Downgrading MT/Boil Kettle

[Dfitz]

I've been working on components putting together my eHERMs system. Unfortunately I have an expensive daughter pillaging my savings. I've already built the controller using Kal's Electric Brewery spec for a control panel.

I'm considering cutting into 2 of my 1/2 barrel kegs to make a mash tun and boiler. I've already built my HLT using an aluminum 100qt stock pot. My original plan was to use two 100qt stock pots to build the MLT and boil kettle. This way I could brew up 1/2 barrel at a time.

Using my kegs will lower a brew to probably 10 gal. max but it will also make 5 gal. batches more manageable. I will still have 1 keg for fermentation.

So, knowing all this would you pull the pin and cut up the kegs freeing up $400 for other components or hold out and wait for a cleaner application using the stock pots.

Do the kegs really do justice to the $$ I've put into this system already?

 

[Homercidal]

You will probably get differing opinions from others, but here is my take since I'm currently (kind of) building a similar system.

I think that cutting kegs is FINE considering their cost and they do work. HOWEVER, having done that myself I really wish I had gone with kettles instead. I just think kettles are cleaner looking, easier to clean, can get the element lower, etc.

That said, the kegs will work fine and you can very likely get more for them later if you replace them with kettles, than you put into them.

So if saving $400 now is important, I'd seriously consider doing it and worrying about "upgrading" to something nicer later. And who knows, maybe you will never want to upgrade. Many people use repurposed kegs in their systems and think they are the bee's knees.

Pro Tip: polishing the kegs is pretty cheap and can *really* improve the visual aspect of a used keg...