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All-in-One vs Three Vessel Brewing

Updated 2026-09-17 · BrewGearCalc

Top pick

FOHERE All-in-One Electric Brewing System (9.2 gal)

FOHERE

At $219.99 it is the least expensive all-in-one listed in this catalog, and it collapses mash tun, kettle and heat source into a single 9.2 gallon vessel, which is the simplest and cheapest path most new all-grain brewers have available.

$219.99 Check price on Amazon

Price last checked at publication and changes often.

What the two approaches actually require

An all-in-one system mashes and boils in a single vessel, usually with a built-in electric element and a false bottom or filter basket to hold back the grain. Everything from strike water heating through the boil happens in that one kettle, and a pump, where included, moves wort or wash water in a loop instead of requiring a manual transfer.

A traditional three vessel setup splits the same process across a hot liquor tank, a separate mash tun and a separate boil kettle, heated by a standalone burner or element. Wort moves between vessels by gravity or pump at each stage: strike water heats in one vessel, mashes in a second, and boils in a third. That separation is exactly what lets three vessel brewers scale batch size up without being limited by what a single all-in-one kettle can hold.

Some brewers land on a middle path: a two vessel setup using a cooler-based mash tun conversion, like the TAPCRAFT Cooler Mash Tun Conversion Kit at $84.99, paired with a single kettle that also serves as the boil vessel. This is not a true three vessel system since it skips a dedicated hot liquor tank, but it is also not an all-in-one, and it is worth knowing this middle ground exists before assuming the choice is strictly binary.

Cost comparison, piece by piece

An all-in-one purchase is a single line item. The FOHERE system in this catalog is $219.99, the VEVOR 8 Gallon Home Beer Brewer is $149.90, and the BrewZilla Gen 4 at $599.99 sits at the higher end. Whatever the price, it is one purchase and one vessel to find room for.

A three vessel setup is several line items added together. A mash tun like the Learn To Brew 10 Gallon Igloo Mash Tun runs $192.99, a kettle like the MRbrew 10 Gallon Brew Kettle with Thermometer runs $138.99, and a burner like the Concord Deluxe Banjo Propane Burner runs $109.98. Added up, that is roughly $441.96 before counting hoses, clamps or a wort chiller, which puts a basic three vessel setup solidly above the cheapest all-in-one options and in the same range as the pricier ones.

How the two approaches compare

Space, cleanup and workflow

All-in-one systems win on both counter space and cleanup. One vessel means one thing to store, one thing to clean, and no hoses running between three separate stands. For an apartment, a small garage or a first-time brewer who just wants to get a batch on, that simplicity has real value beyond the sticker price.

Three vessel brewing wins when batch size grows past what a single all-in-one kettle comfortably handles, and it wins for a brewer who already owns a propane burner from another hobby and only needs the vessels. It also lets each vessel be sized independently, so a brewer can run a large mash tun with a smaller boil kettle if their process calls for it.

• Pick all-in-one if you want the fewest vessels to buy, clean and store.
• Pick three vessel if you are scaling batch size up or already own a burner.
• Either approach uses the same strike water and mash chemistry underneath.

Batch size and how far each approach scales

An all-in-one system is limited by the size of its single vessel. The catalog's all-in-one listings range from the VEVOR 8 Gallon Home Beer Brewer up to larger units, and once a brewer wants to go bigger than the largest available all-in-one vessel, there is no way to expand it, since the design does not allow adding a second mash vessel alongside it.

A three vessel setup scales more freely because each vessel is sized independently. A brewer can pair a large mash tun with an oversized kettle to brew ten gallon batches, then later swap in an even larger kettle without needing to replace the mash tun at all. This independence is the main long-term argument for three vessel brewing among brewers who expect their batch sizes to grow.

This does not mean every all-in-one buyer eventually needs to switch. Plenty of home brewers stay at five gallon batches indefinitely, either by choice or because of storage and fermenter limits, and for that group an all-in-one system's fixed capacity is simply never a constraint worth worrying about.

Heat source considerations

All-in-one systems in this catalog are electric, with the element built into the vessel itself, so the heat source decision is made for the buyer at the point of purchase. A three vessel setup requires choosing a heat source separately, whether an electric element built into the kettle, a propane burner like the Concord Deluxe Banjo Propane Burner, or another dedicated heating setup, and that choice carries its own safety considerations, especially around propane and enclosed spaces, covered in more detail in this site's electric versus propane comparison.

This means a three vessel buyer is really making two decisions at once: which vessels to buy, and which heat source to pair with them. An all-in-one buyer only has to make the first decision, which is part of why the category tends to feel simpler to a first-time all-grain brewer even before counting the vessel savings.

