Blichmann the best brewstand rig for the money?

[reuliss]

All:

I'm looking into investing into a nice, professionally-crafted homebrew stand (single or double tier, pump driven) with some sort of automated RIMS or HERMS system integrated. I love the scultpures at Morebeer, but they are really expensive. Everyone talks about the price of the Blichmann stuff, but you can get a tricked out Blichmann rig for thousands less than the highend stuff at Morebeer. I also looked at Ruby Street, but those also seem overpriced compared to what you get from Blichman. In other words, at this stage, Blichmann's gear actually seems like a competetively priced rig. You can go all out and get the double control enclosures (one for mash, one for HLT) and the complete tower of power, new kettles, etc., all for less than $4K. Don't get me wrong, that's a hell of a lot of money, but a similar rig from Morebeer is close to $6K. I also quoted a rig from Brew Steel, but again, Blichmann comes out on top on price.

Having heard so many people complain about the cost of Blichmann equipment, it got me thinking that there must be another manufacturer that I'm missing who is more competively priced. Can anyone direct me to such a place?

 

[SpikeBrewing]

I think most of Blichmann's stuff is very expensive but there brew stand is pretty reasonable. Although it doesn't have any of the add ons it is modular so you can add as you please. Personally I wouldn't want a 3 tier system with hot liquid that high off the ground. A single tier from Brew Steel is a hand made item; man hours=$$$

 

[reuliss]

I think most of Blichmann's stuff is very expensive but there brew stand is pretty reasonable. Although it doesn't have any of the add ons it is modular so you can add as you please. Personally I wouldn't want a 3 tier system with hot liquid that high off the ground. A single tier from Brew Steel is a hand made item; man hours=$$$

I'm with you on the three tier. But you don't have to go three tier with the Blichman. You can set it up essentially as a two tier. Two burners on the same level and the third only a foot or so higher, so you can argue that it would be tantamount to a single tier.

 

[freshhoarse]

I did ALOT of research on getting a stand and ended up with the TopTier, 3 Blichmann kettles, and a single Tower of Power module (for mash) with the pump stand. Most features and best quality for the money, IMHO.

 

[hoppedup75]

I looked into a "stand" for quite some time. For the money I went with a Brew Magic from SABCO. There customer care is top notch. Plus I wanted the repeatability plus with the extras I can go completely sealed from kettle to keezer. The new chill wizard is well worth the price!

 

[reuliss]

I did ALOT of research on getting a stand and ended up with the TopTier, 3 Blichmann kettles, and a single Tower of Power module (for mash) with the pump stand. Most features and best quality for the money, IMHO.

Freshhorse, do you miss having the extra unit for the HLT? MIght be a great way to save $600

 

[reuliss]

I looked into a "stand" for quite some time. For the money I went with a Brew Magic from SABCO. There customer care is top notch. Plus I wanted the repeatability plus with the extras I can go completely sealed from kettle to keezer. The new chill wizard is well worth the price!

Hoppedup, would you mind me asking what your set up set you back?

 

[freshhoarse]

Freshhorse, do you miss having the extra unit for the HLT? MIght be a great way to save $600

I really don't. It's not a big deal to manually turn on the burner then off when my sparge water hits 170*. I fly sparge with an AutoSparge, piece of cake.

 

[freshhoarse]

Those are 30gal Boilermakers, I do 20gal batches.

 

[hoppedup75]

Hoppedup, would you mind me asking what your set up set you back?

reuliss
Got all shown plus an extra fermenter for 9K.

 

[reuliss]

reuliss
Got all shown plus an extra fermenter for 9K.

Whoa Nelly!! Beautiful set up, but a bit rich for my blood.

 

[reuliss]

I really don't. It's not a big deal to manually turn on the burner then off when my sparge water hits 170*. I fly sparge with an AutoSparge, piece of cake.

This is a beautiful set up. Small footprint, too. I really think this is the way I'm going to go. Notice any ill-effects from the direct fired RIMS?

 

[freshhoarse]

I haven't, but it's only been two batches, one very pale wheat ale. As a caveat, however, there is a good amount of assembly required. The directions aren't great, but Blichmann's YouTube vids are very helpful.

 

[freshhoarse]

Thanks, BTW :rockin:

 

[RiverCityBrewer]

Notice any ill-effects from the direct fired RIMS?

