Hey guys and gals! I keep forgetting this forum exists...I just bought an Anvil Foundry 10.5gal system and did my first brew in it last Monday. Absolutely love the thing!! I'm used to a propane jet heater and a 10gal Megapot using the BIAB method, so this thing is an absolute breeze. I was brewing a German-style Kölsch and was maybe 1 point low on OG. I could be wrong on that due to temp of the wort when I tested though. The system held temp pretty darn well and I really didn't need to mess with it much. I did get the recirculation system for it so every 15 minutes or so during the mash, I raked the top 1/3 of the grain bed. I doubt I would've had a stuck mash either way, but I just wanted to be sure. I also did a full volume mash, so I had 8.5lbs of malt and 7.25gal of water and had zero issues with boil-over or it even getting near the top.

Some notes, however. I'm currently using it at 120v (the system can be used at 120v or 240v) so it took quite some time for the water to get up to mash temp (mashed at 148). Probably about an hour to an hour and a half. Then at the end of the mash, it took another hour, hour and a half, to get to a good rolling boil. I did keep the top mostly on while it was getting up to temp and it did help, but be mindful that the 120v system does make for a bit of a longer brew day. However, one super cool feature with this system is that you can set your strike temp and set it on an up to 24 hour delay. Next time I brew (going to be a Fauxtoberfest), I'm going to put my water in and set it the night before so it's ready when I wake up.

Overall, I'm SUPER happy with this system so far. I did buy it on a scratch-and-dent sale so I got about $100-150 off, which was awesome, but I can barely notice the one tiny scratch on there. Besides..it's a brew system, it'll be fine with a scratch or dent or two . If you guys are wanting to get into electric brewing, I highly recommend looking into this system. Also as a plus, Anvil is made by Blichmann but not for Blichmann prices.

Anyways, here are some pics from my brew day. I'll post updates here on the Kölsch when it's done. Going to leave it in the primary another week, transfer it to secondary for maybe another week, then bottle. Cheers!

Nice!

I have a Grainfather, so I have the same heating issues. I set mine up in the basement right next to the sink where the washer and dryer used to be. I use the hook ups from the washer with some quick connects for a hose on the hot and the counterflow chiller on the cold. Coming directly off the hot water line I can be at strike temp or pretty close depending on the mash schedule. Let the water heater do the heavy lifting.