DIY BoilerMaker Clone

So I'm planning my next brew system upgrades, and I'm looking to go with an eHERMS system. The first step, though, is to upgrade from my aluminum stock pot to a nicer boil kettle.

I really like the Blichmann BoilerMaker, but the price is a bit steep (though I'm sure totally worth it). I'm wondering if anyone has built similar stainless steel kettles with all or most of the same features for less? I'm pretty handy and have built a cooler MLT and CFC, so I'm totally comfortable putting together a kettle, but I haven't seen many tutorials that aren't keggles Just trying to find out how feasible and economic that'd be.

Thanks!

I would say pick up a Concord SS pot of your size choice and start drilling. Converting a regular SS pot to a boil kettle is essentially the same thing for a keg or a pot. You'll need a step bit to drill your holes for your ball valve and site glass/therm combo. Not sure if you wanted the auto sparge, but I'm sure you could fit that to any pot given the diameter will allow for it. You can get a 15 gallon Concord pot for about $100 shipped. You should be able to get the rest for under $100 easily. Done

Edit: A simple brass/SS 90 degree elbow can serve as a dip tube too.

I've done a bunch of research online... and found I can get 25 gallon SS Stock Pots on ebay for about 100 bucks.

I've also seen some articles about how to build your own Thermowell for a fraction of the price a new one costs .. using compression fittings, bulk head and some copper pipe.

I don't know what kind of false bottom Blichman uses in the Boiler Makers but I checked out some stuff from Nor Cal Brewing Solutions and liked what I saw. Their Jaybird false bottoms aren't cheap, but I feel I'd increase my efficiency using one... so I'm about to install one of them in a keggle.

I picked up a DuraChoice Thermometer with a 3" face on Amazon for about 15 bucks from "Direct Material"... I plan to install that into a home made thermowell.

Lastly, I've seen people using brass ball valves with false bottoms, but I think they may have stopped making them in brass. I saw some SS ball valves for about 10 bucks, plus 3 bucks shipping on ebay... I know the Boiler Maker's dont use those, but it might work for you're new build.

The only thing I can not comment on is the sight glass since I have no experience using one and/or installing one. However, I did find this kit... also from Nor Cal Brewing Solutions (which comes with a sight glass) :

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jaybird-Bee...676?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item417b94215c

It might not be the most cost effective option... but if you bought a kit like that one, and picked up a stainless stock pot for under a hundred bucks... you'd still be in good shape and paying less for essentially, the same thing... You could probably reuse some of your existing equipment too... like whatever false bottom you have now, same with the ball valve. That might save you some cash. I build just about everything I need for brewing, myself, and could never justify purchasing a piece of equipment, for 500 bucks or more, that I can probably build myself, for less than half the cost.

Good Luck with the build.

For what it's worth, I just built a 20 gallon (80 quart) concord mash tun with a norcal false bottom for less than $300. No thermometer/RTD in the tun and no sight gauge as I have those on my eBK and my (herms coil installed) eHLT. The false bottom was half the cost of the new mash tun.

Brewhardware has great site glass kits in whatever config you'd want to install them.

Stainless 2 piece ball valve, compression fitting, dip tube and male stainless camlock out.

The new tun works AWESOME!

Cheers.

BSD

It's seemed like this will be a BK, so you won't need a false bottom which will cut off a large chunk of $$$.

I might be wrong though....

Thanks for all the great feedback! The Concord pots do look like a pretty good deal.

I won't need a false bottom for the BK, but I will need one later. I do really like the stepped bottom on the BoilerMaker; has anyone found other pots like that? Seems pretty rare.

One concern is that the Concord pots are wider and shorter than the comparable BoilerMakers. Eventually, I want to have 3 pots (HLT, MLT, BK) that all match, but if I went Concord for the MLT in the future, is there an issue with the width-height ratio when it comes to smaller mashes? I'd like to have the flexibility to do smaller 5-gal batches when testing recipes.

On that note, I was thinking of doing 3 20-gallon pots in the long run (like The Electric Brewery). However, Blichmann suggests a 15-15-20 combo for 10-gallon batches. What are the pros and cons of doing all the same size (which IMO would look prettier) vs. varied sizes?

