Just Bought A New Kettle: Questions

[spam_and_eggs]

Hey everyone. I just bought a new Winco 10gal SS kettle on close out sale from my LHBS for $94. It was the last one they had and it looked like a quality pot so I bought it. I was just wondering if this is indeed a good buy. Also, the walls seem pretty thick to me so I was wondering whether or not it was thin enough to drill and install a weldless bulkhead and ball valve on it.

Also, I'm going to eventually get a propane burner for this. Any suggestions on cheap/value burners around $40-60 or so?

Thanks!

 

[reinstone]

Spam is okay, but I'm a fan of treet.

Other than that yes. That was a good deal and yes you can put a weld less fitting on. Beta step bit from harbor freight etc and use some 3 n one oil to keep the bit lubed.

Northern brew was advertising a dark star burner that is nice. I have the larger banjo burners. You can get one for 30 bucks at agrisupply but would have to build a base.

 

[h22lude]

It is hard to buy a bad kettle. I bought mine on Amazon for $50 and it works great. You will be able to put anything through the walls (sightglass, thermo, vavle).

I bought Bayou Classic SQ14 for $50 on Amazon (yes another $50 Amazon find) and it works well. I anything, I need to turn down my propane because it heats up so well.

 

[brewkinger]

Sounds like a decent deal on the kettle.
I have 11 gallon Bayou Classic that I picked up on Amazon for around $85 shipped, so in the ballpark.
Get a step bit and watch the BobbyM videos on YouTube and no problems drilling and installing a bulkhead.
He sells all the stuff you néed at www.brewhardware.com

Several decent burners in your price range.
Check out Bayou Classic models:
SP14 - I recommend this one
SQ10

Also DarkStar burner on Northern Brewer or Midwest.
Although they recently went up in price from $39-$49 (I think)
Still a good burner though.

 

[Squirrels]

Hey Congrats on the new pot - 94 bucks for a ten gallon, thick walled pot doesn't seem too bad. Kettles new without a bulkhead are usually a bit more than that.

It shouldn't be too thick for a bulkhead. I went through bargain fittings to get my bulkhead and valve and it worked out great!

For burners - I started with a cheap turkey fryer burner. My suggestion is to spend a bit more, you'll speed up your brew day and be happier. I bought the KAB4 banjo burner for around 90 bucks. I've been very happy with it.

 

[Hoppity]

Turkey fryer combo kits are great for lots of things, plus you get an extra burner. I put a weldless valve from BobbyM on mine and use it with a strainer on top for my 1st drain after boil to avoid clogs and catch trub. Always my first step before the wort hits the plate chiller. Usually end up inverting Keggle into strainer for the last good bits.

 

[spam_and_eggs]

Thanks everyone for the input! I'm probably gonna go for the dark star or the bayou sq14. I'll just do a little more research to figure it out. I can't wait to get one, I bet brewing outside in the fall here in Pennsylvania is going to be awesome!

 

[spam_and_eggs]

Spam is okay, but I'm a fan of treet.

I grew up on spam but I've never had treet. I'll have to try it some day

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

Sounds like a decent deal on the kettle.
I have 11 gallon Bayou Classic that I picked up on Amazon for around $85 shipped, so in the ballpark.
Get a step bit and watch the BobbyM videos on YouTube and no problems drilling and installing a bulkhead.
He sells all the stuff you néed at www.brewhardware.com

Several decent burners in your price range.
Check out Bayou Classic models:
SP14 - I recommend this one
SQ10

Also DarkStar burner on Northern Brewer or Midwest.
Although they recently went up in price from $39-$49 (I think)
Still a good burner though.

I'll just note its SP10 and SQ14, not the other way around.

Honestly i'd go with the SP10, its capable of 185K BTU while the SQ14 is only capable of 55K BTU. Not only that but the SP10 is cheaper.

Dont let the 3 leg setup fool you, the tripod design makes it nearly impossible to knock over. Not to mention its so damn heavy and low to the ground, i dont see how anyone could possibly knock it over unless they physically picked it up from underneath to roll it.

 

[brewkinger]

I'll just note its SP10 and SQ14, not the other way around.
Honestly i'd go with the SP10, its capable of 185K BTU while the SQ14 is only capable of 55K BTU. Not only that but the SP10 is cheaper.

Dont let the 3 leg setup fool you, the tripod design makes it nearly impossible to knock over. Not to mention its so damn heavy and low to the ground, i dont see how anyone could possibly knock it over unless they physically picked it up from underneath to roll it.

Oooops, sorry about the nomenclature switch there.

The SP10 does ROCK!!! I can bring 8 gallons of strike water up to 175 degrees in about 20 minutes, which happens to correspond nicely with the amount of time it takes to crush the grains and drink my first cup of coffee.
My only complaint would be that if you take your eyes off it, it is common to heat right up to almost 200 degrees very quickly.

As a safety minded parent and a cautious person, I tested the stability of the SP10 and Fuzz is right on, it would take a serious incident to get that thing to tip over.
Don't get me wrong, I am clutzy and if it could happen, it would happen to me.

 

[spam_and_eggs]

Thanks for the stability reports on the SP10! I was worried about that when I saw pictures.

Also, is there any conditioning I need to do before I use the kettle for the first time? Boil plain water? I've heard of possibly needing to "acid condition" for a couple days?

 

[brewkinger]

Yes to the trial boil.

For a couple I reasons:
With SS kettles, it is not as important to build up a layer of oxidation inside the kettle as it is for aluminum kettle users.
The main reason that I would advocate for a test run is to practice.
No matter which burner you get, fire it up and heat treat it. The black paint will burn and stink like crazy, so might as well get that out of the way.

Then I would boil at minimum 8 gallons (which is slightly more than most full boils that you will do.)
Measure it out exactly by gallon as you dump it in and make yourself a wooden measuring stick.
Mark each gallon (and half gals if you want) on the stick.
Then bring to a boil and adjust that it stays at a nice gentle rolling boil.
Boil for 60 min and then measure again and record your boil off.
Trust me that you will end up wanting that information at some point, so get it now.

Best part of this process?
After getting that info, you have valuable information, boiloff rate, a method to measure boil volume, and understanding of how the burner and system work AND
You have a layer of oxidation in the kettle.
Many birds with one stone!

As long as you treat that kettle with respect and clean it well after each use, it will be a valuable tool.
If you end up having to really scrub the kettle, you might see some of the oxidation coming off.
I routinely scrub my kettle pretty well and just heat up some water to get the layer back.

 

[spam_and_eggs]

Thanks brewkinger! That's some good stuff. I really like that idea of a practice brew day and getting all that valuable info. Does that mean I get to practice drinking some home brew during the boil too?

 

[brewkinger]

I insist!