Keggle Vs. Kettle

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

BockBurner

Member
Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
14
Reaction score
0
Location
Denver, CO
I've got an option to buy a 15.5 keggle with proper hole for a valve for $75 or a 9 gal SS Bayou Classic Kettle for $50.
I am just moving to AG from extract. I have no more storage room right now to brew more than 5 gallon batches, and typically use my stovetop to start the boil then move outside to my Grill's sideburner. Thus far, this has worked awesome and have no reason to change. I'm assuming for a Keggle I'd need a stand alone burner, so thats a minus.
I'm looking for some guidance on which direction to go. Thanks.

JB

Kolsch on tap
Belgian Dubble in Primary
IPA Bottled
 
I would go with the keggle.

Yes, you'd have to buy a stand alone propane burner but the cost is minimal for a decent one. The keggle would give you the option to move to 10 gallon batches if you ever decide to.
 
I think you'd be safer with a stand alone burner either way. 9 gallons is a large pot to be moving hot. The 9 gallon pot may work better biab and keggle may look better all shined up so I think its a personal preference.
 
Old_mil_guy said:
I think you'd be safer with a stand alone burner either way. 9 gallons is a large pot to be moving hot. The 9 gallon pot may work better biab and keggle may look better all shined up so I think its a personal preference.

Agreed on moving a 9 gallon pot full of hot wort.

Forgot to mention it in my reply but I thought that when I first read your post.
 
Keggle

For one thing, the extra space will come in handy when you decide to brew something bigger and want to boil off more. Or when you decide you just HAVE to brew 10 gallons of a recipe. They do look nice all shined up too. :D
 
Bigger is better. Plus less chance of a boil over with a 5 gallon batch.
 
Pot...ur um I mean kettle. A nine gallon kettle is a better for where you are in your brewing than a keggle. For $50 you can always resell the SS kettle and get all if not most of your money back. Keep your eye out for a larger kettle, deals come and go...sorry, don't like keggles, especially not for 5 gallons.
 
The kettle will be much lighter and easier to clean

The keggle is almost 30lbs and will for sure need a stand alone burner. I hate lugging the keggles around. They are so damn heavy!

Just my .02
 
The kettle will be much lighter and easier to clean

The keggle is almost 30lbs and will for sure need a stand alone burner. I hate lugging the keggles around. They are so damn heavy!

Just my .02

I agree. I'd rather have a 15g kettle than my keggle.

But I'd rather have the keggle than than a 9g kettle, and that was the question.
 
Well, it's not as simple as either or to me...keggle w/ a hole in it for 75...9 gal pot ready to brew for 50.

I wouldn't even consider the $25 when building my setup if it were me. If you let the cost play too big a part in the building of your setup you will end up spending more in the long run with upgrades. Go big sooner is my best advice, learned that the hard way.
 
Get the keggle now, install a ball valve and dip tube (ball valve and compression to NPT fitting through the keggle wall) and you're set for the future. Get the pot now and you're locked into <8 gallon boil sizes. Most of my boil sizes are close to 9 gallons (bigger brew are even more).

I also agree about not looking to go as cheap as you can. Most of the time it ends up costing you more in the long run.
 
another vote for kettles
keggles are heavy and a pain to clean

I had a mess inside mine from my last batch brewed (last weekend/Saturday). I thought it was going to be a PITA to clean, but it was far from it. Even in the kitchen I have where the sink has full cabinets over it (so I cannot have the keggle over the sink) it wasn't an issue. It was rinsed before I took it home (I brew at my buddy's place currently). I took it up (out of the truck) the following day, and got to cleaning it. All I ended up needing to do was use a good scrubbing sponge (like you get in the grocery store) to get the heavy stuff off of it. Same as you would with a kettle. I used my quart measuring cup to wash down the sides, then drained via the ball valve and dip tube. Left less than a quart behind, so I just used a hand towel/sponge to remove that amount. Then rub down with a damp towel to get whatever was left. Easy (IMO) and clean. I removed the ball valve and soaked it in some PBW solution, along with the dip tube. I removed the sight tube assembly and simply ran hot water through that to clean it out.

Once I have my brew stand, I plan to use a CIP system to take care of it. That will make it even easier.

Something else to think about. Most people don't hesitate to put more holes in keggles as needed. Most of us pause to put holes in kettles (especially Blichmann kettles)...

I also just weighed my current keggle... Complete with TC fittings, dip tube, ball valve, clamps, sight tube assembly (all stainless fittings and borosilicate glass) it comes to about 35#. I transport it to my buddy's place every brew day along with my keg mash tun (it weighs less than the mash tun as they travel). I install the ball valve and sight tube when I get there, so transport weight is closer to 30#... Still, if you cannot carry 30-35# a short distance (most people won't need to do what I do) then you have other issues that need to be addressed. Or just get a proper brew stand so that you don't need to move them at all. Once I'm able, I'll have a brew stand and do CIP for the mash tun and keggle... I hope to have a tippy system for the mash tun, to make cleaning out the grains easier.
 
i use keggles, but then i have a house and am not in your situation. for you, realistically, the 9g might be the better way to go, since you can sell it off when ready, and get a keggle months/years/whenever from now you're ready to go bigger
 
The side burner on your grill is probably only rated for 30 lbs or so! You should look for a max weight. Putting 7 gal of boiling water on one of those is asking for trouble if you ask me.

If you REALLY know you never plan on making batches bigger than 5 gal then the kettle may be the way to go. Is the kettle stainless steel? If its aluminum then I would definitely pass for the keggle. IMO keggles rock, but not for strictly 5 gal batches.

Does the kettle have a valve installed? That would cost $25 at minimum right there.
 
Only 25 bucks more than a $75 keggle
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-60-QT-Q.../200767150176?pt=Cookware&hash=item2ebea79860

W/ a lid as well, so really only 10-15 dollars more than the $75 keggle...sorry don't like keggles, was down in my basement and picked up an 11 gal SS pot, a 15 gallon alum pot, a 20 gal SS pot, and a 20 gal alum pot, then picked op a 1/2 keg (uncut) and thought to myself, wouldn't want to brew in a 1/2 keg. Can't beat the durability of a keg though, around 8 times as strong as you need at only double the weight.
 
Another Kettle vote.

A couple more disadvantages to a keggle I didn't realize until I tried brewing a 5 gallon batch in one:
- The keggle will only be about half full and without a sight glass the concentric
opening of the keggle makes it almost impossible to visually estimate the actual
volume. All you can see is a white cloud of steam.
- You will need to transfer your wort to your fermenter post boil. Have a pump? If
not you will need to have the keggle several feet off the ground above the
fermenter. For pumping of gravity feeding you will also need to add on the price of
purchase and install of a ball valve and dip tube. On the other hand you can lift
and pour the 9 gallon kettle without too much problem.

I disliked using the keggle so much that I only use it for heating mash/sparge water now. I have a cheap ss 60qt kettle that I boil in. It was a little over $100 from cabelas. It has some issues of its own (thin walled), but is working well thus far.
 
I have no more storage room right now to brew more than 5 gallon batches, and typically use my stovetop to start the boil then move outside to my Grill's sideburner. Thus far, this has worked awesome and have no reason to change.

Considering your original post in addition to your needs and goals, kettle. And I thought batch vs. fly could initiate a pissing contest, all good! Enjoy the holiday weekend:mug:
 
Back
Top