I'll admit I'm sucker for my toys looking pretty...

I had the 25 gallon pot for a bit and boil off was in the range of 2.5 gallons. But the 20 gallons is smaller. If your goal is 10 gallon batches 20 gallon pots would be the best choice. I'd assume the larger pot is for the BK and it's simply to ease the heart for boil overs (guessing here).

A 5 gallon mash is going to look pretty small in 15 or 20 gallon pot. But since you'd be using eHERMS and you've insulated the pot (which you'd want to do for the MLT regardless usually), I don't see why it would be an issue.

Besides Midwest supplies has the 20 Boilermaker listed with a 17.7" diameter where as the Concord is listed as a 18" diameter. That's an easy decision for me

I used the Boilermaker 30 gal false bottom in a Northern Brewer 20 gal Megapot. The diameter is almost perfect. I tacked a 1/2" tall stainless band onto the perimeter of the false bottom to keep grain from getting underneath the slightly exposed edges. Then I added a center drain to the bottom of the Megapot (which could be avoided by using a pickup tube, as in the Boilermaker).

Bayou classic brew kettle w/ false bottom also looks nice and has welded bulkhead fittings.

If you want to go cheap, AL stock posts are less expensive and easy to modify.

rgauthier20420 said:

If your goal is 10 gallon batches 20 gallon pots would be the best choice.

A 5 gallon mash is going to look pretty small in 15 or 20 gallon pot. But since you'd be using eHERMS and you've insulated the pot (which you'd want to do for the MLT regardless usually), I don't see why it would be an issue.

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The plan is to be able to do 10 gallon batches regularly, but also be able to experiment with smaller 5 gallon batches. Good to hear that's doable with a 20 gallon pot You'd insulate the MLT anyway, even with an eHERMS?

rgauthier20420 said:

Besides Midwest supplies has the 20 Boilermaker listed with a 17.7" diameter where as the Concord is listed as a 18" diameter.

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Well that clears that up! I'm leaning pretty hard towards the Concord now and building it out myself.

Just curious, do the Concord lids hang on the handles like the BoilerMaker? Not a need, just a want

Yuri_Rage said:

I tacked a 1/2" tall stainless band onto the perimeter of the false bottom to keep grain from getting underneath the slightly exposed edges.

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Wouldn't that reduce efficiency due to some of the wort getting trapped around the edge?

I'm curious if anyone has experience with this false bottom (or a similar one) used in a bigger pot, like the Concord 20 gal: http://spikebrewing.com/collections/accessories/products/false-bottom

jCOSbrew said:

If you want to go cheap, AL stock posts are less expensive and easy to modify.

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I've got an aluminum pot now, and I'd really like to upgrade to stainless. Trying to go high quality DIY on a budget

Not to make anything more complicated by adding a third option but these deserve a look at:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-4-sets-JARHILL-96-70-49-35-QT-Stainless-Steel-Stock-Pots-Lid-Brew-Kettle-/261381358636?pt=Cookware&hash=item3cdb8b042c#shpCntId

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/does-anyone-have-any-info-these-pots-jarhill-96-70-qt-stainless-steel-stock-pots-414533/


I've built them out similar to the boilermakers and have had a great experience with them so far. I bought 3 sets and used the 17g pots and sold the others to friends. Unloading them at very small prices I was able to make my pots virtually free before adding the extras. They are certainly not as nice as the blichmanns, but at the cost savings it isn't really a fair comparison. These ball valves also help the price tag a little as well:
http://jadedbrewing.com/products/stainless-steel-3-piece-1-2-ball-valve

I've been meaning to do a write up of my results and build on the other thread, but I still have a few more additions I want to do before I do that. The short of it is there are a few caveats using wider base kettles. When mashing it is a little trickier to get volumes correct to get sparging going correctly because the grain isn't as tall in the kettle and makes flow rates and liquid levels little more volatile to changes (still learning and getting the knack of my new system). On the bk it does have a higher boil off rate, but you can really dial that down if needed with the pid. Bottom line I can still get the benefits of a system like this for over $1,000 less. Someday down the road I may or may not upgrade the pots to boilermakers for that perfect 1:2 ratio, nicer looks, increased strength and durability, and wow factor, but it would not be anytime soon and would be quite low on my list right now.

rgauthier20420 said:

It's seemed like this will be a BK, so you won't need a false bottom which will cut off a large chunk of $$$.

