kettle vs keggle

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attyindaburgh

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I am putting together equipment for my all grain set-up and am torn between a kettle or keggel. As for the kettle, I was looking at the bayou classic 1316 that has tri-ply bottom, markings on inside and 16 gallons. Cost is around $125. The keggle I was looking at already has two welded ports with ball valve and thermometer in place with a cost of $50. Thoughts?
 
Both will make beer.

Flat bottom kettles are easier to handle, clean up easy, easy to dent if you drop them.

Kegs are generally very heavy but will handle abuse better.
$50.00 is a great deal for one with ports, valves and thermometer. Jump on it.
 
Both will make beer.

Flat bottom kettles are easier to handle, clean up easy, easy to dent if you drop them.

Kegs are generally very heavy but will handle abuse better.
$50.00 is a great deal for one with ports, valves and thermometer. Jump on it.
 
Thanks Wayne. I was concerned about it being pretty heavy empty, let alone with wort in it and the extra effort to clean it. But 50 bucks is pretty reasonable compared to everything else in this hobby. Just wanted to get some advice, one way or another.
 
I have keggles and am making the jump to kettles. I struggled moving them so I bought a pump. While it helps, lugging those heavy keggles down to the basement is a task!

If you don't have far to go, you can't go wrong on the good deal you getting for the keggles. If you have the extra money or need to move those things around a lot, go with the kettles.
 
I was concerned about it being pretty heavy empty, let alone with wort in it and the extra effort to clean it.
Empty kegs aren't all "that" heavy, but with regards to when they've got liquid in them, they can be a pain... might I ask why you foresee moving it with wort in it? I started with a keggle and the only time I move it is after it's empty... and that was before I bought my pump. I could see weight being a bigger concern for a mash tun, you shouldn't have to worry about it. Oh, and cleaning isn't any more difficult that a kettle, unless you've got short arms :)

But 50 bucks is pretty reasonable compared to everything else in this hobby. Just wanted to get some advice, one way or another.
50 bucks is a steal! I got my first keg for $30, but had to buy all the ball valves / thermometer / whirlpool arm separately, plus the dremel and step drill bits to drill the initial holes. I'd jump on it asap before someone else does!
 
I have used both and as has been said they both make beer. My current HLT is my old boiling kettle which I updated with a keggle I put together. I keep everything on a rolling structure made from weldless strut so weight really isn't much of a factor.

$50 is a steal though for what you described so unless money was exceptionally tight I'd grab that deal.
 
For $50, you should buy the keggle, try it, give up on it, buy a kettle, then sell the keggle to me for $60 plus shipping...
 
Thanks everyone for all the help. As you may have noticed, I try to research the hell out of something before pulling the trigger. After being asked why I would move the keg with wort in it, I though about it and came up with no reason. I will use smaller containers to transfer the wort from the mash tun to the bk. Once the wort is boiled, then transfer the wort via valve and hose to fermenter. At that time everything will be nice and cool. It will be overkill at this point but I won't have to worry about boil overs with 5 and hopefully 10 gallon batches in the future. Have to call the guy.
 
It will be overkill at this point but I won't have to worry about boil overs with 5 and hopefully 10 gallon batches in the future. Have to call the guy.
You still have to watch closely during the hot break, as even with an extra 8 gallons of headspace, you can just as easily boil-over if you're not paying attention! I always keep a spray bottle of water to keep it under control, and once I get to a rolling boil I turn the regulator on my gas nearly all the way off (just enough to keep it rolling).

It's nice having the extra space for when you're ready to move up to 10 gallons! This was a big beer I just did a couple weekends ago (and my first 10 gallon batch, after 17 5 gal batches), my mash tun wasn't quite big enough for all the grain so I had to do two mashes, but the keggle held all 12 gallons no prob! I don't ever once regret getting a keggle.

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I went with kettles just due to the fact that I intend to direct fire my MT with a tower of power eventually and the tri-clad bottom is better suited for this I think.
 
How much boil-off do you usually get for 5 and 10 gallon batches for 60 minute boils (typically).

Honestly, most of the time I'm bad at tracking volumes... and since I got the pump I've gotten worse at it (I just empty from the out on my mash-tun directly to the outlet on the brew keggle). However, this past brew I had to emtpy the mash into buckets, I got 6 gallons from each mash (totaling 12 gallons on the boil), added coffee, chocolate and cocoa nibs, and only 2 oz of pellet hops... ended up with almost exactly 5 gallons into each fermenter. I think my boil-off tends to be greater than what beersmith estimates.. but I usually tend to use a lot of hops, so it's hard to say. I'm sure some more experienced (and better recording) homebrewers can chime in and share their data with you! I brew mostly for fun, but recently started taking pre-boil gravity readings to try to improve my data logging.
 
