Need a brewing kettle.. suggestions?

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redwing_al

redwing_al

http://www.homebrewmania.com/
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I'm looking to get into BIAB and I want suggestions on probably a 40qt (10gal) kettle. I am not sure what or which one I should buy that would give me versatility. So is it a matter of what I want or what I need???

I am thinking:

- Stainless Steel just incase I want to go electric or induction brewing in the future.

- Some kettles come with the brew basket, seems like that would be handy for BIAB?

- Is Taller or Wider better?

- is 40Q sufficient?

- What about a simple aluminum stockpot and call it good?

- Oh, I'm frugal too.. :off:

Anyway, looking for some suggestions, pros/cons on which one to by which is a good value and will be a good investment for many years!

Here are a couple I've looked at:

1: http://goo.gl/RcG0Fo

2: http://goo.gl/YReMaQ

3:http://goo.gl/soXpwu


Thanks in advance! :mug:
 
I just got my ten gallon megapot from NB with brewmometer and ball valve... Since you'll be doing BIAB the brewmometer is a huge help so you can always see what temp you're mashing at all times... It's easy to put together, and holds temp well too... It has sturdy handles and volume markers on the inside... I like mine a lot but I will admit it is pricey...
 
I use a 30 qt turkey fryer pot with no basket for BIAB. It's a little on the small size as I have to watch close for boil over when it approaches hot break and to do a big grain bill I'd need to sparge more but it was pretty cheap to get started. Most brews I don't need to worry about the big grain bill because with the fine milling I can use with BIAB, I can expect about 85% efficiency so for a modestly "big beer" I don't have to have a large grain bill. In fact, as I was getting started and didn't expect this efficiency, I would take a grain bill for a 1.050 beer and it would turn out in the range of 1.070. It wouldn't have take much more grain to have been at 1.090 then.

It seems like a lot of brewers want a basket so they can add heat during the mash without burning the bag. Instead of that, I shortened the mash period so I didn't have to add heat to keep my temperature right. Adding heat is difficult because unless you are stirring hard constantly, the bottom of the mash will be too hot before the top of the mash even changes temperature.
 
Good luck with your search.
redwing_al said:
I'm looking to get into BIAB and I want suggestions on probably a 40qt (10gal) kettle. I am not sure what or which one I should buy that would give me versatility. So is it a matter of what I want or what I need???

After many years of brewing and duplicate buys, get the want. I have bought, only to upgrade at more cost. Buy once and save money over time.

I am thinking:

- Stainless Steel just incase I want to go electric or induction brewing in the future.

I would buy stainless. The upside of stainless is a no brainer for me.

- Some kettles come with the brew basket, seems like that would be handy for BIAB?

I would go basket if I were doing BIAB.

- Is Taller or Wider better?

Taller is better than wider. Reduces your boil off, and I've had tighter trub pile after whirlpool.

- is 40Q sufficient?

I wouldn't go any smaller than 15 gallons. I started with 40qt Polarware, never fit my needs. I fought boil overs and couldn't increase batch size. I use it for a grant now.

- What about a simple aluminum stockpot and call it good?

Wouldn't go aluminum, just me.

- Oh, I'm frugal too.. :off:

I'm frugal too, but this is the key component of your brewery. I really like my Mega Pot. If I were buying and going BIAB, I would have to look at the Bayou Classic. 2mm thick and your not paying for tri-clad bottom. Have a drill? Step bit and weldless fittings.

Anyway, looking for some suggestions, pros/cons on which one to by which is a good value and will be a good investment for many years!

Here are a couple I've looked at:

1: http://goo.gl/RcG0Fo

2: http://goo.gl/YReMaQ

3:http://goo.gl/soXpwu


Thanks in advance! :mug:
Click to expand...
 
Hey, great resource for what appear to be some nice stock pots.

I wonder what the differences are between Aluminum and Stainless Steel in brewing? Is aluminum subject to retaining any bacteria or anything or doesn't it matter?



