Bought 3 kegs, one has a port on the bottom, can i use the port?

Ok, title pretty much says it all. I bought three aluminum kegs off craigslist, one or two of them have a port on the bottom. I'm assuming it its for some kind of pressurized cleaning application. Can someone tell me what its for, and if it can be used modified as a brew kettle without installing any other bulkhead fittings or anything? Upon further inspection they have a bung on the side and say hoff something or other. Made by alcoa even!

Subsequently, if these arnt going to be well suited as boil kettles, hlt's etc, any idea what they might be worth in scrap? Thank you! Been a looooonnngg time lurker.

Those are old Hoff Stevens kegs. Based on your first pic, it looks like they may have been converted to sanke fittings (hard to tell). As for the bottom fittings, can you post a better pic?

Yep I wanted to say Stevens too, but it had slipped my mind.
OK as requested are some better pics of the port. On the off chance it isn't visible from the photos, there is a diamond shaped thing in the center that's recessed.

That's great! Why not convert that keg into a keggle, and use the bottom port to run wort out of?

that's a golden gate keg, the tapping equiment requires 2 units- the lower port is the beer out , the port on the top is the gas in. pressure and gravity taps are available, i own a set of each

the only brewing company i know of that still uses them is mcmenamin's based in oregon. anhauser busch used them for decades, most of the used ones i've seen have busch stampings.


hoff stevens kegs have a threaded fitting with 2 holes in it, the small hole is gas in, the large hole is beer out


both types of keg have the same shape, and are filled via the bunghole in the side which is sealed with a wood or plastic plug that is hammered in.