Brew Pots

[Waylit]

I'm in the market for my first brew pot. I'd like to buy something in the 36 Qt range, so I can do some all grain recipes.

I noticed some pots have ball valves at the bottom. Is this the way to go?
$99 seems like a good price for stainless steel. Any opinions on this?

http://www.williamsbrewing.com/36_QUART_STAINLESS_TANK_WITH_V_P1729.cfm

ps...nice to meet you all, I'm Waylit

 

[sweet_corn]

That size is big enough to do an AG batch, but just barely. I typically start with 7.5 gallons in the brew kettle to get a 5 gallon batch, and that pot would only allow for small amount of bubbling during the hot break. I have a 48 quart kettle and do not usually have boil over problems because of the extra space. Trust me, when you do AG, you will have a lot more hot break than with extract. I used to boil in a 30 quart pot, and I never did a full boil in that one, as I would boil over.

I see the 56 quart size of the same item is $20 more. Personally I would spend the a little extra money on that.

 

[Sean]

I have a 36 qt, and definately wish I had a bigger pot. At least another gallon. It works ok for AG, but you really got to watch it.

I am looking at building the keg thing. Probably not til summer.

 

[Waylit]

Thanks for the advice.
I'm considering this 44 Quart pot.
http://www.undergrounddigital.com/brewpots.htm

Does the Boil Basket help alot? Is it worth the extra money?

 

[Brew-boy]

Keep looking I found a nice used Stainless 40qt on ebay for $50.