Question about brew kettles?

[sefrayser]

I have been reading threads in all topics and Im learning that there is equipment of all sorts. From the beginner(me) to master brewer. My question is with the brew kettles, what makes the brew kettles with the thermometer and spigots talked about? I don't really understand what makes them better than a regular kettle? Also I don't really understand the "false bottom" thing. Is this used for all grain or just another way of brewing?

 

[jtratcliff]

As a beginner, you won't need a kettle with valves and thermowells.... Yet

I've only been brewing for a few years now but I still use a plain old aluminum tamale steamer. No ports valves or anything. $19.99 from Smart-N-Final.

But that's for a 6 gal batch. I just pick up the kettle and dump into the fermenter. If you're doing 10 or 15 gal batches, you need another way to go from kettle to fermenter. So a ball valve (either gravity driven or with a pump) is a valuable addition.

Thermowells are good for monitoring wort temps during cooling. So you can hop stand, know when to transfer, etc.

Nice to have but not necessary.

 

[bajaedition]

beginner brewer usually has a brew pot that can do partial boils and he uses a lot of stuff designed to get into the hobby cheap
once he gets hooked he decides to upgrade and when he does he goes for a kettle that has bells and whistles that have become must haves only because they make things easy.

brew kettles will have the thermometers and the valve you speak about because they make things easy, and the brewer normally will be looking to build a stand and these items make a lot of sense for transferring wort

here is a link
http://morebeer.com/category/morebeer-brewing-kettles.html/
and http://morebeer.com/category/brewing-kettles-burners.html

 

[RM-MN]

I have been reading threads in all topics and Im learning that there is equipment of all sorts. From the beginner(me) to master brewer. My question is with the brew kettles, what makes the brew kettles with the thermometer and spigots talked about? I don't really understand what makes them better than a regular kettle? Also I don't really understand the "false bottom" thing. Is this used for all grain or just another way of brewing?

False bottoms, bazooka screens, paint strainer bags, etc are all ways to separate grains from the wort when you are brewing all grain. None of them are necessary for extract brewing.

A good resource to learn more about brewing is at www.howtobrew.com or even better, buy the newer version of the book. The entire text of the first version is at that website but there were some significant changes in the book due to more being learned about the processes.

 

[MarcusKillion]

I like my kettle with the thermometer and spigot . I really do not use the thermometer as I am just boiling in the pot but the spigot is great . If you want a sample or do not want to pick up 6 gallons of brew and move it around then you can just drain off wort a gallon at a time and and pour into your fermenting bucket . Saves my back since I boil outside and do the rest inside house . Also if you let it cool down a few minutes the trub settles down and you can drain off cleaner wort than if you poured it out since the spigot is up higher than the bottom of the pot .
I got a great deal on one from Overstock.com a while back .