Using BoilerMaker G2 kettles on our setup
To order these kettles from various retailers, see our Parts List for Building Your Brewery
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New Blichmann Boilermaker G2 kettles were announced in the summer of 2014) immediately replacing the existing G1 model which is now discontinued. There was no notice of this change. I was surprised when I heard the news.
Blichmann has a video on the various features of the new G2 kettles here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7MQZdL6Gk4
These newly designed kettles will continue to work with our brewery setup (as will any other kettles/vessels for that matter), so we still recommend them for anyone looking for easy to use/quality kettles. If I had to rebuild my own brewery today, these are the kettles I would use (with a small change as will be detailed this in article).
Most changes to the new kettles are cosmetic and appear to be done to reduce manufacturing costs. For example, leaving the stainless as a matt finish instead of going through an additional step to polish, not rolling the lid and kettle rim, and so on.
The level gauge (sight glass) and the optional false bottom are the same which is good to see. Both remain very effective and easy to clean. These are the two things that (in our humble opinion) differentiate the kettle from other manufacturers.
The outer dimensions of the kettles have barely changed so there are no issues using our HERMS coil in the Hot Liquor Tank.
The only change that affects our instructions is the new proprietary "linear flow" valve which is basically a multi-turn faucet with a 1/2" NPT male fitting (instead of female like the previous standard ball valve). Instead of pointing straight out towards the brewer, the fitting is now turned 90 degrees and may be oriented in whichever direction you prefer: 
The valve (disassembled) looks like this: 
For using the kettles on our setup, no major overhaul is required. For all three kettles simply turn the output valve to the left or right (loosen with a wrench, reposition, and re-tighten).
For the Hot Liquor Tank (HLT) and Mash/Lauter Tun (MLT) simply screw on the Stainless steel "T" 1/2" FPT per our instructions without first using a Stainless steel nipple threaded 1/2" x close NPT such that you still end up with the hose quick disconnect pointing straight out at the brewer and the temperature probe pointing left or right.
For the Boil Kettle I'd recommend a Stainless steel elbow with 1/2" female NPT fittings before the hose quick disconnect so that the quick disconnect is also pointing straight at the brewer. You may use a straight coupler instead and connect the hose sideways, but you'll probably find front attachment easier.
So everything in our instructions still works, but you'll leave out two of the $2 nipples in the MLT and HLT, and then add an $4 elbow or coupler to the boil kettle. So cost comes out about the same when all is said and done.
Now, whether you like the new proprietary output valve or not is another story - you may want to replace them with a standard stainless steel 2-piece 1/2" full port ball valve or Blichmann 3-piece stainless steel 1/2" full port ball valve. I think I would. Here's why:
On single tier setups (gas or electric) where all the kettles are at the same height, a standard ball valve makes more sense because the valve will be either 100% open or closed as flow has to be controlled by a valve on the output of pump, not a valve on the output of the kettle. So a standard ball valve on the kettle will always be faster/easier to use as all we ever do is completely open or close it. It's one quick motion. The flow rate fine tuning that is possible with a linear flow valve is completely lost on all single tier setups (including ours). This linear flow valve only makes sense for brewers with simple setups who drain with gravity (no recirculation, so no pumps), but those setups loose all of the benefits of recirculating systems such as ours.
I would imagine that many going with Blichmann kettles are also going to go with more expensive single tier setup and not have to deal with the extra work/less ergonomic nature of a multi-tier gravity fed setup (no need to lug a bucket of grain up a ladder, or having the HLT up over your head causing safety concerns, or manually vorlaufing, etc.). I suppose this valve change shows that there are many still using simplified completely manual brewing setups (single pot, possibly extract only, gravity fed, etc.).
While the benefits of the valve are lost on all single tier setups such as ours, I feel there are also other reasons this valve is a step backwards for other setups too:
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Usability: From an HMI (human machine interface) standpoint the ergonomics are not ideal as it's not obvious how the valve is set by simply looking at it. With a standard ball valve you can tell if it is open or closed by simply looking at the handle. It's obvious. When the handle is parallel with the plumbing it's open, when at 90 degrees it's closed. With the linear flow valve you don't know. You have no idea. That is dangerous (in my humble opinion) as you may unplug a hose without checking first that that the valve is closed.
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Safety: If you turn the linear flow valve to open and keep turning, the handle and plunger comes right off! There is no detent or stopper to prevent this. If your kettle's full of boiling wort, that wort is now going to come shooting out the front towards the brewer instead of going down your attached hose! On a standard ball valve there is no operator action that can cause fluid to flow out of anywhere other than the output of the valve.
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Maintenance: The linear flow valve opens and closes against o-rings (frictional contact) so they will eventually require replacement. Standard ball valves typically use teflon seats which rarely wear out.
