Sanke's vs. BrewPots

[NocturnalEMT]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/60-QT-Quart.../380538955739?pt=Cookware&hash=item5899e3a7db

I could always convert 3 of these with my grandfather, welding the fittings

 

[NocturnalEMT]

^^^dude, thats legit

 

[wilserbrewer]

^^^dude, thats legit

From a "hater", that keggle kicks ass! Very nice!

 

[Satisfaction]

Here is the setup I use, nothing really fancy. The HLT is a hybrid propane/electric build that is kind of hard to see in the pictures.

The boil kettle is Golddiggie's pot that I bought off him a year or so ago.. love that thing. It is 15 gallons of boil over proof goodness. In fact the setup was inspired by watching him and his Mike brew a couple beers.


Whatever you buy be it a plain kettle or keggle, just be prepared to spend about double on the fittings to make the setup functional and user friendly. You start with a unit to hold liquids, then you add fittings, valves, dip tubes, false bottoms, sight glasses, HERMS coils, quick disconnects, silicone tubing, and so on and so on.

Having your buddies over to enjoy your beer is quite priceless.

 

[MaxOut]

I prefer a keggle for many of the reasons people don't. I think a cleaned up keggle looks cool and every one is unique. They are heavy but heavy is a plus when you want a pot that will last forever. I had a thin wall Chinese made pot that I gifted to a friend after the first use. When I set it down on it's corner it put a dent in it the first day. The keggle handles in the rings are placed up high and convenient. The ring on the bottom of the keggle raises the bottom to allow better combustion when set on a Banjo burner. The dish bottom is also nice as I can drain the keggle 100% with the dip tube. Keggles can be found for half what a Chinese pot cost but hard to obtain legally. If you can get them and have free welding I would not hesitate. Unless the weight is an issue you will not regret keggles.

 

[Adeering]

Another option that hasnt been mentioned is Stout tanks. They have the bottom drain on their mash tuns and are custom made to what you want. About the same price as a blichmann but I ended up going with these. Ill be getting them here next month. Plus they come with all tri clover clamps and valves which is quick, easy, and sanitary

 

[kosmokramer]

Like mccumeth said, a little DIY goes a long way on a keggle

 

[kosmokramer]

A closer shot

 

[mccumath]

A closer shot

Nice setup! Trying to source a NOT OWNED BY ANY MAJOR COMPANY keg for my HLT now. Hard to come by, legally of course.

 

[kosmokramer]

I bought all mine off cl, buying and selling different thing I ended up actually making 10 bucks and getting the kegs for free

 

[Jaybird]

If it was me, I would be spending the time with my grandfather. I mean you get to create something that will last a lifetime......A memory! Besides that, you are in charge of what you want and where you want to put it in your system!
I have seen just as many "kettle" builds that look like crap as I have ones that are picture worthy and I have seen several "keggle" builds just blow your mind at how nice they are. Its all in how you put it together.

Cheers
Jay

 

[NocturnalEMT]

Time with the g-pa....priceless

 

[Newbeerguy]

Another option that hasnt been mentioned is Stout tanks. They have the bottom drain on their mash tuns and are custom made to what you want. About the same price as a blichmann but I ended up going with these. Ill be getting them here next month. Plus they come with all tri clover clamps and valves which is quick, easy, and sanitary

Yep I currently have their 9.2 gallon brew kettle and I am so happy I went with it. Actually I like it so much that I am upgrading to a 15 gallon system and getting a new brew kettle, HLT, mash tun and conical from them.

 

[NocturnalEMT]

An opportunity has came up where I can buy 3 brand new 80 qt stainless steel brewpots for $350 total, shipped. I will obviously have to cut the holes and whatnot for these but I am about to pull the trigger. Let me know what you guys think.

 

[NocturnalEMT]

in relation to previous post, it was also offered, 1 100 quart and 2 80 quarts for same price

 

[NocturnalEMT]

Any suggestions?

 

[kosmokramer]

I know this is the answer i hated to hear but at this point it is entirely up to you, your personal preferance regarding asthetics, funtionality, and budget. Bottom line is either way you go im sure youll make great beer. Some prefer the look of sankes some the look of pots. Some
E have an extensive budget that allows them to purchase blingmans while other with the same budget wiuld prefer to polish a keg themselves..

The price you have mentioned for the pots may be comparable to sankes especially if you polish a sanke but when you close your eyes and envision your completed system what do YOU see?

 

[NocturnalEMT]

Eyes closed....envisioning...

 

[NocturnalEMT]

Thanks everyone for their input

 

[mccumath]

Thanks everyone for their input

Let us know what you come up with.

 

[twalte]

Nice setup! Trying to source another AB keg for my HLT now. Hard to come by, legally of course.

