Cheapest Stock Pots! (That I've found)

[MaltedBayerl]

Staples has 40, 60, 80 and 100 qt aluminum stock pots for great prices. They do free shipping to their retail stores and apparently they will price-match Amazon.

40qt for $45 ($1.13/qt)

60qt for $50 ($0.83/qt)

80qt for $57 ($0.71/qt)

100qt for $68 ($0.68/qt)

That's hard to beat, based on what I've found.Go to www.staples.com and search for "stock pot." If there is a Staples near you, this could be a good option.

 

[MaltedBayerl]

bump.

If you don't want a keggle and don't care if it's aluminum, this is the way to go I think..

 

[neovox]

I've been using this 40 quart from Update International for years. It's a nice pot, and only $38.89 if you're not anti-aluminum. I have the 60 qt. as well. While looking it up, I also noticed that they now have another brand for $33.39. Don't know anything about that one though.

On the cheap side of stainless, I have yet to see anything better than the ones Adventures in Homebrewing sells.

 

[MaltedBayerl]

With shipping, that 40 quart pot from Food Service Warehouse comes to $48. Pretty close. That would be an excellent buy if you don't have a Staples near you.

Those stainless pots from Adventure In Homebrewing are probably the lowest prices I've seen. I like the stainless brew pot idea, but obtaining a used keg is generally so much more economical.

 

[Reaver]

For crying out loud, the $40-60 you guys are talking about a Kettle costing more than a Keggle is made up by the better performance in the long run. I started with keggles because I didn't know any better, and didn't know if I was commiting to the hobby. If you are committed, than just get a kettle. After using my keggles, and then kettles, it was worth the upgrade to kettles for me.

 

[neovox]

I never claimed that one type of kettle or keggle was better than any other, only that there are some good economical options out there. I bought the pot above when I started brewing, and have brewed a lot of great beer with it. Honestly, I'm surprised I haven't upgraded, but it still works great for me.

 

[Hamaki]

For crying out loud, the $40-60 you guys are talking about a Kettle costing more than a Keggle is made up by the better performance in the long run. I started with keggles because I didn't know any better, and didn't know if I was commiting to the hobby. If you are committed, than just get a kettle. After using my keggles, and then kettles, it was worth the upgrade to kettles for me.

What are the advantages of kettles over keggles? I started with a plain 8 gal aluminum pot (no valve) I picked up from WalMart for $30 and then went the keggle route after about a year. I've been happy enough but am curious about your perspective.

 

[truvr]

Yep, I got in on that deal a couple of months ago. The 40 quart pot shipped to a local staples, minus some holiday discount, came to like $38. It's been a nice upgrade over my "7.5 gallon" stainless pot that somehow only holds 6 gallons.

 

[Reaver]

For reference, my purchases also included a cover, and welded fittings. And I haven't even used my new kettle yet.
From brewing with others I have found better heat distribution, and boil characteristics from the flat bottom. The flat bottom also has a n easier time fitting different burners as I have progressed through a few.
The height:width ratio also helps with boilovers. I have boiled over all but one batch in my keggle no matter my efforts.There is also a nicer trub pile after whirlpooling.
The welded fittings themselves might not be "worth" the price. But packaged with the kettle, they work well for me. No fighting leaks for various reasons that come from self installed fittings.
The cover comes in handy for various reasons that are personal. But I would have had to make something for my keggles.
Visually, you can't discount the bling factor of a built kettle assuming equal.functionality (even if its not stainless). J would have to polish a keggle (if I didn't buy it that way)
Can't type much more on the phone, but those are my reasons. Others can take them or leave em.

 

[augiedoggy]

the keg is stainless...you can actually clean it... the aluminum pots cant be cleaned very well as far as I know or you take the protective oxidized layer off the pot and your next batch of beer gets an extra dose of dissolved metals.... even then they pit and slowly dissolve away over time even with restaurant use (I used them all the time for sauce when I working in the food service industry.

Also it depends on what you doing with it... the curved bottom of the keg makes in superior for draining as well as bottom drains if your using electric the shape of the bottom is a non issue and tall narrow kettles or kegs are more efficient (this is also why its easier to get a boil over (which I have never actually had btw since its so easy to kill / control the heat with electric)

I myself upgraded from my keggle HLT to a cheap 16 gallon bayou classic pot mainly for cosmetics and because of my setup its easier to use my stirrer setup on the pot... for a Boil kettle I would think the stainless keg is more durable and easier to clean with less caution to heed...

 

[Hamaki]

For reference, my purchases also included a cover, and welded fittings. And I haven't even used my new kettle yet.
From brewing with others I have found better heat distribution, and boil characteristics from the flat bottom. The flat bottom also has a n easier time fitting different burners as I have progressed through a few.
The height:width ratio also helps with boilovers. I have boiled over all but one batch in my keggle no matter my efforts.There is also a nicer trub pile after whirlpooling.
The welded fittings themselves might not be "worth" the price. But packaged with the kettle, they work well for me. No fighting leaks for various reasons that come from self installed fittings.
The cover comes in handy for various reasons that are personal. But I would have had to make something for my keggles.
Visually, you can't discount the bling factor of a built kettle assuming equal.functionality (even if its not stainless). J would have to polish a keggle (if I didn't buy it that way)
Can't type much more on the phone, but those are my reasons. Others can take them or leave em.

Thank you for the well reasoned response. While most points do not apply in my case (all electric, welded fittings, don't whirlpool, etc.) they are things to consider. Keggles are heavier than the AIH kettle, about 30 lb vs 12, but I don't know that there's a significant difference in wall thickness. They're also fairly tall, which factors into brew stand design.

For those considering aluminum vs SS, the aluminum is MUCH easier to drill & cut.

 

[Reaver]

There is entirely too much logic, understanding, and reason in this thread. Where is the stomping feet, whining and name calling?
Its nice to be able to explain differences in opinion, and preference w/o egos. I hope it helps people make the choices that meet their needs.

 

[MaltedBayerl]

I'm going to go with an electric keggle because I already have the keg. It was free. If that wasn't the case, I would have probably bought one of the aluminum kettles from Staples and drilled it out for elements. Having thought about it more, and having looked thoroughly at brewhardware.com, I think an electric, bottom-draining keggle is an even better option (especially with a free keg).

I ordered the bottom drain adapter from brewhardware.com along with a ball valve and hose barb. The clean-in-place ability with a bottom drain sounds very convenient. Since I won't need to move it to clean it or empty it, the weight isn't an issue.