I might be wrong though....

Click to expand...

Personally having a false bottom in my BK rocks!

Spellman, the price is tempting, but it looks like the Jarhills are a lower grade of stainless, and have thinner walls. Also, I can only seem to find them in sets, not individually. I'd love to see a write-up of your builds, though!

jflongo, what's the purpose of a false bottom in a BK? I could see the advantage of a mesh filter for keeping out hop particles but I haven't noticed a need for a false bottom like Blichmann offers.

I'm almost sold on the Concords, but I have a question about sizing. I'm now considering making my setup big enough for half-barrel batches. I can't find any 30 gallon Concord pots, so I'm wondering if 25 gallons will be sufficient for brewing half-barrels? I know the general rule is that the capacity should be about double the batch size, at least for the boil kettle, but if I'm keeping an eye on it, it seems like it should be okay...

Thanks again for all the help, everyone!

benfarhner said:

Spellman, the price is tempting, but it looks like the Jarhills are a lower grade of stainless, and have thinner walls. Also, I can only seem to find them in sets, not individually. I'd love to see a write-up of your builds, though!

jflongo, what's the purpose of a false bottom in a BK? I could see the advantage of a mesh filter for keeping out hop particles but I haven't noticed a need for a false bottom like Blichmann offers.

I'm almost sold on the Concords, but I have a question about sizing. I'm now considering making my setup big enough for half-barrel batches. I can't find any 30 gallon Concord pots, so I'm wondering if 25 gallons will be sufficient for brewing half-barrels? I know the general rule is that the capacity should be about double the batch size, at least for the boil kettle, but if I'm keeping an eye on it, it seems like it should be okay...

Thanks again for all the help, everyone!

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I have a nice false bottom, with a 2nd filter stand underneath that, that my dip tube goes into. This does a great job helping with filtering.

I do a starting boil of about 13 gallons in my Keggle, I just have to watch the hot break carefully. So if you are looking to make 15 gallon batches and starting off with about 18 gallons to boil, 25 gallon should be ok. I have done a couple of 11 gallon batches in my keggle, so I don't need a 20 - 22 gallon pot for that, even though that would make the hot break a little less easier.

benfarhner said:

Wouldn't that reduce efficiency due to some of the wort getting trapped around the edge?

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Nope. There is no trapped wort. The band doesn't seal completely, it just provides some standoff for the false bottom.

jflongo said:

So if you are looking to make 15 gallon batches and starting off with about 18 gallons to boil, 25 gallon should be ok.

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That's good to know. Can anyone else speak from experience here? I just don't want to spring for 25 gallon kettles planning on brewing half-barrel batches, and end up having to brew smaller batches due to the kettle size.

I'm planning on this eventually being a PID-controlled electric system, so I shouldn't have problems with boil-overs (theoretically) once that's in place.

While there are certainly ways to make your own kettles with attachments, I have to offer my opinion and mention that if a real CLONE of a Blichmann Boilermaker is what you're after, I don't think there's any way to do that with 3rd party attachments on a regular kettle.

While some of the 3rd party sight glasses now have protected sides (a step in the right direction) none of them are graduated. They can't be, since every kettle is different. Without marked graduations a sight glass isn't much use. You can add on your own pieces of tape or use a marker but they won't look as nice, can rub off, etc.

The Blichmann false bottom is the second big reason I choose to go with Blichmann. The combination false bottom and stepped kettle bottom ensures that you don't get side wall shunting like you do with many other setups. The dip tube on the blichmann also does not stick out into the middle of the kettle (since all kettles are different), making stirring easier when you dough in. Last but not least, it's completely weldless so no tools are need to remove the false bottom when you go to clean it. It's quick and easy.

None of the above can be done without actually making a custom kettle with features built right in.

Yes, you can add 3rd party parts to any kettle but (IMHO) it won't be as easy to use or offer the same resilience/performance as a true Blichmann, so it'll never be a clone.

