Blichmann 15 gal vs More Beer 15 gal kettle

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tjmac5071

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Anybody have any input or advice on a new 15 gallon kettle?

Blichmann comes with the sight glass thermometer and valve for about 400 while more beer has it for 250 but no valve, thermometer and no spot pre done for a sightglass. I wanted to keep my purchase under $300 but I am not sure if it is worth splurging on the blichmann. I am looking to do 5, 7.5 and 10 gallon batches. The boil off rate seems really high with the more beer (14 gal to get 10) while the blichmann should have a lower boil off rate.

For what it's worth I have only done one all grain so far, have a ten gallon and 5 gallon igloo and several aluminum / low quality ss pots between 5 and 9 gallons. Looking to improve my equipment this year and make some bigger batches as a new baby decreases my time to brew.

Any help is appreciated!
 
For the $150 bucks difference, I'd look at the Blichmann. Yes, it's over your budget, but you'll never have second thought about it again.

I'm a Keggle fan myself - cheap, tough, and industrial...
 
atoughram said:
For the $150 bucks difference, I'd look at the Blichmann. Yes, it's over your budget, but you'll never have second thought about it again.

I'm a Keggle fan myself - cheap, tough, and industrial...
Click to expand...
After 5 batches with keggles, my biggest gripe is how heavy they are and cleaning them out is a PITA. I need gloves that go up my forearms to keep from cutting myself. Sure they are "cheap" I have under $350 into all 3 of mine so I really want to like them more :)

Plans are for 15-20 gallon kettles next year if these don't grow on me.

To the OP, I just started pricing (3) 20 gallon kettles this morning. Without including a false bottom or customizing them at all. Stout $1,647 Spike $930 Blichmann $1,287. If I was going to say "might as well get my last kettles" Stout would be getting A LOT of my money. They are NICE
 
I got a Blichmann Boilermaker and it's hands-down the best brewing tool I have added to my collection to date. The calibrated sight glass alone is worth the price of admission to me...no need to calibrate a dip-stick. You can just tell the wort level at any time with a quick glance. It's light, yet sturdy, and the thermometer, while not terribly helpful in a boil kettle, is very useful while chilling.

At any rate, I'm sure you'd be happy with either, just think about whether you want the features of the Blichmann and whether or not putting the work into it yourself is worth it with the More Beer pot.
 
Check on the blemish Blichmanns. Picked up a 20 gallon with false bottom for 430. The blemish was a small (read 1mm) wide dent (read barely there). I seriously laughed when I saw this, because it was so tiny I was surprised they called it a blemish, but hey, cheaper kettle for me!
 
I also really like the Blichmann Boilermaker. Recently switched from a Update International pot (same thing as the MoreBeer pot). The sightglass is hands down the best feature of all. I do 5 gallon batches in the 15 gallon version so the thermometer all around is pretty useless to me (it sits higher than the final liquid volume) but I guess I do refer to it when I'm doing my strike water - though I use a digital thermometer for this as well. Anyway, fit and finish of the Blichmann is great, and once you add all of the accessories up you just about break even anyway. Plus you get a lid that will sit on the handle, which is a nice touch.
 
atoughram said:
I'm a Keggle fan myself - cheap, tough, and industrial...
Click to expand...
Tough until you add an easy to break sight glass.

I'm a fan of Blichmann kettles myself. They're lighter and tougher with custom protected sight glasses that you can't break, won't fog, etc. My 5 page review of them here as compared to other solutions.

One thing that most people don't know is that the 4 holes for the attachments (ball valve, thermometer, and sight glass) are all done weldlessly.

My only criticism on them is the thermometer - that you can't buy without one (since I don't use them myself). I suppose I could sell them and put in one of their plugs....

Kal
 
If you own a drill, a set of wrenches and can turn to the right you should absolutely look into installing your own therm. and drain valve. I etched the volume markings in with a d cell battery so no glass to break and one less spot to leak. Seriously look at the vendors for 3 piece ball valves and a thermometer, very easy to install.
 
i have a blichmann 15 gallon and for the money its well worth it. i do have an issue with my sight glass prob an easy fix. i have to turn down the burner and wait till it cools for about 5min. other than that its great..
 
tommyguner03 said:
i have a blichmann 15 gallon and for the money its well worth it. i do have an issue with my sight glass prob an easy fix. i have to turn down the burner and wait till it cools for about 5min. other than that its great..
Click to expand...

Are you using your heat shield? It's designed (among other things) to keep the liquid in the sight glass from boiling.
 
tjmac5071 said:
Anybody have any input or advice on a new 15 gallon kettle?

Blichmann comes with the sight glass thermometer and valve for about 400 while more beer has it for 250 but no valve, thermometer and no spot pre done for a sightglass. I wanted to keep my purchase under $300 but I am not sure if it is worth splurging on the blichmann. I am looking to do 5, 7.5 and 10 gallon batches. The boil off rate seems really high with the more beer (14 gal to get 10) while the blichmann should have a lower boil off rate.

