Bru Gear

I received my Bru Gear 20G kettle last week after waiting months for the Kickstarter campaign to reach fulfillmenthttp://https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2055692701/bru-gear-stainless-steel-brewing-kettles-and-ferme/comments .

Pluses: The kettle is sturdy, has Tri-Clover ports and has the capability of using induction (I have tried this out and works fine).

Minuses: Unfortunately I think Bru Gear is too focused on selling equipment to craft breweries to worry about it's homebrewer customers. Until BruGear gets someone interested in Quality Control I cannot recommend them.

There are several Kickstarter backers who had issues with their equipment, but my main issue was due to the false bottom being shipped inside the kettle. My kettle has a good sized scratch/gouge on the bottom of it. I tried sharing this with BruGear but have gotten no response, although they have seen it according to Facebook. There are scratches along the inside of the kettle as well due to the installation of the false bottom.

I finally heard back from BruGear after rating them poorly on Facebook and FB messaging them again about why my kettle lost it's shine after testing it with just heated water to test the induction capabilities... Ended up having to Passivate the kettle... Never had to do that with any of my other kettles... Anyway he indicated that on future shipments they are supposedly going to change how they ship false bottoms.

Again BruGear has potential, but they need to up their customer service on Communication, Quality Assurance and be more pro-active and not use their customers as guinea pigs.

The part about "kickstarter" didn't tip you off? Is it anything more than cosmetic damage?

Keep in mind I didn't purchase a scratch n' dent sale item.

Their website & kickstarter pages promote them as a designer and manufacturer of high quality kettles and fermenters. All I am doing is providing my experience with this company.

Fair enough. Buyer beware I guess.

I was on the fence on Monday - had a full cart of $1500, ready to buy HLT, MT, and kettle from Bru-Gear. But I just couldn't pull the trigger because I have not seen any lengthy reviews of their products.

I'm glad you posted this because it gives me a sense of where the company is at after completing their kickstarter campaign.

How did you end up passivating the kettle?

How did you end up passivating the kettle?[/QUOTE]

a warm Star San solution for about 20 minutes. Not sure if I'll have to do that every time... supposedly only have to do that once a year according to BG.

The kettles do retain heat well (w/o a kettle jacket (Reflectix)), and doesn't leak like my G1 Blichmanns seem to do - thanks to the tri-clover fittings... You will need to tip the kettle to get everything out it though since it doesn't come with a dip tube.

What the kettle looked like before having to passivize it. After receiving the kettle all I did was a PBW wash and rinsed thoroughly, then put 10 gal of water in the kettle and did some tests heating the water up with an induction plate hooked up to my BCS-460 system...

wow. thanks for the pic, man.

brrman said:

I was on the fence on Monday - had a full cart of $1500, ready to buy HLT, MT, and kettle from Bru-Gear. But I just couldn't pull the trigger because I have not seen any lengthy reviews of their products.

I'm glad you posted this because it gives me a sense of where the company is at after completing their kickstarter campaign.

How did you end up passivating the kettle?

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I too was about to buy, but I'm so weary. This thread is helpful. I just don't know the alternatives.

I know of Stout Tanks, but I have seen some bad stuff from them posted, and they are a lot pricier and seem to take forever. I don't wanna go Blichmann at all. I still might go with BruGear though. I do like their stuff.

Again I think BruGear has potential, and hopefully learned from the last 2-3 months of fulfilling their Kickstarter campaign. I usually don't complain by default, but when you pay several hundreds of dollars and then alert them about the condition of the equipment received and they reply to you with a response "that they will correct that in future shipments", it can be very frustrating. For more info and experiences from other people commenting on what they received you should check out https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2055692701/bru-gear-stainless-steel-brewing-kettles-and-ferme/comments and their FB page https://www.facebook.com/BruGear .

