Which Kettle to Buy with Christmas Gift Certificates?

[Darwin18]

This Christmas I was fortunate to receive several gift certificates to Northern Brewer from various family members. In total, I have $150 in gift certificates to Northern Brewer to spend.

I already have a nice kegging set up, stir plate/aeration/yeast starters, chest freezer for fermentation and dispensing, and other miscellaneous all-grain equipment. My set up is simple and basic, but produces good and consistent beer. I have a cooler as MLT and I use my brew kettle as my HLT.

The only piece of equipment that I would upgrade would be my brew kettle. I purchased it off of EBay about four years ago and it has served me well. It is set up with a ball valve and thermometer, which are both features my new brew kettle must have. My only problem is that it is only a 7G pot, and I really have it watch is closely for heat break boil overs. I would prefer to buy a quality kettle this time around.

These are the two pots I'm considering:

Boilermaker Brew Kettle - BoilerMaker Brew Kettles - Brew Kettles - Equipment - Brewing : Northern Brewer

I would purchase the 10G Blichmann kettle with the valve/fitting minus my gift cards for $173.49 without factoring in tax or shipping.

Megapot with Ball Valve/Brewmometer - MegaPots - Brew Kettles - Equipment - Brewing : Northern Brewer

I would purchase the 10G Mega Pot with ball valve and thermometer for $69.99 minus the gift cards and again without factoring in tax or shipping.

Is the Blichmann kettle really worth the $100 difference? Looking at the Blichmann kettle, I have two concerns.

1) Is the thermometer located too high on the kettle for 5G batches?

2) Is the ball valve located so high that I would lose volume going to the fermentor?

Also, is there that much difference in the quality between these two kettles, or am I paying more the "Blingmann" factor? Essentially is the Blichmann kettle really the best kettle with all the bells and whistles or would I be better served going with the Mega Pot?

 

[rmullins]

The only input I can provide is for #2, and the dip tupe on the blichmanns get you very low, so you won't lose as much as you would with a standard ball valve

 

[camelcarlson]

I think that it boils down to personal preference. A brew kettle from company "A" won't make you a better brewer than if you used a brew kettle from company "B". Personally, I'm a no thrills kinda guy and would go for the megapot. The dip tube in the Blichman is nice indeed, but if your concerned about a pint or two of wort, you can always pour through a funnel. Save your money and go with the cheaper of the two and spend the left over money on whats really important- grain, hops, and yeast. Cheers!

 

[Rev2010]

I have a Blichmann 10G kettle and couldn't be happier. Though, you will also be very happy with the Megapot, everyone that has one seems to post very positive about them.

A lot of people don't care for site gauges but I have to say I love it. I can always see where I'm at and I don't have to use a notched spoon or anything. I can see where my level is at, pre/during/post boil, and it's come in extremely handy so many times. The thermometer is extremely accurate, just check it when you get it and if it's a degree or two off you can calibrate it with the screw. It's very smooth moving and even is accurate to my current house temperature sitting in place on the stove (cold of course).

I personally find mine worth it. Again though, either choice is excellent.

*EDIT - crap, forgot to answer your questions. 1 - No, the thermometer is not too high. You post boil with more volume anyway (I start with 6.5G typically for a 60 minute boil). Then, you usually finish with 5.25G or so, not 5, so you're still good. The thermometer is around the 4 gallon mark or so. 2 - No you won't loose a lot of volume at all because of the dip tube. And if I want to squeeze a bit more in I simply tilt the pot. Hope this helps.


Rev.

 

[Dog House Brew]

Mega Pot, they are heavy duty. I like the tri-ply bottom on the pot. I personally would go for the welded/soldered fittings. You can make your own dip tube to fit your set-up. Really happy with the 25 gallon Mega Pot Santa got me.

 

[HearthstoneBrewery]

I sent you a PM. I may buy your old 7 gallon pot if you're selling it. I'm brewing smaller batches now, and have a aluminum turkey fryer pot but am not happy with it.