100 qt Aluminum Boil Pt

[jacko623]

I've been meaning to buy a second vessel to heat water for lautering but as much as my dude instincts are screaming for 100 qts its really much to large for my needs. I think I'm going to look around for something closer to 60 qts. My kettle might get jealous.

 

[jacko623]

Btw, don't forget to set the pots by baking or boiling for 30 min before use

 

[fdben]

I'm interested in hearing how these work out. Any worry about leakage with weldless fittings and different coefficients of thermal expansion between aluminum and stainless fittings? I was thinking about that the other night over a homebrew.

Ben

 

[Mike_A]

I'm not concerned about thermal expansion, since if the vessels are being heated with water/wort inside, the temperature of the metal will hardly go above that of the water. And even with a temperature change (from ambient) of about 300 degrees F, the thermal expansion in any direction will definitely be less than 0.001", which the silicone gasket on the bulkhead fittings will accommodate.

A much more likely cause for leakage would be loose fittings and/or poorly cut holes. Also the surface finish of the surfaces being sealed. That said, I may polish the area around the holes I cut before installing fittings since like I said above, the finish is kinda rough on these.

And yep jacko I'll be sure to boil / bake the pots before using them. I need to fill them tonight to leak test too.

 

[fdben]

I'm not concerned about thermal expansion, since if the vessels are being heated with water/wort inside, the temperature of the metal will hardly go above that of the water. And even with a temperature change (from ambient) of about 300 degrees F, the thermal expansion in any direction will definitely be less than 0.001", which the silicone gasket on the bulkhead fittings will accommodate.

A much more likely cause for leakage would be loose fittings and/or poorly cut holes. Also the surface finish of the surfaces being sealed. That said, I may polish the area around the holes I cut before installing fittings since like I said above, the finish is kinda rough on these.

And yep jacko I'll be sure to boil / bake the pots before using them. I need to fill them tonight to leak test too.

Very good. Some pictures of these in action would be great!

Ben

 

[Mike_A]

I'll definitely post pics in action, but that could be a pretty long ways down the road. I've got a build spec'd out from scratch right now, and these were somewhat far down the list but I had to jump on the deal because I was going to buy something very similar for double the price. This is essentially the first part of the build I've bought, once the refund check hits my account (Friday I hope), it's on.

 

[fdben]

This is off topic, but do you have a build thread for your rig? I'm continuously thinking of brewing bigger batches, and would be interested in seeing what you have planned.

Ben

 

[Mike_A]

Not yet. I'm going to wait until I've actually really got the ball rolling which will likely be in the next couple of weeks. Guess I'll have to make a picasa or flickr account to host pictures. The gist is a single tier weldless stand like "Wallace" but shorter and stouter, direct fire LP gas, capable of 15 gallon (16.5) batches. No automation to begin with, but it's definitely a dream down the road.

 

[Bachhus]

I have two of these 100qt pots enroute. I keep seeing people on the fence of going 100 over 80 due to the size difference. Keep in mind that the 100qt is only a 1/2 inch larger in diameter. It is however 3 inches taller. So really no difference in diameter but taller for the ability to do larger batches if you ever choose too. Also 3 inches better protection against boil overs. Obviously these are just my opinions. Any way you look at it $65-70 shipped is a hell-o-deal for this sized pot.

Mark

 

[Crimsonwine]

I have a 48qt and a 24qt aluminium pots that I bought at a local Indian grocery store...dings and all..they are thin...but never have to worry about boil overs!!! I have been brewing everything in them...I use the 24 to heat up the mash water...I fire these on a camp chef with dual 15,000BTU burners and I have absolutely no off flavors...or nervous tics....

I will say this though...keep oxyclean away from them...it will turn the aluminium black...although it wont harm them...

 

[msa8967]

I have a 48qt and a 24qt aluminium pots that I bought at a local Indian grocery store...dings and all..they are thin...but never have to worry about boil overs!!! I have been brewing everything in them...I use the 24 to heat up the mash water...I fire these on a camp chef with dual 15,000BTU burners and I have absolutely no off flavors...or nervous tics....

I will say this though...keep oxyclean away from them...it will turn the aluminium black...although it wont harm them...

Unfortunately I screwed the codnitioning phase for my new 100 qt aluminum pot up by having so oxyclean accidently added to the water I was boiling to condition the pot. Now my pot has black bands on the inside as shown below. Is this too much oxidation? Should I scrub some of the black off?

 

[Crimsonwine]

Unfortunately I screwed the codnitioning phase for my new 100 qt aluminum pot up by having so oxyclean accidently added to the water I was boiling to condition the pot. Now my pot has black bands on the inside as shown below. Is this too much oxidation? Should I scrub some of the black off?

My pots look the same and my beers turn out just fine....don't sweat it...I use mine to heat up the water....for the mash tun....I never get off flavors...

 

[Coff]

Man, Im seriously considering ditching my keggle for one of these....

 

[msa8967]

My pots look the same and my beers turn out just fine....don't sweat it...I use mine to heat up the water....for the mash tun....I never get off flavors...

How about using this for your wort boil kettle? Sometimes when I try to do a 10 gallon batch I end up with just near 15 gallons of unboiled wort so I bought this extra capacity kettle for this reason. I don't have any white film or residue to scrub off so I am assuming it is good to go. (Of course assuming something got me into this mess to begin with.)