When I switched to all grain, I got my hands on a keg (legally) and had ports welded in to make a nice keggle. I added recirc ports and thermometer port. After using it for two years, I dropped the $$ on a Blichmann 20 gal kettle. I made the switch because: 1) Kettle is easier to clean; 2) Flat, thinner bottom is easier to heat & keep steady boil; 3) No boilovers for 7 gal batches. My old keggle will eventually become a direct fired mash tun replacing my cooler.

Bottom line for me is I would go for the kettle. Get one bigger than you think you'll need.
 
How much volume do the keggles hold? I have a big kettle now that I can easily do 10 gal batches in. but am beginning to build up my system, HERMS probably and looking to add a HLT, I use a cooler MT and will probably keep that.
 
How much volume do the keggles hold? I have a big kettle now that I can easily do 10 gal batches in. but am beginning to build up my system, HERMS probably and looking to add a HLT, I use a cooler MT and will probably keep that.
Keggles are half-barrel (typically), so 15.5 gallons.
 
I'm the guy selling the keggle to you, so I say buy the keggle! It's got a fixed blichmann brew o meter, a 3/4 stainless valve and a dip tube made of 1/2 swagelok tubing with a swagelok connector.

Buy it...
 
I get around a gallon an hour boil off with my keggles. I like them a lot. My only real gripe is it's a PITA to clean the MT over a kettle.

Once I have my HLT automated and use my immersion chiller for a HERMS I am thinking about making my MT a bottom drain since it won't need direct fire anymore.
 
...Get one bigger than you think you'll need.

This is common advice and it bit me to some degree to be honest.

I bought 15 gallon kettles thinking I could do both 10 and 5 gallon batches, but the reality is that with a 5 gallon batch the thermometer is barely, if at all, submerged (and the percentage of deadspace beneath the false bottom is much higher vs. a five gal batch). I'm essentially stuck at 10 gallon batches (I suppose I could go single infusion for a five gallon, but I fly sparge), so be careful....sometimes I'd like to cut down the batch size so that I could brew more often and thereby have more opportunity to fine tune my recipes.

I'll likely just buy another kettle at some point for a 5 gallon MT, but this stuff is expensive. :cross:
 
This is common advice and it bit me to some degree to be honest.

I bought 15 gallon kettles thinking I could do both 10 and 5 gallon batches, but the reality is that with a 5 gallon batch the thermometer is barely, if at all, submerged (and the percentage of deadspace beneath the false bottom is much higher vs. a five gal batch). I'm essentially stuck at 10 gallon batches (I suppose I could go single infusion for a five gallon, but I fly sparge), so be careful....sometimes I'd like to cut down the batch size so that I could brew more often and thereby have more opportunity to fine tune my recipes.

I'll likely just buy another kettle at some point for a 5 gallon MT, but this stuff is expensive. :cross:

I wouldn't buy another kettle for a MT just go and buy a round cooler, I have a Keggle mash tun for my 10 gallon batches and still have my cooler for 5, the cooler cost me $70 with some DIY work for the screen, unless you have herms or rims the mass of a 5 gallon mash doesnt really hold the temp as well IMHO in a Keggle, so I reserve the Keggle mlt for 10 and my cooler for 5, that being said I absolutely love my Keggles, cheap can take a beating and for some reason I like the look of a used keg for my pots then the shiny kettles, then you don't have to worry about a few scratches/ dents, I would be afraid of using those blichmann boilermakers :)


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I wouldn't buy another kettle for a MT just go and buy a round cooler, I have a Keggle mash tun for my 10 gallon batches and still have my cooler for 5, the cooler cost me $70 with some DIY work for the screen, unless you have herms or rims the mass of a 5 gallon mash doesnt really hold the temp as well IMHO in a Keggle, so I reserve the Keggle mlt for 10 and my cooler for 5, that being said I absolutely love my Keggles, cheap can take a beating and for some reason I like the look of a used keg for my pots then the shiny kettles, then you don't have to worry about a few scratches/ dents, I would be afraid of using those blichmann boilermakers :)


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That is a good point! I have to admit though, I'm really partial to the SS even though I know cooler do their job well and then some. I never had a cooler to start either, so there wasn't an opportunity to keep one. I just went for it and bought 15 gallon kettles from the start. I'll probably just wait until I see some dude listing their 8 gallon SS kettle on craigs and go for it....maybe some insulation would be in order though, you're right about that for sure. Even my 15's lose more temp that I'd like to admit. :(
 
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