Who has a Blichmann TopTier unit?

[Stormin Norman]

I have one and love it. I have the 2 burner/cooler (shelf) configuration.

Reason I ask…

I got a new keggle for Christmas and was going to build a mash tun out of it. Aside from cleaning for hours, not being able to consistently hit my temperature marks is a huge pain point. The Cooler is OK but I’m sure I’m not the only one that stirred their grain in and discovered you undershot considerably more than you should have. You can't just light a burner up under the cooler can you? So I’m actually looking forward to this configuration change. It seems like a natural next step for me. That said, it's got me wondering about how I’m going to regulate the temperature in my new mash tun.

I was considering either a RIMS tube/pump setup or maybe the tower of power (both are not cheap). Maybe one of you have some home grown DIY solution you might want to share. I suppose I could even get by with just getting the 3rd burner and a pump to continuously cycle for now (assuming I’d have to watch closer than I'd like to).

I haven’t really invested in more than a false bottom for the keggle. I also already have a pump. I was hoping a few of you guys may have already gone through this decision and might have some pointers/suggestions.

Thanks for the input!

[Jimmy Orkin]

I have a Top Tier. It has three burners. The HLT is up high and the MLT and boil kettle are low. I have a pump to recirculate the mash and pump over to the boil kettle. I use gravity between the HLT and the MLT. I use keggles for HLT and MLT. I got the MLT false bottom from Homebrew Headquarters. I direct fire the MLT to manage the temperature. I used a keggle for the boil kettle initially but switched to a 20 gallon aluminum pot because it is lighter, wider, holds more and transfers heat better.

I created pilot lights out of propane torch heads. They work very good.

I use one pump and a Morebeer counterflow chiller mounted to the stand.

I am currently using a breadboard version of the Brewtroller to control my HLT and MLT temperatures. I am not happy with the Brewtroller software but I don't have anything else for control currently.

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