Electric appliance to boil wort?

[BrettCo124]

Hi all,

Is there a such thing as an electric appliance (like a hot-plate type of appliance) that can boil 5 gallons of beer? I want to move my brew station to my garage and would love that option if it existed.

Thanks!

BrettCo

 

[Sadu]

You could have a look at induction cookers, or convert your kettle to electric by drilling a hole and mounting an immersion element inside.

Electric brewing is great.

 

[BrettCo124]

Thanks! Is there a brand/specific appliance I could look at to purchase?

 

[applescrap]

An electric oven, turbo boil, grainfather, and convection plate come to mind. An electric oven is cheap and easy to find and the right one will boil quick plus you can split water creatively and really speed up. Things like the turbo boil are really interesting as well.

 

[InTheBasement]

I will be getting this when I convert to electric.

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/av...MIpJO31-mY2AIVBbnACh3hcABXEAYYByABEgKyDPD_BwE

 

[BrettCo124]

That looks like EXACTLY what I was hoping to find. Would that boil 5 gallon batches do you think?!

 

[Ogroat]

I think that it would boil five gallons pretty easily with a good induction-capable kettle. I know somebody who has an 1800 watt induction cooktop and theirs will boil five gallons, though not with a particularly rigorous boil.

Please note that the linked Avantco model uses a different plug than the standard North American one, as it’s a 240 volt appliance. You’ll need access to a 240 volt outlet to use it.

 

[applescrap]

^^ exactly, which begs the question, if you have 240 volts maybe get an element put in your kettle or heat stick. If you're in your garage you can always still consider a gas burner. I didn't like them or have any success with them but people really do. Supposedly they work really well and have been the gold standard for a long time. They are cheap and Powerful. Yes that 240-volt induction cooktop will boil pretty well. And they are very affordable. That being said you may need to have 240 installed. And we come back to my initial point which is once you have 240 you have a lot of options including the 240 grainfather. Another option is to go no boil. I'm going to keep no boiling until it bothers me.

If you have 240 volt you could go to the same path as me as well. Forget the PID and all that stuff, now they have some pretty cheap cool options. You get a 5500 watt element on a heat stick with a simple power controller. And for two or 300 dollars, you could boil 20 gallons of wort. With my heat stick I can make 5 gallons in two and a half hours. Takes me 15 minutes to get to strike temp and less to boil. Note you will need an induction Kettle obviously for the plate. It's my understanding if a magnet sticks to the bottom of your Kettle it's induction. If you don't have an induction Kettle that would be a consideration worth keeping in mind. As far as a cheap quality option for Quick Electric Brewing the induction is a good idea. As far as the 1800 watt 110 volt version, a gas burner is probably a better option. There are so many options and ways to go about something like this that it can be hard to really make the best decision. You doing a great job by thinking about it and reaching out for others opinions. Last but not least the turbo boil or things like it are much more available today. They look like a large Hotel silver vase like coffee pot. It's my understanding they work really well because the element is inside. Best of luck to you

 

[InTheBasement]

I think that it would boil five gallons pretty easily with a good induction-capable kettle. I know somebody who has an 1800 watt induction cooktop and theirs will boil five gallons, though not with a particularly rigorous boil.

Please note that the linked Avantco model uses a different plug than the standard North American one, as it’s a 240 volt appliance. You’ll need access to a 240 volt outlet to use it.

The term "standard North American one" is a bit misleading. In the USA all homes have access to 240 volts. It's what runs to every home. The power panel breaks it down to 2 circuits of 120 volts. Anyone who has an electric stove or an electric clothes dryer in their house uses the 240 volt option. So having the power available for the cooktop is not a problem.

Yes, there are other options that are also likely more complicated, but I like the idea that I can simply take all the gear I have today and add this cooktop, and everything will work as it does now with my gas burner setup. And the reason I am going to go with this 240 volt, 3500 watt unit is that I never want to be in that position where I just need a little bit more power, and I can't get it. That's my philosophy whenever I buy anything. I would rather go a bit overkill than to just barely meet the requirements. I know that at some point I am going to wish I had gone for the overkill. That's the reason I have a 15 gallon kettle even though I typically only do 5 gallon brews. I know that at some point I am going to want to do a 10 gallon, and I will wish that I had gone overkill when I bought the kettle.

 

[Ogroat]

The term "standard North American one" is a bit misleading. In the USA all homes have access to 240 volts. It's what runs to every home. The power panel breaks it down to 2 circuits of 120 volts. Anyone who has an electric stove or an electric clothes dryer in their house uses the 240 volt option. So having the power available for the cooktop is not a problem.

This is all true. My intention was just to make it clear that while your home gets 240v power it’s relatively likely that people will need to get electrical work done in order to use such a device in their desired location. Much more likely than if this cooktop used a 120v outlet, at the very least.

 

[BrettCo124]

Thanks all! I see in that link provided it’s actually 120v. So this wouldn’t work plugged in to 120? Also, I have a 8 gallon stainless kettle. This isn’t something you just sit on top of it and it heats up?