Looking for a new kettle

[FreshZ]

I'm upgrading to a SQ14 from my current stovetop and I want a larger kettle than my current cheapo 5 gal. Doing 5 gal batches, so anything 8 gal or more should work. Looking to keep the price low, SS, and with at least 1 valve, preferably 2. Ive seen spike brewing and others. Any suggestions?

Any experience with this one? http://www.homebrewing.org/2-WELD-9-Gallon-Stainless-Steel-Brew-Pot-_p_1684.html?AffId=160
Seems like a steal !

Next question is about the thermometer. 2 inch probe vs 6 inch probe vs Blichmann. I imagine the larger probe would affect stirring? Is the Blichmann worth the extra 10-15 bucks? Is it worth having at all and instead getting a sight glass and using my Taylor thermometer? I worry about the glass getting broken. Are they removable or unbreakable?

 

[mjohnson]

Bayou Classic just released a line of brew kettles.

http://www.bayou-classic-depot.com/bayou-classic-brew-pots-s/1871.htm

 

[FreshZ]

Bayou Classic just released a line of brew kettles.

http://www.bayou-classic-depot.com/bayou-classic-brew-pots-s/1871.htm

Those look really nice, but a little too high for me. Thanks though.

 

[tre9er]

Edit: yeah, the one you have up there is the cheapest I've seen in SS with bulkheads. Great price

 

[FreshZ]

Edit: yeah, the one you have up there is the cheapest I've seen in SS with bulkheads. Great price

Anybody actually buy or use this one?

 

[IrregularPulse]

I like their note.

*As a side note- these are $79 pots- please do not expect a $259 Polarware
Some small dents or nicks are expected.*

 

[FreshZ]

As a side note, I was just thinking. With a 10 gal batch, I will need a wort chiller as well because I won't be able to carry this thing into the bath tub filled with ice (if it even fits). Right?

 

[mjohnson]

Those look really nice, but a little too high for me. Thanks though.

lol, I was confused - they put the prices above the images. I actually thought the price of the item below it was for the kettle. Not as good of a deal as I originally thought.

 

[tre9er]

As a side note, I was just thinking. With a 10 gal batch, I will need a wort chiller as well because I won't be able to carry this thing into the bath tub filled with ice (if it even fits). Right?

If you're doing a 10g. batch you'll need about a 15g. pot at minimum and yeah, I wouldn't try carrying 80+lbs. of hot wort to the bathtub. You can let it sit until cool if you have a good seal and aren't worried about potential contamination...but making an IC out of refrigeration coil and vinyl hose, clamps will cost you about $60.

On those SS pots, they're SS, have welded bulkheads (which is better than o-rings and locknuts) and a lid...they should last a long time even if they're "economy".

 

[mjohnson]

and if you're anything like me, the scratches and dents they come with will mask the ones you add.

 

[tre9er]

and if you're anything like me, the scratches and dents they come with will mask the ones you add.

This. I don't brew to put on a show for friends or to receive compliments, personally. I'm fine with people who do and I even give them compliments on their shiny equipment...personally brewing can be stressful enough...I just need it to work.

 

[randallP313]

I have one of those pots, but just the one-weld model. It feels cheap as does the false bottom that I got with it. But it does work just fine. The only thing I'm not a fan of is the dimensions. Being quite wide, it takes up a fairly good amount of space on my stove. It also boils off a bit more water because of this. I just splurged on a Stout 9.2 gal BK. Taller but skinnier. Will still use the one-weld as a mashtun.
For the price you will like it. It will get the job done.

 

[Ramitt]

I do 5 gal batches in a 9 gal pot, I wish more than anything i had gone for a 15 gallon or atleast 10+. There is not much head space and no room to grow. To be fair I try to end up with 6 gal so 5.5 ends up in fermenter and then 5 in bottles.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Any experience with this one? http://www.homebrewing.org/2-WELD-9-Gallon-Stainless-Steel-Brew-Pot-_p_1684.html?AffId=160
Seems like a steal !

http://www.homebrewing.org/ONE-WELD-9-Gallon-Stainless-Steel-pot_p_1683.html

The 1 weld 9 gallon kettle is only 63 bucks...seems like a great deal for the $. I wouldn't be too concerned about the thickness of the economy pot...unless you abuse it and toss it off the roof it will last forever.