- Proprietary: Standard ball valves are available from dozens of manufacturers. I do not like being tied to one specific manufacturer for a specific part. I don’t like proprietary.
The new valves are also said to be easier to clean. I don’t understand this benefit as Boilermakers are used on the hot side of the brewing process. It doesn't matter if a bit of crud is left behind in the ball valve as everything is boiled anyway. In 5 years of use I have never taken my ball valves apart to clean them as it's just not required.
Feel free to use the linear flow valve yourself and post your comments here. If you choose to replace it, keep reading... 
HOW-TO: Replacing the proprietary linear flow valve with a regular ball valve
The linear flow valve is easily removed, leaving a 1/2" male NPT fitting just like on previous G1 kettles. A direct swap with a standard ball valve is not possible as the o-ring and washer that they previously used to seal the 3-pieced ball valve on the G1 kettle is now part of the linear flow valve. So you need to add an o-ring and washer:
(A) Blichmann 3-piece stainless steel 1/2" full port ball valve or stainless steel 2-piece 1/2" full port ball valve
(B) Stainless steel washer/shim (1" ID, 1-1/2" OD, 0.048" thick)
(C) Silicone high temperature o-ring (3/4" ID, 15/16" OD, 3/32" thick)
(D) NPT fitting with integrated nut (from your existing Blichmann G2 kettle)
(Note: The actual Blichmann replacement parts for B and C may also be purchased here). 
Using a wrench, remove the existing linear flow valve. You will be left with the NPT fitting: 
Remove the NPT fitting. Add the o-ring and washer to the NPT fitting such that that they sit flush with the integrated nut. Place the NPT fitting back on the kettle from the inside and wrap the threaded end with PTFE white teflon thread sealant tape to ensure a tight, leak-free fit. Screw on the ball valve from the outside, making sure that the washer does not pinch the o-ring.
Tighten the parts using wrenches until the whole assembly is firmly attached to the kettle wall. You should not be able to twist, turn, or move it at all by hand. Do not be afraid of overtightening as the silicone o-ring cannot be overcompressed. When finished, the ball valve should feel as if it is welded directly to the kettle and be very stable and secure.
View on the inside after installing: 
View from the outside of the boil kettle (with the Stainless steel male quick disconnect 1/2" MPT attached): 
You may use a stainless steel 2-piece 1/2" full port ball valve or a Blichmann 3-piece stainless steel 1/2" full port ball valve as shown above. Both will work equally well (more information).
This is a slightly different approach to how we seal the other ball valves we add in our instructions where a nut/washer/o-ring are added to a nipple on the outside of the kettle (example). The nipple on the NPT fitting that Blichmann supplies (part [D]) is too short so we add a washer and o-ring to the inside of the kettle instead. The diameter of the integrated nut on the NPT fitting is large enough to provide a good seal.
By adding the washer and o-ring on the inside of the kettle it also doesn't matter what sort of ball valve is used on the outside. We are not dependent on a certain outer diameter of the ball valve head to make a good seal as different valves will have different outer diameters. Note: The washer and o-ring that Blichmann used on their previous G1 kettles were added to the outside. That worked because they control what sort of valve they use and can choose a very specific size o-ring and washer (the o-ring was a standard dash 19 size but the washer was custom made).
In my instructions where other valves are added to other parts of the kettle, I tried to stay 'universal' as different people will order different brand 2-piece ball valves which may have different outer diameter heads such that the o-ring seal is created between the kettle wall and a nut instead instead of between the kettle wall and ball valve head. This lets people use any 2-piece ball valve they want, even ones with very narrow diameter heads. It doesn't have to be a ball valve at all - any 1/2" NPT female fitting will work. This also means that if 20 years down the road you need to replace a ball valve, you can use any type. You don't care about the outer diameter of the valve head, only that it uses 1/2" NPT female connections (a known standard).
In speaking with John Blichmann, they may consider giving G2 kettle customers the option to choose whichever valve works best for them. If you'd like to see this offered, contact them and let them know that you'd like to see G2 kettles also offered with a standard ball valve: http://blichmannengineering.com/contact-us
Would I still buy these kettles if I had to build my setup again? Yes. As I mentioned above, I really like the false bottom (easy to remove/clean and works great with high efficiency/zero channeling) and the sight glass (also very easy to clean and impossible to break). I haven't seen anything else quite so simple to use. I would replace the linear flow valve however, likely with a standard stainless steel 2-piece 1/2" full port ball valve to match all the other ball valves.
There's been talk about these new G2 kettles over at HomeBrewTalk as well. I and others have commented a few times about what we like/don't like. Read here if you're curious: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/blichmann-boilermaker-g2-485522/
To order these kettles from various retailers, see our Parts List for Building Your Brewery
Purchasing through our affiliate links helps support our site at no extra cost to you. We thank you!
