Time to upgrade the brew kettle

[Matty22]

I've got 3 batches under my belt and it's time to upgrade the brew kettle. Right now I can only do partial boils due to it being only about 4 gallons. I'm looking at something around the 30qt size and I'll probably go with aluminum cause it's a little easier on the wallet.

I found this deal on Amazon: 30qt aluminum pot, lid, 12in thermometer, and it even comes with the propane heater stand which will be nice. It's $62 for everything.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000BXHL0/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Look like a good deal to you guys for a green brewer?

 

[rico567]

As a combined price for pot & burner, that looks great. As far as pot size, I've been operating with an inexpensive 30 qt SS pot since I started, and it's made the transition from full boils on the stove to AG on a burner (I got the Bayou Classic SP-10) with no problems.

 

[bullinachinashop]

You'll be better served going with a bigger pot.

When I do a smaller (5 gal) batch, I start my boil with 6.5 gallons of wort and almost 7 gallons if I'm using pilsen malt.

Bull

 

[TopherM]

Do you plan on going to AG in the future? Might want to go ahead and future-proof your purchase if you plan on going that route and look at a 40-44 qt. kettle.

I guess you need a propane burner as well? I actually started off with the exact kit you have, and let me give you a few tips:

1) Make sure you OXIDIZE the aluminum before the first time you use it. Otherwise, your first batch of beer will taste like aluminum. Just put as much water in it as you can and boil the water for about 30 minutes. That'll add a nice oxygen layer above the aluminum so it doesn't leech into the wort.

2) The propane regulator that comes with this kit has a timer on it that makes it turn off every 10 or 15 minutes. Obviously, that won't work for homebrew. To defeat this timer, you have to rig up a system to continuously depress the button. Most people duct tape the crap out of it, I took the thing apart and "twisty tied" it down with a paperclip. You'll know what I mean once you see it, but just wanted to let you know that it will not work for homebrew as-is, you have to modify it. I still use the same burner, but actually just replaced the regulator all together because I was tired of messing with it.

As far as the burner, it works great as well. The actual burner is the same one that's in the SQ10, but the base is designed a bit differently. Once I got a new pot, the burner base was actually too small for my pot, but I fixed this by going to Home Depot for a 24" round stainless steel replacement grill grate. I attached this with stainless steel clamps, and now can even support a full keggle on the stand.

Anyway, besides the noted issues, that kit is great. The pot is very thin, and since it is aluminum it conducts heat much better than stainless steel. This is both good and bad. When it comes time for an ice bath, the aluminum cools down MUCH faster than SS. When it comes to maintaining precise temps on the burner, it is VERY hard to do so because the aluminum gives off heat as fast as it takes it in. Once I went AG, I got a 11 gallon (44 qt) Bayou Classic SS pot. I use the SS as by BIAB brew kettle, so I mash and boil in it. When wrapped with a few shipping blankets, I only lose a degree or two during a 60 minute mash. Once the boil is done, I actually transfer to this aluminum kettle for my ice bath, so I have the best of both worlds.

Anyway, that's everything I know on this thing. Hope it helps!

 

[Matty22]

Do you plan on going to AG in the future? Might want to go ahead and future-proof your purchase if you plan on going that route and look at a 40-44 qt. kettle.

I guess you need a propane burner as well? I actually started off with the exact kit you have, and let me give you a few tips:

1) Make sure you OXIDIZE the aluminum before the first time you use it. Otherwise, your first batch of beer will taste like aluminum. Just put as much water in it as you can and boil the water for about 30 minutes. That'll add a nice oxygen layer above the aluminum so it doesn't leech into the wort.

2) The propane regulator that comes with this kit has a timer on it that makes it turn off every 10 or 15 minutes. Obviously, that won't work for homebrew. To defeat this timer, you have to rig up a system to continuously depress the button. Most people duct tape the crap out of it, I took the thing apart and "twisty tied" it down with a paperclip. You'll know what I mean once you see it, but just wanted to let you know that it will not work for homebrew as-is, you have to modify it. I still use the same burner, but actually just replaced the regulator all together because I was tired of messing with it.

As far as the burner, it works great as well. The actual burner is the same one that's in the SQ10, but the base is designed a bit differently. Once I got a new pot, the burner base was actually too small for my pot, but I fixed this by going to Home Depot for a 24" round stainless steel replacement grill grate. I attached this with stainless steel clamps, and now can even support a full keggle on the stand.

Anyway, besides the noted issues, that kit is great. The pot is very thin, and since it is aluminum it conducts heat much better than stainless steel. This is both good and bad. When it comes time for an ice bath, the aluminum cools down MUCH faster than SS. When it comes to maintaining precise temps on the burner, it is VERY hard to do so because the aluminum gives off heat as fast as it takes it in. Once I went AG, I got a 11 gallon (44 qt) Bayou Classic SS pot. I use the SS as by BIAB brew kettle, so I mash and boil in it. When wrapped with a few shipping blankets, I only lose a degree or two during a 60 minute mash. Once the boil is done, I actually transfer to this aluminum kettle for my ice bath, so I have the best of both worlds.

Anyway, that's everything I know on this thing. Hope it helps!

Thanks for the thorough answer. Right now I'm just doing extract brews. I'm the type of person who likes to make sure I have this step mastered and slowly add a new more complex step and master that before moving on. So if I do AG, it won't be for some time until I'm fully comfortable doing extracts without constantly reading instructions/the brew book.

That said, if I do go AG I'll probably just go ahead and buy a SS kettle then so I can upgrade the size of the kettle then as well.

 

[badhabit]

You have to decide for yourself regarding the whole aluminum question, the concern that I would have is size. I would suggest that you save your money for something not less than 40 qt. That will give you a 5 gal batch boil without a problem. Any smaller and you will have issues....not big enough, boil over etc.

 

[FermentedTed]

You have to decide for yourself regarding the whole aluminum question, the concern that I would have is size. I would suggest that you save your money for something not less than 40 qt. That will give you a 5 gal batch boil without a problem. Any smaller and you will have issues....not big enough, boil over etc.

+1. When I upgraded my kettle I went with a 32 qt and every time I brew I wish I had gotten an extra 4-8 quarts. Particularly when I'm doing 90 minute boils... the wort is practically to the top edge and I have to watch the boil like a hawk.