The BoilerMaker™ line of brew pots have been designed specifically for home brewing. We didn't sacrifice features or quality by leveraging a combination of existing cooking pots...we designed the ideal pot from the ground up and built them from scratch! Note that the sizes are perfect for home brew batch sizes!

• Heavy 18ga 304 stainless steel construction
• 10/15/20/30/55 gal sizes designed specifically for home brewing batch sizes (5gal to 1bbl)
• Includes adjustable BrewMometer™ and our 3 pc stainless ball valve as standard
• Heavy duty borosilicate GLASS level gauge never clouds or scratches is standard equipment! Features rugged stainless steel guard with laser etched volume graduations, cleaning brush and clean-out ports.
• Exclusive snap-in dip tube design installs without tools and drains to within 3/8” of bottom!
• Handles oriented to make carrying easier and the lid stores neatly on the pot handle!
• Stepped bottom on pot supports mash screen and virtually eliminate sidewall shunting
• Patented optional button louver false bottom is a hybrid of a perforated screen (high efficiency) and a slotted manifold (plug resistance) – get the best of both!!
• Optional boil screen with shield keeps hops and hot break out of your fermentor
• Blichmann Engineering is committed to continuous product improvement, so design details may change from the photo's shown.

Recommended 3 Kettle Systems For Typical Batch Sizes (HLT/Mash/Boil) - please reference the chart below for specific capacities:

5 gal batch:           10/10/10

10 gal batch:         15/15/20

15-20 gal batch:   20/20/30

32 gal batch:         30/55/55 or 55/55/55

64 gal batch: 100/100/100 (our 55 gal pot with the 2bbl extension)

*** For doing different sized batches with the same equipment please see the FAQ tab.

			Approx mash capacity - lb of grain @75% full
	Recommended Boil Capacity (finished batch size)	HLT Capacity (approx)	1.00 qt/lb	1.25 qt/lb	1.5 qt/lb	1.75 qt/lb	2.00 qt/lb	Approx lauter rate (gpm)	Max recirc rate (gpm) for RIMS	Kettle dead space (gal)	Diameter (in) of sidewall	Diameter (in) base of step	Height (in) Bare Pot Add 2.25" for lid	Volume to thermo stem (gal)*
10	5	8	24	20	17	15	13	0.19	0.75	0.13	13.8	10.9	16.5	4.0
15	8	13	37	30	26	23	20	0.25	1.00	0.19	15.7	12.8	18.9	6.5
20	10	17	49	41	35	30	27	0.33	1.25	0.22	17.7	14.8	20.9	8.25
30	15	25	73	61	52	45	40	0.40	1.50	0.28	19.7	16.8	23.6	10.25
55	32	48	134	111	95	83	74	0.55	2.25	0.50	23.6	20.7	28.3	15.0
100	64	48	228	190	164	144	128	0.75	2.25	0.50	23.6	20.7	55	15.0

* We offer a hole plug so that you can install the BrewMometer in multiple locations...great for doing multiple batch sizes on one pot!

Key to top performance of your new BoilerMaker™ brew pot is selecting the size that best fits your brewing needs.  Selecting too small, or too big of a brew pot, mash tun, or hot liquor tank (HLT) can cause frustration and poor performance.

Boil kettles: we recommend that you always do a full wort boil, as do most brewing texts and advanced brewers. This will minimize the addition of top-up water to compensate for boil-off, and starting with the volume called for in your recipe will let you know early in the process if you've hit your target gravity giving you more time to correct the problem.  Also, you'll get more consistent hop utilization by sticking to the recipe volumes, as utilization changes significantly with specific wort gravity.  Last, but certainly not least, is boil-over prevention...having enough head space will keep this irritating problem at bay.

