Blichmann Kettles

[emjay]

I'll be ditching my horrible pot I use for partial boils and moving up to full boils with a Blichmann 10gal kettle. I need to order some stuff for it, and mainly need to know what size the ball valves on the kettles are. I can't seem to find this info anywhere.

Also, I don't drink a LOT of beer, so the 10gal is probably big enough, and with 5gal batches I'd have to drill another hole to re-position the thermometer on the 15 & 20 gallon kettles, but if I do decide to futureproof and go bigger, does the size of the ball valves change or remain the same?

Any help would be fantastic.

 

[BBL_Brewer]

Well, I think I can help with a little advice and then let you decide what you want to do.

I just put together a full BBL system. I can crank 31 gal at a time now. Now I know what you're thinkin......that's a LOT of beer. But, advantages....time savings, cost savings, beer gets to age longer, don't brew but maybe every 3-6 months depending on your consumption rate. Just putting some thoughts in your head to propogate.

Having said that, you need to decide what makes sense for you and your situation. I wouldn't worry too much about ball valve sizes and the like. I use half inch on my BBL system. What it comes down to is, even with a big ass system, you can only drain the mash tun so fast.......you can only drain the boil kettle so fast......and usually both drain fairly slowly. You can't drain the mash too fast cuz it will compact the grain bed.....you can't drain the BK too fast because you have a lot of resistance to contend with from the hops and break material battling with the filter. The trick is to just pick a valve size that will allow the flow rate that you need given the fact that your system is operationally sound....ie the mash drains and the filter does not clog on the BK. Like I said.....half inch works fine for me.

Hope this helps....if you have any more questions feel free to message me

Shaggy

 

[Rich_S]

I just got a 10 gl Boilermaker and used it for the first time last weekend. I love it. Beats the hell out of pouring from my turkey fryer pot through a strainer into a funnel.

I'd just get the thing fully outfitted and ready to go personally.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

The valve on the 10 gal is 1/2" NPT. Not sure if they change in size but I don't think they do.

And just to voice the other end of the spectrum from BBL_Brewer; I like doing 5 gal batches BECAUSE I get to brew more often. Even the occasional 10 gal batch forces me to brew less often than I'd like to. Even at 5 gal the pipeline gets a little backed-up sometimes. And I'm not worried about a little cost savings, it's still a way cheaper hobby than golf. Just the other side of the coin, not saying either is better, just different strokes for different folks.

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

I recommend you spend the extra $30 and get the 15 gallon kettle. That's what I use, and it does 5 gallon batches just fine. A 10 gallon kettle isn't big enough for a ten gallon batch (12 gallon boil) and while you said you don't plan on doing big batches, I prefer to have the flexibility to do so. You may need to brew for a party or want to make more of your summer lawnmower beer or something. For the extra $30, it's a no brainer. The thermometer placement isn't ideal, but I've done dozens of 5 gallon batches on mine and it never negatively effected the outcome of the batch.

 

[emjay]

Thanks for the replies guys, but I guess I wasn't too clear in my post. I'm not concerned with the flow rate or anything, I just want to know the size of the Blichmann ball valve that COMES with the kettle, in order to buy the proper hoses, fittings, etc.

Even if it's just 1/4 inch, I'm fine with that. I'd just like to buy everything I need while I wait for my kettle so that I can brew with it as soon as it arrives, and I only need the size of the included ball valve to make sure that I don't mistakenly buy the wrong sizes of everything else.

Hopefully that better communicates the answer I'm looking for.

As for something like a 1bbl system, that sounds amazing but I'm nowhere near there yet. I really like brewing, even though it's a ton of work, and I love recipe development, experimentation, and a wide variety of drinking options. The extra experience doesn't hurt either. I've actually considered going SMALLER so that I could brew more! I'm only 25 at the moment... I could see myself brewing that kind of volume way down the road, but I've never been even remotely close to a heavy drinker, so it largely depends on slowly getting friends and family turned on to craft beer, and I don't mind sharing. The two cases-worth or so at a time that I'm producing right now though, it MIGHT not be very long before I decide to double it, so I'm considering getting a larger kettle now so that it's not useless if/when I do, and that's why I asked if the ball valve sizes are the same - I don't care if it takes longer to drain a kettle, I just want to make sure I don't buy the wrong hoses and fittings to go with it.

 

[Seven]

If you get the 10-gal Boilermaker you'll also need one of these: 1/2 NPT to 3/8 Barb

They sell the brass version of these NPT connectors at Home Depot and elsewhere for about $3.00-ish.

 

[emjay]

The valve on the 10 gal is 1/2" NPT. Not sure if they change in size but I don't think they do.

And just to voice the other end of the spectrum from BBL_Brewer; I like doing 5 gal batches BECAUSE I get to brew more often. Even the occasional 10 gal batch forces me to brew less often than I'd like to. Even at 5 gal the pipeline gets a little backed-up sometimes. And I'm not worried about a little cost savings, it's still a way cheaper hobby than golf. Just the other side of the coin, not saying either is better, just different strokes for different folks.

Thanks! I believe that's their largest ball-valve anyways, so I assume it's the same for every size of kettle. I'm in the exact same boat as far as ideal production volumes go though... brewing less is not really a goal for me right now. In fact I wish I could brew more!

