Easy to clean and sanitize. Just put a gallon or so into the fermenter after a good cleaning and set it on the stove to steam.

What would I do different? At this scale, probably not much. I have avoided replacing the boil kettle with a Blichmann, but that is an option or find a settling /chilling tank or trub filters. I really would like to whirlpool properly! More likely, I would like to step up to a 1 barrel system or larger, but that would require more fermentation space and a lot of friends to help dispose of the product!

All of this is to say, the decision was a very carefully calculated one. I even sold a sports car to fund the purchase. I am hoping (as many home brewers do) that my experience on a commercial pilot brewery could translate into a head start if I should start my own commercial brewery some day. Matt French and the whole team at Brew-Magic are incredibly supportive and provide amazing customer support!

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This helps enhance flavor development and ensures a smooth and efficient brewing experience. One of the major advantages of using the Sabco Brew Magic is its versatility. This system allows brewers to experiment with different styles and flavors by offering customizable options such as temperature profiles and brewing schedules. This adaptability makes it an excellent choice for both aspiring homebrewers and professional breweries looking to expand their offerings. Overall, the Sabco Brew Magic is a game-changing brewing system that combines advanced technology with user-friendly features. Whether you are new to brewing or an experienced brewmaster, this system offers a reliable and efficient way to create top-notch beer. So, if you are looking to take your brewing to the next level, the Sabco Brew Magic is definitely worth considering..

Reviews for "Brewing with the Experts: Sabco Brew Magic"

1. Mark - 1 star

I was really disappointed with the Sabco brew magic system. First of all, the setup was much more complicated than I anticipated. The instructions were unclear and I spent so much time trying to figure out how to properly operate the machine. Additionally, the brewing process took much longer than I expected. It seemed like it was constantly heating up and cooling down, prolonging the overall process. The final product also did not meet my expectations. The flavor of the beer was lacking, and I found it to be quite bland. Overall, I would not recommend the Sabco brew magic system to anyone.

2. Jessica - 2 stars

I had high hopes for the Sabco brew magic system, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. The machine itself is quite bulky and takes up a lot of space in my kitchen. It was also noisy during the brewing process, which was quite annoying. The instructions provided were not very detailed, leaving me confused at times. The quality of the beer also left something to be desired. It lacked depth of flavor and tasted quite watered down. Overall, I was not impressed with the Sabco brew magic system and would not purchase it again.

3. Ryan - 2 stars

I had a lot of issues with the Sabco brew magic system. First of all, it was not user-friendly at all. The controls were confusing and I had to spend a lot of time experimenting and reading the manual to figure out how to operate it. The brewing process was also highly inconsistent. The temperature would fluctuate uncontrollably, resulting in an uneven fermentation process. The end result was a beer with an off taste and strange aftertaste. I would not recommend the Sabco brew magic system to beginners or anyone looking for a hassle-free brewing experience.

Achieve Consistency and Precision with Sabco Brew Magic