Clarke said:
I have my eye on this:
http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/out...ner/pid-27725?N=903862930&Ntt=tf_pots&Ntk=All

It says aluminum on the web, but in the store it is SS, either way good deal and perfect for BIAB

currently I use this:
http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/out...kit/pid-27721?N=578846088&Ntt=tf_pots&Ntk=All
Click to expand...
 
redwing_al said:
Hey, great resource for what appear to be some nice stock pots.

I wonder what the differences are between Aluminum and Stainless Steel in brewing? Is aluminum subject to retaining any bacteria or anything or doesn't it matter?
Click to expand...

I think the only difference between aluminum and SS is that aluminum will turn color with use and time and you can’t use certain cleaning agents, but I know plenty of people who use aluminum… As far as bacteria, you are boiling on high heat… I wouldn’t worry too much about bacteria in your brew pot, I rinse and store then use…

-edit-
I am almost sure there is a SS version in the store..
 
The nice thing about using these pots is that you can put your bag in the colander and there is a small gap between the colander and the sidewall of the pot, where the water/wart will cause a thermal barrier and maintain a good mash temp same as using an igloo cooler. I just throw an old sweatshirt, and sleeveless vest over it, sometimes a third jacket and I can maintain a constant mash temp, may lose one degree, sometime 2 degrees on a cold winter day but it works, Put the colander in my bottle bucket and sparge, works for me.
 
wilserbrewer said:
I wouldn't bother with a basket, just not needed IMO with a proper bag.

Just my 02
Cheers
Click to expand...

The basket does have its uses, it will keep the bag off the bottom of the kettle and create a thermal barrier when mashing. Works as a great carry device and holder for sparging. But the right bag does help.
 
Too bad you aren't a little closer to Minnesota, as I am upgrading from 32 quart aluminum pot w/ bag and basket to a 15 gallon stainless pot. With my 8 gallon aluminum, its possible to mash to 1.065 or so in a 5.5 gallon batch. Any higher and I add extract.

Just ordered today from Midwest with free shipping. I was going to cheap out and go 10 gallon, but figured some day I will get lazy and will want to make 10 gallon batches to brew less often or for parties. It has a stainless ball valve so I can chill in place and gravity drain to the fermenter(s).

As to the differences, aluminum has better thermal conductivity. But as mentioned above you should not use oxyclean, bleach, or acid. Just a quick soap up, and thorough rinse for me. I got probably 40-45 batches out of it and still works fine (though heavily oxidized on the inside, good to minimize any Al leaching into wort).

With stainless, you want the thick bottoms with aluminum sandwiched in between stainless. The pot I ordered is 5 mm thick (to prevent scorching) with 1.2 mm sides, so it should last a lifetime. I will probably order a bag from Wilser pretty soon.
 
Im just getting into BIAB gear from extracts and bought a concord 15gallon of ebay or under 100$ and 30$ valve and bulkhead from bargainfittings and I think I am set.
Id like to do full boils and with a 15g I wont have to worry.
Highly recommend going bigger as 10gallon brews are in my future.
Oh and got a custom bag on order from wilser!! Cant wait to get started!
 
I have the 44qt with the basket and I'm happy with it. I installed a valve under the basket off of a tee which holds a short thermometer and I hook up a pump and recirculate while mashing. After mashing I remove the pump and put a short piece of hose on to drain into my fermentor after the boil. I could see where if you wanted to go electric this pot would work really well.
If I did anything different it would be getting a larger pot just like this one to give more head space.
 
Another 10 gallon vote... but i much prefer aluminum (I could be alone in this). Much thicker... (you're not going to find many .5mm+ stainless steel pots like is common with aluminum) and is 10x more conductive... and is cheaper. For stove top brewing, aluminum is where it's at IHMO.

$3,000 - $15,000 multi-part, "personal-brewhouse" systems on the other hand... Stainless all the way.
 
Check out Spike Brewing. They are on HBT. I love my Spike kettle and customer service/price were great.
 
FWIW, in the last BYO magazine, there was an article about induction brewing, this got me thinking that with a Ranco temperature controller I could use this as a controlled mash heat source, or maybe not, but it got me excited none the less, somewhere in the article it mentioned about doing a magnet test on your current SS pot to see if the pot will work with an induction stove. Well my pot is or at least advertized as a SS. I put a magnet to it and nothing… I don’t know what this means about the quality of my pot but I am almost sure it means I need a different pot for an induction brewing.

