Ss brew kettle | brewmaster edition

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czmkid

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This looks pretty cool! I've been in the market for a new kettle for awhile (nothing wrong with my current one). Glad I held off awhile. There are lots of quality pieces on the market, and it seem s like everyone has their own opinion on which kettle is better and why lol. I like how on this kettle there is a rotatable racking arm as well as the site glass....plus with a bottom that provides 50% more surface area faster boils are bound to happen.

Thoughts?

http://www.ssbrewtech.com/pages/ss-brew-kettle-brewmaster-edition
 
For example, a sight gauge connected between the ball valve and the kettle doesn't work well on a MLT because the path of least resistance is the sight gauge tube (versus drawing wort through the grain bed). In such a case the pump will suck the gauge tube dry and just pull air through it, requiring capping the gauge to get the wort to drain.

On a HLT or BK, otoh, it'd probably be ok...

Cheers!
 
The sight glass isn't the traditional volume sight glass. It's a inline sight glass. To me it looks just like the bottom of a keg. I'd be a little concerned with scorching as it's not a tri-clad bottom. Also it looks like there are tri-clamp fittings with threaded valves? Not really understanding that one either. I'll wait to see pics of the final product but I'm a little skeptical at the moment.
 
The sight glass isn't the traditional volume sight glass. It's a inline sight glass.[...]

lol - you're right. I couldda sworn I saw a vertical tube when I opened that site on my phone, but now that I see the pic on a 26" screen I was looking at that highlight.

Hero_BME_kettle_268c1131-35d2-46f3-b8ca-5ab43935d60c_2048x2048.jpg


Cheers!
 
I don't think the bottom heated surface area matters as much wrt boil-off rate as the area at the top of the wort column...

Cheers!
 
That does look like a threaded outlet on the ball valve. Doesn't look like the threads are modeled bit there's definitely a hex for a wrench and not a tri clamp.

I wonder if it's got a tri clamp on the mounted side or if it uses an adapter.
 
Hey Guys, I'm Michael from the Ss Ssupport desk, we thought we would begin a new initiative to reply to some select threads in the equipment section to answer questions that come up on some of our new products or existing gear.

For those concerned about the lack of triclad bottom, we designed the new BME kettle so that the outer skirt/firebox would uniformly spread and channel heat through the vents. The skirt is designed to hold heat in and around the sides of the dished bottom, so the need for a traditional aluminum core triclad bottom is completely mitigated.

Furthermore, while Triclad bottoms can help improve boil times on flat bottom kettles by more evenly distributing heat, they have largely been debunked from avoiding scorching, as virtually all Blichmann kettle owners could probably attest to. Wort is a high mobility liquid since it naturally contains mostly water, so the risks of scorching are inherently very low.
 
@Ss_Michael

Can you say anything about the threaded valve? Any chance that's gonna come with a triclamp outlet?
 
Hey Guys, I'm Michael from the Ss Ssupport desk, we thought we would begin a new initiative to reply to some select threads in the equipment section to answer questions that come up on some of our new products or existing gear. [...]

Have you guys done any testing vs your normal heating times? Compared the standard kettle, whirlpool and trub dam vs this new kettle in regards to clear wort out? I'd like to see some info regarding this (sorry engineer in me). I have one of your normal kettles and have used as a BK. It works well. I'm assuming this is going to be a large increase in cost and I'm trying to justify if there is a real benefit or just a new 'bling factor'.
 
We will be going with the 1/2" Female NPT threads for the ball valve, since many guys are more accustomed to using threaded barbs on the hot side. Plus, instead of a 1.5" TC barb, clamp, and gasket, all you need is a threaded barb, so the cost is a little more reasonable.

However, there is a chance we could offer the TC piece from the opposite side of the valve (side that attaches to the kettle) as an accessory. So for those that want to use all TC, they could easily swap out the threaded piece and attach their accessories.

