WilliamsWarn is really a fermentation and dispensing system. It seems that it cannot heat water at all. They tell you that if you want to steep grains or add flavor/aroma hops, to do that in a pot on the stove or teapot (for the hops). I think its really just meant to work with their canned extracts. Plus, it dispenses from the fermenter, so your fermenter would be unavailable until the batch is drank.