Wal*Mart has Decent SS Pots

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Pelikan

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Was in Wal*Mart yesterday, grabbing a small fridge for my brews. I thought I'd give the pot section a look, just for the hell of it. Out of all the stores I've been in, only specialty cookware places had anything larger than 16 quart, but lo and behold the 'mart had good quality, 22 quart stainless pots, with the heavy, heat dispersing bottoms. $49.99 each...grab two and split your five gallon boil between them.

I feel a little salty that I paid the same amount for one of those flimsy "econo" pots at my LHBS, but it's okay. I grabbed a top of the line 20 quart at a cookware place that was going out of business, so it all evens out in the end.
 
They also have a large aluminum tamale pot right now as well. I can't remember the capacity of hand.
 
Was in Wal*Mart yesterday, grabbing a small fridge for my brews. I thought I'd give the pot section a look, just for the hell of it. Out of all the stores I've been in, only specialty cookware places had anything larger than 16 quart, but lo and behold the 'mart had good quality, 22 quart stainless pots, with the heavy, heat dispersing bottoms. $49.99 each...grab two and split your five gallon boil between them.

I feel a little salty that I paid the same amount for one of those flimsy "econo" pots at my LHBS, but it's okay. I grabbed a top of the line 20 quart at a cookware place that was going out of business, so it all evens out in the end.

Good find sir. Its now on sale for 42.99.

Walmart.com: Tramontina 22-Quart Stainless Steel Stockpot: Kitchen & Dining
 
I'd rather spend the $100 on one of these...equipped with thermometer and ball valve, and perfect for 7 gallon all-grain boils.

BREWPOT / HLT 9 GALLON HOMEBREW

The construction on those is fairly flimsy, and the bottoms are just as thin as the rest of the pot. In other words, it doesn't have that thick base to absorb and distribute the heat...leads to scorching, etc. I've seen them at my LHBS. It's basically an econo pot with a cheap thermo + valve added.

Either way, some folks can't fit a pot that large on their stove. I'm limited to about 20-24 quart maximum for one pot, so I have to split my boil into equal halves. The Wal*Mart pot is the best value I've seen in that range.
 
Target should be doing their usual clearance sale of turkey friers as well. The posts are aluminum, and quite thin, but they certainly do the trick and come with a hurricane burner. I believe I paid ~$20-27 the last few years.
 
The construction on those is fairly flimsy, and the bottoms are just as thin as the rest of the pot. In other words, it doesn't have that thick base to absorb and distribute the heat...leads to scorching, etc.

I don't know, too much is made of that. It's definitely important for cooking, not so much for brewing. I brewed a dozen or so batches with a cheap aluminum turkey fryer that was extremely thin...there was never a hint of scorching. Scorching is more of a concern for extract brewers, and they shouldn't be adding extract while the pot is over the heat source anyhow. And thousands of brewers use keggles, which have thin bottoms.

My current kettle is a high-quality stainless stockpot, with the heavy "sandwiched" bottom. (It's the same pot that is commonly sold by brewships as a "mega pot.") It works fine, but it sure takes a LOT longer to heat up compared to my old thin kettle.

I guess I just can't see paying $50 for a pot that virtually any homebrewer is quickly going to outgrow.
 
I guess I just can't see paying $50 for a pot that virtually any homebrewer is quickly going to outgrow.

That would be my concern. My 30 quart pot is barely big enough to boil enough wort for a 5 gallon batch.

I've also not had a problem with scorching. Scorching becomes a problem with jet burners (I dont have one), extract (I'm all grain), and higher gravity boils.
 
When I said scorching, I should have said Malliard reactions. The basic point is that a pot with a proper cored bottom will transfer heat evenly, and hold a more consistent temperature.

For me, when doing stove top all grains and partial mashes, having two pots is easier. One to mash, one to sparge. Combine both volumes in a brew bucket, mix, then distribute evenly between the two pots and continue with a split boil.
 
Was in Wal*Mart yesterday, grabbing a small fridge for my brews. I thought I'd give the pot section a look, just for the hell of it. Out of all the stores I've been in, only specialty cookware places had anything larger than 16 quart, but lo and behold the 'mart had good quality, 22 quart stainless pots, with the heavy, heat dispersing bottoms. $49.99 each...grab two and split your five gallon boil between them.

I feel a little salty that I paid the same amount for one of those flimsy "econo" pots at my LHBS, but it's okay. I grabbed a top of the line 20 quart at a cookware place that was going out of business, so it all evens out in the end.

