Best bang for the buck kettle?

[gunner65]

thanks - the instructions from many brewing store use top off approach. do i get a significantly better beer if i don't top off? I can see why you prefer 10 gallon pot if you don't top off.

If you mean "full boil" then YES it is the biggest improvement you can make to extract and partials. However some people do not have the capabilities to bring 6-6.5 gallons to a rolling boil. Most stove tops are not capable.

 

[Yong]

alright - Sams club 40 qt alluminum stock pot worth a shot. This one is cheap enough (~ $33) to be a starter kettle. I may upgrade year later if the size works well.

 

[Patirck]

Patrick - can i have your reason why you want a 10 gallon pot? I am going to buy a 7.5 gallon kettle for partial 5 gallon brewing too.

I like to end up with 5.5 gallons in the fermenter so I end up with 5 gallons in the keg after angel loss and trub. This means that I need to start out with 7 gallons pre boil volume. That is just too close to the top of the kettle with a 7.5 gallon for me. I have recently (the last two batches) started using fermcap and it is amazing stuff - no foam or boil overs - you don't even really need to watch it. This fermcap stuff may end up being a saving grace for doing 5 gallon batches in a 7.5 gallon pot.

Getting back to the original reason for wanting a bigger kettle:

5 gallons in the keg=
5.5 gallons chilled in the fermenter (I lose 1/2 gallon to trub)
6 gallons (or a little less like 5.8) chilled in the kettle ( lose 1/3 - 1/2 gallon at the bottom of the kettle to stuff I don't want in the fermenter
6.25 gallons unchilled equals 6 gallon chilled (this is called wort shrinkage)
7 gallons preboil means I can only lose .75 gallons to boil off - this is tough to do with a 60 minute boil much less a 90 minute boil. I think most people figure they lose 1 gallon to boil off in a 60 minute boil.

 

[Catt22]

7 gallons preboil means I can only lose .75 gallons to boil off - this is tough to do with a 60 minute boil much less a 90 minute boil. I think most people figure they lose 1 gallon to boil off in a 60 minute boil.

You can work around the minimal boil off by topping up the kettle near the end of the boil. IOW, go ahead and boil off the normal 1 to 1-1/2 gallons and top up at the last 10-15 minutes or so to get the desired end of boil volume.

 

[StMarcos]

Get an 'illegal' keg and braze (easy if you read about it a bit) a fitting or buy a weldless dealie. Done. My 12G setup had 'legal' sabco kegs. Sorry, I have no problems with using cheaper sources if I had to buy kegs again.

 

[brew2dan2]

I just purchased a 32 quart aluminum off wares direct, and after another quick check, confirmed that they have a 40 quart stainless with lid for only $80 (+15 shipping). Seems like the best deal I've seen.

 

[brew2dan2]

http://www.waresdirect.com/products/Restaurant-Supply/UpdateInternational-/Stainless-Pot168823
The link, in case anyone's interested.

 

[smoa]

http://www.waresdirect.com/products/Restaurant-Supply/Update-International-/100-Qt168817
That looks like a pretty good deal. Has anyone bought a pot from these guys.

 

[kappclark]

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/60-qt-heavy-duty-stainless-steel-stockpot-with-cover/922SSPOT60.html

$135.00 Ive got one myself...I love it!! big thick bottom and thick sides...

I just got a quote from www.waresdirect.com for an 80 QT stainless with lid for $136.95

PN: UPI-SPS-80