Hey Andrew.. forgot about this thread. The pots I was talking about were at Meyers on Cleveland Ave.. South of Coddingtown.. same side.
Are the Blichmann Boilermaker pots worth it?
- Thread starter 5DollsBrewery
- Start date
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Pretty much everything stainless is made in China or India. Vollrath and Polar Ware may be exceptions. Pretty much everything home brewers are using that are made of stainless came from China. Nothing wrong with that in general as we are seeing some high quality stainless.
BrewThruYou
Well-Known Member
Clad bottoms are necessary for soups, stews and gravies. It's not necessary for wort unless you put 1.21 jigaBTUs under it.
We'll agree to disagree. Clad bottoms help prevent scorched wort.
jcaudill said:
I've never scorched my wort in a 15g Blichmann even with my blichmann burner running wide open.
bottlebomber
Well-Known Member
HbgBill said:
Thanks Bill, I'll check them out next I'm down there. I looked them up online and noticed they are a restaurant supply. I assume you don't need a business account or anything to buy from them?
AnchorBock
Well-Known Member
I was debating between the Boilermaker and a Megapot, but just ordered a 15 gallon Megapot from Morebeer - clad bottom, welded ports (ball valve and cap included) with female ports on the inside that don't protrude into the kettle. The only thing I don't like about it is that it's wider then tall, but that's not the end of the world. I like the fact that I'll basically never have to worry about leaks/replacing o-rings. I didn't have much need for a sight glass since I BIAB and I don't plan to use a thermometer on the kettle for now so the $135 I saved can go towards something else (maybe a Blichmann burner/legs).
Ok so to sum up this thread. You're not going to get a kettle with dip tube, 3 piece ball valve, adjustable angle thermometer, and sight glass direct from a manufacturer other than blichmann. Hence there is not equal product on the market at any price. If you want all of the features of the blichmann you are going to have to build. (in my research buying a competitive or and adding sight glass and dip tube would cost about the same and not be as good as the blichmann solution)
So the question a buyer must ask is do I want a sight glass and dip tube? I did and I bought the blichmann my lovely bride agreed to the purchase aft she spent way too much on a pair of Kate spade shoes. I personally like the dip tube because it allows all but 1/2 quart of liquid to drain from the kettle (pending hop load if course) it also prevents me from having to tip the kettle to get the last bit if wort and disturbing the hops/break material. It would be nice if there was a no thermometer and no sigh glass option for the budget minded brewer looking for a Boile kettle, but the sit glass is super useful for sparging and guaging boil off and the thermometer can't add more than $50 to the price. It would also be nice if blichmann sold their dip tube and ball valve set up to install on competitive kettles. If they did I might have a different kettle, perhaps e LHBS could have sourced them as replacement parts. All in all though blichmann makes a kettle that is ready to go out of the box and I find a lot of value in that. I would love for it to cost less but buying a competitors cheaper kettle would have left me doing DIY for an inferior dip tube set up and and inferior sight glass. For probably the same cost.
So the question a buyer must ask is do I want a sight glass and dip tube? I did and I bought the blichmann my lovely bride agreed to the purchase aft she spent way too much on a pair of Kate spade shoes. I personally like the dip tube because it allows all but 1/2 quart of liquid to drain from the kettle (pending hop load if course) it also prevents me from having to tip the kettle to get the last bit if wort and disturbing the hops/break material. It would be nice if there was a no thermometer and no sigh glass option for the budget minded brewer looking for a Boile kettle, but the sit glass is super useful for sparging and guaging boil off and the thermometer can't add more than $50 to the price. It would also be nice if blichmann sold their dip tube and ball valve set up to install on competitive kettles. If they did I might have a different kettle, perhaps e LHBS could have sourced them as replacement parts. All in all though blichmann makes a kettle that is ready to go out of the box and I find a lot of value in that. I would love for it to cost less but buying a competitors cheaper kettle would have left me doing DIY for an inferior dip tube set up and and inferior sight glass. For probably the same cost.
bdjohns1
Well-Known Member
Gartywood said:
That's only true because you're arbitrarily restricting the market to what you can buy off the shelf with the specific add-ons you want. False choice.
