Quality of Bayou Classic 36 Stainless Pot?

[Kuhndog]

I've come across a pretty good deal on a 36 qt stainless steel pot by Bayou Classic and was wondering if anyone had experience with these pots. I see that they are .8 mm thick walls...they don't have the tri-clad bottoms...etc. Also with the thin walls - are they okay to drill and install a stainless steel ball valve? It would probably be weldless. Any economy SS kettle looks to be the same thickness...etc. The reason why I like these over others and even heavy duty ones are the dimesions. It's much more taller than wider unlike other brands. With the IC, I need more vertical capacity...in order to have all the coils covered....otherwise it's a waste...mind as well have an older style IC where the coils sit on the bottom.

After looking at pots for a while now....I'm still torn on getting those with tri-clad bottoms or not. As an avid cook, I know that tri-clad bottoms are good for sauces and such because they slow things down and evenly distribute heat. That ultimately helps in avoiding scorching....HOWEVER - most restuarants use aluminum pots for soups, sauces...etc...and they tend to be the same gauge all over as well but they conduct heat easier. Plus the fact that Blichmann doesn't have a tri-clad bottom and either do breweries...so a single layer of stainless steel should be okay...I don't plan on starting the boil and then leaving it for 50 minutes and come back. I will be tending to it.

The whole ss vs alum still makes me worry that I've decided with SS...but spending $100 upfront sucks.


Let me know your thoughts and opinions...thanks.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Clad bottom pots aren't needed for brewing and might even slow down heat transfer IMO. I have a 44 qt Bayou classic and a 60 qt aluminum. They both work great! This http://www.ebay.com/itm/Thunder-Gro...H_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a623ddbefaluminum 40 qt is priced right including delivery to your door. Nothing wrong with the Bayou Classic except the price I guess...hah....I only say that given the fact that I got a steal of a deal on my B/C 44qt.

 

[iijakii]

I have the 62Qt Bayou Classic and have had 0 second-thoughts. I've heard people say you can get higher-quality pots for the same price elsewhere, but haven't seen 'em.

 

[BrewNight]

Followed your link. I'm looking for a 20 gallon pot. BUT I found this 40 gallon pot for $125! If I had the guts to brew that big, I'd go for these pots!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Thunder-Gro...302?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item564203f21e

 

[DustBow]

I have the Bayou Classic 36 qt/9 gallon pot and have no issues with it.
I have a BargainFittings weldless ball valve kit and one of ****yM's weldless site kits on there as well. No leaks.
Pots are thin but that's why they are cheap - and that makes for better heat transfer anyway, thicker pots just take longer to heat up.
I have no complaints for $75 shipped to my house

 

[WC12]

I've got this exact pot I bought from Amazon. I used it for the first time last Sunday and it was great. For the price you can't beat it.

 

[TopherM]

I BIAB with the 44 qt Bayou Classic, and love it. I installed a weldless ball valve, no problem, took about 10 minutes.

I also got the kit with the SS basket, which is perfect for BIAB. It sits exactly 3 inches off the bottom of the pot to avoid scorching. I just line the basket with my mesh bag and have an easy way to BIAB mash and a convenient handle to help drain the bag after the mash.

Great pot. Some people discouraged my purchase before I bought it saying that it was "too thin," but I find it to be great quality and adequate thickness. I've been using mine for about 4 months now through about 9-10 batches and it is still beautiful, with no dents and the same shine as the day I bought it!

 

[malnutriton]

I have had my BC 36 qt. pot for almost 4 years and have brewed over 100 gallons with it. I've even up graded to larger batches but will never sell mine. It's a great pot and will last a long time if you take care of it. Ive actually bought one for my dad when he started brewing.

 

[CrazedArmadillo]

I have the BC 36 Qt and it's great for brewing 5 gallon batches. I can safely fit ~7.25 gallons in there pre-boil. I use mine inside on an electric stove, and have never had a scorching issue. As long as you take care of it properly, it's a great quality pot for the price.

All of my cookware is SS clad bottoms...but I opted for this unclad brew pot for three main reasons. First, it was a lot cheaper. Second, I assumed it would take longer to heat up. Third, I assumed the clad bottom would retain heat (as they're designed to do) and make it harder to cool quickly with my immersion chiller.

 

[Coldies]

Stainless Steel Fryer Steamer with Lid - Garden.com

My firend just got his from this website. I guess you can find discount coupons over the web as well. I have one of the pots and love it. Works great. I have it all set up as well, with the valve, thermo, and sight glass.