I recommend you spend the extra $30 and get the 15 gallon kettle. That's what I use, and it does 5 gallon batches just fine. A 10 gallon kettle isn't big enough for a ten gallon batch (12 gallon boil) and while you said you don't plan on doing big batches, I prefer to have the flexibility to do so. You may need to brew for a party or want to make more of your summer lawnmower beer or something. For the extra $30, it's a no brainer. The thermometer placement isn't ideal, but I've done dozens of 5 gallon batches on mine and it never negatively effected the outcome of the batch.

If it was just $30 here in Canada (and it's not), I wouldn't even have to think about it. That is, assuming it could fit under my hood vent (I'm stuck with stovetop boils right now, but thankfully I've got a great semi-pro gas range that is extremely capable). In that case though, I'd probably rather go with a 20gal kettle if I could, especially for extended boils with tons of leaf hops additions (my pliny clone absorbed a ridiculous amount of wort) - either way, it seems I'd need an extra hole for my thermometer for 5gal batches. I get ridiculous boil-off too, though I'm guessing with a full boil, my stove won't maintain nearly as vigorous a boil.

 

[emjay]

If you get the 10-gal Boilermaker you'll also need one of these: 1/2 NPT to 3/8 Barb

They sell the brass version of these NPT connectors at Home Depot and elsewhere for about $3.00-ish.

I think I'm going to go with quickconnect fittings for the hell of it. So it looks like I'll need a NPT nipple instead. I ssee a SS one (would prefer to avoid brass) made by Blichmann on some HB supply sites, but not on the Blichmann site. Anyone know if it comes with the ball valve/kettle? Maybe it's discontinued? (Edit: nevermind, I see it tucked away in the kettle accessories slideshow.) Unfortunately a lot of these stores don't ship to Canada.

By the way, is that MPT/NPT the same as MIP? I don't recall seeing the NPT fittings at home depot when I made my mash tun, so I'm wondering if it may be just a different name in Canada and the US. MIP stands for male iron pipe thread.

 

[madmikem]

Do not use quick connect fittings. They suck and are a waste of time. Use a stainless hose barb with silicone tubing. Easy to sanitize and removes easily as well.

 

[emjay]

Do not use quick connect fittings. They suck and are a waste of time. Use a stainless hose barb with silicone tubing. Easy to sanitize and removes easily as well.

Are you talking about quick disconnects, or Blichmann's QuickConnector? I'd like to go with the former, although admittedly I confused it with the latter.

 

[Randar]

Well, I think I can help with a little advice and then let you decide what you want to do.

I just put together a full BBL system. I can crank 31 gal at a time now. Now I know what you're thinkin......that's a LOT of beer. But, advantages....time savings, cost savings, beer gets to age longer, don't brew but maybe every 3-6 months depending on your consumption rate. Just putting some thoughts in your head to propogate.

Having said that, you need to decide what makes sense for you and your situation. I wouldn't worry too much about ball valve sizes and the like. I use half inch on my BBL system. What it comes down to is, even with a big ass system, you can only drain the mash tun so fast.......you can only drain the boil kettle so fast......and usually both drain fairly slowly. You can't drain the mash too fast cuz it will compact the grain bed.....you can't drain the BK too fast because you have a lot of resistance to contend with from the hops and break material battling with the filter. The trick is to just pick a valve size that will allow the flow rate that you need given the fact that your system is operationally sound....ie the mash drains and the filter does not clog on the BK. Like I said.....half inch works fine for me.

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but I tell you what... I wish there was an upgrade kit/option to add a 3/4" or even 1" ball valve to the output side. I have 2 pumps that both work best with 3/4" or 1" on the inlet side and I have to crank way down to restrict flow so as to not create a huge suction in the pump head (which I understand can shorten the life of the pot).

This is obviously not as big a deal for a MT or HLT set-up where high speed may not be all that critical, but for fast cooling and pump-assisted whirlpools, it does make a difference, IMO.

 

[Randar]

Are you talking about quick disconnects, or Blichmann's QuickConnector? I'd like to go with the former, although admittedly I confused it with the latter.

Oh, and I use the Camlocks on everything and it works great.

 

[Ziggybrew]

Hope this is not too far off topic: I use the Blichmann 20 gallons. I lost the dang owners manual. Is there a PDF file online somewhere? I need to calibrate the brewmometer.

 

[emjay]

Hope this is not too far off topic: I use the Blichmann 20 gallons. I lost the dang owners manual. Is there a PDF file online somewhere? I need to calibrate the brewmometer.

I'll see if I can scan that in for you when I get home.

 

[emjay]

Oh, and I use the Camlocks on everything and it works great.

Ah, I've only seen Camlocks in pictures and not entirely sure how they work, particularly with those rings or whatever attached by (what looks like) cloth or something.

I went with a more traditional QD design (available at MoreBeer, AHS, and my LHBS) - which can be seen here: https://morebeer.com/search/103848/beerwinecoffee/coffeewinebeer/Stainless_Quick_Disconnects

Expensive, especially when I need almost a dozen of each, but they are still incredibly worth it in my opinion, and the expense is slightly eased because they allow me to use a single hose (with the more expensive female fittings) for multiple purposes, without the inconvenience of unscrewing fittings or hose clamps, or risking it WITHOUT hose clamps altogether . Kind of weird to be geeked out by plumbing fittings, but I still find the things to be amazing. Connecting and disconnecting hoses takes half a second, and the seals have been 100% reliable.