That said, we recommend a boil kettle approximately 2 times the size of the finished batch size.  Although this may sound like a bit much, a 10 gal batch will typically start with 13-14 gal pre-boil once you compensate for cooling contraction, transfer losses, and boil off.  This will allow for a reasonable head space to reduce boil-over problems.  For example, if you're a 10gal batch brewer, you'd select the 20 gal BoilerMaker™ brew pot as your boil kettle.

Mash Vessels: we recommend filling your mash vessel no more than 75% of capacity.  This will allow sufficient space for dough-in of the grains and additions of sparge water and sparge arms, etc.  The chart below includes various water to grist ratios to assist you in your selection.  The green column is our recommended water to grist ratio.   Minimum volumes are to ensure that the thermometer probe is adequately submerged, and also so you have an adequate grain bed depth for proper wort filtration.  We've designed the BoilerMaker™ brew pot sizes to seamlessly blend from size to size, so you'll never need to sacrifice.

Hot Liquor Tanks: we recommend sizing your HLT the same size as your mash tun to ensure you have plenty of sparge water available on brew day. 

***Note - the above data is for evaluation purposes only.  Blichmann Engineering is not responsible for incidental or consequential damages from use of this information.

At Blichmann Engineering we're serious about brewing.  And our designs reflect this passion for quality.  From  innovations like the stepped bottom, button louver false bottom, and snap-in dip tube, to subtle features like orienting the handles to make carrying easier, and a convenient place to rest the lid.   You'll find the BoilerMaker™ pots to be a joy to use. 

While a bare-bones pot lures you in with an attractive price, by the time you add all the equipment you need and/or want you'll find the BoilerMaker™ to be the best value.  We include all the items you need as standard equipment all installed and ready to use.  Things like a heavy duty stainless and glass level gauge with clean-out ports for liquid level monitoring and measuring.  An adjustable angle BrewMometer™ to make temperature monitoring convenient and accurate - no more stooping over or standing on a stool.  A stainless valve for durability, and a snap-in dip tube to minimize wasted wort.  Coupled with our optional highly efficient mash screen or uniqueHopBlocker it allows you to convert your BoilerMaker™ to a mash tun or boil vessel in seconds.

The chart below compares the BoilerMakertm to several competitors features.  By the time you add up the extra costs to properly equip the competition and compare it to the additional features they don't offer, you'll agree that the BoilerMaker™ is truly in a class of it's own.

Chart Notes:

Level gauge on competitors are not available installed.  Some not-installed gauges are available, but you need to drill holes and install.  Retail prices range from $30 for cheap models to $70 for industrial types.  None are  as heavy duty as the Blichmann gauge and do not fasten at the top so are more prone to damage.  And none are calibrated with level markings leaving that arduous task to you.  In addition, most are plastic which cloud and yellow quickly.

Thermometer on competitive units are optional and are fixed viewing angle (approx retail $35).  We offer the adjustable model as standard which retail for about $70.  Since the face can be moved to any position, they are great for multi-tier stands so you can read the temperature without stooping over or using a stool.  Once you use an adjustable angle thermometer you'll never go back!

Stepped bottoms are not available on competitive units.  The BoilerMaker™ stepped bottom makes a perfect seal to the mash screen, virtually eliminating sidewall shunting and channeling.  And our patent pending button louver false bottom is the ultimate in plug resistance and efficiency.

The BoilerMaker™ is the only brew pot on the market designed from a clean sheet of paper solely for brewing.  The height to diameter ratio is the ideal 1.2 to minimize boil-off and also prevent boil-overs.  We've also optimized the sizes to blend seamlessly from hot liquor tanks, mash tuns, boil kettles to fermentors for the common batch sizes of 5/10/20/1bbl.

Internal dip/drain tubes are not offered with the competitive products, but are needed to fully drain your pot without tipping (disturbing the sediment) and sucking the hops/trub into the fermentor.  The low profile design of our dip tube stays out of the way of your stir paddle and drains to within 3/8" of the bottom of the pot.

