I am going to upgrade my system. I would like to be able to brew 20 gallon batches. My buddies and I have a couple of barrels and I thought brewing one 20 gallon batch over two 10 gallon batches would be much easier. Is Blichmann worth the price, or is there another brand that you would go with? I would still make some modifications to the Blichmann by adding Tri-Clamps and maybe make it an electric system over propane. What are your thoughts and recommendations? Thanks
I was in the same boat not too long ago. I was shopping around for a new kettle and wound up with a northern brewer mega pot. I looked at the blichman, but the difference in price between the two, close to $200, was just too much. The only piece I don't have is a sight glass. But a spoon notched in half gallon incriments works well.
I love Blichmann kettles and use them myself, but they certainly are pricey and there certainly are other options in that price range. You will probably need a 20g HLT, 20g MLT, and 30g BK if trying to brew 20 gallon batches based on Blichmann kettle size recommendations. I'd also recommend using at least a 15 psi co2 tank regulator if trying to make batches that big. IMHO a 10 psi co2 regulator won't cut it, unless you don't mind having your liquor take forever to heat up to a boil of course. You could also consider buying a 30g MLT, 20g HLT, and 20g BK but boiling your runoff from the 30g MLT in the 2x20g kettles. If you want to go "on the cheap" you might be able to convert cooking pots / stainless drums with parts purchased from (and following the conversion guide they offer here) http://brewhardware.com/modify-a-pot You could also consider options from Stout Tanks and Kettles for about the same cost as Blichmann and they come with additional features.... Look at the 20 gallon and 30 gallon kettles they have with features like tri-clamps, thermowells, w/ or w/o tangential inlets, siteglasses, etc. http://conical-fermenter.com/products/brew-kettles/ Or on the way expensive (and larger scale brewery side) you could look into Psycho Brew LLC Kettles but they are definitely overkill for what you want to do (20 gallon batches) http://www.psychobrewllc.com/pages/kettles.html
Thank you for the information. I will have to check the reference table again. I thought I would need 30 MLT,30 BK and a 20 HLT.
In that case, it doesn't really matter! I envy your confidence in electrical know-how - I think I would prefer to have an electrical system, but I've not seen much in the way off-the-shelf systems and I think learning how to put one together myself would be like starting a second career at the bottom of the ladder.
Agreed, good thing my buddy is an electrical engineer. He has a smaller system that he runs off 110v. In the long run I might have to stick with propane. I might need to pack it up and take it over to my friends house when we are brewing for his barrel.
Worth is a relative thing and I believe probably has more to do with a specific item than brand. I can't speak directly to their pots, I don't own one and am about a year away from upgrading my brewery where I'm going to have to seriously look at having them along with the TOP and Top Tier but that said - IMO and IME their propane burner has been definitely worth it for me over the turkey fryer types I had previously. I regret not going Blichmann to begin with from the start on that deal.
I invested in a Blichmann floor burner about 5 batches ago and absolutely love it. It seems to make propane tanks go a bit further and it does a great job at holding temp without much fiddling. For me it was worth the $ - especially having upgraded from an el cheapo fish fry burner.
