8 gallon megapot from NB.

[jonbomb]

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/review/product/list/id/3453/category/83/

I have an electric stove. Would this work well on a flat top electric stove? If not I do have a burner.

 

[oskee]

For $6 less and free shipping I got this

http://www.instawares.com/stainless-steel-stock-pot-sps-40.upi-sps40.0.7.htm

It's also 10 gallons versus the 8 gallon you are looking at

Super Steel is suppose to be the same as Megapots. The pot is heavy duty and think it'd work on a electric oven. However you'll need to drill the pot if you get it from instawares.

 

[JJL]

You won't be able to get more than about 4 gals of liquid boiling on your stove if it is the typical electric. If you are going to get any pot that can handle a full boil, you probably need to spend an extra $50 and get a propane burner.

By the way, if this is your boil pot, you don't really need to spend the extra money for the ball valve and the thermometer. IMO you don't really get a lot of extra value for your dollar. If you are using it for mashing, then I might suggest stepping up to the 10 gal version, but you still need a propane burner in either case.

 

[weirdboy]

Don't get an 8 gallon megapot. It is a bad choice. Either get a super cheap turkey fryer or 10+ gallons megapot/other dedicated BK. And they are right about the electric stove. It's unlikely you can do a full 5 gallon boil on one unless you insulate the heck out of your pot.

 

[brodie113]

Is it an glass top electric stove? If so, I have a similar polarware kettle that is 8 gals. Shockingly, I can get about 7 gals to boil in a reasonable amount of time on that stove without any trouble. Sorry I don't know any of the wattage specs on my stove.

JJL, I respectfully disagree - I think a ball valve is great to have on a boil kettle. I use mine for a whirlpool immersion chiller and to drain from the kettle into my fermenter.

weirdboy, why do you think 8 gallons is a bad choice? I ended up with one b/c my larger kettle was too tall for the hood over the stove. The 8 gal was just right to fit underneath so it's perfect for my situation.

 

[weirdboy]

weirdboy, why do you think 8 gallons is a bad choice? I ended up with one b/c my larger kettle was too tall for the hood over the stove. The 8 gal was just right to fit underneath so it's perfect for my situation.

You make a good point about the size/height, but the problem I have with the 8 gallon pot is that it's a pretty large investment for piece of brewing equipment, and you end up freaking out every single batch because it's always in danger of boiling over. And for some beers you can end up wanting more wort than will fit in there (e.g. brewing a IIPA where you are going to lose a ton of volume to hops). If you're going to stress out like that, you're much better off with a simple turkey fryer pot because they're way cheaper and then you won't end up with buyer's remorse later on.

I have a buddy with exactly that 8 gallon megapot and every time I go to his house to help him brew, he complains about it and wishes he'd bought a bigger one as he's standing there watching it threaten to boil over. On the other hand, I have a 7.5 gallon turkey fryer pot that I used for years on the stovetop in my apartment and have no regrets about it, because it cost very little.

 

[brodie113]

That makes sense.

You got it though - I have a 14 gal kettle also - originally for when I was able to brew outdoors on a propane burner. My situation changed and the 8gal size was perfect. I religiously use fermcap s to keep the boilovers at bay; it works great and I have never been close to a boilover. knock on wood...

 

[dfc]

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/review/product/list/id/3453/category/83/

I have an electric stove. Would this work well on a flat top electric stove? If not I do have a burner.

I'd stay away from a glass top stove. I tried my first two batches on one and now use a burner for good reason.