 

[FreshZ]

So here's a potentially dumb question. If the pot has a 1/2 in threaded fitting and I got the SS ball valve with it; what size tubing do I need to connect it? I would assume 1/2 inch? The braided kind of tubing? How long of a piece?

 

[tre9er]

Depends on the barb fitting you attach to the ball valve. Most people put a 1/2 MNPT barb on the ball valve, so yeah that would be 1/2" hose.

 

[bowiefan]

Check resturantdepot.com I got a killer deal on a 20 gal pot for $79 shipped last christmas.

 

[FreshZ]

Depends on the barb fitting you attach to the ball valve. Most people put a 1/2 MNPT barb on the ball valve, so yeah that would be 1/2" hose.

Good info, I wasn't aware I needed anything else. So a barbed fitting huh? What does MNPT stand for? Is getting a SS one important? Online or hardware store?

 

[tre9er]

MNPT stands for Male National Pipe Thread. If you order from BargainFittings they have drop-down boxes where you can add options such as ball-valve and hose-barb.

I have all stainless bulkheads/valves. It's not really that much more expensive for the peace of mind.

 

[texasbrewer73]

I have all stainless bulkheads/valves. It's not really that much more expensive for the peace of mind.

+1 on that. Def go stainless. Some people are OK with brass, but as tre9ner said, peace of mind. That may be a good price on that pot, but I just have an issue paying over $100 (after valves, thermometers, etc) for something that has a used look to it. If I'm going to do that, I'll convert a keg and have a 15 gal brewpot.

 

[dbrewski]

I have the two weld pot from homebrewing.org. It is a pretty decent pot. I have used it a ton, it is holding up. Not built like a tank, but it's not flimsy either.

I use it all the time, I'll continue to use it but here is a shot of it with 7 gallons in it boiling. it is pretty tight at the start of the boil. I recently started using Fermcap-S because of this, to avoid the hassle of boil overs. In a perfect world, a 10 gallon pot would be better for 5 gallon batches, but it works.

 

[dbrewski]

Here is a shot of the homemade kettle screen I made, it shows a bit of the fittings and how things can be put together. I have a 2" thermo, also from homebrewing.org, and a stainless 1/2" valve with a camlock on it (since replaced with a hose barb).

 

[tre9er]

/OT
I take it you use a CFC or PC? I've been hesitant to make a screen that covers a wide area because I use an IC and don't want to worry about it bending/kinking/breaking anything.

I've also considered making some sort of "legs" for my IC so that it's slightly raised from the bottom...but this would mean less surface area in the wort to do it's job: chilling.

 

[dbrewski]

I have a CFC/pump but after a while I went back to my IC for ease of use and cleanup. Also this article kind of nudged me back. What stuck with me was that you are only cooling one tiny amount of wort at a time with a CFC, rather than the whole wort simultaneously. The result is that the bulk of the wort remained very hot the entire time until it went through the CFC. I did several batches both ways and decided I got better hops aroma/flavor with my IC.

I have tried just about everything inside the kettle, including no screen or pickup tube (pellets - yuck, too much hops in the fermenter), a torpedo screen, a torpedo "T", and now this homemade thingy. With whole hops, pretty much any screen works fine. With pellet hops, you have to keep the flow of wort out of the boil kettle slower or it will clog, regardless of screen surface area.

But yes, I plop the IC right down on this. It sits kind of funny...some feet or some kind of side hooks might be nice to keep it even.

 

[tre9er]

I like the idea of hooks. I'm guessing a semi-rigid stainless wire could be fashioned into three hooks (dry fitted for perfect height) that support the IC. I also have dual heating elements in the kettle and I worry about the weight of a full IC on them over time.