What Brew Kettle?

[jc03]

Hello, my wife bought me the Deluxe Kit from Northern Brewer for Christmas and I need to get a brew kettle. I'm very new to the hobby but feel like it'll be something I'll pursue. That said, should I just go to Target and buy a cheap 5 gallon pot or is it worth spending a lot more to get a specialty one with a valve/thermometer and larger capacity? Thanks.

 

[andhou27]

Honestly you don't need a valve/thermometer until you start getting really invested and even then it's just an added bonus. I use the thermometer I got in my kit for boiling temps and it works just as well! I went to Bed Bath and Beyond and bought the largest stainless steel pot i could find, but target may carry them too. The most important things to look at when buying a kettle is the capacity (you want something that holds at least a couple more gallons than you expect to boil), the material and whether it looks like it will last, and make sure it comes with a lid. You want something that's going to last. Happy brewing!

 

[brewbama]

I use a stainless steel 40 quart pot with a spigot. It gives me time to react: I've yet to have a boil over in it and the spigot makes it easy to move the wort to the fermenter without picking up too much silt.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Hello, my wife bought me the Deluxe Kit from Northern Brewer for Christmas and I need to get a brew kettle. I'm very new to the hobby but feel like it'll be something I'll pursue. That said, should I just go to Target and buy a cheap 5 gallon pot or is it worth spending a lot more to get a specialty one with a valve/thermometer and larger capacity? Thanks.

If your goal is 5 gallon batches, I would suggest a 10 gallon pot. An inexpensive aluminum pot is about 50 bucks and will work fine, or you can spend a few hundred if you have the wallet. Either will serve you well IMHO. Valves, sightglasses, and thermometers mounted to a kettle are a luxury, not a necessity IMHO.

You can siphon the cooled wort out of the pot, measure volumes with a simple measuring stick, and use a handheld thermometer FWIW easily with a basic kettle. Let your budget and heart be your guide, the beer can be just as good out of a $50 pot as a $300 pot.

 

[runkelia]

I don't know man when I started I bought a super duper SS 1.2 mm thick mash tun 8 gal with thermometer and ball valve. I have never used it as a mash tun, as I got a 10 gal cooler for that. If I could do it again I would have gotten (for a boil kettle) a minimum 10 gallon pot with ball valve, no thermometer (because you're just boiling). The only benefit to getting something so small (5 gallon) would be if you ended up doing AG later, maybe you could use it to heat up your sparge water. Other than that, too small.
EDIT: although the thermometer is nice to know where you're at when you're cooling your wort.

 

[jc03]

Thanks everyone. I'm leaning towards a 44 qt Bayou Classic stainless pot. It's less than $90 on Amazon with free shipping.

 

[danorocks17]

I use a 40 qt aluminum stock pot I got online at Sams club for like 65 bucks. very heavy duty pot, worth every penny. If you can get your hands on a sams club membership or know someone who has one, i'd suggest that.

 

[Hello]

In another thread someone recommended a pot on eBay. I got that for Christmas (15 gallon) and for another $25 the bulkhead and valve were included. The top hole will be equipped with a thermometer from Brewhardware.com and then there's a dip tube instead, also from brewhardware.com that angles down to the bottom of the kettle. At that size, lifting even 5 gallons of hot wort to transfer seemed like a disaster waiting to happen. a valve was really necessary in my opinion.

Based on my Christmas morning assessment, it's a nice kettle and will serve me well. I haven't used it because I had to ship it from my family's home to my home. It'll be here tomorrow and I hope to brew sunday.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/13102917304...eName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

 

[jc03]

I'm back to square one. My stovetop is induction and an aluminum pot won't work. I contacted Bayou Classic and the stainless steel version on amazon won't work either. Does anyone have experience with this?

 

[runkelia]

I'm back to square one. My stovetop is induction and an aluminum pot won't work. I contacted Bayou Classic and the stainless steel version on amazon won't work either. Does anyone have experience with this?

Yes - you need a propane burner.
Here is the one I have.
http://morebeer.com/products/burner-camp-chef-cooker-60000-btu.html

 

[LordUlrich]

I started with a turkey fryer. Usually they are 7-8 gallons and come with a burner. I even got one with a spigot. Mine was about $60 for the set. Now I use it as a HLT. This is about the right time to get one too, you might find a store trying to clearance them out.