We have performed a myriad of tests for boiling times. etc, and this kettle does shorten them significantly. I cant get into numbers just yet, but we will be posting some of our test data for comparison sometime in the future. As you can imagine there are a lot of factors that can influence individual outcomes, so we might even solicit the first round of pre-orders for info on how the design has improved their process, and then post those results. That way we can begin to average data for the most accurate reporting possible.

As for the wort clarity, in our testing the results have been excellent, the dish bottom really helps to create a smoother whirlpool action causing a more uniform trub cone. Then the racking arm/sight glass combo gives the user the ability to clearly see/avoid trub pickup during knockout. It really is an awesome setup, it's basically identical to the design we developed for our Pro systems.
 
How heavy is the 20 gallon version? Also, will there be a lot of heat wash in the front? I.e. Will heat shields be needed for the valve and accessories?
 
The 20 gallon kettle weighs roughly 30 lbs. There is a good amount of heat that channels through the vents, but overall no more or less heat that is thrown off from a burner with a standard kettle on it. Lastly, in all of the testing that we did not require heat shields for the valve.
 
The 20 gallon kettle weighs roughly 30 lbs. There is a good amount of heat that channels through the vents, but overall no more or less heat that is thrown off from a burner with a standard kettle on it. Lastly, in all of the testing that we did not require heat shields for the valve.


Thanks for the response. Looking forward to the stats on boil time differences, etc.
 
Will vendors such as MoreBeer get a hold of these in January? Unfortunately you guys don't ship to Hawaii, but they do for a pretty decent price. Thanks for answering questions!
 
David,

Yes, I believe Morebeer will be getting BME Kettles around the same time we are. So they should be able to get one out to you!
 
David,

Yes, I believe Morebeer will be getting BME Kettles around the same time we are. So they should be able to get one out to you!

Awesome, I'll save my pennies for a couple of the 20 gallons! Any plans for a 15 gallon sometime down the road?
 
We will look to introduce additional sizes down the line, but a 15 gallon version is a relatively low priority for us at this time, since it's sort of an "in-between" size. Its a little big for 5 gallon batch guys, and a little small for 10 gallon batch guys. It works great for the users that want to graduate from 5 to 10 gallon batches without investing in a new kettle, but it's not ideal.

Furthermore, the tooling needed to form the dish bottom costs a fortune, so we will probably bring on 30 or 50 gal versions in the future if we can gauge that the demand is there.

We have a ton of 1 BBL nano operations and larger breweries using our gear for pilot systems now, so a 50 gallon kettle that heats up quicker, more efficiently, and renders super clear wort is definitely something we would want to offer those guys. Plus, the 1 BBL Brite Tanks will be available in December, so the nano operators that don't want to tie up a ton of cash in a keg washer can use them as serving tanks. They CIP really well, so it makes a lot of sense.

Cheers,
Michael
 
Has anyone received one of these yet? I know they said they'd be landing on front porches by the weekend.
 
For an electric only brewer these appear out unless you want to modify a brand new kettle yourself to add a heating element. Am wanting to buy a new kettle prefabbed and like some of the features of this one but no customization takes it out of my options.
 
I just ordered one yesterday, a 20 gallon. Will let you know who i like it when it arrives. Was thinking about going electric and was going to get a spike, but decided not too as there were a LOT of other things I would need to put in place to make it happen. So decided to give this a try since its geared towards increasing efficiency for gas brewing.
 
For an electric only brewer these appear out unless you want to modify a brand new kettle yourself to add a heating element. Am wanting to buy a new kettle prefabbed and like some of the features of this one but no customization takes it out of my options.


This kettle makes no sense for an electric setup. That domed base is for increasing efficiency with a gas burner. An electric element will not benefit from that design.

The other features like the sight glass, etc will most likely be available as stand alone options and can be added to any kettle.
 
I've got one. I actually sold my Blichmann boil kettle to get one. It works perfect with my setup. Came up to a boil really quickly (I wish I would have timed how long it took the Blichmann to hit a boil, but didn't and haven't timed the SS yet either, so it may just be bias, but it really did seem to come up much faster). I really like the 12 gallon capacity as well. I frequently have 8-8.5 gallons preboil due to boil off and loss to hops (I love to use tons of hops).

