7.5 Gallon Brewpot: $45

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noggins

noggins

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Well I suppose for every piece of equipment there's always someone to tell you what you can and can't use...although I've been using the same two 3gallon 1mm aluminum pots for the last 6 years with no issues. Maybe I'm just lucky.
 
The biggest complaint I hear is denting, I haven't dented mine yet but I feel like I have to be extra careful to keep from denting it. It could also save you a pot if you happen to do something foolish like putting oxiclean in it for a couple of hours and end up getting pinholes in it. Like I said you don't need one but you might find you'd like one just for the peace of mind.
 
You can actually burn through the bottom of one when you move to a propane burner. My old turkey fryer is paper thin on the bottom.

_
 
jspence1 said:
The biggest complaint I hear is denting, I haven't dented mine yet but I feel like I have to be extra careful to keep from denting it. It could also save you a pot if you happen to do something foolish like putting oxiclean in it for a couple of hours and end up getting pinholes in it. Like I said you don't need one but you might find you'd like one just for the peace of mind.
Click to expand...

Am I the only one that intentionally dents gallon marks in my pots? I don't use oxiclean, just hot water and a little bleach.

wildwest450 said:
You can actually burn through the bottom of one when you move to a propane burner. My old turkey fryer is paper thin on the bottom.

_
Click to expand...

I'll be using it on a natural gas stove, would I need to worry about that burning through?

I don't plan on moving to a propane burner until I have a lot of extra money to throw into the hobby, at which point I'll invest in an awesome kettle with spout and thermometer and whatnot.

Thanks for the replies so far, any other issues people have had with thin aluminum pots?
 
turtle said:
I'll be using it on a natural gas stove, would I need to worry about that burning through?
Click to expand...

Probably not, but it's next to impossible to do a full boil on a house stove, as well as the possibility of damaging something with the excess weight.

My only advice from someone who is on his 3rd set of brewing equipment, buy the best pot possible now, it actually saves money in the long run.

_
 
wildwest450 said:
Probably not, but it's next to impossible to do a full boil on a house stove, as well as the possibility of damaging something with the excess weight.

My only advice from someone who is on his 3rd set of brewing equipment, buy the best pot possible now, it actually saves money in the long run.

_
Click to expand...

Lucky for me it's a brand new stove. I'll probably keep doing partial mashes until I can convince swmbo that we need to upgrade our system...maybe if I start in on it now I can have her convinced by 2020. I do already have a propane burner ready to go, so really the only investment is a big-ass pot, and possibly a cooler.
 
turtle said:
Academy has a 30qt "heavy gauge" aluminum pot for $20

http://www.academy.com/index.php?page=content&target=products/recreation/grilling/turkey&start=0&selectedSKU=0265-02367-2500

also comes with a free thermometer and some other gizmos...I'll probably run by my local store tomorrow to see their in-store price on it.

Any mods wanna change the name of this thread to: 7.5 Gallon Brewpot: $20
Click to expand...

That looks like a good price on a pot, but I would heed the advise of others. I started out with a 7.5 gallon turkey fryer pot, and I can tell you from experience, it wasn't large enough for a full volume boil. To account for boil off and loss to trub, if you want 5 gallons into your fermenter, you'll need to start with 6-6.5 gallons of wort PRE boil. That's just at a minimum, I would honestly suggest 6.5-7 gallons (I like to have a full batch.) With just a 30 quart pot (aka 7.5 gallons) you WILL have to be constantly vigilant watching for boilovers. If I were to do it again, I would have just ponied up the extra 10 bones for a 10 gallon pot, and not had to turn around and buy another one.

:ban:
 
I'm aiming for this:

4.jpg


lack of headspace during mash for better insulation, and I always constantly stare out my batches while boiling so no changes there.
 
The longer I wait, the better the deals are getting..while shopping at HEB today, I saw a 35 quart steam-pot-combo for $19. Also aluminum of course, but larger, and it has a steam basket which I'm sure will come in handy.
 
Look around for something like this if you are looking for a deal. Well, it was a deal... until I got it on the stove and found the pinhole leak at the bottom that swells a bead slowly until it drops. Still deciding if I want to add a ballvalve to fix it now or get a refund, though I have a ball valve on order now. Going past 7.5 gallons up to the handles at 8 gallons found they leak too. I am a noob, so I am not sure if this is par for the course, but I don't know how you call it a 35qt pot when it won't hold 35qt without leaking at the handles.

I wouldn't trust another Bayou Classic as the production seems cheap to me having seen this one up close.... but it is still workable. Now I know why converted kegs are so popular for the price. Best of luck to you.
 
shmEk said:
Look around for something like this if you are looking for a deal. Well, it was a deal... until I got it on the stove and found the pinhole leak at the bottom that swells a bead slowly until it drops. Still deciding if I want to add a ballvalve to fix it now or get a refund, though I have a ball valve on order now. Going past 7.5 gallons up to the handles at 8 gallons found they leak too. I am a noob, so I am not sure if this is par for the course, but I don't know how you call it a 35qt pot when it won't hold 35qt without leaking at the handles.

I wouldn't trust another Bayou Classic as the production seems cheap to me having seen this one up close.... but it is still workable. Now I know why converted kegs are so popular for the price. Best of luck to you.
Click to expand...

