Are the Blichmann Boilermaker pots worth it?

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Calichusetts said:
Sight glasses are absolutely pointless...I've got a 1 foot lab thermometer that I can hitch up to the top of my kettle...I filled my kettle and marked off what temp marking was what volume. I've never failed to hit my intended post boil volume to withing half a quart. I'd rather have to wipe off a thermo then clean a sight glass, and I would never pay for one. Just my opinion but I have never seen the need for these. Then again I am in indoor brewer so season and humidity play a smaller role in my boils.

Just to reinforce that idea. I did my first recipe this morning with leaf instead of pellet, and my first brew under 8%. Estimated absorption from hops and loss of absorption from less grain and still hit my mark. Just had to delay my 10 minute addition by 3 minute

Its the first page of my brew log. I mark what temp (C and F) equals what volume and then do some simple math to find the exact amount each degree (or five degrees) is per quart. Very simple, takes 10 minutes tops, and you can even be heating up your water while doing it so it actually doesn't take up an extra time.
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So you are calling something you don't own and have never used absolutely pointless? Just because you have found a zero cost alternative that you are satisfied with, doesn't make them pointless. They are incredibly useful, and the cleaning process being overly difficult is completely exaggerated.
 
Markd27 said:
So you are calling something you don't own and have never used absolutely pointless? Just because you have found a zero cost alternative that you are satisfied with, doesn't make them pointless. They are incredibly useful, and the cleaning process being overly difficult is completely exaggerated.
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I'll say. Take your garden hose with the nozzle set to 'jet' stick it in the top hole and let loose. If you feel you still have hop trub in there take the top off and run a brush through it. I can get it in 5 min or less.
 
Are 15/20 gallon Boilermakers worth $400, no. Are they arguably the best homebrew vessels available, yes. If I could afford 3 of them, I would definitely buy them. I currently just use kegs, but I want to support homebrew vendors.
 
I think the best advice is to map out where you want to go with your brew setup. 5 and 10 gallon batches can be done nicely with a 15 gallon pot. I think a sightglass can be more trouble and cost than it is worth. There are many spread sheets that can give you the volume of your kettle by measuring the level with a tape. I use a kettle with a false bottom and a braided strainer that works great. No problems with whole or pellet hops. Clean-up is important, I like tri-clamps. A thermometer is a luxury (I have one on my system).

If you can afford it or save some money on your brew kettle, a good burner is great addition to your system.

Remeber this is part of a system.
 
Markd27 said:
So you are calling something you don't own and have never used absolutely pointless? Just because you have found a zero cost alternative that you are satisfied with, doesn't make them pointless. They are incredibly useful, and the cleaning process being overly difficult is completely exaggerated.
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Yes...pointless. One more thing to clean or could leak/break, can be done with a mash paddle or my method. I'm certainly not drooling over the use borosilicate glass either. BTW...read my post, never said it was overly difficult to clean, just that you have to clean it. I also stated that this was just my opinion, you are entitled to yours.

Cheers
 
Markd27 said:
So you are calling something you don't own and have never used absolutely pointless? Just because you have found a zero cost alternative that you are satisfied with, doesn't make them pointless. They are incredibly useful, and the cleaning process being overly difficult is completely exaggerated.
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I referred to sight glasses as a waste of money, but pointless works also.

The only situation where one might be useful is when you cannot easily see into the pot. For example a HLT which is up high on a gravity fed system.
 
Calichusetts said:
Yes...pointless. One more thing to clean or could leak/break, can be done with a mash paddle or my method. I'm certainly not drooling over the use borosilicate glass either. BTW...read my post, never said it was overly difficult to clean, just that you have to clean it. I also stated that this was just my opinion, you are entitled to yours.

Cheers
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With your logic, home brewing is pretty pointless. So many things clean or break or leak when you can just go to the store and buy a sixer.

:mug:
 
Markd27 said:
With your logic, home brewing is pretty pointless. So many things clean or break or leak when you can just go to the store and buy a sixer.

:mug:
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Worst. Analysis. Ever.

Now we are just hijacking the thread...back to my original point. If I had to get two kettles for a setup and had $800...I would personally have a lot more left over than blichmann owners
 
I own a 15 gal blichman. Bought it to step up to full wort boils (with a bonus check from work). Nice pot. use it as my MLT now. I could not justify the same price for a HLT (it holds warm water, that's it), and for my BK (already had planned other holes in this pot, would bring down resale value if that ever is needed). As a MLT with their false bottom, works pretty good. But it does have a problem holding heat in cool weather. If going a traditional 3 pot AG system, it was hard to justify the added expense. But I do like it, not sure if any of that helps.

And yes, I find site gauges to be very helpful.
 
NB: I don't own anything from Blichmann, Stout, Spike, etc. My pot is a stainless pot I bought off Amazon for $130ish (triple ply bottom) and soldered/brazed on my own fittings.

