hercher said:A lot of brewers -- including me -- use empty kegs as kettles, hot liquor tanks, etc. It's an ideal vessel.
Golddiggie said:For the boil it's called a keggle... LOTS of us have them...
You can easily set the keg up as a kettle/keggle, MLT and HLT... Just get a good step bit, some drilling lubricant, and take your time drilling it right. For cutting the top, you'll want a good right angle grinder and virgin cutting wheels/disks as well as others to round over the cut edge (so you don't slice yourself open reaching into the keggle).
1/2 barrel kegs are typically the base for this. Allows you to make 5-10 gallon batches (I've managed to fit up to about 14 gallons into the boil keggle so far). As a mash tun, depending on the false bottom setup, and mash thickness, you should be able to get about 30# of grain in there (give or take)... I've already done 30# of grain (plus some rice hulls) in mine. I can get a bit more in there, so I might do 32-33# at some point.
What does it cost to make?
You don't have to put on a valve or anything else. Once you cut off the top, that's as far as you have to go. Simply use an auto siphon to drain. That's what I do to make 11-12 gallon batches.
Hey Golddiggie where did you get that red thing you use to stack your kegs and what did it cost?
Golddiggie said:Issue I see with that is it seriously limits what you can do/use. You're locked into using an IC (at most) to chill the wort. Plus, transferring to fermenter(s) is going to take much longer.
With at least a ball valve installed, you now can use any of the wort chiller types out there. You'll also transfer to fermenter(s) faster/easier.
IME, having a kettle/keggle is a huge help on brew day. I wouldn't brew with anything that doesn't at least have a ball valve installed.
Yeah I use an IC, but it works good, so I have no need to spend more money on a different kind of chiller, and its super easy to clean. Using a siphon doesn't take that long that I mind.
I simply wanted to point out to the OP that extra ports where not necessary to use a keggle.
You can get as fancy and expensive as you want in this hobby, I prefer to keep it cheap and simple.
I use a converted keg as a kettle, with no ball valve. I just pick it up and dump the wort into the fermenter, straining through a large mesh bag to get the hops out.
I use a converted keg as a kettle, with no ball valve. I just pick it up and dump the wort into the fermenter, straining through a large mesh bag to get the hops out.
Golddiggie said:For the boil it's called a keggle... LOTS of us have them...
You can easily set the keg up as a kettle/keggle, MLT and HLT... Just get a good step bit, some drilling lubricant, and take your time drilling it right. For cutting the top, you'll want a good right angle grinder and virgin cutting wheels/disks as well as others to round over the cut edge (so you don't slice yourself open reaching into the keggle).
1/2 barrel kegs are typically the base for this. Allows you to make 5-10 gallon batches (I've managed to fit up to about 14 gallons into the boil keggle so far). As a mash tun, depending on the false bottom setup, and mash thickness, you should be able to get about 30# of grain in there (give or take)... I've already done 30# of grain (plus some rice hulls) in mine. I can get a bit more in there, so I might do 32-33# at some point.
When cutting the top off of the keg to make a keggle how big of a hole must I make and the. Did you drill a hole for the ball valve? If so where approximately did you drill the hole for the ball valve to go?
Golddiggie said:I put the ball valve as low as possible. Depending on the keg you get, that can vary. IF it's a standard AB/Miller keg, then put it so that the bottom of the outside washer will be right at the weld line (bottom skirt). That should also give you enough space for the lock nut inside. Or space it from the inside, with the lock nut.
Since making my first keggle (all drilling) I've since picked up a Greenlee punch to make the hole (slug-splitter). So, I only need to make a 1/2" hole, then use the punch to make it the right size. The punch uses a hydraulic driver to power it, which makes it damned easy to use. It's probably way outside of what most people would get/use, but I wanted to get the holes easier, and better, so this was the best option (for me). Plus, I might be making some keggles for people, so it makes more sense to have such a tool already.
For the top hole, in my boil keggle, it's about 12" across. I use a ~12" lid on it. You have a few options on how you guide the grinder to make the hole. I like using the 1-1/4" PVC "T" fitting (under $2 total cost) to guide my grinder. I held it against the T, and turned it around, but got a really nice hole without spending more time to make a jig (than it would take to make the hole) as well as more money. You can get the "T" fitting at Lowe's in the plumbing section. I put the 90 degree section into the hole vacated by the valve and spear.
I have a plasma cutter. Would that be an option to get the holes cut? So you cut a 12" diameter hole on the top. I will drill a hole for the 1/2" hole for the ball valve. What else do I need to do just to make a keggle?
Golddiggie said:Cut the top as large as you can, provided you can get/make a cover for it. You want to have it covered as you heat towards a boil.
For ball valves, and other 1/2" NPT fittings, you need to make a 7/8" hole. You can add more items/fittings as you go. Many of us have sight tubes on our boil keggles. How you do that is more personal choice/preference.
I would only use a plasma cutter if you can get a really, really, really clean cut with it. You want zero slag around the hole, nor any sharp points. It's often easier (and faster) with a right angle grinder.
What did you make your cover out of?
you can always take the top of the keg that you just cut off and tac weld some scrap pieces of stainless or a couple stainless washers to the edge and BOOM you got a lid!
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