I'm sure this topic has been brought up numerous times before but in my searching on the forum I haven't seen anything recent. This may belong in the beginners section but I figured this was best since it deals with equipment.
Does anyone have any advice on a "cheap" kettle? I know cheap is relative so getting close to ~$100 would be great. I plan on just starting with extract for now but figure I will eventually move up. I will be using a propane burner. I've read the aluminum debate and decided I would rather go with stainless steel if at all possible. From what I gather, 15 gallon would give me room to grow. I've noticed that when people mention anything over 8 gallons, they also talk about the inclusion of a ball valve which seems to jack up the cost.
I'm basically trying to figure out what I can get by with without jacking up the cost on features that I may not realistically need.
So, for $99 and free Prime shipping I can get a Bayou Classic 1060 62q from Amazon. I've seen a few reviews on here that were mixed. A couple people said it was fine but many others said it was too thin, noted the absence of triclad, and said the heat distribution was very poor. Also it was noted that it did not have a bung for a ball valve. So in a search for something cheap with a bung, I found a 2 weld 15g SS from Adventures In Homebrewing for $119 which I would have to purchase the ball valve and a cap/thermometer for. For $139 Brewers Edge has a 15g that looks exactly the same, but includes the ball valve and a cap on the thermometer bung. Both of these also have mixed reviews.
Is there another option that I am missing? Do I really need to step up to something better quality with triclad bottom? I imagine if I were brewing more than 5g extract I would really want the ball valve but do I really need it for what I'm wanting to do?
I just received my Nothern Brewer deluxe kit today and am anxious to start brewing!
Does anyone have any advice on a "cheap" kettle? I know cheap is relative so getting close to ~$100 would be great. I plan on just starting with extract for now but figure I will eventually move up. I will be using a propane burner. I've read the aluminum debate and decided I would rather go with stainless steel if at all possible. From what I gather, 15 gallon would give me room to grow. I've noticed that when people mention anything over 8 gallons, they also talk about the inclusion of a ball valve which seems to jack up the cost.
I'm basically trying to figure out what I can get by with without jacking up the cost on features that I may not realistically need.
So, for $99 and free Prime shipping I can get a Bayou Classic 1060 62q from Amazon. I've seen a few reviews on here that were mixed. A couple people said it was fine but many others said it was too thin, noted the absence of triclad, and said the heat distribution was very poor. Also it was noted that it did not have a bung for a ball valve. So in a search for something cheap with a bung, I found a 2 weld 15g SS from Adventures In Homebrewing for $119 which I would have to purchase the ball valve and a cap/thermometer for. For $139 Brewers Edge has a 15g that looks exactly the same, but includes the ball valve and a cap on the thermometer bung. Both of these also have mixed reviews.
Is there another option that I am missing? Do I really need to step up to something better quality with triclad bottom? I imagine if I were brewing more than 5g extract I would really want the ball valve but do I really need it for what I'm wanting to do?
I just received my Nothern Brewer deluxe kit today and am anxious to start brewing!