Low-Height Kettle?

[Iowa Brewer]

Hi all,

As of now, I'm doing all of my brewing on my gas stove in the kitchen. The thing is, the microwave/hood is none-too-far above the range, meaning I have 14" clearance on the front burners and 13.5" on the back two.

Any suggestions for boil kettles that can do batches that end at 5 to 7 gal, after boil, that will fit? I'm thinking of a Prime Pacific that I found on Amazon, but would hate to miss out on other options.

Thanks!

 

[redllama]

I used to use an aluminum tamale steamer when I brewed on my stove. Worked pretty well for about 5.5 gallons post boil. It was filled pretty much up to the top but my stove wasn't powerful enough to generate a boil over as long as I was watching it. I think I only paid $25 for it which was nice as it was a temporary step in my brewing journey

 

[mirthfuldragon]

If you have a combination microwave hood/vent, I would think about getting rid of it. Code (and installation specs) for micro-hoods is 24" clearance, or 30" to anything combustible. For a 5g batch, a 6g kettle is going to be minimal, and probably more like 7-8g would be safer. For a 7g batch, I would want at least a 10g kettle.

I don't think you have any good stove-top solutions, honestly I'm also unsure that your stovetop is going to give you a satisfactory boil on 6g of water.

You may want to try a smaller batch size based on your equipment limitations. Sorry to be a killjoy

 

[MaxStout]

I have this 10 gallon low-height kettle, though haven't used it in a while, as I now use a 15 gal on propane. It measures 12.25" in height and is about 16" diameter. A bit spendy, but it's built like a tank. It has a tri-clad bottom and is induction-ready, if you were to ever switch to an induction burner. On a regular stove it would be difficult to get a good boil, but if you use a bucket heater to assist, it might be doable.

 

[Iowa Brewer]

I used to use an aluminum tamale steamer when I brewed on my stove. Worked pretty well for about 5.5 gallons post boil. It was filled pretty much up to the top but my stove wasn't powerful enough to generate a boil over as long as I was watching it. I think I only paid $25 for it which was nice as it was a temporary step in my brewing journey

Hadn't considered those, redllama. Thanks!

 

[Iowa Brewer]

If you have a combination microwave hood/vent, I would think about getting rid of it. Code (and installation specs) for micro-hoods is 24" clearance, or 30" to anything combustible. For a 5g batch, a 6g kettle is going to be minimal, and probably more like 7-8g would be safer. For a 7g batch, I would want at least a 10g kettle.

I don't think you have any good stove-top solutions, honestly I'm also unsure that your stovetop is going to give you a satisfactory boil on 6g of water.

You may want to try a smaller batch size based on your equipment limitations. Sorry to be a killjoy

Yowza! I've got some thinking to do. Thanks, mirthfuldragon!

 

[Iowa Brewer]

I have this 10 gallon low-height kettle, though haven't used it in a while, as I now use a 15 gal on propane. It measures 12.25" in height and is about 16" diameter. A bit spendy, but it's built like a tank. It has a tri-clad bottom and is induction-ready, if you were to ever switch to an induction burner. On a regular stove it would be difficult to get a good boil, but if you use a bucket heater to assist, it might be doable.

Thanks, MaxStout. Might be nice to have that extra room. Cheers!