Just an FYI, I am not aware of any legal way to secure an AB keg. I would be hesitant to post pictures as I know they will send people out to pick up kegs that they see posted. (When I worked there, I was asked by the legal department to pick up a keg from a home brewer who had a photo in the newspaper with an AB keg. They do not sell their retired kegs and will involve law enforcement...if it says AB, it is theirs. I refused...stating that the keg was already ruined by the ball valve...but they are aggressively addressing the significant cooperage shortages)

I am not judging...just a heads up. If you have a keg with a major brewer marking, it is not likely legit

 

[mccumath]

Just an FYI, I am not aware of any legal way to secure an AB keg. I would be hesitant to post pictures as I know they will send people out to pick up kegs that they see posted. (When I worked there, I was asked by the legal department to pick up a keg from a home brewer who had a photo in the newspaper with an AB keg. They do not sell their retired kegs and will involve law enforcement...if it says AB, it is theirs. I refused...stating that the keg was already ruined by the ball valve...but they are aggressively addressing the significant cooperage shortages)

I am not judging...just a heads up. If you have a keg with a major brewer marking, it is not likely legit

Oh my! Post deleted! Thank you so much for the heads up! I would hate for them to track down my keggle and take it from me!

Maybe I should get rid of it and buy stock pots instead.

 

[twalte]

Oh my! Post deleted! Thank you so much for the heads up! I would hate for them to track down my keggle and take it from me!

Hey...not trying to be a bummer. If you want to post photos with those beautifuly polished babies, just wrap the top with some tape. Just a heads up to the home brew community.

And a shout out to all of the beautiful keggles out there. I would never have imagined that the dirty, dingy kegs we sold could look so brilliant and shiny. That took a LOT of work!!!

FYI - The cooperage shortage is in the millions of dollars...it is a top priority there.

 

[mccumath]

Hey...not trying to be a bummer. If you want to post photos with those beautifuly polished babies, just wrap the top with some tape. Just a heads up to the home brew community.

And a shout out to all of the beautiful keggles out there. I would never have imagined that the dirty, dingy kegs we sold could look so brilliant and shiny. That took a LOT of work!!!

FYI - The cooperage shortage is in the millions of dollars...it is a top priority there.

Much safer now!

 

[twalte]

Much safer now!

Wow...that's shiny!!!

Now if I could get one of those non-branded keggles, I'd be all over it!!

Seriously!!

 

[mccumath]

Even changed my avatar, just in case!

Now to delete the evidence from my signature...

 

[twalte]

Even changed my avatar, just in case!

Now to delete the evidence from my signature...

Good call. Not only do the brewers watch...the 1200+ beer distributors watch as well. The distributors conduct retail audits to determine inventory in the market, and then they are charged for shortages. The charge to the wholesaler is less than the cost of the keg...but all are watching the cost impact (and it is significant). Net...a lot of eyes out there, so just be safe.

Cheers.

 

[mccumath]

Only been brewing for about 2 years, but cannot recall a single case of the cops/anyone taking a keggle back. I don't doubt you, (I have seen crazier things) but still have not seen or heard of it. Any threads/published incidences of this happening?

Granted, I certainly don't want to find out the hard way.

 

[twalte]

Only been brewing for about 2 years, but cannot recall a single case of the cops/anyone taking a keggle back. I don't doubt you, (I have seen crazier things) but still have not seen or heard of it. Any threads/published incidences of this happening?

Granted, I certainly don't want to find out the hard way.

I know that I was instructed to go after one keggle. I know that they are watching metal recyclers and craigslist. I know that a local distributor sent the cops after a small brewer that was distributing their beer in the major brewers' kegs. I know that they are pi**ed off about the cooperage losses and trying to figure out how to stop to losses.

I was not trying to create a panic...I am simply advising that you are better off not blatantly showing major brewer kegs being used as keggles. I was with the brewer for 20 years and in a position where I was involved in these discussions.

That's all I'll say...I just saw all of the pictures and wanted to give a heads up. If I was still with the brewer...my next steps would have been to send links to our legal department. Since I am not, I sent a general warning to the HBT team. There is a good chance that reps from other brewers who are extremely loyal to their companies would do the same.

Do what you wish...I have a brew kettle.

Edit: Sorry guys..might have been too harsh and I felt bad in hindsight. I just know what I experienced, and I would not flaunt this in front of them. Do what you want. If they want to make an example of people (like the music industry did going after people downloading copyrighted music), going after a few home brewers would get the word out. However, it would also put them in a negative light among beer consumers...they are in a tough spot)

 

[brewingmeister]

Only been brewing for about 2 years, but cannot recall a single case of the cops/anyone taking a keggle back. I don't doubt you, (I have seen crazier things) but still have not seen or heard of it. Any threads/published incidences of this happening?

There are a couple threads. The one I remember best is locked and hard to find though. To summarize, the guy is brewing somewhere and has a pic of his rig in the paper along with the article...cops track him down and eventually show up at his house because they saw the pics of the kegs.

edit..someone associated with the kegs (distributor or rep) saw their kegs and contacted the cops. It wasn't the keg vice squad.