And, putting my 3A sanitary design hat on, I'll still argue that any kettle using weldless fittings will be inferior to a design using sanitary fittings, whether tri-clamp, DIN beveled fittings, etc. By that logic, Stout offers the only off-the-shelf option.
I agree. It's like saying Chevy is the best choice for car because they have OnStar.
I would also agree the Stout has the best 'off the shelf' kettles. The sanitary is not necessarily needed but makes cleaning very easy but the price is a little steep for most peoples budget.
I actually Wasnt aware of stout when I bought mine if I were buying now or buying another I would definately consider stout. As my purchase is done I haven't done much research. I like the customization from the factory (angled whirlpool port available) haven't really looked at their dip tube or sight glass options.
sawbossFogg
Well-Known Member
What about the Stout kettles!? I've brewed all grain batches for years w hoakie equip. I've got a paddle and thermometer, do I really need a sight glass and thermo for a kettle? I dont think so. What I would like though is a whirlpool option and tri-clamp fittings. What say you?
You could just go to a restaurant supply site and order a stock pot. If you want it welded, just find someone who can TIG weld and make what you want. But, you still need a good step bit, a good drill and a steady hand. Then find someone to TIG weld the fitting. In the case of the 15 gallon pot at the link below, I think I would just order the Spike kettle. TIG welding is not cheap and if you don't have a step bit, you'll need to buy that and the coupler. It would cost me approx $164 with shipping to buy the 15gal 18/8 stockpot at this restaurant supply and then it needs a hole, fitting and welding. In this case the Spike kettle is a better deal.
http://www.webstaurantstore.com/2737/stainless-steel-stockpots.html
http://www.webstaurantstore.com/2737/stainless-steel-stockpots.html
Or check out my kettles I'm thinking of selling that are 80 qt and have already been welded 
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=346229
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=346229
I'm going to bump this post from the dead.
I'm in the market for a new kettle and will be getting into all grain very soon. I just finished rigging up my own 10 gallon mash tun Igloo cooler and will be using my current 10 gallon brew kettle for sparge water. I got my current SS kettle off Amazon for only 80 dollars, and it's the most basic of basic kettles. There are a few reasons why I want to upgrade, but the biggest one is that I want a ball valve so I can eliminate the use of my siphon during the brew process (as I have a SS Technologies Brew Bucket for fermenting). I know that several cheaper pots on the market can easily do this, however I've been weighing my options and I really like 10 gallon Blichmann. I want to talk about the pros and cons of the Blichmann for any homebrewer that might share my situation and the alternatives you have.
1. Like others have mentioned on this thread, I don't plan on doing any 10 gallon batches in the future. I'm really the only one drinking the brew and it takes time for me to get through two cases of beer. I like homebrewing because I can experiment with different ingredients to create different tastes and I love a variety - 10 gallon batches don't really loan themselves to variety (unless you decide to pitch different yeasts or throw in different additions during fermenting.) I don't keg (right now) either, so filling 4 cases of beer at once would make my life awful on bottling day. A 15 gallon pot seems a bit excessive for my needs (I haven't come close to boiling over on my current, wider 10 gallon pot either so I'm not concerned about needing more head space). Additionally, a 15 gallon pot can be counter productive due to the fact that the thermometer on a 15 gallon Blichmann doesn't even reach the 5 gallon mark.
2. I still plan on doing extract batches. For all grain brewing, a built in thermometer doesn't pose a big advantage until it comes to wort chilling, however it will come in handy for steeping specialty grains in extract brewing. Obviously a probe thermometer can easily be substituted, but if I'm upgrading, then it's something that would come in handy.
3. What's really appealing with the Blichmann to me is the sight glass. When collecting wort for all grain, it'd be nice to see the volume of my first and second runnings. Again, I know a dowel or plastic spoon with markings can do this for me, however it's an upgrade that seems worth it for my purposes.
