Advice on brew kettle decisions..

[xsists]

I just brewed my first AG batch on Monday using a friends pot and another friends keggle. I ordered a 36 qt Bayou stainless pot (which arrived in the middle of brewing on Monday) and am now having second thoughts. I have two options that I am ready to pull the trigger on.

1. Keep the pot and order another pot and burner so that I can have my HLT and BK going at the same time.

2. Return the pot and purchase another burner and two kegs to convert to keggles. I can get the kegs for about $80 a piece from a local guy. (I have tried emailing local breweries and scrap yards trying to find junk kegs to convert, but to no avail.)

Right now I am pretty focused on getting better at brewing 5 gal batches but could see someday stepping up to 10 gal (way off in the future). I plan to go electric at some point so I can brew inside (carrying a keggle/pot + 5 gal of hot wort into the basement for cooling in the winter is back breaking).

I guess my question is would it be better to spend the extra $10 or so to go with two keggles over the two pots? Reasonings? Pro/con. I want to figure out my vessel before I start drilling holes for a spigot and sight glass.

 

[BendBrewer]

I have 2 aluminum pots right now (50L and 60l) and 2 kegs waiting to be cut. If my pots were SS, I probably wouldn't bother building the keggels. Reason, being able to pump caustic cleaners through my entire system. If I get over to Harbor Freight today, maybe I'll cut the tops off of them tonight.

 

[Golddiggie]

I would convert the pot you now have on hand, and then decide. If you're years away from doing any 10 gallon batches, then having a pair of 32-40 quart pots makes more sense than have a pair of 15 gallon keggles. I wouldn't go with less than 32 quarts for capacity, since you'll probably have too little headspace in the kettle to prevent boil-over...

Having two pots of sufficient size makes sense... That way, you can drain the cooler/MLT into one pot, then pour the sparge water from the other into the cooler/MLT. One burner should be enough, at least initially. You should be mashing long enough so that you can get your sparge water up to temp by the time you need to use it. So unless you're making a brew that you need more mash and sparge water than you can heat in a single pot, two burners wouldn't be necessary towards the start. I'm sure, eventually, you'll want/need to do that, so you'll get another. Just do it on your own schedule.

 

[wyzazz]

Return the 32qt and pick up the keg's, they'll last FOREVER!

 

[1234]

I just sold 3 keggles and bought the new Polar Ware Brew Rite pots. Keggles are heavy, tall, and are hard to carry around. The brew right pot is super nice and affordable and available in different sizes. The best prices I have seen on the pots are at www.rebelbrewer.com They don't have them listed on the site yet, but you could call them and request a price.
http://www.polarware.com/home-brewing/brew-rite-brew-pots.php

 

[BendBrewer]

I just sold 3 keggles and bought the new Polar Ware Brew Rite pots. Keggles are heavy, tall, and are hard to carry around. The brew right pot is super nice and affordable and available in different sizes. The best prices I have seen on the pots are at www.rebelbrewer.com They don't have them listed on the site yet, but you could call them and request a price.
http://www.polarware.com/home-brewing/brew-rite-brew-pots.php

That is another option I have been thinking about. Building out the kegs that I have and selling them. Then use that cash and some more to get SS pots. But I don't know. They are heavy but it's not like I am lifting or carrying them very much at all and my system is on wheels.

"F*%k Man, I don't know........"

 

[1234]

You will lift those kegs more than you think. How else are you going to clean out the mash tun. Where do you plan on dumping the grains? More than likely you are carrying the keggle mash tun to someplace to dump the grains. I have a march pump for my system as well and I still lifted those damn kegs all the time. My buddies liked the keggles, but they are really envious of my new brew pot.

 

[BendBrewer]

Plan on keeping the cooler for the MLT. I'm just running out of projects to do and have the kegs just laying around. If I don't like them, I'll just sell them assembled and get SS pots. I do want to get rid of the aluminum for cleaning purposes and wouldn't mind increasing the bling factor of my rig.

 

[xsists]

Thanks for opinions guys! I too have a cooler MLT and plan on using that for a while. I'm still debating what I would like to do. If I bought the keggles and built them up, I could sell them for more than I could with the built up Bayou pots and with an initial purchase of $10 more for the keggles that seems like a better idea.

 

[BendBrewer]

Yeah, 80 bucks for a keg isn't the way to go. I got one for free and another for 25 bucks. Paying 80 bucks per negates a key benefit of keggels.