-edit-

Seems not all SS is created equally… Buyer beware…

“The magnetic may or may not stick on the stainless steel you have. This is primarily due to the fact that there is magnetic and non-magnetic stainless steel. The 400 series is the magnetic stainless steel while the 300 is the non-magnetic stainless steel.”

http://www.ask.com/question/do-magnets-stick-to-stainless-steel
 
redwing_al said:
after much deliberation: this is what I'm going to order in the 50 QT size: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=141281734549&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

I read a lot of good things about the Concord pots. The dealer did tell me that this was not an induction ready pot... I think this pot will be perfect for all my 5Gal. full boils with plenty of head space for bigger grain-bill beers.

I plan to get into BIAB soon. Just need a bag and a little more confidence!

:mug:
Click to expand...

Get the bag and try a couple batches. The confidence will come shortly. It's pretty easy to do all grain BIAB.
 
I love my 20 gallon Concord stainless tri-ply kettle, which was about $150. It has reasonably thick walls, a thick tri-ply bottom, welded/riveted handles that are very sturdy, and a nice lid. I purchased the bulkhead and 3-piece ball valve from brewhardware.com and these after cutting a hole using a Harbor Freight step bit. The kettle works great, and most importantly, is very shiny.

Some advantages to going with a 20 gallon pot... you can easily brew 11 gallon batches, and you are not limited in grain bill, especially for 5 gallon batches. I got my kettle with a SS steamer plate that fits on the bottom. I had originally considered a SS steamer basket, but with the bag I use (from bagbrewer.com), it is sturdy enough that the basket is not needed. The bag rests on top of the steamer plate which prevents any issues with burning the bag and I get very good recirculation and heat distribution with the mash sitting above the plate like this.

The kettle is advertised as induction ready, although I have not tried this. However, it has a very thick tri-ply plate welded onto the bottom which likely yields good results with an induction burner. It also really helps to prevent any burned wort on the bottom.
 
I've been using Bayou's 20gal pot for the last few months and love it! It's definitely big enough for large batches (10g) or big beers (barleywine). Combine it with Wilserbrewer's bags and you're good to go.

http://goo.gl/6f9Mak
 
After a ton of thought and deliberation I went with the bayou 44 stainless and basket. If you plan to do BIAB electric In The future it's one of the best pots to use.
ImageUploadedByHome Brew1405189499.239705.jpg
Combined with a Wilsor bag and an easily installed heating element and spigot you're all set!
ImageUploadedByHome Brew1405189787.487382.jpg
I think your heat source matters a lot. If you go EBIAB you'll want to keep the bag off the element.



Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
mr_rogers said:
I think your heat source matters a lot. If you go EBIAB you'll want to keep the bag off the element.
Click to expand...

Another option is to not fire the element while the bag is in the insulated kettle.

While I agree with you, there was a poster a while back that claimed his bag sits right on his ULWD element without issue. I believe he was using a controller so I can't say how much power he was pushing with the bag on the element.

I have scorched one batch out of many using HD elements due to my own error. I paused a brew session pre boil and I think a mass of trub settled, and was fried bad on the element! Almost made me cry dumping 15 gallons. :(
 
So is a 10 gal kettle not big enough for 5 gallon batches? I generally don't go above 1.049(with the exception of one 1.083 once a year). Have I actually screwed the pooch on grabbing a tall boy 10 gal pot?
 
Dopeybrew said:
So is a 10 gal kettle not big enough for 5 gallon batches? I generally don't go above 1.049(with the exception of one 1.083 once a year). Have I actually screwed the pooch on grabbing a tall boy 10 gal pot?
Click to expand...

I do 5 gallon batches in a 9 gallon kettle on my stove top. Just gotta sparge and keep an eye on the boil. Piece of cake.
 
TexasWine said:
I do 5 gallon batches in a 9 gallon kettle on my stove top. Just gotta sparge and keep an eye on the boil. Piece of cake.
Click to expand...

I was hoping to go for the no sparge method stickied here. It listed a 10 gallon pot as big enough. Thats what I went for....