I hope wal*mart carries grain and hops b/c after they shut down the small guy i.e. your "LHBS" & "cookware place" you will not have anywhere to buy quality ingredients along with good customer service. But hey who needs that anyway! Check out "Wal-mart: the cost of low price"
 
I hope wal*mart carries grain and hops b/c after they shut down the small guy i.e. your "LHBS" & "cookware place" you will not have anywhere to buy quality ingredients along with good customer service. But hey who needs that anyway! Check out "Wal-mart: the cost of low price"

Relax and have a homebrew. If Wal*Mart has a better price and a better product, that's where I'm going to shop. I don't mind paying extra for quality, but if my LHBS has a flimsy, el cheapo pot for the same price as a quality pot at the Mart, I'm going to get the quality pot every time. I'm not going to sacrifice my brew and equipment to benefit some Joe trying to reign-in a buck by marking up a crappy pot 300%.

Life isn't a constant charity drive, in other words. That said, if the LHBS has a pot that's the same quality as the one at the 'mart, and it's maybe ten or so bucks more, then yeah, I'll get it from the LHBS when I'm getting the other goodies I normally get when I'm there.

The whole bit about the big box stores putting the smaller guys out of business is bull. The smaller stores go under because they have too much in inventory and are poorly managed. My LHBS, by contrast, has been in the area for nearly two decades and is packed every time I go in there. They've siphoned off enough money from me alone to pay the bills for some time, so I don't feel guilty getting the occasional item somewhere else.

And lets face it, we're entering an age where everything is a click away...including hops, grains, yeast, whatever. Having a LHBS is nice when you need something that day, but realistically all these stores are gonna go the way of the doh-doh eventually, Wal*Mart included. The commercial districts will be torn down, and maybe, just maybe, the forests will regrow.

I guess we're all idealists in our own way, huh?
 
Wow I have been looking a for a small brew pot and think I just found it!!




I guess I just can't see paying $50 for a pot that virtually any homebrewer is quickly going to outgrow.

Thats why there is e-bay and Graigs list. Find it no longer in use sell it and get a few bucks back or break even (love when that happens).
 
I know the thread is talking about SS, but here is a good aluminum pot that is ample for 10 gallon batches.

costs 45.88$

60 Quart Aluminum Stock Pot

at Sam's Club.

Now that's a bargain on a pot! You can tell it's a nice heavy-gauge one, as it doesn't have the rolled rim for rigidity, like the cheapie turkey fryers. I may grab one of those to make a new HLT...just swap the ball valve, thermometer and sightglass out of my current one. Can't scorch my water, right? ;)
 
When I was looking for a pot I found a nice Turkey frying kit at Target which was a 40qt. Alum. pot with burner for under 50 bucks. Not bad if you like Alum.

However on Ebay I found a 9 Gal SS (18-8) Brew Pot with a 1/2" SS ball valve and built in thermometer for 100 bucks plus about 10 bucks shipping. I brewed my first batch with it and it is excellent. The valve is essential as far as I can see because of the weight of the pot and the thermometer gave me great temp readings through heating and cooling.

It initially was quite a bit more than I was looking to spend but honestly in hindsight I now know I just saved myself a lot of time, frustration, extra work, and I would certainly have upgraded to this pot at some point so the up front expense was definitely worth it.

The only downside is that you probably would struggle to bring this monster to a boil inside on most residential ranges. I have a strong outdoor burner.

Anyway here is a link to one listed on Ebay right now.

BREWPOT / HLT 9 GALLON HOMEBREW - eBay (item 290279788707 end time Dec-31-08 17:23:31 PST)

BTW it only took a couple days to ship to me in NY from PA
 
Anyway here is a link to one listed on Ebay right now.

Yeah, that's the one I pointed out earlier in the thread. Glad to hear it's working out for you. Is the thermometer a Miljoco? If so, those are very nice...it's what I have on my kettles.

Are the valve and thermometer mounted "weldless" with nuts/washers/o-rings? Or are they in welded couplers?
 
Yeah, that's the one I pointed out earlier in the thread. Glad to hear it's working out for you. Is the thermometer a Miljoco? If so, those are very nice...it's what I have on my kettles.

Are the valve and thermometer mounted "weldless" with nuts/washers/o-rings? Or are they in welded couplers?

Yes it's a Miljoco. I used to sell thermometers and gauges in my last job and this is very nice. Large face makes for easy reading. I also tested it and it is exceptionally accurate.

Both the valve and therm are welded and with very solid workmanship. Interior is smooth and efficient. Made for easy cleaning.

I have to say for $100 bucks it was high quality and great value. Considering pots of this size and components were pricing out at $250 to $400 on MoreBeer etc, I am very pleased.
 
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