I just read the kickstarter page. What an interesting journey for all the backers. I sent an email off to Phil for a quote on some larger brewhouse items. They say they can do things in the 10bbl range. I am curious what he is going to come up with. After reading the kickstarter I think I would drive up to PHX and talk to Phil in person before buying anything. Like most things these days the US side of the business is just overhead and distribution. Everything else seems to be produced offshore. Ah the future. Tasty.

I got my kettles a couple of days ago as well. My HLT was scratched badly as well, from the false bottom rattling around in there during shipping. The lid is also bent up from the way they shipped it. I really don't like the way the heat exchange coil is hangs from the lid. I do like the tri clamp fittings elsewhere, though. I probably will not use the heat exchange lid and will make or buy another coil to attach inside the HLT like it was pictured when I ordered. I plan to use these kettles for a HERMS system I want to build. Another problem is the sight glass that will not align well enough to connect to the tri clamp fittings. Yet another problem is the MLT (scratched) kettle is out of round and there are some pretty big gaps between the false bottom and the kettle wall. It is obviously the kettle and not the false bottom because I can turn the false bottom and the gaps stay in the same place. I have e mailed Phil and still haven't got a response yet.

I was looking at their kettles as well. The big concerns for me were that BG told me they were "fabricated" in China & "assembled" here? Also, I really dislike the placement of triclover for the ball lock & thermometer are under the handle. No other options.
I passed.

MtnHiBrewin said:

I got my kettles a couple of days ago as well. My HLT was scratched badly as well, from the false bottom rattling around in there during shipping. The lid is also bent up from the way they shipped it. I really don't like the way the heat exchange coil is hangs from the lid. I do like the tri clamp fittings elsewhere, though. I probably will not use the heat exchange lid and will make or buy another coil to attach inside the HLT like it was pictured when I ordered. I plan to use these kettles for a HERMS system I want to build. Another problem is the sight glass that will not align well enough to connect to the tri clamp fittings. Yet another problem is the MLT (scratched) kettle is out of round and there are some pretty big gaps between the false bottom and the kettle wall. It is obviously the kettle and not the false bottom because I can turn the false bottom and the gaps stay in the same place. I have e mailed Phil and still haven't got a response yet.

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Do you know if you got the "new" style or the "old" style? I believe they were trying to increase the reach of the coil to allow less water in the pot. The "new" style should extend almost to the depth of the valve hole while the new one should require almost the entire pot to be filled to cover the coil.

My big concern here are all the kettles being received scratched and MORE concerning - out of round! WTF!
Also, the original Kickstarter video shows what I would consider standard placement of the valve & thermometer yet now they show these directly under the kettle handle.
Again, WTF? I asked & was told this is the only available configuration.
Somebody in China F**KED UP!

Those are both concerning. I think the relocation of those ports is directly due to the placement of the recirculation fitting. They probably went for 90 degrees offset, which they couldnt do if the handle was in the way. Pure speculation on my part, but it seems logical.

I have one of their 10 gallon induction kettles I got through the kickstarter campaign. No issues with it. I passivate all my stainless equipment so not sure if it needed it... I've always been irritated with kettles that don't have the valves etc under the handle... It really makes it easier to carry and pour from.

I just don't get some of these kickstarter projects. This is basically someone (or a group) who wanted to make some bank on importing a container of kettles to sell to homebrewers while minimizing their own exposure. It's not like they're designing and making some unique new product.

JonW said:

I just don't get some of these kickstarter projects. This is basically someone (or a group) who wanted to make some bank on importing a container of kettles to sell to homebrewers while minimizing their own exposure. It's not like they're designing and making some unique new product.

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Sorry but I disagree. Find me another induction kettle with tri-clamp fittings and nice graduation on it. It's not like they were begging on Kickstarter. They were just pre-selling their kettles at a reduced price.

This is my first post. I've used HBT primarily as a reference resource up until this point. There is very little from customers of Bru Gear LLC to be found so I thought I'd share my experience.

