Brew Kettle...Which to choose?

I've only been brewing since June and have two beers under my belt. When I started I bought a cheap ($12) 16 qt stainless steel kettle from Walmart. It served it's purpose. I wasn't sure how involved I was going to get with my new hobby, so I didn't want to go all out...yet! I love brewing beer and wanted to invest in a really good brew kettle. There are so many out there, but I'd love to hear from you professional brewers. I was thinking of upgrading to a 10 gallon megapot (3ply, 5mm bottom) with a valve and a thermometer. Any recommendations?

Megapots are nice. At the end of the day, though, it's just a metal bucket. It either holds liquid or it doesn't.

Think about the features you want, and from there the decision is usually pretty simple.

In my opinion the Megapots are not the best suited for brewing. The tri-bottom is a great marketing pitch but in reality it is not needed. I would recommend our kettle, a Bayou Classic or a Blichmann over a tri-bottom. They are more expensive, heavier and actually slow down heating times. Just my .02

I recently received my SpikeBrewing kettle the other day and can say that I'm fully satisfied. I've been meaning to get some pictures up but work has been busy. Look for pictures come friday.

I have a 10 gallon Megapot and I'm very happy with it. I don't have a valve or thermo, but have no trouble using my autosiphon to transfer to my carboy. For the thermometer I just use a meat thermometer with a long probe. I hook the clip on the thermometer to the edge of the pot, then use a binder clip on top of that to provide added security against knocking the thermometer into the wort. Not having any extraneous stuff sticking out into the pot makes stirring and cleanup easier, IMO. And I've never had any scorching from the three electric stove elements I heat with (built my own electric stove from an old range top I got off Craig's List).

Just go with a bayou classic - like it was said before its really just to hold liquid. Ive been using a 5 gallon thin peice of crap I got at job lot for $20 for years and it makes great beer

You can get a 15 gallon Winco brand heavy duty aluminum kettle from amazon shipped to your door for under a hundred bucks with a lid. I have a 15 and a 20 gallon and have had no issues with them. You just boil water in them for 30 minutes before your first brew to form an oxide layer and then you make beer. Aluminum is also much easier to drill than stainless. I used a 7/8 wood drill bit on mine.

On the other hand, stainless if shiny and pretty and I would probably own stainless if I could afford it.

SpikeBrewing said:

In my opinion the Megapots are not the best suited for brewing. The tri-bottom is a great marketing pitch but in reality it is not needed. I would recommend our kettle, a Bayou Classic or a Blichmann over a tri-bottom. They are more expensive, heavier and actually slow down heating times. Just my .02

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I just checked out the site and they look like great kettles too. Any advantages of the vertical or horizontal set up?

I have a polarware brewrite pot and it is super nice and decently priced. http://www.rebelbrewer.com/shoppingcart/products/Brewrite-Kettle-60qt.html

I use a keg turned into a 15.5 gallon boil kettle. I like it a lot and it only cost me $30. And it's made of stainless steel. Add a weldless valve, a homemade dip tube and a weldless thermometer / sight glass combo from Bobby M (brewhardware.com) and you're in business.

Boomjay said:

I just checked out the site and they look like great kettles too. Any advantages of the vertical or horizontal set up?

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We have the horizontal couplers so, for instance, you purchase a 15gal kettle but want to do a 5gal batch. The thermometer in most kettles wouldn't be submerged for a 5gal batch. The horizontal config alleviates that.

-Ben

It all depends on features and how much you are willing to spend. I have a Blichmann and I love it. For me it is the best kettle but I waited four years into my hobby to invest the coin.

Go bigger than you think you need in case you want to upgrade to larger batches down the road.

Bayou Classic's homebrewing kettles are probably the biggest bang for your buck right now. I have a 15-gallon Blichmann and am very happy with it, but wish it had a diverter plate to prevent hop socks from blocking the dip tube. If you go the Blichmann route, ask your homebrew shop to order you a "cosmetically damaged" unit to avoid the minimum advertised price restrictions and save $$$ - the "damage" is usually barely visible. I would definitely not spend extra money on a 3-ply bottom - it's not needed.