Buying my first brew kettle

Alright guys, I am a new brewer and really getting stoked about the possibilities(even looking at brewing grad school after college) but I'm ready for my own brew kettle.

I am trying to decide between a 10 gal or 15 gal. What are your thoughts? Right now I'm doing just extract brewing, but I want to get on to all grain one day. So expansion should be considered.

Thanks!

 

the bigger the better...................also where are you buying from....i might be able to help save some $

 

Well, with what college costs these days, unless you are wealthy, I would suggest you scour craigslist for a 10-15 gallon stainless or aluminum stock po , or a keggle, or even a turkey fryer will get you goin. Focus on the brewin more than the bling.

 

As big as you can afford! You won't regret it.

 

Is there anything to worry about with Aluminum? I was told to avoid aluminum at all costs.

 

If your going to get into AG one day then I would get 15g Kettle. craigslist is a good place to look or try spikebrewing.com. Spike's has good prices and selection. I order a kettle from them a few weeks ago.

Whatever you do..... Good luck and have fun.

 

No need to worry about aluminum, what you do is a full boil for about an hour to oxidize the pot and your good to go.

 

Agreed ^

Plus aluminum is cheaper then SS if your on a budget.

 

Go 15 gallon for sure. convert a keg or get a 15 g kettle, just get something you can do 10 g batches in.... or buy my 9 g kettle lol. I thought I would do 5 g batches forever.... 10 brews in... hello keggle. This is especially true if you are gonna keg.

 

Most people start small and eventually upgrade to a 15 or 20gal kettle. If you plan on sticking with the hobby and have the space I would recommend 15gal.

You didn't say anything about budget. If you're on a budget Al is the way to go. If you have some money set aside for brewing eq then I would recommend stainless steel.

We offer many options for stainless kettles. If you have any questions about equipment feel free to ring me or shoot me an email!

 

Hunt around for a 1/2 barrel keg (15.5 gallons) if you either have, or have access to a couple of basic power tools. I'm talking about a decent/good handheld drill (something you can use at lower speeds, like 500rpm and less) and a right angle grinder. With just those, you can convert a keg into a keggle without spending a lot of money. Of course, that depends on the keg cost. For a basic keggle, all you'll need is to cut the top hole (as wide as possible) and then install a ball valve and dip tube. The dip tube and 3 piece ball valve (all stainless) require just some Teflon tape, washer, and some o-rings (1/2" NPT) or flat silicone gasket, to be complete. Should only add about $45 (plus shipping) to the keg (or even pot) cost. Once you have that setup, you can use the kettle/keggle to brew. You can add more things later, like a sight tube/glass assembly. I've removed (or not even installed from the start) thermometers from my keggles. That includes the mash tun keggle I'm using. I've gone with other methods that don't add more through the keg wall. Basically, the thermometer in the keg mash tun interfered with mixing the grain more than it was worth.

So, if you can get the base keg at a good rate, and either have the above mentioned tools (or know someone with them) I'd make a keggle. If you only have (or have access to) a drill, then look to convert a pot. In that case, which you go with depends on your budget level. Aluminum will be cheaper to purchase, and easier to drill. Only downside is the need to condition it before you brew in it the first time. Stainless can cost more, and can be harder to drill, but won't require any conditioning before you use it.

BTW, unless you have a stove that puts out a LOT of heat, also look to get a propane burner.

 

I decided to go ahead and grab a 10 gallon kettle from Spike Brewing. The price point was perfect and I don't have access to the power tools for the keggle. Secondly, I thought that if I move to all grain soon, I will be able to use the kettle as my hot liquor tank. I have been sticking to five gallon batches in my apartment and they seem to be the right volume for me now. That may change, Im not sure. I will be kegging for the first time once my current brew is ready!

Propane burners seem the way to go. I had no idea they were so expensive though! Anyone around Philly getting rid of one? I am an engineering student that will be on coop soon, so there will be my brewing money. We will see what extra equipment I pick up over the next 6 months!

 

Appreciate the business! I use this kettle on a lot of our testing. For ~$50 (if you have Amazon Prime) it's a great deal.

 

Ben,

In your opinion, is the ten gallon kettle enough for what I am doing now? I am primarily doing five gallon extract batches and may move to all grain, but I think i will remain with 5 gallon batches due to the limitations of my apartment. My order with yall hasnt been fulfilled, do you think a 15 gallon kettle is what I should get?

 

This is a really hard question to answer for me. It really depends on if you think you'll ever go bigger than 5gals. Our kettles will last a lifetime so think long term. If you think 5gal batches is all you'll do then a 10gal kettle is perfect. If you think in a few years you'll got bigger I think a bigger kettle would be a good idea. It's much cheaper to buy 1 kettle than two.

 

If you are apartment brewing extract on a stovetop...a larger kettle may not boil like a smaller kettle, or may not boil at all. Have you done full boils? Bigger is not always better IME when stove topping, sometimes an aluminum kettle will transfer heat better and be able to boil larger volumes on a stove.

Some stoves struggle to boil full volume, a larger kettle requires yet more heat. Sometimes you can put a large kettle over two burners...stovetopping has it's limitations IME.

http://www.target.com/p/imusa-32-qt-aluminum-tamale-steamer/-/A-10910892

or with free shipping
http://www.ebay.com/itm/IMUSA-32Qt-...pt=Cookware&hash=item43b2bce6ac#ht_1382wt_679

 

Well it's too late now. I already ordered my 10gal from spike. They shipped it too. I think it'll be good for me.

Like I said, I can use that for my hlt when I go into AG. Right? I plan on getting into propane real soon.

 

We sell that same kettle on our site. It is an extremely beginner kettle. You're be really happy with your stainless kettle!