 

Feature	BoilerMaker™	B3 Heavy Duty	Mega Pots	PolarWare
Sizes Available	10,15,20,30,55, 100 gal	8,15,26gal	8,10,15,20,25gal	10,15gal
Sizes Optimized For Homebrewing?	Yes	No	No	No
Optimized Height to Diameter ratio?	Yes	No	No	No
Stainless valve	Standard (3pc)	Optional 1pc	Optional 1pc or 3pc	Optional 1pc
Thermometer	Standard adjustable angle	Optional fixed angle	Optional fixed angle or adjustable	Optional fixed angle
Level Gauge	Standard stainless/glass heavy duty	Optional plastic	Not available	Optional plastic
Dip tube	Standard snap-in stainless	Not available	Not available	Not available
Handles	Standard, oriented for easy carrying.	Standard	Standard	Standard
Lid nests on pot handle?	Yes	No	No	No
Stepped bottom	Standard	Not available	Not available	Not available
False Bottom	Optional high efficiency Button Louver	Optional Perforated	Optional Perforated	Optional Perforated
HopBlocker	Option	Not available	Not available	Not available

Why do I need a level gauge on every pot?

Although at first glance you wonder why you need a level gauge on every pot in your system, but there are several reasons why we feel they are necessary equipment on every vessel in your brewery:

Beer is about 90% water, so knowing how much you're using in each pot is vital

Consistency from batch to batch is all about repeatability and measurements.  Using a level gauge will ensure you're starting with the right amount of water and finishing with the correct amount.  These measurements will also let you measure your system efficiency.

Using a gauge instead of a bucket reduces errors and  saves time

Hot Liquor Tank: initial fill, water chemistry adjustments

Mash Tun - initial fill, water adjustment, allows you to monitor static pressure on mash to prevent stuck mashes!!  When the level in the gauge reaches 1/2 the level of the mash you know that you're drawing too fast and may stick your mash well before it actually happens.  This is particularly useful for RIMS/HERMS brewers!

Boil kettle - know when to stop lauter runoff, measure initial and final fill for efficiency measurements.  Knowing your gravity points early on allows you more time to correct any issues

The heat shield provided with your BoilerMaker will prevent boiling in the level gauge allowing very accurate readings.

The Blichmann Engineering gauge is a snap to clean with the removable clean-out ports on the top and bottom of the gauge.  Using the included cleaning brush you'll have the gauge squeaky clean in less than a minute.

 

           

 

Do I need a Clad Bottom?

Clad bottoms are great for cooking viscous foods like spaghetti, gravies etc, especially on an electric stove.  Since these foods don't convect like thinner liquids (like beer wort) scorching is more likely.  With the full rolling boil of a wort boil, and the use on a gas/propane burner, scorching is not an issue even on the lightest worts.  We have thoroughly tested the BoilerMaker pots on high BTU burners with very light beers (Koelsch, Pils etc) and experienced no discoloration or scorching whatsoever.  While the clad bottoms look impressive, they add cost, but no real benefit to the brewer.  Since we designed these pots from a clean sheet, we added cost only where it added specific benefits to the brewer.  The stepped bottom, quality level gauge, adjustable BrewMometer,  and snap-in dip tube are a few examples.

 

Can I Brew Multiple Batch Sizes?

It is possible to brew multiple batch sizes, for example 5 and 10 gal, with the following sizes. Note that you may need to accept some comprimises for the added flexibility such ad adding additional makeup water to your boil kettle, thinner mashes, higher boil off rates etc. For doing small mashes in a large pot, it is advised to use a thinner mash - this will help maintain temperatures and also allow the thermometer to read the mash. We do offer a thermometer hole plug so you can locate the thermometer at a lower position for smaller batches, and the higher position for bigger batch size.

Here are some suggested options.

5/10: 5gal -> 20/10/15, 10gal -> 10/15/20

10/20: 10gal -> 30/15/20, 20gal -> 15/20/30

20/30: 20gal -> 55/20/30, 30gal -> 20/30/55