Now the question becomes are those things worth $350 dollars (with shipping) compared to what else is on the market?
A great alternative would be the MegaPot 1.2 from Northern Brewer... but for less than 80 dollars, you get the sight glass and dip tube from Blichmann. The way I see it, if you're spending 250+ on a kettle, what's an extra 100 dollars to get all the features you want? I'm sure others feel differently about that, which is perfectly valid.
Spike Brewing (whose links and posts are in this thread) has a 10 gallon kettle with sight glass, however after adding the ball valve and adjustable thermometer, the total is 320 dollars. The advantage here is a welded coupling for the ball valve, however it seems that the sight glass and thermometer fitting are not welded. Also, there is not a dip tube, so for 30 dollars more, it seems that the Blichmann would be the better option.
A more competitive option is a Stout kettle in my opinion. The advantage with a Stout kettle is that the ball valve is welded along with the thermometer, and rather than messing around with Teflon tape and worrying about the threading becoming corroded over time, it attaches with tri clamp fittings which seems unique to the pot.
Again, there is a downfall with this pot as well: the pot (without sight glass) is $290, shipping to the east coast is $45, and a PayPal surcharge (which I've never seen any merchant charge to the consumer) is $8, bringing the total to $343. Additionally, this pot is only 9.2 gallons, does not come with sight glass at that price, and does not include a dip tube. Also, their customer service seems a bit spotty - a gentleman ordered one of their kettles and it leaked; rather than immediately rectifying the situation by sending a new kettle, they asked the customer to find a welder to repair it (https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/stout-brew-kettles-275285/index2.html). As a company, they seem a bit abrasive as well. To quote their website when you hit the "contact us" link:
"We try to answer all emails promptly (within a day), but we aren't always successful. Frankly, it seems like you sometimes all conspire to send your emails all in the same day, leaving us sweating over our keyboards trying to catch up. Meanwhile, the dog demands we throw her now-naked tennis ball and barks until we do. So, if we don't get back to you in a week (or sooner if its urgent), we may have thrown up our arms in despair and run to our kitchen to check on our latest ferment. We won't feel bad if you send another email gently reminding us that we haven't answered you yet. It is also possible you typed in your email wrong the first time, and we did answer, and you never got it."
I get the humor in here, however I personally feel that this is unprofessional. From my perspective if they don't feel like answering your question if they're too busy, then they simply won't.
In summary, the Blichmann Boilermaker seems like reasonable and affordable option if you are honest with yourself when thinking what it is you need out of a brew kettle. It is a weldless system, so over time your o-rings may fail you, which is the biggest detriment in my opinion. Hope this helps those who are deciding on a upgrade. I'm not completely sold and a I have a few months before I have to make my decision, but I will likely go with the Blichmann 10 gallon.
I'm in the market for a new kettle and will be getting into all grain very soon. I just finished rigging up my own 10 gallon mash tun Igloo cooler and will be using my current 10 gallon brew kettle for sparge water. I got my current SS kettle off Amazon for only 80 dollars, and it's the most basic of basic kettles. There are a few reasons why I want to upgrade, but the biggest one is that I want a ball valve so I can eliminate the use of my siphon during the brew process (as I have a SS Technologies Brew Bucket for fermenting). I know that several cheaper pots on the market can easily do this, however I've been weighing my options and I really like 10 gallon Blichmann. I want to talk about the pros and cons of the Blichmann for any homebrewer that might share my situation and the alternatives you have.
1. Like others have mentioned on this thread, I don't plan on doing any 10 gallon batches in the future. I'm really the only one drinking the brew and it takes time for me to get through two cases of beer. I like homebrewing because I can experiment with different ingredients to create different tastes and I love a variety - 10 gallon batches don't really loan themselves to variety (unless you decide to pitch different yeasts or throw in different additions during fermenting.) I don't keg (right now) either, so filling 4 cases of beer at once would make my life awful on bottling day. A 15 gallon pot seems a bit excessive for my needs (I haven't come close to boiling over on my current, wider 10 gallon pot either so I'm not concerned about needing more head space). Additionally, a 15 gallon pot can be counter productive due to the fact that the thermometer on a 15 gallon Blichmann doesn't even reach the 5 gallon mark.
