How much to pay for a brew pot?

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McDingleberry

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So, I am getting sick of doing partial boils on my stove top in my crappy walmart lobster pot. A friend let me borrow an aluminum 10 gallon turkey fryer pot, but I have found that it is very thin and the bottom is warped. It took for ever to boil 7 gallons of water.

I stopped at a local restaurant supply store today and saw a nice aluminum 32 quart pot for $75. It is way thicker than the turkey fryer pot. It's at least a quarter inch thick. I have had a hard time trying to compare prices online, so I was wondering if you guys think that's a decent price. I have seen similar sized SS pots for about the same price, but then I would need to pay for shipping.
 
If your going to spend the money go bigger than 32Q i have one that does about7.5 gal an i wish i went bigger i think willams brewing had a good deal on a decent one 42Q with a valve around $99!
 
EO74 said:
If your going to spend the money go bigger than 32Q i have one that does about7.5 gal an i wish i went bigger i think willams brewing had a good deal on a decent one 42Q with a valve around $99!
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I figured it would just be harder to boil in a larger pot. Cant I boil 6.5 gallons in an 8 gallon pot without a problem? I didn't think I needed a 10 gallon pot to do a full boil for a 5 gallon batch.
 
McDingleberry said:
I figured it would just be harder to boil in a larger pot. Cant I boil 6.5 gallons in an 8 gallon pot without a problem? I didn't think I needed a 10 gallon pot to do a full boil for a 5 gallon batch.
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With my equipment a 5.25 gallon batch is a 6.73 gallon boil. My 30 quart pot was MAXED out. I have since upgraded to a 10 gallon pot and installed a weldless bulkhead and stainless steel bulkhead. All together I spent roughly $100.
 
Stock pots can be very expensive. Even when I make 5.5 gallon batches, I still boil in a Keggle. The only real downside is that your boil off will be a bit more, but that can be accounted for.

Cost can vary but the most I've paid for an empty keg at a local bar is $35
 
npauley88 said:
Stock pots can be very expensive. Even when I make 5.5 gallon batches, I still boil in a Keggle. The only real downside is that your boil off will be a bit more, but that can be accounted for.

Cost can vary but the most I've paid for an empty keg at a local bar is $35
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The silly thing is that I already have 3 sanke kegs waiting to be converted. I am saving up to build the brew sculpture, but I want to continue with my extract brewing in the mean time.
 
McDingleberry said:
The silly thing is that I already have 3 sanke kegs waiting to be converted. I am saving up to build the brew sculpture, but I want to continue with my extract brewing in the mean time.
Click to expand...

Post your question in the electric thread. We can fix you up.. for the price of a kettle.:D
 
I'd wait for something to come up on ebay/craigslist. Pots are one of those things that don't lose quality after a bit of use; but they lose serious value.

I watched e-bay for a couple weeks and scored (x3) 45 gallon/180 qt pots for $198 each. I kept a look out for dent and scratch and got them for about $0.40 on the dollar with shipping.

Even if you do get a larger pot it seems like you'll have to upgrade to propane burners to be able to effectively use them. Just my thoughts. Cheers!:tank:
 
I'm surprised no one has mentioned a Penrose kettle:

http://brewhemoth.com/penrose-kettle

Serious 304 stainless construction, 15 gallon capacity, ball valve included. For $189 shipped, don't think you can beat it. Some may say they don't need the valve.....with 10 gal. batches, I need a valve.
 
The penrose kettles look sweeeet, and it would match your sanke's when you get around to finishing them off. With a full boil though, go 10G and make life a little simpler by having a ball valve installed. The less you have to pick that kettle up the better. All in all you are probably looking around $150 for a decent kettle, $200 for a nice one, and $300 for a bad ass blichmann. Kettles are one of the larger investments in this hobby, although I just spent $150 on stainless quick disconnects and am starting to think a little differently :D
 
I got a 60qt, 6mm, AL pot from instawares.com. They had decent prices when I was shopping. I think I paid around $70 and some shipping for it.

Search the forum, there are quite a few posts about where to purchase a pot.

Check out this one HERE.
 
Is the Penrise pot the best deal for the money? I too want to expand to a full boil but don't have a large enough pot and don't want to buy something to cheap.
 
The Penrose is nothing fancy, but if you are doing all grain, with propane outside I think it is the best deal. It is too large for a stove top though.

For the in between a 7.5 gal turkey fry pot can't be beat.
 
I bought a cheap 30 qt. SS pot for $40 on sale, delivered, at Cooking.com. It has served my purposes through the first year and a half of exract brewing, and I'm now up to almost 4 years total, using it for AG. A lot of people state that 30 qt. is too small for AG brewing, but I have no problems doing a full 6.5 gal boil....with about 5-6 drops of Fermcap.
 
McDingleberry said:
So, I am getting sick of doing partial boils on my stove top in my crappy walmart lobster pot. A friend let me borrow an aluminum 10 gallon turkey fryer pot, but I have found that it is very thin and the bottom is warped. It took for ever to boil 7 gallons of water.
Click to expand...

Not sure if anyone mentioned this or not, I skimmed the thread and didn't see it really brought up. If it takes your stove forever to boil 7 gallons of water, getting a new pot won't help with that, getting a new stove will. Otherwise you should move outside with a propane burner. Believe me, it's worth it...and being outside makes brewday that much funner...especially if you drink & smoke when you brew :drunk:
 

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