Fermenting in the Pot

[BrewingRob]

I have an idea. It's not that revolutionary, and I thought someone else may have tried this before.

Has anyone fermented in the kettle?

Here's a little background:

I've been brewing for a few years, and I'm tried of going through buckets (Ok, so, maybe I've only bought three of them, but I'm always skeptical of them).

I have some Better Bottles (skill a little skeptical that I'm really getting these puppies sanitized).

I had a glass carboy. Yes, "had." You know what's coming next... All I can say is that I'm still alive to tell the story. I didn't drop it. I was simply moving it. My theory is that there must have been some sort of stress on the glass, combined with a little bit of pressure (it was securely capped), and crash -- glass everywhere -- no severed arteries. That will be my last glass carboy. It's just not worth the risk.

I like to covet conicals. I've thought about using a corny. If only I could find a good stainless fermenter -- cheap...

Then I had this idea: What about getting a Bayou Classic Stainless Steel 10-Gallon Spigot Pot, around $150, and making a fermentation lid for it? Or just fermenting in any 6 gallon pot -- why not my turkey fryer?

Any thoughts on this? It seems like a great idea in that you would have to transfer (if you have a way to oxygenate). It would be boiled for sanitation. You could just rack to corny for secondary/lagering. It almost seems too easy to have never been tried.

Anyone ever do this?

 

[wilserbrewer]

I have been fermenting in the brew kettle for a few years with very good results IMO. Sometimes I even "no-chill" in the ketttle, then pitch yeast right in the same kettle, aerate and let ferment 10 days or so, then syphon to a keg and let sit at ambient temps for another week or so, then move to the keezer. Very simple, one transfer from kettle to keg and done. KISS

Just the lid on the kettle seals it well during active fermentation, I also seal the kettle with a plastic bag and a short piece of string wrapped tight, the bag puffs up and one can monitor a positive pressure during fermentation. Beer is pretty resilient, carboys and airlocks are really for extended periods rather than primary fermentation, the key with fermenting in a kettle is to leave it alone and not be opening the lid and mucking about with your brew.

 

[Redcat]

Get some 1/4 BBL or 30L Sanke kegs, and remove the stem. You can clean with a carboy brush and a keg washer.

Get an orange carboy cap, and airlock. Heat up cap, put on Keg mouth.

Whammo, presto, you know have stainless fermenters.

 

[stonebrewer]

I believe the inventor of Brutus 10 and Brutus 20 ferments in his boil kettle. His methods make a lot of sense. Only down side I see it that I have brewed many consecutive weeks, so having my boil kettle tied up would be an issue. If you don't plan on brewing as often, or are doing primary fermentations that last only 5 days or so, then it should be doable.