Good luck!

Kal

I've added a Blichmann false bottom to my Concord 25 gallon pot for my mash tun.

Concord 25 gallon pot: 19 1/2" diameter
Blichmann 30 gallon false bottom: 19 1/8" diameter

So that leaves you with a gap of 3/8 of an inch to fill.

Take five feet of thick-walled silicon tubing (3/16" of an inch thick) and cut it lengthwise. Then wrap that around the edge of the false bottom. Fits nice and snug, but can still be easily removed.

Voilà!

benfarhner said:

That's good to know. Can anyone else speak from experience here? I just don't want to spring for 25 gallon kettles planning on brewing half-barrel batches, and end up having to brew smaller batches due to the kettle size.

I'm planning on this eventually being a PID-controlled electric system, so I shouldn't have problems with boil-overs (theoretically) once that's in place.

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I have a 25 gallon Concord boil kettle on my electric setup. Yes, I can easily make 15 gallon batches without boilover.

The only thing bad about the Concord pots is that they're fatter and shorter than the usual brewing pots, so you have more surface area and that means more evaporation (and more water to begin with each brew day.) I lose about 2.5 gallons of water in a 60-minute boil. And I believe it also translates into not as vigorous of a boil. In my experience so far, this hasn't been a problem. I haven't made any beers with DMS problems to date. But I know some people like the wort practically jumping out of the pot. I don't get that kind of boil with a 5500-watt element.

A couple things, with those JarHill kettles and the issue of 18/0 ss, I haven't had any issues with that at all. Some people were having some of the chrome plating come off of the handles (which are not ss), but mine have been fine. I have been using mine for a couple months so far and have really liked them. I bought 3 sets so I could get 3 17g ones then sold the others at very low prices to friends and brew club. I actually came out like $50 ahead and had 3 free kettles!

As Kal mentioned, the big benefits to the Blichmann kettles is their shape design, wall thickness (the thinner of mine hasn't been an issue for me yet), and the false bottom is just a plain bad@ss design. I'm using a 12in bottom from a round cooler and it does work pretty well even though the design is flawed compared to a full width bottom. I'm getting 85% in 10g batches with grain that was milled at the store (I know, I know, a mill is on my list of things to get).

For me it was a matter of having my beer and drinking it too. For the price difference it was a no brainer for me to go with the cheaper, and the difference between being able to afford making the eherms switch or keeping my cooler/keggle setup I had been using. I am very pleased with my results so far and would definitely recommend this route to anyone. I know where they don't perform quite like the more expensive ones, because of their wider than optimal base, and using a smaller false bottom, and I have adapted around that. A big thanks to Kal is needed here because of his great website and vast information that it contains. I knew the drawbacks going into it and why they were drawbacks, which helped me to fine tune my setup thanks to him. As I said earlier, someday I may switch to the nicer kettles for their added benefits, but that would be years out at this point. I also figured if that day came it would be relatively easy to resell what I have for at least what I have in it, which makes it seem to me it is not money lost (at least that what I tell myself). Retro-fitting a bigger false bottom is something that does sound interesting to me though. Any pictures of that?

kal said:

Yes, you can add 3rd party parts to any kettle but (IMHO) it won't be as easy to use or offer the same resilience/performance as a true Blichmann, so it'll never be a clone.

Good luck!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the insight, Kal, I really appreciate it. I'm going to have to agree with everything you said. I really would like to splurge on the Blichmann kettles, but I just can't afford it right now. However, I will most likely plan on upgrading to those in the future just because they are such a superior product.

Spellman said:

A big thanks to Kal is needed here because of his great website and vast information that it contains. I knew the drawbacks going into it and why they were drawbacks, which helped me to fine tune my setup thanks to him.

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I'll second that: The Electric Brewery has been a huge inspiration, so a big thanks to Kal and all the effort he put into documenting the build. I think designing my control panel has been the most fun part of this planning process, even though it'll be the last component

Spellman, that's really where I'm at right now: trying to understand the pros and cons of all the options so I don't have regrets as soon as my build is done. Since I can't afford the Blichmanns right now, I want to make sure I'm going with the best option I can on my budget.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! It's been a huge help.