Want to upgrade brewpot for extract with intent on usign it for all grain in future

[strongarm]

I currently have a 20l pot I want to be able to do full boils with my extract, currently 5g but might move towards 10g soon. Also I want a pot that I can eventually use towards my all grain equipment. I would like to go Blichmann. I am thinking of buying the 15g boilermaker pot with the autosparge hole drilled. That way when I am ready for all grain I can get the sparge kit. Is there a way to do that and seal the hole with something. Also I want to get the thermonator plate chiller and maybe go with the Blichmann floor burner. Any suggestions or does that sound like a solid plan? Any adapters im missing maybe for the propane tank?

 

[jcaudill]

I'm sure this is going to start a sh*t storm - by why are you hell bent on Blichmann? For all that money you can get so much more.

 

[strongarm]

A constructive response would have been appreciated.

 

[jcaudill]

How about a constructive answer first? I am trying to understand why you are set on Blichmann. If you're not - I might be able to help. If you are - then I probably can't. I am trying to understand the loyalty to Blichmann you have conveyed.

 

[MarkD]

May I assume you have ruled out BIAB? I have a ten gallon kettle, and I shoot for 5.5 gallons in the fermenter and it can be tight. I have no plans to ever do ten gallon batches, but my next kettle will be 15 gallons, for the headroom and the possibility of really big beers.

 

[SpikeBrewing]

Without starting a flame war....

We offer some very nice kettles that I would put up against any Blichmann kettle and we're half the price.

www.spikebrewing.com

 

[strongarm]

The advice I'm looking for isn't really about brand it's about buying equipment that I can use to do my extract brewing with and also use it when I progress to all grain. I have never done all grain and am not an expert on the equipment needed and process. For example: the brewpot has the option for the sparge hole to be drilled. If I use this in the future for a sparge vessel and want the float should I get that whole drilled from factory now? How would I properly plug the hole while I use it for extract. Is a 15g a good size for 5 and 10g extract brews and is that the right size for an all grain vessal? As for brand I'm not deadset on Blichmann, it just looked like a high quality brand with no hassle. I am open to options like the ones already shared.

 

[Ajgeo]

Your plan sounds fine. I know that there is a plug kit for the brewmometer, but it probably whouldnt work for the auto sparge. You could also use the 1/2 inch plug sold by bargain fittings with a nut, a couple of washers, and orings. With the chiller, you may want a pump, hoses, and camlocks. If you can elevate your burner and kettle enough, you may be able to just use gravity. I have a 20 gallon electric blichmann and I really enjoy using it. This is my second year using it, I have made many 5, 10, and 15 gallon batches. I batch sparge so I don't have any advice as to where you should have the hole punched. Maybe just wait and punch it later yourself.

 

[jcaudill]

The advice I'm looking for isn't really about brand it's about buying equipment that I can use to do my extract brewing with and also use it when I progress to all grain. I have never done all grain and am not an expert on the equipment needed and process. For example: the brewpot has the option for the sparge hole to be drilled. If I use this in the future for a sparge vessel and want the float should I get that whole drilled from factory now? How would I properly plug the hole while I use it for extract. Is a 15g a good size for 5 and 10g extract brews and is that the right size for an all grain vessal? As for brand I'm not deadset on Blichmann, it just looked like a high quality brand with no hassle. I am open to options like the ones already shared.

While I know brand wasn't your primary concern: it matters. For example: even though technically you can use that auto sparge with any pot, pretty much only Blichmann owners use them. There really are some people who are so stuck on that they don't either investigate other options or doing it themselves which honestly is the best option.

I will say Blichmann are one of the few that are kind of ready to go out-of-the-box if you pay for all the options. There's also Stout vessels which are very nice and can be ready to go out of the box. http://conical-fermenter.com/products/

But like I said above: I would really think about doing it yourself. Why: 1) You'll save a bit of money (trust me - even a little adds up in the long run - a kettle is only the beginning) 2) It forces you to critically think everything through and thus you'll potentially have a better end result and a better understanding (good examples are fly sparge vs batch sparge, HERMS vs. RIMS) 3) You can build it exactly how you want it 4) you can get a pot now for your extract brewing, just drill one hole for the bottom valve and not do anything else until you're ready. Check out the Update International SPS-60 or SPS-80 on instawares.com - this is the same kettle Northern Brewer sells as the Megapot.

For 5g or 10g I'd get the SPS-80 because it's going to let you brew beers with bigger grain bills.

 

[dfess1]

I currently have a 20l pot I want to be able to do full boils with my extract, currently 5g but might move towards 10g soon. Also I want a pot that I can eventually use towards my all grain equipment. I would like to go Blichmann. I am thinking of buying the 15g boilermaker pot with the autosparge hole drilled. That way when I am ready for all grain I can get the sparge kit. Is there a way to do that and seal the hole with something. Also I want to get the thermonator plate chiller and maybe go with the Blichmann floor burner. Any suggestions or does that sound like a solid plan? Any adapters im missing maybe for the propane tank?

This plan will work. But what others are trying to say, this is also the most expensive plan to take. I was in your boat a year ago. Got a nice bonus check (first time in a while) and was overcome with the blingy SS of the 15 gal blichman. Bought it to upgrade from concentrated boils, knowing full well we'd be doing AG by the end of the summer on a single tier rig. I had the money, I liked it, and I hadn't discovered HBT at that point. All I knew was what my LHBS had, as I didn't really need to go online at that point, so I didn't do my due diligence in research. The pot is nice, and I ended up getting the false bottom for it. I have the autosparge (still in a box, have never used it), and I purchased a therminator as well.

That all said, when it was time to step to AG, and get a HLT and a BK, I couldn't justify the cost of two more Blichman pots. I bought two pots for less than the price of my single blichman, and they actually hold more than the blichman does. My sparge arm? A cheap $2 "Siphon Sprayer", works awesome. The therminator works great. But it's a plate chiller. Had I known about Duda Diesel before I bought it, I wouldn't have bought the therminator. Duda does the same thing for a fraction of the price.

in the end, it's your money, and you have every right to spend it how you'd like. I guess all I (and others) are trying to say, there are other options that will get you up and running for far less money (money to put toward a mill, or the grain for your first 10 batches, etc). Good luck and happy brewing!

 

[jcaudill]

Yep - this is the point I was trying to make - you said it much more eloquently Trust me: you are going to spend a lot of money on small sh*t when you decide to go AG. Unless you just won the 210 mil lottery in which case spend away

 

[Ajgeo]

When I first started all grain, I researched all of the kettles. I have bought and used (then sold) several different brands of brew kettles and HLTs. The blichmanns have a lot of nice standard features, but the main reason I settled on blichmann is the protected sight glass. Volumes are very important when you switch to all grain. My system is modular and I need to move my kettles around quite a bit. I felt that I would likely break any of the other options for kettles fitted with a sight glass. I still use a cooler for a mash tun, but when I switch to a stainless vessel, I will build my own mash tun. So for me the ideal system is a blichmann HLT and boil kettle with DIY mash tun. If you are going to have a dedicated brew stand and do clean in place, then the DIY route is probably the best value for all of the vessels.

 

[jcaudill]

I like that protected sight glass - on the other hand I think it would be pretty difficult to break the polycarb tubing that Bobby's is made of.