Spike Solo vs Unibräu
Both are electric single-vessel systems: you mash in a basket, lift it, and boil in the same kettle. The Spike Solo is sold as kettle, basket and panel, with the pump and chiller extra. The Unibräu ships with its pump, puts more power into its 120V version, comes in a 30 gallon size, and is backed for twice as long. Both come in a flat-bottom and a bottom-drain version.
At a glance
| Bräu SupplyUnibräu | Spike BrewingSpike Solo | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ||
| Price, 10 gal 120V | Unibräu $1,825 · DrainPro (bottom drain) $2,024 | Flat US$2,106 · bottom drain US$2,634 |
| Price, 20 gal 240V | Unibräu $2,699 · DrainPro $2,949 | Flat US$2,370 · bottom drain US$2,898 |
| Sizes and what’s included | ||
| Sizes | 10, 20 and 30 gal | 10, 15 and 20 gal |
| Brew pump | Included: magnetic-drive, 1.5" tri-clamp | Extra: Spike Flow pump, US$432 |
| Wort chiller | Add-on: all-stainless coil-in-coil counterflow, $330 with water kit | Extra: counterflow with a copper inner tube in a stainless shell, 16 ft, US$594 |
| Heating | ||
| 120V heating | 1,650 W element. Add a second 1,650 W element on another 15 A circuit for 3,300 W | The 5,500 W element runs at 1,350 W on 120V (Spike’s own figure) |
| 240V heating | 5,500 W, ultra-low watt density, tri-clamp | 5,500 W, 1.5" tri-clamp |
| Build | ||
| Grain basket | Straight-wall stainless sheet with laser-cut slots in the walls. 10 gal: perforated stainless bottom plate. 20 and 30 gal: 1.2 mm walls on a 2 mm false bottom with laser-cut slots | Tapered 1.2 mm stainless basket, laser-cut slits in the bottom only. Dead space 4.7 / 6.3 / 7.7 gal (10 / 15 / 20 gal), per Spike |
| Kettle | 304 stainless. Unibräu Tri-Clad: 1.0 mm (10 gal) / 1.2 mm (20 and 30 gal) with a sandwich bottom. DrainPro: 1.2 mm in every size | 304 stainless, 1.2 mm in every size |
| Fittings | Tri-clamp throughout | 1.5" tri-clamp ports |
| Controller | SV2 (240V): wall-mount 30 A panel hand-built in Vancouver, BC, with mash and boil modes, boil-over protection, pump and aux outlets. SV1 (120V): PID controller with auto-tune and programmable alarms | Solo Panel, Spike’s own design since August 2023. Mash mode (hold a temperature) and Boil mode (power %); no timers, step programs or app listed |
| Ownership | ||
| Replacement controller | SV1 $149 · SV2 $650 | Solo Panel US$718.80 |
| Warranty | 2 years, plus lifetime parts support | 1 year (panel: 1 year, parts only) |
| Lead time | Ready to ship; most orders leave Vancouver in under a week | 2–3 weeks for Solo systems (Spike, July 2026); the 15 gal flat lists “Ships Early December” |
| Buying in Canada | Prices in Canadian dollars at brausupply.ca. Ships from Vancouver: no border, customs or brokerage | Priced in US dollars. Ships to Canada; duties are not collected at checkout |
| Company | Bräu Supply, Vancouver, since 2014. First Unibräu sold in 2014 | Spike Brewing, new owners since June 2026, moving from Milwaukee to Blackwood, NJ. Solo first sold in 2020 |
Spike prices, inclusions and specs as listed on spikebrewing.com and Spike’s help centre on October 7, 2026, in US dollars. Bräu Supply prices show in your currency.
What you pay for a complete system
A brew day needs the kettle, the basket, the controller, a pump to recirculate and a chiller to knock out. The Spike Solo price covers the first three. Its pump (US$432) and chiller (US$594) add US$1,026. The Unibräu price already includes the pump, so the only add-on for a complete brew day is a chiller, if you don’t own one.
The bottom-drain versions compare the same way: the Spike Solo bottom drain starts at US$2,634 before the pump and chiller, and the Unibräu DrainPro starts at $2,024 with the pump included.