I placed an order for three 20g kettles in late April of this year after being very pleased with what few pictures could be found of their product. Communication was promp. I asked specifically about TC ports and a recirculation port which were both available. After some consideration I put up a substantial amount of money for these kettles and was told they'd ship early summer.

From here on out communication became an ongoing battle. Shipments were pushed back and pushed back without my knowing until I'd sent a few emails inquiring. Even after I was told they'd be shipping the next week I waited another 2 months.

When they did finally arrive they looked absolutely nothing like the original kickstarter images. No recirculation port that I expressly asked about. HERMS coil and ports were incorporated into the lid, is very difficult to assemble alone, and does not extend very deep into the kettle. Additionally, an upgrade to SS tubing between the coil and MLT is no longer a reasonable option. I did get TC ports as requested, but the valves sent with my kettles are NPT valves with TC adapters...

Also, a giant Bru Gear label has appeared on the front of the kettles that I don't want there for the same reason I don't want logos all over my clothing: I'm a customer, not a promoter. Now my set up looks like a Bru Gear billboard, burning the memories of bad customer service permanently into my memory.

When the kettles did finally arrive there was some scratching in the MLT from the way they packaged the false bottom (which doesn't fit well because it's off round. Kettle possibly is slightly as well) and I had to passivated everything after I ran a test run with water.

There is however a bright side. The funny HERMS coil makes an excellent post-boil heat exchanger, the valves will be compatible with my pumps (although I'll have to buy the correct ones for my kettles now) and if you pretend the giant logos aren't there the kettles are very attractive.

I've already brewed a batch in them and they performed very well; they heat very fast, hold heat fairly well without insulation and despite the issues with the false bottom, my efficiency increased by more than 10%.

Overall, I didn't get exactly what I thought I was paying for, but for the good price I got some decent kettles I can easily adapt to nonetheless and will certainly do their jobs well for many years to come. I definately don't want to hassle with their customer service any more than I already have over a couple scratches, some valves I was going to have to buy anyway, and a big ugly logo.

So if your considering purchasing Bru Gear kettles, go online and get a good look at them because accurate photos are there now. If you pull the trigger, specify that you'd like your false bottom packaged securely and that you want the correct valves. After that, kick back and watch your hair grey. You can take solace in the fact that your new kettle's logo won't.

MtnHiBrewin said:

I got my kettles a couple of days ago as well. My HLT was scratched badly as well, from the false bottom rattling around in there during shipping. The lid is also bent up from the way they shipped it. I really don't like the way the heat exchange coil is hangs from the lid. I do like the tri clamp fittings elsewhere, though. I probably will not use the heat exchange lid and will make or buy another coil to attach inside the HLT like it was pictured when I ordered. I plan to use these kettles for a HERMS system I want to build. Another problem is the sight glass that will not align well enough to connect to the tri clamp fittings. Yet another problem is the MLT (scratched) kettle is out of round and there are some pretty big gaps between the false bottom and the kettle wall. It is obviously the kettle and not the false bottom because I can turn the false bottom and the gaps stay in the same place. I have e mailed Phil and still haven't got a response yet.

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I have been nearly set on their kettles and I was going to get the coil lid. It is not my favorite idea though so I've been wondering if I should just go with another vendor like Jaded who should hopefully have the stainless pot with coil back in stock soon. I too wondered about the length of the coil because I would have thought you would want that thing to touch the bottom or near enough.

The scratches are concerning but not nearly as concerning as the out of round complaints. Not sure I cared about the valve placement enough because I liked the TC fittings so much I just didn't see past them.

I may have to get right and set my mind on another company. I wanted kettles that weren't 17"+ round for 15 gallon kettles. Spikes are and each additional weld is $30 adding even more to the cost. Stout and Blichman are really out of my price range.

