I have done all grain batches this year in my plain jane steel kettle. I saw a Blichmann G1 on Craigslist this morning. For those that have upgraded, is the move to a G1 for $200 worth it? Or am I just being enticed by shiny things?
Shiny bits can be tempting. I am proud of my plastic Fermonsters and plastic bottling buckets. What interested me was the G1 kettle being convertible to a mash tun. I am thinking it would have fewer contamination opportunities, and less clean up. It was probably yesterday's trip to Scofflaw Brewery that made me look for my own shiny stuff.To me, with my buckets and carboys, it looks like shiny s###. To each their own, though. Some swear by their stainless.
I am a sucker for quality tools as well. So much so that my wife no longer allows me on the Snap-On truck without adult supervision.As long as the kettle has been taken care of, I can't imagine that you'd be disappointed in the quality. Since starting sours, I've thought about purchasing a nice stainless kettle myself. The only drawback I've found with my aluminum pot is not being able to do kettle sours.
Purchasing quality products is never a bad thing in my book. Especially if you can find a good deal!