I wish I had a stronger pump to make a tigher cone of trub with the whirlpool, but it did work pretty well. To me the sight glass is pointless. Perhaps it's because I have semi-translucent silicon hose, but I really don't see a point to it. Finally, keeping the heat off the thermometer is a bit of a pain. I've rigged something up, but the vents at the front should have been closed if you ask me to keep all the heat possible from the thermometer, especially the huge vent above the tri-clover connection.

Overall, I'm really happy with mine and would trade my Blichmann for it again no question.
 
Well so much for that, what a buzzkill. Was supposed to receive me Brewmaster edition kettle today but when I opened it up, it was the standard edition kettle! Very disappointing. SO now I need to go through the effort to send this back and wait another week or two to get a replacement. So bummed, I had a brew day scheduled for Saturday with this. Guess we will see how good their support is. They don't even have a phone number to call so need to wait for email based response.
 
Well SS Brewtech has stepped up with a speedy response. A new kettle is on its way and they gave me $$ back for my troubles. Very quick and satisfying customer service.
 
thinking about asking for one, for fathers day, any other reviews out there?

I just received the first 15G kettle from them. Fully intend on placing an order for the other two exactly like it in the next month or so.

**** is top notch and very well built :mug:


*edit
when the **** did they start censoring?
 
I just received the first 15G kettle from them. Fully intend on placing an order for the other two exactly like it in the next month or so.

**** is top notch and very well built :mug:


*edit
when the **** did they start censoring?

I don't think they sell the Brewmasters Edition in 15 gallons. Are you talking about their standard kettles?
 
My 20 gallon BME arrived on Friday. The thing is a tank. One thing I love is it can actually hold 24 gallons. So I should be able to do 1/2 bbl batches if needed. One minus is it won't work with my dark star burner, so going to need to invest in a new burner. I also need some quick connects and a pump. So it's going to be a couple weeks before I get to brew with it.
 
I've been researching various kettles to upgrade my boil kettle. The 'Cadillac' kettles are a new world for me. Can anyone offer any insight as to why the recirculation port was removed on the brewmaster edition kettles? I've noted the tangential port was added. Does that accomplish the same thing?
 
My 20 gallon BME arrived on Friday. The thing is a tank. One thing I love is it can actually hold 24 gallons. So I should be able to do 1/2 bbl batches if needed. One minus is it won't work with my dark star burner, so going to need to invest in a new burner. I also need some quick connects and a pump. So it's going to be a couple weeks before I get to brew with it.

Have you narrowed down a burner? I'm looking at the same kettle but will likely need a new burner as well.
 
Can anyone offer any insight as to why the recirculation port was removed on the brewmaster edition kettles? I've noted the tangential port was added. Does that accomplish the same thing?


Yes it does, but you need to put a valve on the port to keep wort from pouring out while you boil. There is another way as well, but I'm not familiar with it. On the SS website they have great links to videos detailing how it all works.

Have you narrowed down a burner? I'm looking at the same kettle but will likely need a new burner as well.


My blichmann works great with it, but it's built into a stand so I'm not sure how it would work freestanding.
 
This kettle makes no sense for an electric setup. That domed base is for increasing efficiency with a gas burner. An electric element will not benefit from that design.

The other features like the sight glass, etc will most likely be available as stand alone options and can be added to any kettle.


They are coming out with an electric set up in the fall. No details or pricing yet. I shot them an email as I'm moving soon and figure I'll need to/ want to move inside at the new place. The only descriptor was that it would be aweSsome!
 
My 20 gallon BME arrived on Friday. The thing is a tank. One thing I love is it can actually hold 24 gallons. So I should be able to do 1/2 bbl batches if needed. One minus is it won't work with my dark star burner, so going to need to invest in a new burner. I also need some quick connects and a pump. So it's going to be a couple weeks before I get to brew with it.

Stupid question but why won't the dark star work
 
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