120V brewing
Most people who buy a 120V system want to brew in the kitchen or garage without running a new circuit. Spike’s help centre says the Solo uses the same 5,500 W/240V element in every version, which produces 1,350 W on 120V. The Unibräu 120V uses a dedicated 1,650 W element, about 22% more heat from the same outlet, and you can add a second 1,650 W element on another 15 A circuit for 3,300 W without moving to 240V.
The grain basket
The Unibräu basket is straight-walled stainless sheet with laser-cut slots in the walls. The 10 gallon basket sits on a perforated stainless plate. The 20 and 30 gallon baskets are 1.2 mm sheet on a 2 mm false bottom with laser-cut slots. Wort drains through the sides as well as the bottom, so the grain bed lets go of its liquid quickly when you lift it.
The Solo basket is tapered and slotted in the bottom only. Spike lists its dead space at 4.7, 6.3 and 7.7 gallons for the 10, 15 and 20 gallon sizes, recommends a fine 0.035" crush, and suggests two people or a hoist to lift the full 20 gallon basket. A replacement basket lists at US$438 to US$510.
The controller
The SV2 (240V) is a wall-mount 30 A panel we hand-build in Vancouver, with mash and boil modes, boil-over protection and pump and aux outlets. The SV1 (120V) is a PID controller with auto-tune and programmable alarms. Parts for both are stocked in Vancouver, and a replacement SV1 costs $149.
Spike has built its own Solo Panel since August 2023. It has two modes, Mash (hold a set temperature) and Boil (set the power), with switches for the element and pump. Spike’s guide lists no timers, step programs, Wi-Fi or app. A replacement panel lists at US$718.80, with a one-year parts-only warranty.
Chilling
Spike’s counterflow chiller has a copper inner tube inside a stainless shell, 16 feet long, at US$594. Ours is all stainless, coil-in-coil, with tri-clamp ends. Copper chills well and stainless lasts and cleans like the rest of the system; we wrote up the trade-offs in copper vs stainless counterflow chillers, and compared the two chillers head to head in Bräu Supply vs Spike wort chiller.
How the Unibräu got here
We sold the first Unibräu in 2014, six years before the Spike Solo went on sale in 2020.
2014 · The first Unibräu. 2016 · Version 2 with our own kettle and grain basket. 2017 · Version 3, launched on Kickstarter, with tri-clamp fittings. Today’s Unibräu and DrainPro grew from that design, one owner request at a time. See the photos of each version on our Clawhammer vs Unibräu page.
Which should you buy?
Choose the Spike Solo if you want the 15 gallon size or Spike’s tapered basket, and you’re happy to buy the pump and chiller separately.
Choose the Unibräu if you want the pump in the box, more heat on 120V, a 30 gallon option, a controller with inexpensive parts, stock that ships within a week, and a two-year warranty with lifetime parts support.
FAQ
Is the Spike Solo still being made?
Yes. Spike Brewing changed owners in June 2026 and is moving from Milwaukee to Blackwood, New Jersey. In its announcement the new owner said existing warranties will be honoured and wrote that “lead times can shorten. Communication can be stronger.”
Will Spike accessories fit a Unibräu?
Standard 1.5" tri-clamp parts fit any standard 1.5" tri-clamp port. Spike-specific parts, like the Solo basket and lids, are sized for Spike kettles. Not sure? Send us a photo and we’ll tell you.
Which bottom-drain system is better value?
The Unibräu DrainPro starts at $2,024 with the pump included and 1.2 mm walls in every size. The Spike Solo bottom drain starts at US$2,634, with the pump and chiller extra.
How do you compare with Clawhammer and Ss Brewtech?
See Clawhammer vs Unibräu and our Ss Brewtech alternatives page, or all of our systems side by side on the comparison page. Grainfather, BrewZilla and Anvil Foundry are in all-in-one electric brewing systems compared.
Sources, checked October 7, 2026: Spike Solo system; Solo Panel; Spike help centre: 120V element output; Spike lead times; Spike warranty; Spike ownership announcement (June 2026); Spike Solo listing, archived 2020. Spike Brewing and Spike Solo are trademarks of their owner. Bräu Supply is not affiliated with Spike Brewing.
Pump included.
Backed for two years.
Unibräu systems ship with the brew pump, the controller and tri-clamp hardware. Designed and assembled in Vancouver, BC. 2-year warranty and lifetime parts.