Hello said:

I have been nearly set on their kettles and I was going to get the coil lid. It is not my favorite idea though so I've been wondering if I should just go with another vendor like Jaded who should hopefully have the stainless pot with coil back in stock soon. I too wondered about the length of the coil because I would have thought you would want that thing to touch the bottom or near enough.

The scratches are concerning but not nearly as concerning as the out of round complaints. Not sure I cared about the valve placement enough because I liked the TC fittings so much I just didn't see past them.

I may have to get right and set my mind on another company. I wanted kettles that weren't 17"+ round for 15 gallon kettles. Spikes are and each additional weld is $30 adding even more to the cost. Stout and Blichman are really out of my price range.

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To their credit, I think they listened to the feedback and lengthened the HERMS coils so they extended further down into the pot. It seems like they are now just above the element height, which seems to be the right answer. To be clear - I dont own one, but I have been in someone regular communication with them via their facebook page. Answers are provided anywhere from almost real-time (under 15 minutes) to about one business day, so no complaints there. Before I would pull the trigger, I would certainly be very clear on my expectations on scratches (internal) or out of round issues.

Just a note to other BruGear Kettle owners who have not been able to find a dip tube for their kettle.

I ordered a racking arm from BruGear to see if I could use it as a dip tube. I took it to the local welding shop yesterday and had them take 2 1/4" off of it so that it could be rotated into place. This morning I tried it and was able to get all but 2 qts out of the kettle. I think if I were to trim the racking arm down to 2" I could improve on that. I took the racking arm out, filled it back up and opened the ball valve. over 7 qts was still left in the kettle.

AleForce1 said:

Just a note to other BruGear Kettle owners who have not been able to find a dip tube for their kettle.

I ordered a racking arm from BruGear to see if I could use it as a dip tube. I took it to the local welding shop yesterday and had them take 2 1/4" off of it so that it could be rotated into place. This morning I tried it and was able to get all but 2 qts out of the kettle. I think if I were to trim the racking arm down to 2" I could improve on that. I took the racking arm out, filled it back up and opened the ball valve. over 7 qts was still left in the kettle.

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There is also this one:
https://www.brewershardware.com/1-Tri-Clover-Tri-Clamp-Style-Pickup-Tube.html

Its not from BruGear (obviously), but I knew that I saw that style before. I dont know if the indicator (rotating arm piece, or whatever) would be a benefit or a hindrance for this use, but this one doesnt have it. This one may not need to be cut down, but I dont have the actual dimensions.

tjr3000 said:

There is also this one:
https://www.brewershardware.com/1-Tri-Clover-Tri-Clamp-Style-Pickup-Tube.html

Its not from BruGear (obviously), but I knew that I saw that style before. I dont know if the indicator (rotating arm piece, or whatever) would be a benefit or a hindrance for this use, but this one doesnt have it. This one may not need to be cut down, but I dont have the actual dimensions.

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I have a BruGear backer/friend that has that Brewer's Hardware pickup tube and BG kettle. Apparently that would need to be cut down also. I am hoping to try one out from Stout Tank's when it arrives tomorrow....

I bought 2 racking arms from BruGear. The first one I had cut 2 1/4" and with an angle cut from the tip which left 2 qts in the kettle. The second one I had trimmed to 2" and a straight cut... This was too close to the bottom of the kettle and the flow was not enough. I am going to work on cutting a little more off of this one, and also trying the pickup tube from http://conical-fermenter.com/Dip-Tube-Kit-Lg.-tube-adapter-clamp-gasket.html/ . A friend has a Stout kettle with this pickup tube and it looks like it would work fine with the BG kettle without any cutting. Didn't want to disrupt his rig and decided to just purchase it for my self.

AleForce1 said:

I have a BruGear backer/friend that has that Brewer's Hardware pickup tube and BG kettle. Apparently that would need to be cut down also. I am hoping to try one out from Stout Tank's when it arrives tomorrow....

