Where to get a cheapish 5 gallon pot?

[sportscrazed2]

I just ordered my brewing starter kit after lots of research from northern brewer but it doesn't come with a 5 gallon pot. anyone know of a good place to get one?

 

[wacko]

stay on craigslist looking for turkey fryers, or milk jugs or boil pots.

 

[drycreek]

I bought a 5 gal stainless kettle from my local grocery store for around $22. You could also check on Amazon, and you should get free shipping if it's over $25.

 

[sportscrazed2]

i have amazon prime will check that out. and a turkey fryer won't work well indoors will it?

 

[kpr121]

i have amazon prime will check that out. and a turkey fryer won't work well indoors will it?

No but if you can get the whole kit and kaboodle for under 25, you can just use the kettle.

Until your SWMBO kicks you out of the kitchen and you have to brew in the backyard! Then you have your burner already!
(FWIW, my SWMBO did not kick me out of the kitchen. I volunteered to brew on the back patio. Gives me a place to smoke my cigars in peace!)

 

[sportscrazed2]

allright any suggestions what I make for a first batch? I want something that I can't screw up and that will at least be drinkable. favorite beers include english brown ales(newcastle and samuel smith, english ipa, oatmeal stout, any pale ale.

 

[kpr121]

I say pick a kit from a good homebrew website or LHBS if you have a good one near you. I would try a nice pale ale like THIS I have ordered every one of my kits from AHS, except for a Brewers Best Pale Ale that was ok but not as good as the link above would be.

 

[logan3825]

allright any suggestions what I make for a first batch? I want something that I can't screw up and that will at least be drinkable. favorite beers include english brown ales(newcastle and samuel smith, english ipa, oatmeal stout, any pale ale.

This question gets asked a lot. Look around and find something with a starting gravity around 1.040 or a little lower. Don't be afraid of specialty grains. All you do is soak them in hot water. Something with lower gravity will give you a pretty quick turn around.

 

[sportscrazed2]

there is a homebrew shop about half hour away. I wonder if there in store prices are cheaper than their online prices. I am starting to wish I ordered a kit from northern brewer in the same order as my equipment so I wouldn't have to pay shipping twice. I like northern brewer because of all the user reviews. Shipping from Texas to Indiana would probably be pretty expensive right?

 

[kpr121]

AHS has 7.99 flat shipping, or free shipping on orders over 100 bucks. I frequently find myself ordering 3 kits plus some other equipment just to get the free shipping. Brilliant marketing....

Plus they have stainless pots!

 

[sportscrazed2]

northern is $8 shipping no matter what and you can download the pdf to view the instructions before ordering. morebeer.com has free shipping over $50 but not as good of selection

 

[Number68]

i ordered a "bayou classic" turkey frier setup for my kettle, even though it's aluminum i haven't had any problems with it yet.

and I second getting a kit from a LHBS, my first was an extract w/ specialty grains amber ale, and it came out great

 

[fineexampl]

If you have a Walmart or 10, i bought my 6gal brewpot there for about $30-40. Stainless pot with strong handles and a THICK aluminum core base. I drilled it out and added a valve and love the hell out of it.

 

[Number68]

If you have a Walmart or 10, i bought my 6gal brewpot there for about $30-40. Stainless pot with strong handles and a THICK aluminum core base. I drilled it out and added a valve and love the hell out of it.

that's something i need to get for my next pot... a valve

 

[fineexampl]

that's something i need to get for my next pot... a valve

I got the KettleValve and KettleScreen combo. It's real nice and sturdy too, IMO. I added a barb attachment to the front, but other than that it was ready to go out of the package once your drill it out and debur. My buddy at work did it in about 2min with a drill press and a step bit.

 

[jafo28]

+1 for the walmart route. I got my first brew kettle there, a 22qt stainless stockpot. It's actually fairly heavy for the forty bucks I paid. I'm getting ready to switch to all grain so I had to upgrade, but I got a kettlevalve for it and am going to use it as my HLT.

 

[fineexampl]

+1 for the walmart route. I got my first brew kettle there, a 22qt stainless stockpot. It's actually fairly heavy for the forty bucks I paid. I'm getting ready to switch to all grain so I had to upgrade, but I got a kettlevalve for it and am going to use it as my HLT.

Consider a finer screen if you go that route. The kettlevalve lets a lot of debris through. Keeps hop leaves out though.

 

[mr_bell]

allright any suggestions what I make for a first batch? I want something that I can't screw up and that will at least be drinkable. favorite beers include english brown ales(newcastle and samuel smith, english ipa, oatmeal stout, any pale ale.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, a session strength english brown, extract with specialty grains is forgiving and simple to brew, so I would recommend that.

My favorite site for kits is Austin Home Brew--great selection. Northern Brewer is a close second.

Found this on promo at AHS http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_452_42_170&products_id=12602

 

[BlackBearForge]

If you have a Sam's Club nearby it might pay to check them out. I bought a commercial grade 16 qt. aluminum stock pot there for about $26 and they have another one which is 24 qt. for around $32, I already wish I had bough the bigger one! These are nice heavy grade aluminum, with walls about 3/16" thick.

 

[drycreek]

Another vote for the AHS kits. If you like pale ales, their Sierra Nevada kit that someone else already linked is a good choice. One of my friends brewed it and it turned out really well, so I currently have my own sitting in the secondary.

I also have their Newcastle brown ale waiting to brew and I've heard good things about it. Will probably take care of that one sometime next week.