=edit=
The biggest beer Im going to be using is 16.5lb grain but average is under 10lbs. If that makes a difference
 
Dopeybrew said:
So is a 10 gal kettle not big enough for 5 gallon batches? I generally don't go above 1.049(with the exception of one 1.083 once a year). Have I actually screwed the pooch on grabbing a tall boy 10 gal pot?
Click to expand...

I've done a bunch of 5.5 gallon batches in a 7.5 gallon pot with OG up to 1.070.

With that you really do have to watch as you come to a boil or the hot break will spill onto the stove. I also keep the boil low so I don't boil off a lot of water.
 
Dopeybrew said:
I was hoping to go for the no sparge method stickied here. It listed a 10 gallon pot as big enough. Thats what I went for....


=edit=
The biggest beer Im going to be using is 16.5lb grain but average is under 10lbs. If that makes a difference
Click to expand...

If you do BIAB and mill your grains fine your efficiency will be so high that you won't need so much grain. Run those recipes through software but set the efficiency up to 85% (my normal) and see how much grain you need to hit the expected OG.
 
Dopeybrew said:
So is a 10 gal kettle not big enough for 5 gallon batches? I generally don't go above 1.049(with the exception of one 1.083 once a year). Have I actually screwed the pooch on grabbing a tall boy 10 gal pot?
Click to expand...

Dopeybrew said:
I was hoping to go for the no sparge method stickied here. It listed a 10 gallon pot as big enough. Thats what I went for....


=edit=
The biggest beer Im going to be using is 16.5lb grain but average is under 10lbs. If that makes a difference
Click to expand...

Ok, lets look at the numbers using this mash tun vol calculator.
http://www.haandbryg.dk/mashcalc.html#mash

16.5 lbs of grain mashed at 2 qt/lb (33 qt (8.25 gal strike water) results in a total mash volume of 9.6 quarts, check OK :)

Loss due due grain absorption will be approx .1 gal / lb grain or 1.6 gallons, so your wort volume after removing the bag will approx. be 8.25 gal minus 1.6 gal equals a preboil volume of 6.65, boil off a gallon and your finished wort volume will be 5.65, check OK :)

Tips....mashing in with a total volume of 9.6 gallons of mash in a 10 gallon kettle might be tricky and lead to spillage, so you could hold back a gallon and add that after the mash rest.

With a sparge step, you could mash 20 lbs without issue IMO..

I think you have made a fine choice with the 10 gallon considering your main objective of brewing moderate gravity brews, especially if stovetopping where a larger kettle will require more heat to boil, and have space constraints. Considering most of your batches will only be 10-12 lbs of grain, the 10 gallon is an appropriate size. I feel one is better served to have the right size kettle for 90% of their brews, and a little small for 10%, rather than too large for 90%, and just right for 10%.

The smaller 10 gal will also hold temp better having less head space and surface area than the larger kettle, the 10 gal may fit in your oven as well, which is a very easy and effective way to maintain steady mash temps. Might want to consider trying some fermcap S, or infant gas drops (simethicone) till you get the hang of bringing to a boil without a boil over.

Hope this helps.
wilser
 
I've been reading this thread with great interest as Ive been doing One Gallon BIAB batches. My biggest concern with scaling up my brew volume was the heating element, is it possible to get a full boil using a stove element?
 
Ash1616 said:
I've been reading this thread with great interest as Ive been doing One Gallon BIAB batches. My biggest concern with scaling up my brew volume was the heating element, is it possible to get a full boil using a stove element?
Click to expand...

My old stove had one of those coil elements and it would do full boils no problem.
it was a newer stove so YMMV.
If your stove isn't quite strong enough you could go with a heat stick, or a permanent heat element like I did!
 
So I am looking for recommendations on a good kettle for BIAB 5 gallon batches. I like the Thermometer and see how its in the way. Found Spike has a horizontal design ( welded ). Anyone see a significant benefit to having the thermometer? Also the Bayou has a nice pot with the strainer to help with the bag and keeps it off the bottom. The kettle and burner are all I need to get going and want to make the right purchase.
 

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