I bought 2 racking arms from BruGear. The first one I had cut 2 1/4" and with an angle cut from the tip which left 2 qts in the kettle. The second one I had trimmed to 2" and a straight cut... This was too close to the bottom of the kettle and the flow was not enough. I am going to work on cutting a little more off of this one, and also trying the pickup tube from http://conical-fermenter.com/Dip-Tube-Kit-Lg.-tube-adapter-clamp-gasket.html/ . A friend has a Stout kettle with this pickup tube and it looks like it would work fine with the BG kettle without any cutting. Didn't want to disrupt his rig and decided to just purchase it for my self.

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That was the other one I saw that would be readily available. Sounds like the hopes of a stock item are quickly disappearing unless the stout option works. What I have heard about the stout tube (I hope this is right - I might be confusing two different products) is is the tube is narrower than most, so it is much easier to clog. Hopefully, that's incorrect (and for this use, I am hoping it is largely irrelevant).

Curious - when you cut it down to 2", is that the resulting new length pointing down, or is that from the centerline of the fitting? I'm assuming overall length (measured easily with a ruler as total length to the top of the bend).

AleForce1 said:

I have a BruGear backer/friend that has that Brewer's Hardware pickup tube and BG kettle. Apparently that would need to be cut down also. I am hoping to try one out from Stout Tank's when it arrives tomorrow....

I bought 2 racking arms from BruGear. The first one I had cut 2 1/4" and with an angle cut from the tip which left 2 qts in the kettle. The second one I had trimmed to 2" and a straight cut... This was too close to the bottom of the kettle and the flow was not enough. I am going to work on cutting a little more off of this one, and also trying the pickup tube from http://conical-fermenter.com/Dip-Tube-Kit-Lg.-tube-adapter-clamp-gasket.html/ . A friend has a Stout kettle with this pickup tube and it looks like it would work fine with the BG kettle without any cutting. Didn't want to disrupt his rig and decided to just purchase it for my self.

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I'd be interested in hearing your results with the stout dip tube. It's weird that Bru Gear doesn't have one that actually works with their kettles. It looks like I may be going with them.

tjr3000 said:

That was the other one I saw that would be readily available. Sounds like the hopes of a stock item are quickly disappearing unless the stout option works. What I have heard about the stout tube (I hope this is right - I might be confusing two different products) is is the tube is narrower than most, so it is much easier to clog. Hopefully, that's incorrect (and for this use, I am hoping it is largely irrelevant).

Curious - when you cut it down to 2", is that the resulting new length pointing down, or is that from the centerline of the fitting? I'm assuming overall length (measured easily with a ruler as total length to the top of the bend).

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The 2" measurement is that amount taken off the tip of the racking arm end. This would translate to 7" from the TC fitting. The 2 1/4" measurement would be 6 3/4" from the TC fitting. The stout dip tube diameter looked like it was around 3/8" (when I was viewing it on my friends setup), where the BG racking arm is much wider approx. 3/4". Both are the same price.

[Do you know if you got the "new style or the "old style?]

tjr3000, it must be the "new" style. It reaches nearly to the valve, with the coils wound closer together at the bottom so more will be in the water when the level is lower.

I had e mailed Phil at Bru Gear using the address I had in the past when I was trying to get an answer about my kettle problems. After 8 days and no answer, I tried again through the Bru Gear web site, and got a response the next day. They opened a "case number" and told me the sight glasses are pre-fit to test they attach correctly. Mine doesn't. They were going to look for the e mail I sent with pictures. On their web site there was no way to attach pictures to a message. I tried taking the sight glass apart to see if there was any way to adjust the length and alignment, but that didn't work. The sight glass is a real pain to get apart. I certainly wouldn't want one on anything other than a HLT.

They also said "It's possible the kettle was put out of shape in shipping. We've had this issue a couple of times and rolling the kettle on carpet has generally resolved out of round issues." I don't see rolling on carpet resolving out of round issues when the tri clamp fittings and handles stick out so you can't effectively do that.

