Brewing System Advice Requested

[Clamtown Guy]

Hi Brewers,

I am looking for some feedback on selecting a 20 - 30 gallon brewing system. I have narrowed my search to the following 3 systems:

More Beer 2100DD
http://morebeer.com/products/20-gall...al-deluxe.html

The Blichmann - Tower of Power -
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/b...ing-stand.html
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/b...utosparge.html
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/b...-of-power.html

PsychoBrew
http://www.psychobrewllc.com/pages/systems.html

If someone told you they were giving you one of these three systems for free, which one would you choose, and why.

Thanks.

Clamtown Guy

[Ozwald]

I'm about 3/4's through a build that size. I enjoy building & engineering stuff, so for me personally, the Tower of Power is a waste of money but I could see it being a great purchase for someone who's not mechanically inclined, doesn't have many tools, or is just more interested in spending their time brewing than in building their brewery.

That being said, my system is mostly Blichmann. The BoilerMaker has made for a solid MLT & the 2nd one replacing my old boil kettle will be here on Monday. The MLT is running off RIMS so I haven't tested the burner yet, but I also have one of those with the leg extensions showing up on Monday. I'm not completely sold on the false bottom for the MLT, mostly because I've been using a braid for years. I'm sure if you're already used to a false bottom it wouldn't be as much of an adjustment. The AutoSparge is pretty good too. It's got a couple quirks, but nothing along the lines of what you see in the online reviews - I still haven't read a bad review from someone who was actually using it correctly. Honestly my biggest complaint is the Brewmometer. I find the brewing parameters ridiculous. I figure 90% of brewers who are going to drop $70 on a large dial thermometer already know how to mash & quite frankly, I'd much rather have a Celcius scale instead of the brewing parameters. The pivoting head is the only reason I haven't removed the ones that come with the kettles. It's pretty pimp.

Anyhow, just my thoughts on some of the Blichmann gear since I'm in the process of a build myself. I don't have anything to say about B3, just because I've never seen or used their larger equipment. I'm planning on replacing my conicals with B3's temp controlled ones instead of going with Blichmann's, just for space issues. It's cheaper to go the Blichmann route, but the fridge to put it in is just going to take up too much room. Besides having a stand-alone does up it's coolness factor by 4.29.

[PSUHomebrewer]

The biggest difference between those systems (and one of the bigger questions) is space.

When I was doing research for which one i would go with I didn't see much difference between the ones I was looking at. My deciding faster was their footprint since it was going in the garage and I needed to still get 2 cars and keep everything else that's there already.

[Clamtown Guy]

Thanks for the input Lee. I like the Blichmann kettles so much that I will probably use them in any system I assemble. In 1995 I owned and built a microbrewery (4 barrel mash tun, 20 barrel fermenters), but I don't have the time to do that today, and I can afford to buy something all assembled. The thing I like least about the Blichmann system is the vertical stand concept. It does have a smaller footprint, but I would rather not dough-in standing on a ladder.

Clamtown Guy

[Ozwald]

Thanks for the input Lee. I like the Blichmann kettles so much that I will probably use them in any system I assemble. In 1995 I owned and built a microbrewery (4 barrel mash tun, 20 barrel fermenters), but I don't have the time to do that today, and I can afford to buy something all assembled. The thing I like least about the Blichmann system is the vertical stand concept. It does have a smaller footprint, but I would rather not dough-in standing on a ladder.

Clamtown Guy

You can make it a single tier system at a comfortable level. I don't know the weight capability off hand & if it doesn't say in the spec sheets/manuals available free on his site, you may want to shoot an email to John@BlichmannEngineering.com to make sure it will take 3, 30g Boilermakers in that arrangement. He's very quick to respond with a solid answer. You can always make it a 2 tier system as well. Or stagger the MLT low. It's like engineering your own stand with the difficult & time consuming aspects all taken care of.

Edit:
Keep in mind, I don't actually own one, but I am a bit of a gear nerd so I've looked at them a bit. I just like to spend the time in the shop designing & building my own stuff from scratch. Just a part of the hobby I'm into, but if I weren't I'd probably be taking a closer look at the Top Tier for versatility, but those B3 stands are pretty sexy too. Honestly, I don't think you could go wrong with either.