Blichmann Accessories

Hi,

I seem to be acquiring Blichmann accessories; I now have a TopTier brew stand, and a 10-gallon BoilerMaker.

I really like them.

But I'm wondering about some things. First and foremost, the spigot for the BoilerMaker leaves a lot of wort in the pot; I can pour it out at the end, but I have to leave some in to avoid pouring a lot of the crud with it. Is there a better way?

Also, I note that they sell a HopBlocker, which is just an (expensive) filter to keep the sludge out when pour the wort into a vat. This looks like it might be useful, but it's pricey; is it a good thing?

I just poured the wort out of the BoilerMaker using the spigot; I notice they sell a more "sophisticated" pour spout that can be attached to the spigot, but I don't see any real advantage to it. Am I missing something?

I chill my wort with copper coils. That seems to work fine, but it goes through an immense amount of water. Does the Blichmann Therminator really work much faster?

And finally, is there any actual benefit to the Ferminator (other than looking really cool)? I've been fine with my 6.5 gallon plastic buckets.

Thanks!

Mark

How much is getting left behind in the kettle? On mine, I usually have maybe a pint or quart of stuff in the bottom of the kettle, but it's always nothing but sludgy gunk.

I thread a hose barb into the spigot and attach maybe a foot or so of vinyl tubing to it, (but I don't thread it on until I'm almost ready to drain - it'd melt otherwise) Using some tubing on the outside allows there to be a siphon effect. I think that's the only way the interior dip tube works.

JonM said:

How much is getting left behind in the kettle? On mine, I usually have maybe a pint or quart of stuff in the bottom of the kettle, but it's always nothing but sludgy gunk.

Click to expand...

Probably no more than a quart; maybe less.

I thread a hose barb into the spigot and attach maybe a foot or so of vinyl tubing to it, (but I don't thread it on until I'm almost ready to drain - it'd melt otherwise) Using some tubing on the outside allows there to be a siphon effect. I think that's the only way the interior dip tube works.

Click to expand...

Excellent observation! I was wondering about the design; you've nailed it, I think. And that may well dictate in favor of the HopBlocker.

Thanks!