First brew kettle?

I was wondering if someone could recommend a brew kettle for a first time brewer. Hopefully something that doesnt require me ordering online and paying extra shipping. Keep in mind that I am a college student without a job at the moment....

Thanks,
Mike

Check out Austin Homebrew Supply
....they have a 30QT for 159 bucks right now that's $40 off, and Flat Rate shipping to boot. Other than that, check out Wally World and the other local Big Box stores for a get ya by.

Why do i always hear 5 gallon kettles are bad?

In what context have you heard they are bad? Most people start out doing partial boils, which works just fine for figuring out if homebrewing is for you. Even a 5 gallon pot could accommodate a large boil.

bass2187 said:

Why do i always hear 5 gallon kettles are bad?

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Because when you go all grain....it's not big enough to boil 6.5 or 7 gallons.
other than that...they are fine.

Walmart sells 22 quart Stainless Steel pots for $30-$40.nice to get started with.

BigKahuna said:

Check out Austin Homebrew Supply
....they have a 30QT for 159 bucks right now that's $40 off, and Flat Rate shipping to boot. Other than that, check out Wally World and the other local Big Box stores for a get ya by.

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I am also getting ready to buy a kettle. I checked the AHS site and could not find that price. Is that for the Eurotanks Brew Pot? That is a great price how do I get it?

I'd go the turkey fryer route. Thanksgiving is coming up, so soon they will be dirt cheap everywhere. Mine was $29.99, it's hard to beat a pot + burner for that kind of scratch.

The cheap aluminum pot worked great for a dozen or more batches, and now has become my HLT. I'm still using the burner.

This is what I have and I've nearly outgrown it (boiling 7.5 gal in it gets kinda hairy right before the hot break). I'll upgrade to a 10+ gal kettle soon or a keggle.

Beards Brews said:

This is what I have and I've nearly outgrown it (boiling 7.5 gal in it gets kinda hairy right before the hot break).

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Dude. How in the world can you get 7.5 gallons to a rolling boil in an 8 gallon pot without boiling over? I can barely do it in a 10.

You sir, rock.

RonRock said:

I am also getting ready to buy a kettle. I checked the AHS site and could not find that price. Is that for the Eurotanks Brew Pot? That is a great price how do I get it?

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Look here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f41/40-off-eurotank-brew-pot-30-l-7-9-gal-77757/

Forrest sure is good to us! This isn't a HBT.com special, but he does those too. I got 10% off one order and then free shipping on the next. ROCK ON AHS! :rockin:

If you are just going to be doing partial boils, then 20 qt is big enough. You can get these pretty cheap on the internet or Ebay. I got mine at Target on sale for $28.99 a while back.

I bought a turkey fryer setup a few months ago. $28 for the burner and a 30qt aluminum pot. I went all grain and I found out that the 30 qt pot wasn't quite big enough. I had to put the flame way down to keep the evaporation rate down.

Last week I bought a 40 qt (10 gallon) stainless steel stockpot from AHS for $62.99. I'm currently waiting for that sucker to arrive. It should give me plenty of room to do a 5 gallon full boil.

StunnedMonkey said:

Dude. How in the world can you get 7.5 gallons to a rolling boil in an 8 gallon pot without boiling over? I can barely do it in a 10.

You sir, rock.

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Like I said, it gets kinda hairy. The first half hour I have to watch it like a hawk with my spray bottle in hand. Needless to say, I'm wiped out after a brew day.

If you're just starting out and doing partial boils, I would recommend this pot: Amazon.com: Concord 18/10 Stainless Steel 20 Quart Stock Pot With Glass Lid: Home & Garden
It's just $30.98 w/ free shipping. I got mine a couple of weeks ago, and while I haven't had a chance to use it yet, it looks and feels like a good quality pot. It has a very heavy encapsulated base, not the cheap thin steel of most in it's price range.

Thank You BigK. Very Cool! Great looking Kettle.
Just one more thing. How does this measure up to the 10 gal Megapot? I was going to go with the 10 gal with ball valve for 179.99. I would leave out the thermometer to keep cost down.

I use a 40qt aluminum pot from the restaurant supply store (check your Yellow Pages) that was $60. It takes a lot of effort to boil over 7 gallons of wort in that big of a pot but I still manage sometimes after too many homebrews.

If you think you will move up to AG I do recommend getting the big pot whatever you do. My 20qt starter pot got used for one batch, I use it to hold grain now.

Watch amazon if you can wait you can find some great deals I got a 60qt Al pot for $45 with free shipping. just keep your eyes open and you will find the deals.

John