Canadians - boil kettle/htl deal needed

[Polyphaeon]

My fellow Canadians,
I am looking for a new 10 or 15 Gallon SS kettle for a hlt and occasional boil kettle. I'd prefer to pick it up my self as I do enjoy instant gratification - although ordering online is not out of the question. I am in a biggish city. I am aware of Hopdawgs and am considering one of their brew rite kettles (comments on it?). I would be happy to do the conversion myself if anyone knows where I can pick up a big pot. Costco was my first though but they do not appear to have one.
Thank you,

Let me know if this is not the right spot on the forum for this type of question. Also, is there any place on the forum I can watch for equipment deals? or do I just need to watch?

 

[philjohnwilliams]

If you don't mind doing the conversion yourself, have you thought of checking out restaurant supply stores?

 

[kurtwil]

have you checked http://www.bulten.ca/homebrewing/suppliers-in-canada

BosaGrape Winery Supplies (Burnaby, British Columbia)

 

[Polyphaeon]

philjohnwilliams, thanks for the reply. I don't mind doing the conversion at all. The problem is that having a good website does not appear to be important to those stores - it is hard to tell what they will actually have in store. I am trying to avoid doing a major milk run.

kurtwil, that site is awesome! Exactly the resource I was hoping existed. Looks like it might be worth organizing a trip with some of my brewing pals.
Thanks.

 

[sinned34]

Polypheon, did you ever find your brewpot? I'm looking at the 15G Brew Rite from HopDawgs (they're an hour drive north of me), but I'm also tempted to just pick up an aluminum 60L pot from Canadian Tire and put a weldless ball valve in it.

 

[Polyphaeon]

Oh my, what bad forum etiquette I have!

I ended up ordering the 15 gallon SS two weld pot from ontario beer kegs: http://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/15_Gallon_Brew_Kettle_p/15-gallon-2weld.htm. You can get this outfitted with ball valve and thermometer and it will be much cheaper (even after shipping).

My impression of the pot echoes some of the reviews on the web site. Shipping was fast. The gauge of steel is good (as thick as a kegs) with a slightly thicker bottom. The welds are not pretty and there were some scuff marks and marker lines from the welding. The handles are substantial and the whole thing has a nice weight to it. The lid is a piece of garbage. It is not even all SS but something else with like a foil on it. That said - I highly recommend this kettle. The price is awesome and it is a big SS pot which is all you really need at the end of the day. The welded bulkheads are a huge bonus - even though putting in your own is easy there is a little stress and some hardware requirements. The ballvalve is standard. The thermometer is quite nice - big face and accurate. The probe is very sturdy - I don't worry to much hitting it with my spoon.

There is something nice of seeing before you buy. If I was close by I might drop in on HopDawgs see what the deal is. Although in my opinion a heavy tri-clad bottom is completely unnecessary - you wort moves around so much it is not going to scorch. Maybe if you were sloppy with extract.

I did not realize Canadian tire had such big pots - could be good if you need another burner. That said I found it very difficult to make a clean hole in such thin aluminum. It had (for me) a tendency to tear.