Boiling Pot

[weshammers]

Good morning/evening everyone!

Silly question for you.. I am in the process of starting to brew. Have yet to even buy the supplies, however, I have been doing my research and I can't decide on a boiling pot to purchase.

Aluminum or stainless steel?

My end-goal is to essentially do all-grain brews but I have a long way to go until then. I want to buy a pot that will be big enough (6+ gallons) and last a long time. Willing to spend a little extra money.

Do you guys have any suggestions on which one to get?

Thank you!

Edit: I have an electric stove

 

[hottpeper13]

When i started i bought a 5 gal stainless kettle with clear lid at Fleet Farm for ~30$ (2012). It has a laminated bottom that I can use on an induction stove top. I made ~40 kit beers that I added water to after the boil. This is now my decoction kettle and also great for fall canning of maters and stock and chili. This multitasking made it possible to purchase on the household budget instead of the brewing budget.
I became obsessed and now have a basement induction brewery with 15 gal vessels,a pump, CFC, and RO filter.
Spend your first monies on fermentation and sanitation. My most important piece of equipment is the 3 hole stainless sink with a sprayer. When you become obsessed I would suggest Spike in Milwaukee for all your upgrades,I love mine.

 

[huckdavidson]

All grain brewing on an electric stove in a 6+ gallon pot will most likely not be what you expect especially if your stove burner is <= 3300-3500 W.

Though most of us have done that in the past using an 8 or 10 gallon pot and either a BIAB or a cooler mash tun, it can be slow to heat, will most likely splash or boil over on your stove at some point and can be hot and heavy to lift unless you have a kettle with a valve (and perhaps a pump).

Northern Brewer (Megapots) (Stainless)

Spike Brewing (Stainless)

Delta Systems (Stainless)

SS Brewtech (Stainless)

All of these companies make good brewing pots that will do what you need.

Before you purchase the brewing pot, however, you might consider an all in one system, which will most likely save you some hassle in the end.

Anvil Foundry (6.5 or 10 gallon)

Brewzilla v4 (110v or 220v)

Grainfather (G30, G40, or G70)

You'll get more bang for your buck with these systems at a cost that is about as much as the nicer pots listed above.

These systems will save your stove and give you the best first brewing experience possible. If you end up not sticking with the hobby you'll most likely be able to sell one of these a bit faster than a pot and a homemade mash tun.

If you only intend to do partial boil extract brewing then a smaller (<= 5 gal) stainless pot, such as those availabe from Walmart, would work well.

 

[mac_1103]

My end-goal is to essentially do all-grain brews but I have a long way to go until then. I want to buy a pot that will be big enough (6+ gallons) and last a long time.

Lots of folks around here would say that you should just go straight to all grain. I'm not sure I agree. Starting with extract lets you learn how to boil and ferment first and save learning about the mash for later. YMMV.

Big enough depends on batch size. A 6 gallon kettle is probably all you need to do 5 gallon extract or 2.5 gallon all grain, but won't be big enough for 5 gallon all grain batches. I started with pots I already had. Needed to split the boil for 5 gallon batches. Then I got a cheap 5 gallon SS kettle. Fine for five gallon extract or partial mash with a little top off water after the boil. I've done 5 gallon all grain batches by splitting the mash and boil into two 5 gallon kettles. It was a PITA, but I could do it in my kitchen. Just got a propane burner and a 42-quart kettle so now I can brew outside and do a full volume boil.

I would advise not getting too far ahead of yourself before you've done a few brews and figured out what you want to be able to do in the long run and how you want to do it. But you have to balance that with the chance that the equipment you start with becomes obsolete as your process takes shape.

 

[hotbeer]

How deep into your pockets do you want to go?

I just started off with one gallon all-grain kits. I used a stock pot on the kitchen stove that I already had. Stainless is better, but aluminum is fine. It's only going to be in there for about an hour or so.

SS stockpots can be had for pretty cheap if you hunt around. Anything labeled "beer" will have a premium added to their cost. But even some online brew suppliers sell some that won't hurt too much when you open your wallet.

You do need to think about how you are going to boil. 1 to 2 gallons boils fine on a kitchen stove with high BTU or high wattage burners, but the 2.5 gallons I'm doing now needed something else. So I got a single induction burner to boil with. So that means you need a pot that will work with induction. Not all SS pots will. So if that is a eventuality, then look for one that works with induction. Usually a symbol with coiled lines stamped on the bottom if it is able to be used with induction.

If you are going for a full five gallons, then plan for outside. If you have a turkey fryer and propane burner, then you have what you need to boil. Just clean out the scum on the sides of the kettle.

Also with 5 gallon brews of all grain, then handling of those wet malts gets to be an issue. Particularly with BIAB that I and many do. That's one of the reasons I will probably always brew 2½ gallons or less. I can lift the bag with one arm.... easily.

 

[mac_1103]

What you can boil on your stovetop depends on your stove. I can boil 4+ gallons pretty vigorously on the largest burner on my gas range. I'm moving outside so I can boil 8 gallons. And so I can stop cleaning up boilovers on my (wife's) stove.

 

[slomo]

When I was running extract I was using a camp chef propane burner and a 7.5 gallon keg that I turned into a keggle. Mistakes were made, and there were a few boil overs. I learned a lot from that little keggle.

 

[seatazzz]

If you're just starting out, I would definitely suggest starting with extract or partial mash. It's easy, and does not require a huge kettle. If you're set on buying a bigger kettle, check out your local craigslist/offerup/classifieds or the equivalent. Craigslist and offerup (at least in my neck of the woods) always have a few postings of complete beginner brewing setups; sometimes the hobby just isn't for some people. And also pick up some books, if you haven't already; How to Brew by Jon Palmer is the most referenced, and the first edition is free online (current print edition is 6th, I believe).

 

[wsmith1625]

I bought this kettle (an earlier model) when I started brewing.

https://www.williamsbrewing.com/Hom...-Accessories/Brewers-Edge-40-Quart-Brewkettle
I was doing 5 gallon extract batches, but went with the larger kettle so I could do full volume boils and not have to top off with water. When I switched to all grain BIAB I was able to keep using this kettle, so changing over cost next to nothing.

I would recommend upgrading the ball valve to a 3 piece, but you could use the included 2 piece as long as you want. It's just harder to break down for cleaning.

 

[z-bob]

If you already have a 22 quart canner, you can use that for 3 or 4 gallon batches, and your kitchen stove can probably handle it okay. For 5 gallon brews, you really at least 8 gallons (32 quarts) and 10 gallons would be better. When I went from a 22 quart aluminum canner to a 32 quart stainless steel stockpot, I had to add an electric heat stick to boil the same 4 1/2 gallons of wort.

If you're using an outdoor turkey fryer, you have plenty of BTUs, but an electric immersion heater will save you a lot of expensive propane. The one I got is called the "Hot Rod", from brewhardware: HotRod Heat Stick, DIY Kit (Hot Rod) I don't remember whether I put a 1650W heating element in it, or 1800W. I run it off a 20A kitchen outlet.

 

[MrClint]

If you are starting to brew I recommend starting small with 1-2 gallon batches. That's how I started and really have no plans to brew larger amounts. I'm happy with a very manageable 12qt stainless steel pot that I bought off Amazon for $50. Nothing to offer regarding the use of an electric stove for brewing.