What Makes A Good Brew Kettle?

[Skarekrough]

I've been using one of the big old Turkey Fryers for awhile and done well with them. The thought has always been to upgrade to SS when a goof feal for one came along.

This past week while out I noticed a very large stainless steel "stock pot" style pot on the shelf for a decent price.

I snapped it up.

I keep on looking at it and thinking twice. It's about 8 gallons worth of pot but it more wide than it is tall.

This could be a good thing since with my tall pot I tended not to be able to stir enough and would consistently have burns on the bottom, some which required sandpaper to remove.

However I never had to be concerned about a boil over.

So I'm kind of confounded as to what to do. It's not designed for brewing and doesn't have a thermometer or a valve. And by the time I add a weldless one I'm pretty close to one of the kettles designed for brewing.

What say the masses?

 

[buzzkill]

a wide pot will soak up more BTU's from the flame/burner, but you get more evaporation. the best pot is not to tall or to wide,but mostly thick walled so it will last you forever. anything smaller than 8 gals is no good for full boils. 10 gals is even better. a valve can be added anytime. I have used my keggle for well over a year and I still dont have a valve on it. Dont blow your money on some super thin pot that will not last.

 

[mikeysab]

I bought a 60 qt pot that is wider than it is tall. I haven't used it yet, but I think it will work just fine. It's made of 6 mm thick aluminum, and this thing is built like a tank. It doesn't taper down in thickness, and it's sturdy as a mo fo. I figure if it's sturdy, and big enough to expand my brewery in the future, then it's perfect. I always boiled off 2 gallons in an hour with my 32 qt turkey fryer pot. So we'll see how much I boil off now.

 

[Zamial]

If you are on a burner outside, IMO, I say make a keggle. I love mine...

 

[Skarekrough]

If you are on a burner outside, IMO, I say make a keggle. I love mine...

Actually I brew inside on an electric stone.

I do have a spot that I might consider trying outside but it seems like such a hassle to move it all outdoors.