Brew kettle opinion?

[GeorgiaMead]

Am trying to figure out what to do... I do 1 gallon batches BIAB. I am wanting to upgrade to 5 gallons, I am looking at saving my pennies and buying a kettle with thermometer and ball valve which will set me back around 235 for an 8 gallon ... Or should I get an 8 gallon stainless, and jut add the valve and thermometer as I get time and $.

Cause the 235 is a very very nice kettle but if I et this then I'll have to wait a while to recover some of the finances before I get my grains...

Just thinking with the kettle and upgrading as I go I can get beer and false bottem and valve and therm fore cheaper.... But just wondering hat everyone thinks...

 

[hautlle]

Here alone is a 10G kettle w/ false bottom/sight glass/thermometer/ball valve for $239 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009SKU4PE/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 , and there's definitely better deals to be had.

I built my kettle from a cheap 10 Gallon SS pot and a valve/sight glass kit from bargainfittings.com

 

[beergolf]

Go with 10 gallon kettle.

These are pretty nice.

http://spikebrewing.com/products/10-gallon-home-brew-kettle-2-vertical-couplers

 

[GeorgiaMead]

I like those, but I'm debating on getting a cheaper 50 dollar ss 8gallon pot and getting kegging equipment... So I don't have to bottle everything

 

[theck]

I like those, but I'm debating on getting a cheaper 50 dollar ss 8gallon pot and getting kegging equipment... So I don't have to bottle everything

$50 8 gallon pot? I just started kegging this year and never go back. If you ever want to do 10 gallon you might want the larger pot. I have a keggle I brew out of and though it will handle 10 gallons I doubt I'll be brewing that much for a good while. If you can score a 8 gallon for $50 I'd do that with the kegging system.

 

[b-boy]

If your looking to save some $$, Aluminum is always an option as well. It's significantly cheaper and you can add the same pieces and parts as the SS.

 

[Marc77]

I'd go with a Bayou Classic or Concord pot and then add things as you can. I made a massive jump from a 20 quart pot to an 82 quart pot so I can do 10 gallon all grain and I wish I would have gone to 5 gallon all grain equipment. Mainly because when you go that big it costs extra. If you're brewing on a budget like I am it means you can't brew much because you're saving pennies to get the needed equipment.

If it were me...for a 5 gallon batch I'd buy a good 10 gallon kettle and do ice baths. Then as you can afford it add a ball valve, thermometer and sight glass...etc.

 

[theck]

I'd go with a Bayou Classic or Concord pot and then add things as you can. I made a massive jump from a 20 quart pot to an 82 quart pot so I can do 10 gallon all grain and I wish I would have gone to 5 gallon all grain equipment. Mainly because when you go that big it costs extra. If you're brewing on a budget like I am it means you can't brew much because you're saving pennies to get the needed equipment.

If it were me...for a 5 gallon batch I'd buy a good 10 gallon kettle and do ice baths. Then as you can afford it add a ball valve, thermometer and sight glass...etc.

Thought about putting a thermometer and sight glass on my keggle think it's worth it?

 

[AndMan3030]

Sight glass is well worth it. Thermometer, not so much (if you're on a budget) I made keggles for pretty cheap. If you can optain an empty keg (or create one) this is the way to go in my opinion. plus there is something really cool about brewing beer out of a keg. Brew Hardware is a good place to go for fittings, sight glass, thermometers etc.

cutting the top off was a lot easier than expected, and adding weldless fittings was a cinch.

Happy brewing!

 

[Weezy]

I dont get sight glasses. More to clean without that much convenience. I measured from the lip down to the water level in 1/2 gallon increments on mu pot; creating a reference table. A tape measure is now my sight glass and no extra holes or cleaning of the pot. 5.5"=4.5 gallons in pot, etc.

These are a nice price point:
http://m.ebay.com/itm?itemId=190818035248

 

[b-boy]

I dont get sight glasses. More to clean without that much convenience. I measured from the lip down to the water level in 1/2 gallon increments on mu pot; creating a reference table. A tape measure is now my sight glass and no extra holes or cleaning of the pot. 5.5"=4.5 gallons in pot, etc.

I felt the same way until I got a graduated sight glass. I had a cpvc pipe with all my levels marked. It worked, but the sight glass is much easier to read and monitor.

 

[govner1]

If you're planning on staying w/ 5 gal batches a 10 gal is minimum, 15 is better. I wouldn't waste the money on a thermometer for your BK. Its easy to use a hand held thermometer if you need the info. Definitely no sight gauge. REALLY tough to clean. Get a good SS pot ( Upward) w/ an SS ball valve.

 

[Foosier]

If you are saving your pennies, definitely look at the aluminum pot first. Winware makes an excellent pot. It is sold by Amazon for under 50.00 with free shipping and it is very durable.

Another point to consider if you BIAB. The fittings can get caught on your bag. Not saying it will happen, but anything in your kettle could cause a snag.

I would worry about scaling up your batch size first before laying 235 for a pot. If you are interested in kegging, I can guarantee you an aluminum pot and a keg system will cost about the same and be WAYYYY more worth the money at this point. If you decide later your need the blingy pot, you can get it when you know you are into the hobby for good. Otherwise the aluminum pot can always be drilled for a valve or sight glass if you want to go that route.

Just my $0.02

 

[NewJersey]

I like those, but I'm debating on getting a cheaper 50 dollar ss 8gallon pot and getting kegging equipment... So I don't have to bottle everything

you will regret that bigtime when you try and make a bigger beer.

 

[GeorgiaMead]

Ok so a 10 gallon pot or keggle...

 

[theck]

Ok so a 10 gallon pot or keggle...

Keggle is your best bet.... Can find old kegs around here for $30-40. I got 2 with tops cut for $20 each.

 

[northeastbrewer]

Grab an old half keg , cut the top off and you will be good to go!

 

[Marc77]

Kegs are easy to find and fairly cheap. I just didn't have anyone that could cut the top off without asking hey...where'd you buy this thing? Technically any kegs is still the property of the brewery, sorry to be a spoil sport. With that said if a keg or three happened to show up on my door step all converted I wouldn't be opposed to it.

As for asking about sight glass I figure if I brewed 5 gallon batches without sight glass and using a thermometer that I tossed into the wort I can do the same with 10 gallon batches. I'm definitely going to add a ball valve and dip tube. But I'm still trying to figure out my filtering process due to going into a plate chiller. Not sure if a false bottom, hop blocker or lil sparky's hop concoction would work best to filter.

Again if it were me and you're on the stove I'd get a 10 gallon kettle, add a ball valve and keep on brewing. Otherwise with a keggle you'll need an outside burner and at that point you're brewing bigger batches so cooling it down is harder which means you'll then invest in a counter flow chiller, immersion chiller or plate chiller.

For me I'm wanting to go to 10 gallon batches and then shortly down the road go to kegging. After that, I can start adding goodies once I have the process down.

 

[GeorgiaMead]

Well I'm in Georgia, and I don't know where to even look for a keg... Possibly my LHBS?

 

[theck]

Well I'm in Georgia, and I don't know where to even look for a keg... Possibly my LHBS?

Craigslist.