Blichman brew pots

[Dare]

Am looking to purchase a mash tun. I am currently looking at a 20 gallon blichman with a false bottom. Has anyone had any success with these or any suggestions for a good boil kettle and mash tun? Thanks

 

[Malric]

I have 3 10 gallon blichmanns. They are very expensive, but the quality is second to none.

 

[Demon]

I have three 15 gallon Blichmanns and would buy them again tomorrow. There are a ton of debates as to whether or not thy are "worth" it. My vote is yes.

 

[NervousDad]

I don't own them, but have seen them first hand and they are very high quality. I personally use Sabco kettles , but you can't go wrong with Blichmann.

 

[rwinzing]

Love mine! Best on the market in my opinion

 

[osagedr]

I've got a 10g Blichmann; nice kettle but IMO not worth the price difference.

 

[teal]

I have three 15 gallon Blichmanns and would buy them again tomorrow. There are a ton of debates as to whether or not thy are "worth" it. My vote is yes.

I've been thinking of a Blichmann pot purchase. I currently brew 5 gallon but I've always felt I should buy one size larger to allow for growth.

In the 15 gallon size - can I still brew 5 or does the wort level not reach the Brewmometer?

 

[Demon]

The thermometer is at 6.5 gallons, but I've used mine for several 5 gal batches. In the boil kettle I don't care if the thermometer works, it's either boiling or not.

 

[eastoak]

i have a 10 gallon boilermaker i bought when i started brewing but if i had to do it again i would stick with sanke kegs. the 3 kegs i have now cost less to buy and convert than the blichmann and function just as well. i have a top tier stand, which i love but the 10 gallon boilermaker does not fit the burners as well as a sanke keg does. recently i bought a 3rd burner for the stand and a false bottom for the blichmann so i can have a direct fire mash. we'll see how it performs as a mash tun, i might just get rid of it and use a sanke to mash in, i suspect a sanke will hold temps better than the blichmann.

 

[VladOfTrub]

I have a Blichman 15, I use it as a latertun only, and 2, 20 gallon Blichman kettles for boilers. For a mash tun I use a tri-clad 15 gallon kettle from a restaurant supply house. I switched from kegs and perforated plate, only because I wanted to try out the slotted plate in the Blichman. Also, I'm attracted to shiny objects and ladies of questionable character. IMO the slotted plate is a little more efficient in the flow rate department and less prone to a stuck mash. The other thing that I like in the Blichman over a keg is that the Blichman has a larger surface area. I always have used a 26 pound grain bill and the grain bed is much less thick due to the extra surface area as compared to a keg. I was so use to the flow rate of the perforated plate in a keg, that it took me a few batches of beer to get used to the Blichman. I had to do the same thing when I first used a keg. In beer quality both systems are equal. The only thing I noticed. There is a difference in the flow rate/time when fly sparging and using a transfer pump, using the same grain bill in either system. Again, I like shiny objects, but that's how I roll.

 

[ArcLight]

>>In the 15 gallon size - can I still brew 5 or does the wort level not reach the Brewmometer?

What I do is when mashing, or cooling (not boiling) to raise the liquid level to 6.5 gallons, is place a couple of 1/2 gallon glass jugs, filled with water at the temperature I want (150F at mashing, tap water temp when cooling) and suspend the jugs with a cord from the handle. 2-3 will raise the water level, when you also have grain or the chiller in there.