turkey fryer for wort boil?

total newb here, first post even.

Just this weekend I made my first batch EVER (extract) at a friend's place. He's got a propane burner set up in his garage for the wort boil part of the process. (He does this because of a boil over incident that has permanantly damaged his kitchen!)

Im wanting to do the same, but was thinking that a turkey fryer would be significantly cheaper than buying a burner and a kettle separately.

Lowes and Home Depot have complete turkey fryer sets for around $70....anyone use this method?


PS: I wouldnt ever use this for frying a turkey. All that boiling oil sacres the poop out of me.

A lot of people use turkey fryers to boil.

I just purchased the Bayou Classic kit with 30 qt Aluminum pot off Amazon this weekend for $59 with free shipping. From my point of view it seems that the burner would be an easier clean up with less worry about ruining your kitchen, as you said. I'm guessing that the burner will also allow you to do a full boil whereas a stove top will not.

I use a turkey fryer for the heat, but i have a SS brewpot that i use, rather than the aluminum pots that generally come with the fryer kits.

Aluminum pots are a no no for HB purists. BUT I've seen a lot of people on these boards use them with success.

HexKrak said:

Aluminum pots are a no no for HB purists. BUT I've seen a lot of people on these boards use them with success.

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That's because most folks understand that that whole Stainless vs Aluminum debate is pure utter BS...and it really doesn't matter.

We even have a thread about it.... https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/faq-aluminum-pots-boil-kettles-49449/

There's nothing wrong with using them, and Plenty of HB purists (whatever the hell that means, but I think I might be one ) use them.

I want one and will get it in the summer when i can brew outside

Love that you used the word 'poop' in your first post.

I've been using an aluminum pot I got with my turkey fryer kit for over a year now, with no adverse reactions.

Aluminum Is just fine.

Reality is all you are boiling is sugar water with some weeds in it.

Try craigslist. I found a tall turkey fryer base and a 30qt pot for $30. The pot needs a little TLC, if I choose to use it (already have a 10 gallong aluminum pot.) I check craigslist almost everyday and just type in 'brew,' 'beer,' or 'carboy' to see what pops up.

i just redeemed some of my chase reward points for a Bayou Classic 3066a turkey fryer kit. I have a stainless steel kettle already, so I'll be sticking with that, but i figured it didnt really hurt to have a second kettle. It should be here on thursday, and in use by sunday.

I use an electric turkey fryer and it works just fine. The thermostat makes it easy to maintain temperature. Mine only holds about 3 gallons so I do partial boils. It lets me brew on the porch and not stink up the house. Did I say "stink?" That is what SWMBO calls it and I choose not to argue.

This is what I use, works great. http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-SP10-High-Pressure-Outdoor/dp/B000291GBQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1287531557&sr=8-1

just craigslist scored a Bayo Classic kit w/ 32qt alum. kettle for $30.......totally happy with that price!

Ive used a turkey fryer for over 5 years now. Works like a charm!

i use a propane burner with a ss keggle, but i started with an aluminum pot years ago. still use it for strike water, although almost through with my herms setup (still need the stand). nothing wrong with aluminum at all. my aluminum pot is the $19 pot from academy (i think they're 29 now), and that burner (i have 2) is a $29 burner. love my jet-burner, though

My guy at the HBS said that using aluminum can cause dementia in later life....FYI

If there was an issue using aluminum cookware, do you really think the government would allow it be sold? I mean look at the way the government jumped on BPA...

BlackBoyBrewing said:

My guy at the HBS said that using aluminum can cause dementia in later life....FYI

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Yeah, some folks believe that the hot 20 year old stripper chick chatting to them online is real as well and not some fat naked 50 year old perve.....that's the point of the sticky we have to show how wrong that is....

BlackBoyBrewing said:

My guy at the HBS said that using aluminum can cause dementia in later life....FYI

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Well, MY guy at the HBS said aluminum adds a good 3" to length and 2" to girth!

I picked up this fryer from Lowes for 50 bucks, it's an aluminum pot, which has worked well for me... and the extra wide mouth at the top has been great for preventing boilover...

http://www.lowes.com/pd_331127-5889...Ntt=saf+t&pl=1&currentURL=/pl__0__s?Ntt=saf+t

funny thing...

I got one of those turkey fry kits years ago as a gift. I used it once for a turkey, then stashed the big pot away and never used it again. I used the burner for things like fish fries and other outdoor cooking, but I forgot all about that aluminum pot.

So I just got into homebrewing after buying my neighbors equipment, including a ss pot that is perfect for extract brewing. I even used the turkey burner for the boil. After studying this site for days on end, Im wanting to eventually jump to an all grain setup, and full 5gal+ boils. So I started searching for a new 32qt pot....when I remembered the old AL turkey pot. I forgot what size it was so I dug it out of storage. Its a 32qt! complete with lid and thermometer! YAY ME!!!

My second brew will be another extract, but by my 3rd, I may have everything ready for an AG recipe! All I need now is a mash tun & wort chiller...and maybe 2 more corny kegs!

jkarp said:

Well, MY guy at the HBS said aluminum adds a good 3" to length and 2" to girth!

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That is hilarious!!!!

toronado13 said:

I picked up this fryer from Lowes for 50 bucks, it's an aluminum pot, which has worked well for me... and the extra wide mouth at the top has been great for preventing boilover...

http://www.lowes.com/pd_331127-5889...Ntt=saf+t&pl=1&currentURL=/pl__0__s?Ntt=saf+t

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I saw that at Meijer earlier today for the same price, looked interesting, do you use the drain spout to pour into fermenter?

jkarp said:

Well, MY guy at the HBS said aluminum adds a good 3" to length and 2" to girth!

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Well, my guy at the HBS said aluminum makes me last at least 20 minutes longer!

DirtyD said:

I saw that at Meijer earlier today for the same price, looked interesting, do you use the drain spout to pour into fermenter?

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I have transferred to the fermenter both ways, using the spout and pouring off the top. The spout is a little slow, but I figured it was aerating nicely. Lately I've been lazy though, and I just end up pouring through a strainer, especially b/c I've yet to bag my hops.

I had purchased the Bayou fryer to start out with, but after about five or six batches, I developed pitting holes in the bottom of the aluminum pot and had to upgrade to a SS pot. Been using that ever since.

I've brewed 10 kits using a aluminum pot (turkey fryer kit)... and a few in the stainless pot form a friend...NO DIFFERENCE!

The IMPORTANT thing is that you are BREWING!

jkarp said:

Well, MY guy at the HBS said aluminum adds a good 3" to length and 2" to girth!

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This is the absolute truth, but you have to start brewing in the aluminum kettle when you are about 4 years old to get the full effect.