For what it's worth I have only done one all grain so far, have a ten gallon and 5 gallon igloo and several aluminum / low quality ss pots between 5 and 9 gallons. Looking to improve my equipment this year and make some bigger batches as a new baby decreases my time to brew.

Any help is appreciated!
Click to expand...

Why is the boil off rate different again? Seems like they should be similar as long as the vessels are similar dimensions (IIRC they are...).
 
Wide pot vs taller pot. The MoreBeer kettle is wider and has a higher boil off rate.

I appreciate all the replies, seems like blichmann is winning. Anybody have suggestions I haven't thought of? I have ruled out a keggle , seems heating and cooling is an issue.
 
tjmac5071 said:
Wide pot vs taller pot. The MoreBeer kettle is wider and has a higher boil off rate.

I appreciate all the replies, seems like blichmann is winning. Anybody have suggestions I haven't thought of? I have ruled out a keggle , seems heating and cooling is an issue.
Click to expand...

Since you ask :)p)... Check out our kettles: www.spikebrewing.com/15-gallon-kettles.

Our 'sight glass' kettle has the thermometer mounted lower so you'll be able to do a 5gal and 10gal batch while having the thermometer still submerged; something you can't do in the Blichmann. Our kettles are also a welded design. Instead of o-rings we TIG weld couplers onto the kettles for valves, thermos, etc. If you have any questions feel free to shoot us an email or PM.

-Spike Brewing
 
I have three blichmann boilermakers two 20 and a 15. I love them, but I also didn't pay remotely close to retail for them. I got all mine used for under $200/ea. and one 20gal came with a false bottom.

I have no complaint except for the location of the thermometer. It's no issue now since I use my thermapen anyway. I can't speak for the other pots, but I doubt I'd ever need another pot (unless I go bigger) but I doubt that'll happen.

Don't expect to use the thermometer for 5gal batches in the 15. I think the 7 gal mark is where the thermometer is.
 
As a dealer of Blichamnn and More Beer kettles and the builder of false bottom systems of both, I would guess I am allowed to reply here. A few things to think about when your building a system and a few of the questions I ask my customers in the store when we sit down and plan systems for them.
First off what are you building? HLT, MLT or BK?

Cheers

Jay
 
Jaybird said:
As a dealer of Blichamnn and More Beer kettles and the builder of false bottom systems of both, I would guess I am allowed to reply here. A few things to think about when your building a system and a few of the questions I ask my customers in the store when we sit down and plan systems for them.
First off what are you building? HLT, MLT or BK?

Cheers

Jay
Click to expand...

BK. For now at least it will be a 10 gal igloo for mash and one of my other pots for HL
 
Jaybird said:
As a dealer of Blichamnn and More Beer kettles and the builder of false bottom systems of both, I would guess I am allowed to reply here. A few things to think about when your building a system and a few of the questions I ask my customers in the store when we sit down and plan systems for them.
First off what are you building? HLT, MLT or BK?

Cheers

Jay
Click to expand...
All three for me. Currently have keggles, but have dreams of kettles down the road. Unsure on size yet, but likely the ability to do both 5 or 10 gallon batches should be plenty. I would assume 15 gallons would be enough. All my high gravity beers will be 5 gallon batches.
 
Go to brewhardware.com, get the 15 gallon bayou classic, add the sightglass/thermo combo, and a ball valve. About $230, really good quality stuff.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
pkananen said:
Go to brewhardware.com, get the 15 gallon bayou classic, add the sightglass/thermo combo, and a ball valve. About $230, really good quality stuff.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
Click to expand...

You can grab a blemish Blichmann 15 gallon for 70 bucks more, just food for thought, and the sight glass, triclamp and thermometer are already there and ready to rock and roll, plus the dip tube is a nice touch.
 
pkananen said:
Go to brewhardware.com, get the 15 gallon bayou classic, add the sightglass/thermo combo, and a ball valve. About $230, really good quality stuff.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
Click to expand...


+1 I've done two this way and have been extremely happy. The kettle is $110 on Amazon Prime right now. Here is what you need from Brewhardware.com:

Weldless Bulkhead - Select Type: WLBULKHEAD 3 Smooth ELbarb $14.00
2-piece Ball Valve - Item # 2PBV - $13.00
Weldless Sightglass Elbow Kit - What kind of vessel?: *LP* for Pot - $27.00
Hose Barb - Type: 1/2" hose, male thread - $4.00
Shipping (YMMV) $9

Total parts for 15 gal brewkettle with valve and sight glass: $177 including shipping and tax to New York.