There's a leak in the wall of the stainless steel?

I've had a Bayou Classic of that size for about two years now, it's taken a beating and still works great.
 
bovineblitz said:
There's a leak in the wall of the stainless steel?

I've had a Bayou Classic of that size for about two years now, it's taken a beating and still works great.
Click to expand...
Yeup... filled it up with about 8 gallons of water and started heating. Thought it was condensation at first, but after cleaning up 3 small puddles I looked closer and saw a bead swell out of the side and saw at tiny black dot... that dot is a hole about the side of the sharp side of a small needle. Simple defect right at where the bottom is melded onto the sides. Like I said, I might drill it out and add a very off center ball valve to it to fix it. However, the handles leaking is bugging me too, and I would want to weld those so I can fill up past them without an issue at times. Big disappointment though.... I'm glad yours has done you well. I guess quality control missed this one. I cleaned black grease/crud residue from the silly stamp in the side for about 30 minutes with a rag too.
 
shmEk said:
Yeup... filled it up with about 8 gallons of water and started heating. Thought it was condensation at first, but after cleaning up 3 small puddles I looked closer and saw a bead swell out of the side and saw at tiny black dot... that dot is a hole about the side of the sharp side of a small needle. Simple defect right at where the bottom is melded onto the sides. Like I said, I might drill it out and add a very off center ball valve to it to fix it. However, the handles leaking is bugging me too, and I would want to weld those so I can fill up past them without an issue at times. Big disappointment though.... I'm glad yours has done you well. I guess quality control missed this one. I cleaned black grease/crud residue from the silly stamp in the side for about 30 minutes with a rag too.
Click to expand...

I'd contact the manufacturer... that's ridiculous. Mine doesn't leak at the rivets either... looks like you got shafted.
 
So wait a minute before I go buying something I'll be replacing in a couple years...can I really get a used keg from a scrap yard for $20 - $30? There's one right down the road from me. I've already got a propane burner so really the only thing I'd have to do is cut a hole in the lid(which the scrapyard can probably do for me). Does this sound accurate?
 
...seriously...I see empty kegs on craig for $20...I'm reading you can buy from liquor stores for $10-$30; why wouldn't I just buy one of them? Is there any reason not to if I've already got a big patio and a propane burner?
 
The used kegs are stolen from breweries. When someone buys beer there is a deposit on the keg. You are not buying the keg. It is the property of the brewery and they need it returned so they can put more beer in it. The keg cost them $150 but they only charged you a $30 deposit. Maybe they should charge the $150 for a deposit so they won't care if they get returned.

I just started a microbrewery today (just got the keys - still a lot of work to get started). I opted for the food grade plastic beer kegs so they wouldn't be stolen and turned into kettles. I don't want to have to keep buying kegs over and over. Or have beer ready to be put in kegs and not have enough kegs and have to order more.

Forrest
 
Austinhomebrew said:
The used kegs are stolen from breweries. When someone buys beer there is a deposit on the keg. You are not buying the keg. It is the property of the brewery and they need it returned so they can put more beer in it. The keg cost them $150 but they only charged you a $30 deposit. Maybe they should charge the $150 for a deposit so they won't care if they get returned.

I just started a microbrewery today (just got the keys - still a lot of work to get started). I opted for the food grade plastic beer kegs so they wouldn't be stolen and turned into kettles. I don't want to have to keep buying kegs over and over. Or have beer ready to be put in kegs and not have enough kegs and have to order more.

Forrest
Click to expand...

A local brewery here in Indy has a "Keg Club". $150 to join. and you get to take a Keg. Then swap it out for a full one. Ofcourse you still gotta pay for the beer.
 
Anyone ever bought a used keg from a brewery? Does this ever happen? Should I call my local distributor and ask them if they ever sell used kegs?

btw, I purchased an 8.5 gallon brewpot from HEB last week for $20, worked great on my propane burner.
 
You do realize that would be someone who doesn't own the keg selling it to someone and pocketing the money.
 
Austinhomebrew said:
You do realize that would be someone who doesn't own the keg selling it to someone and pocketing the money.
Click to expand...

yep.

[don't continue reading this post if you're easily offended]

sorry if that rubs ya the wrong way, I'm not too worried about a big name brewery losing a couple bucks, I'm sure they've got some kind of insurance on it. Just like I wouldn't feel bad at all stealing gas from a gas station if I knew I wouldn't get caught, and it wouldn't effect the gas station employees jobs, screw big oil companies, and screw big box beer companies that overcharge for swill.
 
Austinhomebrew said:
The used kegs are stolen from breweries. When someone buys beer there is a deposit on the keg. You are not buying the keg. It is the property of the brewery and they need it returned so they can put more beer in it. The keg cost them $150 but they only charged you a $30 deposit. Maybe they should charge the $150 for a deposit so they won't care if they get returned.

I just started a microbrewery today (just got the keys - still a lot of work to get started). I opted for the food grade plastic beer kegs so they wouldn't be stolen and turned into kettles. I don't want to have to keep buying kegs over and over. Or have beer ready to be put in kegs and not have enough kegs and have to order more.

Forrest
Click to expand...

There are several people who have purchased kegs from breweries or bars where the brewer doesn't want the keg back. So let's not group everyone using a keg into the thief category. Myself, yes go ahead, just not everybody.
 

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