I purchased a Blichmann G2 Brew Pot and false bottom today. Long story short, I was extremely disappointed with the quality and functionality of the products. I'm looking for input from other owners who may be able to shed light on what may be going on here. Here are the issues that came about within 6 hours of ownership: Scorching - Small areas of wort burnt on the very bottom walls of the pot. I was careful to regulate the gas and keep the flame beneath the pot. This very well may be due to the Blichmann burner I purchased, which is awesome and far more powerful than my previous burner, but still surprised as to how easily the lower walls could scorch. Poor BrewMometer calibration -- Noticed during the boil that it was still reading below 208*F. It even has a "boil" indicator and read below this throughout the entire boil. I used two other thermometers that measured 218*F and 220*F. False bottom was immediately clogged. Whirlpooling did nothing to assist with extracting the wort. Here's the kicker: The handle for the lid came off while cleaning after the boil. It was a clean separation between the handle and the lid. I was very shocked to see so many issues on such an expensive product. Even more shocked given how great the burner quality is. As stated above, I'd love to hear from other owners to see if I'm just simply cursed. Cheers!
In my experience Blichmann has been the opposite; premium price, horrendous customer service!!! If you did not purchase direct, I'd go back to the store front and return it or have them help fight your battle, that is what I had to do after MANY unresponsive emails. I hope you have better luck, many do, and I'm an outlier and Blichmann is a better company than my experience. Regardless I've sold what I own from them and I'll never own anything of their's again. Truly best of luck!
I purchased from my local HB shop. I'm in there enough to where I expect they will accept the return. Sorry to hear you've also had a bad experience with Blichmann. Hoping this is a simple process...
this is pretty surprising to me…the only customer service related problem I've ever dealt with for my blichmann products was when I lost the washer that slides down pick-up tube on top of false bottom and they sent me a new one right away free of charge. I know they were pretty proud of their G2 design when I talked to them last year. The lid handle would be the last thing I would think could/would fail considering how little torque is on that weld. Was it crazy glued on? You definitely want to be calibrating any bi-metal thermometer though when you get it. Also surprised to hear about the clogging of the false bottom…I've had few slow sparges when I haven't been careful with gummy mashes, but never really been stuck since using their false bottom. Maybe just need one or two batches with it? Did everything seem normal with the crush and with the false bottom visually?
I buy cheap stuff. Never had a problem that required a discussion with the company. My one Blichmann product is a Thrumometer. It works as advertised, but I hope it breaks so I can whine about it on the internet.
I don't have a G2 but I have an older model and never had any issues. Are you just using it as a boil kettle and not a mash tun?
We tried using it as both. Mash was a disaster. Didn't use false bottom in the boil -- don't think you're supposed to, but could be wrong.
Surprising. I have a long list of Blichmann gear (20 gal boilermaker, autosparge, beer gun, hop blocker, hop rocket, thrumometer, 2 x 27 gallon Fermenators, more fittings etc than I could list, two floor-standing burners, and probably a few other pieces I'm forgetting. Aside from the autosparge which is fairly new, the other stuff has seen years of regular use w/ zero problems. It's all proven well worth the cost, as far as I'm concerned. Re: your thermometer, it's a simple DIY fix. Per the manual: "Impact and vibration during shipping can sometimes result in the thermometer losing calibration (will not read accurately). To check the calibration, fill the pot with de-ionized or distilled water and bring it to a full rolling boil. Do not use tap water. Tap water contains minerals that change the boiling point of water. If the BrewMometerTM does not read exactly 212oF (at sea level), use a small wrench to turn the calibration screw until the thermometer reads exactly 212oF. Note: in higher altitudes, water boils at a lower temperature. Subtract 0.9oF for every 500ft you are above sea level. For example, if you are at 1500ft above sea level, water will boil at 212-0.9X3=209.3oF (3=1500/500). Therefore, set the BrewMometerTM to this setting in lieu of 212oF. Although this is not an exact formula, it provides an acceptable level of precision." The lid is no doubt a warranty issue, and I'm sure they'll take care of you. If you're using it as a direct-fired mash tun (presumably why you have the false bottom), you do need to be *very* careful re: the amount of heat you apply with those burners and keep the wort circulating at a good clip via pump whenever the flame is on. It's tricky, especially if you're trying to run a steep temperature gradient. What size pot did you buy?