 

[Coff]

msa, how has that pot been working out for you as a boil kettle?

Anyone else may chime in as well, Im thinking about going for one this week.

 

[Mike_A]

I've been using three of these kettles now for about 4 months. No complaints. I boiled them with a full pot of water for an hour each, and when I clean them I just hit them with a hose and a green scrubby, and they come very clean. The pots empty are pretty light - the gauge of the walls is actually pretty thin.

I attached weldless ball valves to all three, and diptubes. Didn't have any issues with them. I consider these an extremely wise investment, except that I have no idea what to do with the baskets they came with!

 

[msa8967]

msa, how has that pot been working out for you as a boil kettle?

I have used it one time since I conditioned it earlier this month. It worked very well but I forgot how heavy 15+ gallons of unboilled wort can be with this pot. I made the mistake of collecting all of the runnings in the pot before placing the pot on my propane burner. Hope I don't make this mistake again.

I am very happy with the purchase of this pot. There are times when my grain crush can result in over-sparging and I end up with too much collected to boil in a 15 gallon max kettle. This pot is fairly heavy duty for aluminum and does the job just fine.

 

[rtg]

I have mine built as a HLT and it works fine.

 

[Coff]

Sold, I'm placing an order. Thanks for the input.

 

[Crimsonwine]

How about using this for your wort boil kettle? Sometimes when I try to do a 10 gallon batch I end up with just near 15 gallons of unboiled wort so I bought this extra capacity kettle for this reason. I don't have any white film or residue to scrub off so I am assuming it is good to go. (Of course assuming something got me into this mess to begin with.)

I have a 48qt aluminium that I use for boiling wort...no problems at all...I usually start with just under 8 gallons of wort and NEVER have to worry about boil over.....so nice...and they are light when empty so makes them easy to clean...

 

[Coff]

So I went with the 80qt, for some reason I couldnt purchase the 100qt anymore. It says they have 7 left but there is no buy it now button. I think a 20 gallon pot will be plenty for me, I may step up to 10 gallon recipes once I get a pump but I doubt I will ever go to 15 gallon.

 

[WildGingerBrewing]

subscribe. When I get some money, I need to purchase some of these.

 

[Coff]

I bought the 80qt and its still sitting in my basment untouched, I am kind of concerned to use it for a 5 gallon batch. Im feeling that I went too big with a 20 gallon pot....Should I try to sell this thing or give it a go?

 

[AnchorBock]

I went on yesterday to buy a 60 qt, anyone know if they sold out? I sent them a message but they havent responded. If anyone has one of the 60 qt baskets and know use for it pm me, might buy it from u.

 

[dburgette]

I bought the 80qt and its still sitting in my basment untouched, I am kind of concerned to use it for a 5 gallon batch. Im feeling that I went too big with a 20 gallon pot....Should I try to sell this thing or give it a go?

You can sell it to me.

 

[Swifty]

I bought two of the 80 quart pots. They got me for 20 shipping per pot so it isn't nearly as nice of a deal, but it'll put me in the all grain game soon.

Thanks for the heads up on these!

Swifty

 

[johnodon]

Can someone provide some specifics about the basket...

1. Does it sit on the bottom of the pot (unlike the Bayou Classic ones which rest on an inside lip and sit about 2.5" off the bottom)?
2. Related to Q1...does the lid sit flush with the basket inside?
3. Can someone post a pic? Interested to see how much perforation there is.
4. Dimmensions?
5. Does it have a handle? If so, any chance it is strong enough to lift wet grains for a 11 gallon BiaB batch?
6. Has anyone soldered fittings onto it? I know there is alot of discussion about soldering SS but I thought there was a similar process for aluminum (just different flux).

TIA,

John

 

[Mrott]

Can someone provide some specifics about the basket...

1. Does it sit on the bottom of the pot (unlike the Bayou Classic ones which rest on an inside lip and sit about 2.5" off the bottom)?
2. Related to Q1...does the lid sit flush with the basket inside?
3. Can someone post a pic? Interested to see how much perforation there is.
4. Dimmensions?
5. Does it have a handle? If so, any chance it is strong enough to lift wet grains for a 11 gallon BiaB batch?
6. Has anyone soldered fittings onto it? I know there is alot of discussion about soldering SS but I thought there was a similar process for aluminum (just different flux).

TIA,

John

Check out this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/60-qt-pot-ebay-260793/

I have 3 of the 80 qt pots (still haven't used them yet) and there's a link to some pictures as well as some additional discussion about them here.

I think you'll find most of your answers there, but the basket mostly sits on the bottom. The bottom of the basket has small foot like indents to raise it up about 1/2 inch or so off the bottom.

The lid sits on the brim of the pot, not the basket.

The basket does have a pretty decent handle that could probably support plenty of wet grains.

 

[AnchorBock]

I use my 80 qt for 10 gallon biab batches. I line the basket with the bag, works great. I dont think there will be any problems with the basket, its pretty strong.

 

[Coff]

Anyone think the 80 quart version of this lot is too big for the occasional 5.5 gallon batch? If not I may be selling mine unused.