I don't think Blichmann is worth the money. If I weren't taking the DIY approach, I'd get Stout gear, because as someone who earns his paycheck working in food and beverage manufacturing, Stout's equipment looks the closest to what I see used every day to handle millions of pounds of milk and cream.
 
I have 3 Boilermakers in 20/15/15 as well as a Spike 15 gallon I use as my BK for 5 gallon batches. I prefer the Spike kettle as a BK as it is easy to clean and fits my system needs quite nicely. But if you are in need of a 15 gallon direct fired mash tun, the Boilermaker has no match. The Boilermaker false bottom is the best in the business and is worth every penny. But as a BK, I'd rather have something light and simple. I prefer my BK to not have a sight glass or thermometer.

Here's a pic from last weekend when I brewed 3 batches with the Spike kettle. Very nice kettle, especially for the price.
photo-20.jpg
 
Thanks so much for the replies guys. Didn't mean for this to turn into a flame war but I did learn a ton from it. I'm going with a 15 gallon with the info I've gotten from you all and still debating price points with the bride so we shall see.

Thanks again.
 
never had a sight glass but for me i would imagine the convenience of clearly reading the level on the outside of the pot from a distance as opposed to having to stick your head over the top and reading it in heat and water vapor would be worth the extra time cleaning it.
 
5DollsBrewery said:
Thanks so much for the replies guys. Didn't mean for this to turn into a flame war but I did learn a ton from it. I'm going with a 15 gallon with the info I've gotten from you all and still debating price points with the bride so we shall see.

Thanks again.
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Good luck in your search. Where in St. Louis are you from?
 
Irrenarzt said:
I have 3 Boilermakers in 20/15/15 as well as a Spike 15 gallon I use as my BK for 5 gallon batches. I prefer the Spike kettle as a BK as it is easy to clean and fits my system needs quite nicely. But if you are in need of a 15 gallon direct fired mash tun, the Boilermaker has no match. The Boilermaker false bottom is the best in the business and is worth every penny. But as a BK, I'd rather have something light and simple. I prefer my BK to not have a sight glass or thermometer.

Here's a pic from last weekend when I brewed 3 batches with the Spike kettle. Very nice kettle, especially for the price.
photo-20.jpg
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Thanks for this. I'm currently considering the Spike 15 gallon kettle with the ball valve because I only intend to use it as a boil kettle.
 
No sweat. I prefer a more streamlined BK. Some people want a thermometer and a sightglass and if that's the case, the Blichmann is the best there is but for a BK I see no need for either unless you are tracking brewhouse efficiency every batch. I know my efficiency well enough that I don't really see a need to track it so there is no need for a sightglass for a BK as it's just one more thing to break. I hate the thermometer probe sticking out into the boil when I'm stirring in my BK so I just stick a thermometer in there when I chill. When it comes to the BK, I like to keep it simple. A nice valve and a whirlpool return is all I want. The Spike is a nice kettle to modify to your needs as it is well made and the price is right.

dip.jpg
 
bdjohns1 said:
I don't think Blichmann is worth the money. If I weren't taking the DIY approach, I'd get Stout gear, because as someone who earns his paycheck working in food and beverage manufacturing, Stout's equipment looks the closest to what I see used every day to handle millions of pounds of milk and cream.
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I own the 15gal Blichmann kettle and I feel it presents value for the money. I certainly don't regret purchasing it. I've seen SS pots that seem "cheap" for their cost and the Blichmann doesn't fit that bill. Not everyone will want a sight glass or thermometer so I would be nice if a version was available without, but I'm still very happy with my kettle. Do note that if you buy the 15g to do 5g batches don't count on using the thermometer as it requires about 6.5g volume to make contact with the probe.

That being said, had I know about Stout I likely would have purchased from them instead. Their kit appears to be well made and is certainly affordable. As I continue to price out and mull over a conical fermenter I have little doubt I'll buy from Stout at this point.. I can get a 7.3g conical with short legs and tri clamp fittings for half of what the Blichmann 7g with tri clamp costs.
 
Is the gauge of stainless steel about the same on the spike kettles as the blichmann?
 
Okay, thanks guys. Leaning towards the spike 15 gallon with the ball valve as a boil kettle
 
I am thinking of spike or a penrose kettle for my mash tun / boiler. I am leaning towards.penrose. i have a 13.5 gallon spike. Its a good kettle. So maybe something new plus penrose handles fold.down
 
Crito said:
I am thinking of spike or a penrose kettle for my mash tun / boiler. I am leaning towards.penrose. i have a 13.5 gallon spike. Its a good kettle. So maybe something new plus penrose handles fold.down
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As you can see our welding has improved since your 13.5gal kettle was made. I always give big props to the Penrose. They found a way to make a kettle here in the US at a competitive price. It's a little rough but some would call that unique :mug:
 
Ur stuff is great. Ur welds are food grade. Love my kettle. Came with a lid and a steamer plate. Its my go to kettle for boiling. Fits.on my stove. A lot of good things to be said about ur kettles.
 
