Blichmann Top Tier: Reviews, Pics, Tips, etc.

[aleguy]

Sorry. I just can't get behind any gravity system. For the price of a top tier, you can build a fully operational RIMS on a horizontal axis, with two pumps (and a MIG welder) and be able to see into and stir all your kettles easily with your feet firmly on the ground. No hauling grain up a ladder or trying to stir your mash while you have one leg dangling in the air. Buy one if you want to, but "a fool and his money . . . "

[bobbytuck]

Sorry. I just can't get behind any gravity system. For the price of a top tier, you can build a fully operational RIMS on a horizontal axis, with two pumps (and a MIG welder) and be able to see into and stir all your kettles easily with your feet firmly on the ground. No hauling grain up a ladder or trying to stir your mash while you have one leg dangling in the air. Buy one if you want to, but "a fool and his money . . . "

The MLT positioning was something that worried me. But it's not a ladder I'll be standing on, it's a step stool. No legs dangling -- and only a step up above the ground. If it were a ladder, I'd agree with you.

If I had the welding tools and fabrication skills, there's no way I'd go with the top tier. But because I have neither the tools nor the skills, my options were limited -- and informed by a couple of estimates I'd gotten from local welders which weren't much less than the Top Tier (and were greeted by a general lack of enthusiasm for what they considered a small project.)

As I say, I recognize the coolness, DIY factor is lost on the Top Tier. I understand that. But I also know -- and I suspect many folks would agree -- that brewing is what I ultimately want to do -- more so than building. Other folks feel differently -- and if you got the tools and know-how and time, then it's completely different calculation.

I also figure there are many folks in my position -- and are probably on the fence for an off-the-shelf solution. Is a gravity structure less effective than a horizontal tier? I dunno. I got two pumps, but I'm using gravity for MLT >> BK. It works for me -- and the Top Tier is actually ideal for this pump/gravity hybrid. (Do I need to use gravity? Nope. But it's what I've been doing, and it's part of my workflow now -- so why not.)

The proof is in the beer, though -- so we shall see.

[elsinore]

Couldn't take a picture during today's brew session, but here is a shot from a previous brew:

Why do you have the top burner all the way at 72" when the kettles aren't huge? Or is that just the way you decided to plumb the gas lines for future expansion?

I'm interested in this stand, I'm just trying to figure out a set-up that will work for me and my existing equipment.

[eww]

For those of you who have a top tier, how easy would this be to break down for transport in a Honda to take to club brew outs? It seems that you could easily unbolt the shelves and base, fold down the back seat of the car and squeeze everything in. I'm considering one of these (with 20 gallon Boilermakers) and any insights on this possibility would be much appreciated.

[elsinore]

Somebody will probably answer before I'm able to, but I'll let you know just how easy it is to break down and transport when I get my Top Tier in a few days.

I plan on setting the whole thing up inside, then breaking it down so I can set it up again on my rooftop deck. I'm sure that after I do that a few times(I don't need to move it after every brew, but it'll be nice to know how long it'll take should I have to), I'll figure out specifically how far I need to break it down to easily move the thing.

[ninetoedbrewing]

For those of you who have a top tier, how easy would this be to break down for transport in a Honda to take to club brew outs? It seems that you could easily unbolt the shelves and base, fold down the back seat of the car and squeeze everything in. I'm considering one of these (with 20 gallon Boilermakers) and any insights on this possibility would be much appreciated.

Harder than it sounds. While everything slides off the T-slots easily, (1) the post is 6' long, (2) each of the legs come off independently and are kind of hard to get on properly and (3) the unit is heavy (myunit has two burners and a pump and weighs 150 lbs). My bet would be that it would take at least a half an hour to an hour each to break it down and set it back up, and you still have a 6' post to deal with.

[ninetoedbrewing]

Couldn't take a picture during today's brew session, but here is a shot from a previous brew:

Why do you have the top burner all the way at 72" when the kettles aren't huge? Or is that just the way you decided to plumb the gas lines for future expansion?

I'm interested in this stand, I'm just trying to figure out a set-up that will work for me and my existing equipment.

I did have future expansion in mind when I assembled it, but also felt like the more gravity I could get to feed downward, the better. The funny thing is I don't even fire the top burner (yet)--just the lower one on the stand and my old Bayou Classic which sits on the ground.

[bobbytuck]

Photos of my TopTier (almost assembled):