For another $5 you can upgrade to a 3-piece Ball Valve. Other options to consider would be the $10 small heat shield to protect the sight glass. If you really want a thermometer on your BK (maybe to track the temp while chilling) for $18 more you can get the sight glass with a built in thermometer.

Half the fun of the DIY kettle is the shopping and customization.
 
tjmac5071 said:
BK. For now at least it will be a 10 gal igloo for mash and one of my other pots for HL
Click to expand...

30Bones said:
All three for me. Currently have keggles, but have dreams of kettles down the road. Unsure on size yet, but likely the ability to do both 5 or 10 gallon batches should be plenty. I would assume 15 gallons would be enough. All my high gravity beers will be 5 gallon batches.
Click to expand...

If your using Propane on your Boil Kettle I would be using a kettle with a Tri Clad bottom. The Blichmann is not, and to be quite honest I was surprised at how thin the bottom of their kettles actually are. Now if your going Electric that's a totally different story. The blichmann being thinner is easier to drill and yes they are lighter. Now that said if your going to have people weld on them they are going to have a hell of a time doing so unless they are a REAL GOOD WELDER! Being so thin makes it a bear to weld. I do it and it can be done don't get me wrong. Soldering would be the preferred method for a Blichmann kettle IMHO. For a MLT again I like the More Beer kettles even if your not going to heat it because of the vessel geometry I like a wide mouth kettle for a MLT because of the grain bed depth. better efficiency overall and easier sparges. HLT I REALLY like the sight glass that Blichmann uses for sure! They are rock solid and look great!

Again just my .02 and of course just my opinion.

Cheers
Jay
 
Jaybird said:
If your using Propane on your Boil Kettle I would be using a kettle with a Tri Clad bottom. The Blichmann is not, and to be quite honest I was surprised at how thin the bottom of their kettles actually are. Now if your going Electric that's a totally different story. The blichmann being thinner is easier to drill and yes they are lighter. Now that said if your going to have people weld on them they are going to have a hell of a time doing so unless they are a REAL GOOD WELDER! Being so thin makes it a bear to weld. I do it and it can be done don't get me wrong. Soldering would be the preferred method for a Blichmann kettle IMHO. For a MLT again I like the More Beer kettles even if your not going to heat it because of the vessel geometry I like a wide mouth kettle for a MLT because of the grain bed depth. better efficiency overall and easier sparges. HLT I REALLY like the sight glass that Blichmann uses for sure! They are rock solid and look great!

Again just my .02 and of course just my opinion.

Cheers
Jay
Click to expand...

You mind elaborating on this burner issues? I have difficulty thinking Blichmann would be offering a burner that was not optimized for their kettle.
 
The relatively thin kettles and propane are just fine. This whole ply bottom thing is not a big deal.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
I bought kettles from Spikebrewing.com. Cheaper than Blichmann and IMO better since it's TIG welded and not weldless. I've emailed them before too and they are awesome!
 
+1 on the Bayou Classic. I have the 15.5 gal kettle that I routinely use for 11 gal batches. I installed a valve and pickup-tube. I use an aluminium yard stick to measure the volume. Being cylindrical shape, it's easy to calculate the volume. Used it on the Bayou Classic banjo burner for 2 yrs before converting it to an electric kettle. Now it houses a 5500 watt element and an RTD probe. I love this kettle.
 
The bayou classic is significantly cheaper than the other options but I can't seem to find a tri clad bottom that includes a thermometer and ball valve, does one exist and I am just missing it?
 
Concord 60qt is rumored to be the same kettle spikes uses, but I cannot confirm. I went with the concord 60qt, poured in 5 gallons of water to mark where I wanted to mount my thermometer and mounted the 3 piece drain valve so its a 1/4" from the bottom. Doing it myself saved me over $150 bucks. I don't see the reason for a blichmann kettle but i do have the blichmann floor burner which is awesome.
 
therainmaker said:
You mind elaborating on this burner issues? I have difficulty thinking Blichmann would be offering a burner that was not optimized for their kettle.
Click to expand...

I dont think optimization was discussed on my end. I think Blichmann did a great job on their kettles. I was and am blown away at how thin they really are that's all. When I build systems that are going to have a 70-80K BTU burner under it. I choose tri clad. I like that I have NEVER burned the bottom of a Tri Clad kettle. I cant say that about a single layer bottom kettle. So when I build a propane system that aren't kegs the boil kettle get tri clad. I haven't ever had a customer say to me they wish they didn't get a Tri Clad kettle. I cant say that about other kettles.
Dont get me wrong There are some KILLER kettles out there that aren't tri clad and all of them will work great! I was simply posting my input and my experience on the topic, that's all.

pkananen said:
The relatively thin kettles and propane are just fine. This whole ply bottom thing is not a big deal.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
Click to expand...

Totally fine for sure, depending on the heat source. Dont over power the kettle and you will be fine. Big deal? Nope not at all.

Cheers
Jay
 

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