2. I still plan on doing extract batches. For all grain brewing, a built in thermometer doesn't pose a big advantage until it comes to wort chilling, however it will come in handy for steeping specialty grains in extract brewing. Obviously a probe thermometer can easily be substituted, but if I'm upgrading, then it's something that would come in handy.
3. What's really appealing with the Blichmann to me is the sight glass. When collecting wort for all grain, it'd be nice to see the volume of my first and second runnings. Again, I know a dowel or plastic spoon with markings can do this for me, however it's an upgrade that seems worth it for my purposes.
Now the question becomes are those things worth $350 dollars (with shipping) compared to what else is on the market?
A great alternative would be the MegaPot 1.2 from Northern Brewer... but for less than 80 dollars, you get the sight glass and dip tube from Blichmann. The way I see it, if you're spending 250+ on a kettle, what's an extra 100 dollars to get all the features you want? I'm sure others feel differently about that, which is perfectly valid.
Spike Brewing (whose links and posts are in this thread) has a 10 gallon kettle with sight glass, however after adding the ball valve and adjustable thermometer, the total is 320 dollars. The advantage here is a welded coupling for the ball valve, however it seems that the sight glass and thermometer fitting are not welded. Also, there is not a dip tube, so for 30 dollars more, it seems that the Blichmann would be the better option.
A more competitive option is a Stout kettle in my opinion. The advantage with a Stout kettle is that the ball valve is welded along with the thermometer, and rather than messing around with Teflon tape and worrying about the threading becoming corroded over time, it attaches with tri clamp fittings which seems unique to the pot.
Again, there is a downfall with this pot as well: the pot (without sight glass) is $290, shipping to the east coast is $45, and a PayPal surcharge (which I've never seen any merchant charge to the consumer) is $8, bringing the total to $343. Additionally, this pot is only 9.2 gallons, does not come with sight glass at that price, and does not include a dip tube. Also, their customer service seems a bit spotty - a gentleman ordered one of their kettles and it leaked; rather than immediately rectifying the situation by sending a new kettle, they asked the customer to find a welder to repair it (https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/stout-brew-kettles-275285/index2.html). As a company, they seem a bit abrasive as well. To quote their website when you hit the "contact us" link:
"We try to answer all emails promptly (within a day), but we aren't always successful. Frankly, it seems like you sometimes all conspire to send your emails all in the same day, leaving us sweating over our keyboards trying to catch up. Meanwhile, the dog demands we throw her now-naked tennis ball and barks until we do. So, if we don't get back to you in a week (or sooner if its urgent), we may have thrown up our arms in despair and run to our kitchen to check on our latest ferment. We won't feel bad if you send another email gently reminding us that we haven't answered you yet. It is also possible you typed in your email wrong the first time, and we did answer, and you never got it."
I get the humor in here, however I personally feel that this is unprofessional. From my perspective if they don't feel like answering your question if they're too busy, then they simply won't.
In summary, the Blichmann Boilermaker seems like reasonable and affordable option if you are honest with yourself when thinking what it is you need out of a brew kettle. It is a weldless system, so over time your o-rings may fail you, which is the biggest detriment in my opinion. Hope this helps those who are deciding on a upgrade. I'm not completely sold and a I have a few months before I have to make my decision, but I will likely go with the Blichmann 10 gallon.
jpalarchio
Well-Known Member
I think you answered your own question and had about the same analysis that I did.
Are there cheaper options? Yep.
I feel like when compared to some other options, it's more of well designed product as opposed to a pot with some stuff added to it.
I wish the ball valve wasn't weldless, not because I've had a problem but because I could see how you could. I bought an extra set of o-rings when I bought my Boilermaker.
I suppose part of what you're buying is marketing hype but I haven't run across anyone that bought a Boilermaker and later said they regretted it.