I've been using a direct fired RIMS on the Top Tier for a little over 3 years now... no problems, it actually makes fantastic beer. Only word of advise is to keep the flame down a bit and keep the pump moving and you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[arborman]

I think most of Blichmann's stuff is very expensive but there brew stand is pretty reasonable. Although it doesn't have any of the add ons it is modular so you can add as you please. Personally I wouldn't want a 3 tier system with hot liquid that high off the ground. A single tier from Brew Steel is a hand made item; man hours=$$$

I dunno man... I am looking at their boilermaker kettles, and the 15 gallon seems pricey at first glance. BUT, when you factor in that is comes with a ball valve, thermo, sight glass and a pick up tube, it costs about the same as others. The 15 gallon boilermaker is $395. I think the spike kettle I bought, a 10 gallon, was over 200, and that did not include a ball valve, thermo, pick up tube or sight glass. Just those extra parts cost me over $125.

Furthermore, you don't have to rig up the blichman as a 3 tier to have the HLT high off the ground. You can put two shelves side by side down low, with one up above it. It is literally a modular rig.

Don't get me wrong, I love my Spike kettle, but they are not really much cheaper then a blichman when fully equipped. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think they are very competitive when you factor in all the extras that they come with.

 

[SpikeBrewing]

Before this turns into a flame war....

Pricing:
$290 - Spike sight glass kettle
$18 - 3pc Valve (http://www.brewhardware.com/valves/94-3pbv)
$25 - Thermo (http://www.brewhardware.com/thermometers/88-dial-thermometers)
$21 - Dip tube (http://www.brewhardware.com/valves/116-12diptubes)

Total: $354 vs $395

To be fair the Blichmann has a snap in dip tube (our dip tube will be push to connect when it comes out). And they have a swivel thermo but personally I can't fathom spending $75 on an inaccurate dial thermo but to each their own. Personally I think our sightglass is better protected and is easier to clean because it completely disassembles. And the biggest factor is we weld our couplers on and they use weldless. A LOT more time is needed to weld and our pricing is still less or competitive (depending how you look at it) to theirs. In their defense they do need to give a cut to the retailers and we do not since we sell direct.

That's my personal take on why I think their kettles are a little pricey. Let's try to keep the thread on topic....

 

[BrewingGunner]

Built myself for less than $800. :rockin:

 

[arborman]

Before this turns into a flame war....

Pricing:
$290 - Spike sight glass kettle
$18 - 3pc Valve (http://www.brewhardware.com/valves/94-3pbv)
$25 - Thermo (http://www.brewhardware.com/thermometers/88-dial-thermometers)
$21 - Dip tube (http://www.brewhardware.com/valves/116-12diptubes)

Total: $354 vs $395

To be fair the Blichmann has a snap in dip tube (our dip tube will be push to connect when it comes out). And they have a swivel thermo but personally I can't fathom spending $75 on an inaccurate dial thermo but to each their own. Personally I think our sightglass is better protected and is easier to clean because it completely disassembles. And the biggest factor is we weld our couplers on and they use weldless. A LOT more time is needed to weld and our pricing is still less or competitive (depending how you look at it) to theirs. In their defense they do need to give a cut to the retailers and we do not since we sell direct.

That's my personal take on why I think their kettles are a little pricey. Let's try to keep the thread on topic....

Not starting a flame war, just pointing out the perception that lots of people have with blichmann being WAY overpriced. Your example above is a $40 difference, not what I would call a huge price gap. My set up, which was a ten gallon spike kettle, came in at $200 with a ball valve and thermo. Then, I added on a sight glass and pickup tube from moorebeer, and those two components cost me nearly $80. So, there's $280, in comparison to $325, and I had to piece together mine. Again, not what I'd call a huge price gap.

I love my spike kettle, but since I've looked at the blichman, I may try one of theirs next time since they really are not WAY more then other kettles

And that's my personal take on this.

 

[exhumedatbirth]

Built myself for less than $800. :rockin:

Out of curiosity how do you feel about those Banjo burners? I'm using keggles and have gone back to my jet burner since the banjos seem to take forever to get the water up to strike temp, and then the boil.

