The real differences in brew kettles

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jekeane

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I want new kettles. I currently use 3 Keggles that I have grown to dislike as I have used them more. They were poorly welded when I inherited them is the primary reason, but I also don't care for their weight, and heat retention when cooling.

As I have researched new kettles I am surprised at how little scientific performance comparisons there are between competing kettles. Almost all brewing specific kettles are just using marketing terms like biggest baddest best to describe their performance.

I see value in service, quality and function. Also in not having to diy stuff, so I can see charging more for those things but how much more? Im not sure.

What is the real difference in the final product produced from a Stout // Blichmann // Spike // Megapot // Bayou Classic // Polarware (etc) kettle? Is there one? I can't say that I have ever seen an answer or claim from one of these companies saying why their pot makes better beer.

What say ye?
 
I want new kettles. I currently use 3 Keggles that I have grown to dislike as I have used them more. They were poorly welded when I inherited them is the primary reason, but I also don't care for their weight, and heat retention when cooling.

As I have researched new kettles I am surprised at how little scientific performance comparisons there are between competing kettles. Almost all brewing specific kettles are just using marketing terms like biggest baddest best to describe their performance.

I see value in service, quality and function. Also in not having to diy stuff, so I can see charging more for those things but how much more? Im not sure.

What is the real difference in the final product produced from a Stout // Blichmann // Spike // Megapot // Bayou Classic // Polarware (etc) kettle? Is there one? I can't say that I have ever seen an answer or claim from one of these companies saying why their pot makes better beer.

What say ye?

A good pot won't make a bad brewer better, and an old beat up pot won't limit a good brewer. Stainless steel should last forever, unless you leave chlorine solutions in it. If you get a pot with welded ports (for valves, thermometers, sight glasses, etc.) then the quality of the welds may affect the lifetime and ability to clean the pots thoroughly. A tri-clad bottom ($$$) will reduce the chance of scorching, but with care in burner management and not letting things settle on the pot bottom, a single layer pot bottom will not result in scorching.

The final product depends less on the pot than the skill of the brewer.

Brew on :mug:
 
What you dislike about keggles--weight and heat retention--can be solved by getting just about any brew kettle. The walls of those are thinner. Lighter weight and faster cooling.

Find a brew kettle that suits your capacity requirement and either go with welded or weldless fittings. There are pros and cons to both.

But as far as the kettles themselves, there is very little that sets them apart from one another. The hardware and how well it's fitted is where the rubber hits the road. If you're not the DIY type, there are a number of options to get the build you want.

I'm not directly familiar with Spike, but I've heard good things said about their kettles from a number of people. They have welded fittings and their prices are decent. I'm a DIYer, so I bought a 20 gallon Concord and silver soldered my fittings.
 
Great question. But who would buy multiple pots and try them out to compare?

This has been discussed on here before:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=324796

Many other consumable goods in the price point of kettle have side by side reviews with competitor products. If there were a real difference in pots I would assume that these companies would buy each others pots to show the consumer why their product is superior. I have read the post you linked before and it largely discusses size and the benifits of each brand are mostly anecdotal.

My guess is outside of external features there may be little to no difference between kettles. So whatever pot is the most customized to your brewing preferences is the "best".
 
I have Stout ( 20 gallon HLT w/HERMS and MT, Blichmann (20g Boil kettle and 10 g boil kettle w/false bottom, and Polarware (15g HLT, MT and BK) kettles. I would have to say that what you buy depends on what you want. Blichmann are weldless and require you to keep extra O rings etc on hand. The sight glasses and dip tubes are nice to have and the kettles are light (thin).
Stout kettles are more narrow and taller than same capacity Blichmann kettles. They are welded. Have the option for a bottom drain on the MT and HERMS in the MLT. They also have sight glasses and are light (thin).
Polarware are basic kettles. Welded ball valves and thermometer couplings. They are heavy and have tri clad bottoms.
IMHO, of the three brands that I own, Blichmann is the best combination of features, functionality and price.
 
As stated it depends on what you want.

1) Triclad or not. If its a RIMS/HERMS obviously the tricland doesn't matter.
2) Are you diying everything? If so get a basic kettle and go to work.
3) If not DIY then you need to choose between weld and weldless. Thats where the main choice comes. There are pros and cons to both.
4) After that you need to choose if you want tri-clamps or not.
5) The key at this point is to balance $ with ease of use. The easier stuff to use (sight glass ect) is going to cost $.

For me, it was mostly no diy this time around (There is some for HERM specific functions). I'm HERMS so Triclad didn't matter to me. I don't particularly like the bulk to tri fittings for my 5.5 gal kegged batches. I Rinse every batch (2 pumps) and disassemble and clean every 6 months. I prefer weld-less.

So for me the best route was Blichmann. It is $ but the ease of use and fast clean up time for me was the deciding factor. Plus it fell in my budget.
 
I think the thing that makes brewing so interesting, yet maddening, is that every person's individuality is reflected in their brew system. I love shiny, mechanical stuff, so I have a 3-tier Blich G1 system 15 / 15 /20G. I love the efficiency of the burners, the ease of cleaning using gravity (PBW and scrubbing 1st runthrough, hot water rinse 2nd). I think the sight glasses, the thermometers, the valves, all top tier stuff. I have my burners on a simple 18" shelf, using gravity for transfers. I plan on getting a recirc pump soon, think that will make things even easier.

OTOH, a family member asked my opinion on how to get started, I recommended a 15G aluminum pot with a Wilserbrewer BIAB, a BC banjo burner, and adding a valve to it. They can easily do 10G batches- not so big an investment.

I am not sure I like the new Blich kettles, I think they are a step down. If I had to do it today, I might do Stout- though there have been threads indicating problems with their kettles.

Good luck, walk the path that is comfortable for you, and happy brewing. :mug:
 
I am not sure I like the new Blich kettles, I think they are a step down. If I had to do it today, I might do Stout- though there have been threads indicating problems with their kettles.

Good luck, walk the path that is comfortable for you, and happy brewing. :mug:

I've owned both the old and the new. The New ones are nice. They are different, but nice. At first I didn't think I liked the new valve but the more I use it, the more I realize just how nice it is. Since I sparge (with the auto sparge) and I have 2 pumps control is from the input of the BK valve, not the output of the mashtun. Being able to minutely adjust the flow and resulting back pressure with the new valve is really, really nice. Its not mentioned anywhere why they switched, but I'm guessing this is the real reason. Its much more accurate than any ball valve is.
 

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