SpikeBrewing said:
It's a little rough but some would call that unique :mug:
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Just googled it. Butt ugly is what I'm calling it but the free ship and USA made is definitely praiseworthy
 
Crito said:
Ur stuff is great. Ur welds are food grade. Love my kettle. Came with a lid and a steamer plate. Its my go to kettle for boiling. Fits.on my stove. A lot of good things to be said about ur kettles.
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Who are you talking to exactly?
 
bottlebomber said:
Who are you talking to exactly?
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Spikes. I got that kettle due to the height plus the other reasons above. I probably go penrose for my mash tun.
 
If you are truly only doing 5 gallon batches then the 10G Blichmann should be more than enough, assuming you aren't planning to do no-sparge BIAB. If you are thinking about doing 10G batches then go with the 15. It should be noted that the taller thinner Blichmann pots will have a lower boil off rate than the shorter wider pots so you don't need a crazy excess of space to prevent boil overs. Also, as someone else mentioned the thermometer will be a bit too high if you decide to go with the 15G. Having said that, a thermometer isn't that useful in a BK... possibly only to tell when you are done chilling via an immersion chiller. Either way, I decided against getting the 15G and went with the 10G and couldn't be happier. If I decide I need something bigger I could easily sell my used 10G on CL for a small loss. Cheers
 
Blichmann kettles are great. Heavy duty, includes sight glass and decent thermometer and 3-piece ball valve. Stepped bottom and their great false bottom make for a killer mash tun. I do 5 gallon batches and use the 10 gallon, plenty of room.
 
kevin509 said:
Blichmann kettles are great. Heavy duty, includes sight glass and decent thermometer and 3-piece ball valve. Stepped bottom and their great false bottom make for a killer mash tun. I do 5 gallon batches and use the 10 gallon, plenty of room.
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Do you have all blichmanns for your setup? All 10g? If so what's the biggest 5G brew were you able to make in terms of ABV or lbs of grain?
 
I was knocking around stores today.. Went to a local restaurant n supply store and my eyes fixed on a couple of stainless pots with lids.. Now, these were the heavy duty kind with the triple clad.. very thick aluminum/stainless bottoms.. Great handles and thick stainless body.. On sale.. 40 Qt.. $108.. I forget what the 60 Qt was.. but it was about $150... AWESOME.

On the way home, I stopped at Wal-Mart and saw a heavy duty stainless pot with triple clad bottom. I think it was 22 Qt.. about $56 if I remember correctly.. Perfect for Partial/Mini Mash.

There you have it.. awesome prices for awesome pots. Some argue that the thick triple clad bottoms aren't necessary. Maybe not.. one can get by with the cheap thin ones.. but, if scorching may be a problem for those doing extract or mini-mash which uses extract.. I, me, this guy believes in them.. especially for those prices.

I'm picking up the 60 and 40 for the future and will probably have s spigot put in each for when I up to 10-15 gallon batches.
 
HbgBill said:
On the way home, I stopped at Wal-Mart and saw a heavy duty stainless pot with triple clad bottom. I think it was 22 Qt.. about $56 if I remember correctly.. Perfect for Partial/Mini Mash.
.
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Telesman said:
Is this true? :confused:
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I know my better homes and garden one is made in china. Pretty sure that is the same place bill got his and I got mine from. I picked might up around the turn of the year and Wal-Mart has now dropped the line for a different vendor. Not sure what the new company's name is, but looked at one the other day and still a pretty HD Pot.
 
I have the stout 20/20/20 with their 15 gallon fermenter.

I chose them because I could customize my setup. I added a ferrule here and there As well as a tasting port for the fermenter.

John has been great to work with. I had a couple manufacturing problems as well as some shipping damage and John was quick to work it out with me. Given how he responded when I had an issue I won't hesitate to buy from again.
 
If you're looking for a straight-forward answer - you'll never get one. This is one of those things that will be debated to Ad nauseam. My opinion: there's nothing special about Blichmann. That is to say: there is nothing about the pot that is special and warrants the cost over another pot. I love the Update International SPS series pots and here's why:

1) They're inexpensive.
2) The clad bottom is beautiful and will prevent wort from scorching as well as ensure an even heating. I would never own another pot without one unless it was a steam jacketed pot.
3) When it gets scratched up, or when you have to make a customization you're not going to have as much heartache on a pot that costs 150 bucks versus something that costs 300-500. And believe me - both scenarios will happen whether you like it or not.

Unless you have the opportunity to get Blichmann pots cheap, I'd really think twice.
 

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