Mash efficiency is not automatically different

A common assumption is that a three vessel setup, with its dedicated sparge step, produces meaningfully higher mash efficiency than an all-in-one system's more compact process. Published brewer experience on both sides varies enough that this site will not state a fixed efficiency gap between the two approaches as fact. What is consistent is that grain crush, water to grain ratio and mash time affect efficiency more directly than which vessel design is used, and either approach benefits from checking actual gravity readings against a target rather than assuming a number based on equipment type alone.

Brew day length and where the time actually goes

An all-in-one brew day tends to run shorter mainly because there is nothing to transfer between vessels: strike water heats, grain mashes, wort boils, all in the same kettle, one step flowing into the next with the pump doing the moving. A three vessel brew day adds real time at each transfer point, moving wort from the mash tun into the kettle and sparging along the way, plus the setup and breakdown of connecting three separate vessels with hoses and clamps before and after.

None of this makes three vessel brewing a bad use of a Saturday, but a brewer with a narrow window of free time, or one brewing on a weeknight, will feel the difference in total time on the burner or the pump far more than the difference in what ends up in the fermenter.

How we chose

The costs and vessel counts here come from published catalog prices, added up directly rather than estimated. Where a three vessel total depends on which specific mash tun, kettle and burner a reader picks, that variability is stated rather than collapsed into a single false-precision number.

The three tiers

These are three genuinely different builds, not the same product at three prices. Buy the tier that matches how much you already know you will use it.

Everything else worth considering

VEVOR

VEVOR 8 Gallon Home Beer Brewer (1500W)

Eight gallon 304 stainless all-in-one, the smallest full electric system that still handles a five gallon batch.

$149.90 View on Amazon

Quick Fit

Quick Fit 10 Gallon Igloo Mash Tun with Dial Thermometer

Cooler mash tun with stainless false bottom, stainless valve and a three inch dial probe thermometer.

$215.15 View on Amazon

MRbrew

MRbrew 10 Gallon Brew Kettle with Thermometer

Budget ten gallon stainless kettle with a built-in thermometer.

$138.99 View on Amazon

Concord

Concord Deluxe Banjo Propane Burner (200,000 BTU)

High output banjo burner on a stand, enough to bring ten gallons to a rolling boil outdoors.

$109.98 View on Amazon

TAPCRAFT

TAPCRAFT Cooler Mash Tun Conversion Kit

False bottom, full port ball valve and gaskets to convert a drinks cooler you already own into a mash tun.

$84.99 View on Amazon

Related on BrewGearCalc

• Electric vs propane brewing
• Brew in a bag vs a traditional mash
• Mash water calculator
• Boil-off calculator
• Brewing setups

Frequently asked questions

Is all-in-one brewing as good as a three vessel setup?

For a typical five gallon batch, yes. An all-in-one system mashes and boils in the same kettle, which produces the same wort chemistry as a three vessel setup following the same recipe. The main trade-off is capacity and flexibility at larger batch sizes, not the quality of what ends up in the fermenter.

How much does a basic three vessel setup cost?

Adding a mash tun like the Learn To Brew Igloo at $192.99, a kettle like the MRbrew 10 Gallon at $138.99 and a burner like the Concord Deluxe Banjo at $109.98 comes to roughly $441.96 before hoses or a chiller. That puts a basic three vessel build above the cheapest all-in-one options in this catalog.

Can I start with all-in-one and switch to three vessel later?

Yes, and it is a common path. Many brewers start with a single vessel all-in-one system to learn the process, then add a dedicated mash tun and kettle later when they want larger batches. The all-in-one system does not become useless; some brewers keep it as a dedicated boil kettle or for smaller test batches.

Do I need a pump for an all-in-one system?

Not strictly, but it helps. A pump recirculates wort during the mash, which can improve temperature consistency and conversion without constant manual stirring. Several all-in-one listings in this catalog, including the Mash and Boil and BrewZilla lines, are sold in both pump and no-pump versions at different prices, so you can add recirculation later if you decide you want it.

Why would anyone choose three vessel brewing if it costs more?

Because it scales. A three vessel setup lets a brewer size the mash tun, kettle and burner independently, which matters once batch sizes grow past what a single all-in-one vessel can hold. It also suits a brewer who already owns a propane burner from another hobby and only needs to add vessels.

Which uses less counter or floor space, all-in-one or three vessel?

All-in-one uses less space by design, since everything happens in one vessel with one stand. Three vessel brewing needs room for a hot liquor tank or heat source, a mash tun and a boil kettle, plus the hoses and clamps connecting them, which makes it a harder fit for a small kitchen, apartment or shared garage.

Researched from published brewing formulas, manufacturer specifications and verified owner reviews. This is general guidance, not professional advice.