 

[reuliss]

Also, keep in mind that my post was not motivated so much by the price of the kettles than it was at the price of the overall set up, with all of the extras. Some pieces may be a bit more, but some are less. A complete set up (3 burners, 3 kettles, stand, tower of power with a single controller, pump, etc) runs around $3K plus tax and shipping. Really, that's pretty damn good and I think people need to reassess the perception that Blichmann's prices are in the stratosphere. It's just not true.

 

[reuliss]

Built myself for less than $800. :rockin:

That's a beaut! Congrats! I'm just not handy enough to pull that off, but that looks killer.

 

[BrewingGunner]

Out of curiosity how do you feel about those Banjo burners? I'm using keggles and have gone back to my jet burner since the banjos seem to take forever to get the water up to strike temp, and then the boil.

I use three keggles too. Mine boil really quickly. You have to tune the burners and make sure the distance to the kettle is correct.

 

[BrewingGunner]

That's a beaut! Congrats! I'm just not handy enough to pull that off, but that looks killer.

Thanks. It's not as hard as it looks. Believe it or not, this was my first time welding....ever. It was extremely fun to do.

 

[reuliss]

Thanks. It's not as hard as it looks. Believe it or not, this was my first ime welding....ever. It was extremely fun to do.

This question officially puts me on my own thread, but did you incorporate a PID into your setup?

 

[BrewingGunner]

This question officially puts me on my own thread, but did you incorporate a PID into your setup?

No, I used a ranco. I did a HERMS setup. Works great. Here is a link to the build thread. I still need to update with the HERM setup.https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/brutus-style-brewstand-build-403103/

 

[LiquidFlame]

Thanks. It's not as hard as it looks. Believe it or not, this was my first ime welding....ever. It was extremely fun to do.

Nice stand BrewingGunner

reuliss, you don't even need to be a welder, make a stand out of strut. I made mine with strut and can't be more than pleased with it. If you got the money to spend on pre-built equipment go with whatever you want, but you can save a lot on making your own stuff.

 

[reuliss]

Nice stand BrewingGunner

You don't even need to be a welder, make a stand out of strut. I made mine with strut and can't be more than pleased with it. If you got the money to spend on pre-built equipment go with whatever you want, but you can save a lot on making your own stuff.

View attachment 121080

Do you use a HERMS?

 

[LiquidFlame]

Do you use a HERMS?

Yes, and is electric. Mine is a kal clone, working on finishing the control panel right now.

 

[logdrum]

I use three keggles too. Mine boil really quickly. You have to tune the burners and make sure the distance to the kettle is correct.

Mind sharing what that distance is? And is this with propane or NG? Thanks.

 

[BrewingGunner]

Mind sharing what that distance is? And is this with propane or NG? Thanks.

No problem. About 4 inches and propane. Tuning the banjo is the biggest part though. I slowly add air till the flame just turns yellow and then cut it back a hair. You will get ridiculous heat then.

 

[orion7144]

Built myself for less than $800. :rockin:

I like this stand but I already have the blichmann burners so for me buying the stand will be a little under $650 with the shelf and mounting hardware.

 

[swackattack]

OP. I posted almost the exact same thing a few months ago. And you are correct it is th3 best value out there if you cant/don't want to weld like me. Had mine for 6 months now and love it

 

[reuliss]

OP. I posted almost the exact same thing a few months ago. And you are correct it is th3 best value out there if you cant/don't want to weld like me. Had mine for 6 months now and love it

Thank you.

 

[reuliss]

Nice stand BrewingGunner

reuliss, you don't even need to be a welder, make a stand out of strut. I made mine with strut and can't be more than pleased with it. If you got the money to spend on pre-built equipment go with whatever you want, but you can save a lot on making your own stuff.

Do you have plans and part list for this build? Love the look. Much better than other weldless rigs

 

[BrewingGunner]

I have plans if you want. I had to touch up some paint. I'll post a fully assembled picture tomorrow.

 

[LiquidFlame]

Do you have plans and part list for this build? Love the look. Much better than other weldless rigs

I don't have a part list, been meaning to put that together, but I do have Google SketchUp plans. If you want those just PM your email address. If you want to see more pictures of me, building my stand, take a look at this post: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-weldless-build-using-strut-363128/index30.html#post4854092