Turkey Frier for budget brewing?

[freeflow488]

Hello all,

I'm looking around at some turkey friers online for use as a brewpot. Does it need to be SS? Anyone have any specific favorites? I have no idea where to start looking for this. I'll eventually want to move to a propane setup, is there any turkey frier that will allow me to do this?

Sorry for all the questions, and thanks in advance!

EDIT: I immediately apologize for not using the search function.. guess I'm just lazy

 

[Fid]

I started a similar thread earlier as I'm in search of one as well.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/post-t-day-turkey-fryer-deals-283935/

There has been a few good leads so far including this one.

http://www.fyurl.com/rr.php?site=www.homebrewtalk.com&url=http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops%C2%AE-30Quart-Propane-Turkey-Fryer/product/11101205012016/283164

The only reason I'm not jumping on it is that I think I want a slightly higher than 30 qt capacity. Also, as for aluminum vs stainless steel... there's plenty of people on here who will argue SS is the only way to go and there's others who will argue that there's absolutely nothing wrong with aluminium. Do a search on here and read what others have to say about the pros and cons of each and see which you feel more comfortable with.

 

[marubozo]

I started my all grain brewing with a basic turkey fryer kit. It worked fine, and I still use the burner, but upgraded to a bigger SS brew pot. You are fine.

 

[Fid]

EDIT: I immediately apologize for not using the search function.. guess I'm just lazy

No need for apologies. I wasn't trying to force you to use the search feature instead of asking questions, I just happened to be asking for the same advice so I thought I'd hook you up with the info that my thread had gathered. That being said, the search feature on here is top notch though and, more often than not, you can find WAY more info than you thought you needed to know on just about anything by using it.

Hope I didn't scare you away from asking questions in the future. That's what this forum is all about.

 

[CnnmnSchnpps]

Been using aluminium turkey fryer for years.. Before your first batch fill it with water and bring it to a boil to oxidize the inside of the pot (it'll be a darker color), this will prevent any chemical interactions between the alu and your wort/beer.

30 qt is just barely enough to do 6.5 gal boils but it will be very close to the top at the beginning of the boil. Not an issue if you use fermcaps thought

 

[dunnright00]

I just bought this

Bass Pro Shops® 30-Quart Propane Turkey Fryer | Bass Pro Shops
$40! Comes out to about $53 with tax & shipping to CA.

 

[hannibalsbrews]

You can find some huge pots from closed restaurants + get them super cheap. I purchased a 15 gal pot for $5 -looked new.

 

[hannibalsbrews]

Forgot to mention I also got a 4 foot stainless oar to stir my stuff w/for $5 more.

 

[cricky101]

I use the $40 bass pro turkey fryer kit too. I actually use two 30-qt pots and do brew-in-a-bag (BIAB) all-grain brewing. I mash in one (wrapped in an old sleeping bag) and use the other to dunk-sparge before combining everything in one pot and boiling as usual.

For a very minimal investment it's worked great so far!

 

[Conan]

I used to use one from WalMart, and would still if I hadn't boiled off all the water and burnt through it. It was aluminum, and cold out. We got distracted and made a huge mess. The burner and stand is still good, but I have to brew in an apartment now. I say go for it- you can at least use the pot as a hot lauter tun if you choose to go all grain later on. Kyle

 

[BrewMU]

That Bass Pro deal is a pretty basic set-up, but an awesome price, if it isn't complete junk. If you just want to start brewing, that definitely frees up some X-mas money for carboys, etc. It even comes with a thermo? Not bad.

 

[dunnright00]

So I got mine, calibrated my measure stick, and I barely got 6.5 gal to the top of the pot. I thought 30qt was 7.5 gal?

Anyhow, I wanted to test the boil-off rate and 6.5gal boiled down to less than 5gal in an hour. And that's close to the top of the pot...

Does plain water boil off faster than wort? Can I add water at the end of my boil to top off to 5 gal? If not, I guess I won't be making full 5 gal batches with this set up.

 

[Fid]

Weird that the kettle seems to be smaller than advertised... Wort seems to boil slower than water since its more dense but I'm not sure if that impacts the boil off rate. Also, if you've got wort up to the top of the pot I'd guess that boilovers are gonna be eminent. You're positive that your measuring stick is calibrated? If so, I think I'd call customer service and try to send it back. They sent you a different product than what you ordered.

 

[aberry]

I just brewed a smash blond on a turkey fryer today. It is a 30 quart also and we filled it to the brim. Used fermcap at the beginning of the rolling boil and had 6 gallons of wort at the end of a 60 minute boil. Which is exactly what we were going for. It only held 6.5 gallons total also. Your not losing your mind. We bought ours from a local hardware store for 51 bucks. They work great. We then split our batch into 3 Gallons a piece into 4.5 gallon buckets we got at the donut shop for 3 bucks a piece. Good luck brewing, its addictive!