AleForce1, I've been wondering what I was going to use for a dip tube. Thanks for researching ideas. I was hoping I wouldn't have to passivate, but I guess I will just to be safe. It's going to be a while before I get this system finished and put it to use.

I agree that Bru Gear has been focused more on Craft Brewery sales than on homebrew. There is obviously more money to be made selling bigger equipment. I was glad to get my kettles (3@20 gallons) at the lower kickstarter price. I'm on a low budget and I've been trying to build an electric all grain set up for a while now. Bru Gear is a new company, though, and have much to improve on. I expect them to get better with more experience.

Just received the Stout's Dip Tube. Below are some photo's. I'll test it with water shortly. The Stout dip tube comes in 2 pieces, the TC fitting and then the tube. The length from TC to tip is just a hair over 6". Again keep in mind the Bru Gear Racking arm was trimmed by 2".

Just tested the Stout's dip tube with water. Filled the kettle with 5 gal of water, hooked up a 1/2" silicon tube and let it drain. It leaves about 2 qts of water in the kettle. As the water level gets under the TC port the flow does reduce down quite a bit but it does drain. Going to test again.. and then trim the 2nd BG racking arm that measures @ 7" down a little bit more and try that out. You do need to tip the kettle a bit to get to 2 qts also.

At this time I would recommend the Stout's dip tube only because no modification is required.

The second one I had trimmed to 2" and a straight cut... This was too close to the bottom of the kettle and the flow was not enough.

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If you cut some (4-6) 1/8" deep notches perpendicular to the opening with a hacksaw, would this aid in flow? I like the idea that you are close to the bottom but possibly need some more "space" to draw the wort.

The Bru Gear tube does look wider than the Stout if you measure horizontally as opposed to vertically, any thoughts about potential blockage?

Many thanks for your experiments.

Ihop2many said:

The Bru Gear tube does look wider than the Stout if you measure horizontally as opposed to vertically, any thoughts about potential blockage?

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I don't think blockage will be an issue in either option. I am more concerned with using a pump and having a consistent flow during recirculation. Something I need to do some testing on... If only I would have received the kettle is say August or September it would be more appealing to do all of these tests in my garage...

Ihop2many said:

If you cut some (4-6) 1/8" deep notches perpendicular to the opening with a hacksaw, would this aid in flow? I like the idea that you are close to the bottom but possibly need some more "space" to draw the wort.

The Bru Gear tube does look wider than the Stout if you measure horizontally as opposed to vertically, any thoughts about potential blockage?

Many thanks for your experiments.

Click to expand...

Definitely an option to try. The 2" version needs to be trimmed just a little more. I think a straight cut @ 2 1/4" off the tip of the Bru Gear racking arm would be best. The 2 1/4" version I tried had an angle cut, so it was like having a tube @ 2 1/2".

Ihop2many said:

Many thanks for your experiments.

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If anything I hope it saves everyone some $ from having to search out and purchase these options. @ $35 each + shipping and handling + paying a welder to cut off metal it wasn't cheap to do all of this.

Did another test of the Stout dip tube. This time I refilled the Bru Gear kettle with 5 gallons of water and let I sit for an hour. I just opened the ball valve and was able to get all water out of the kettle except 1 1/2 qts... and with no tipping of the kettle. The flow rate was much stronger too. Probably some hydraulic or fluid dynamic thing...

next thing to do is trim one of the holes on the stand so that the dip tube will fit thru and the TC fitting can be locked down.

Should be getting my Bru gear 15 gallon kettle tomorrow. I got an email from Kathy at Bru Gear stating that they are working on a pickup for the kettles but no ETA.

I am about ready to pull the trigger on the 1" pickup from Brewers Hardware. Does anyone have any dimensions on that pickup? I was also wondering how far up the center of the hole is from the bottom of the Bru Gear kettles? Reading what AleForce1 has been testing it sounds like it should be apron 2" - 2.25" from the bottom