New to All Grain - Brew Kettle Recommendation Needed

CornyKegs 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
S

StLouBrew

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2013
Messages
152
Reaction score
28
Location
St. Louis
Come hell or high water this Saturday, I'm doing my first all grain batch. I've got my converted Igloo 10 gal MLT leak tested and ready to go. The only additional upgrade I need is on the brew kettle. I'm thinking I should probably get something with a 9 gal capacity (brewing 5 or 5.5 gal batches). While I'd love to go all out and get a top of the line Blichmann... I don't think I'm going to get "clearance from the tower" on that.

So... what features are most helpful?

Cheers :mug:
 
For full boils, you have about 7.5 gallons pre-boil volume. A 9 gallon pot would probably work. 10 gallons is better.

Get something that is easy to move and store and also fits your burner (if you are using propane).
 
I have an 8-gallon aluminum tamale steamer. It works, but barely. Get something bigger. I'd recommend at least 10-gallon. My kettle is completely feature-less, so I can't help you there. You want something that doesn't leak or melt. :)
 
What kind of coin are you gonna get "clearance " for?

The answer will help guide us to the best response.

I personally think that Bayou Classic 40 or 44 quart (10-11 gallon) on Amazon is a great option.
Think mine was around $80 and I stuck about $30 in hardware (3pc ball valve and dip tube)


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
+1 aluminum tamale steamer here... 10G... Lets me do 6G BIAB batches 8-9G w/ 12ish lbs of grain. I scored mine from Smart n Final for $20.... I've also seen them for that price at some Mexican markets here in SoCal.

Also check homebrewfinds... He often has some kettle deals listed. Definitely get at least a 10G if possible. You'll thank yourself later.
 
The few dollars you try and save now will cost you double or triple later. Folks tried to tell me that in the beginning but I didn't listen.

I have (1) 16qt, (2) 20qt & (1) 40qt. Now I'm in the market for an 80qt...

For AG/full boil 5.5 gal batches, go with a 40qt. You won't regret it.

Concord has a good product for fair price. If you want to save some money and you are a bit of a DIY'er, buy a solid pot, drill your holes and mount your weldless ball valve & maybe a thermometer.

Let us know if/when you accomplish your first AG.

Good luck! :mug:
 
jbb3 said:
The few dollars you try and save now will cost you double or triple later. Folks tried to tell me that in the beginning but I didn't listen.

I have (1) 16qt, (2) 20qt & (1) 40qt. Now I'm in the market for an 80qt...

For AG/full boil 5.5 gal batches, go with a 40qt. You won't regret it.

Concord has a good product for fair price. If you want to save some money and you are a bit of a DIY'er, buy a solid pot, drill your holes and mount your weldless ball valve & maybe a thermometer.

Let us know if/when you accomplish your first AG.

Good luck! :mug:
Click to expand...
Here's your 80 quart, 98 bucks: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...2&tag=viglink23769-20&linkId=SJZBKP5IW355V5XP
 
I would be considering pots of 40qt and up. While smaller may work, that size leaves enough space to be comfortable, at least for me. I think the bayou classic is a good value, and I would spend the extra $15 and go with the 62qt.

Get a valve, and bulkhead, and drill the pot. I think Bargain Fittings is even having a sale now, so that's the route I would go (and what I did when faced with the same question).
 
HOLD ON, PEOPLE!!!

Your recommendations are all over the board. Let's get a little more scientific on this. First off, how much do you have to spend on the pot? Send half of that to me (consultation fee) and I'll give you a solid recommendation based on what I can make work.

A lot of what size of pot you need is based on how good you are at controlling the heat source during the boil and especially at hot break. I think I'm really good at it so I don't boil off a lot of water during the boil and I can keep from boiling over the hot break. You may not be so good. I've seen people post about boiling off 2 gallons on a 5 gallon batch while I only lose about half a gallon. Quite a difference! I can manage a 5 gallon batch in a 7 1/2 gallon pot but you may not be able to do that and need a 15 gallon pot.

One person says get a valve. Good idea if you can't manage lifting an pouring 5 1/2 gallons of wort. That would weight about 44 pounds plus the weight of the pot. If you can't handle that much weight, how are you going to carry your 50 pound sack of grain?
 
I think 15 gallons will allow you to handle just about anything. You can do 5 gallon 60 min or 90 min boils as well as 10 gallon boils if you ever decide to ramp it up.

Pick up a valve and a sight glass and you're good to go.

I recommend AL pots because they are significantly cheaper, but that's up to your wallet.
 
RM-MN said:
HOLD ON, PEOPLE!!!
A lot of what size of pot you need is based on how good you are at controlling the heat source during the boil and especially at hot break. I think I'm really good at it so I don't boil off a lot of water during the boil and I can keep from boiling over the hot break.
Click to expand...

I have been told a hard boil and a quick cool down help to drop particulates out of the wort which help to clarify the beer. Do you not believe that? Or are you just more concerned with conserving water?
 
RM-MN said:
HOLD ON, PEOPLE!!!

Your recommendations are all over the board. Let's get a little more scientific on this. First off, how much do you have to spend on the pot? Send half of that to me (consultation fee) and I'll give you a solid recommendation based on what I can make work.

A lot of what size of pot you need is based on how good you are at controlling the heat source during the boil and especially at hot break. I think I'm really good at it so I don't boil off a lot of water during the boil and I can keep from boiling over the hot break. You may not be so good. I've seen people post about boiling off 2 gallons on a 5 gallon batch while I only lose about half a gallon. Quite a difference! I can manage a 5 gallon batch in a 7 1/2 gallon pot but you may not be able to do that and need a 15 gallon pot.

One person says get a valve. Good idea if you can't manage lifting an pouring 5 1/2 gallons of wort. That would weight about 44 pounds plus the weight of the pot. If you can't handle that much weight, how are you going to carry your 50 pound sack of grain?
Click to expand...

I used to boil 4 gallons in a 5 gallon pot. It was a PITA. Sure, it can be done. I don't recommend it.

I always recommend getting a BK twice the size of what you want to brew because of upward compatibility. You can more easily convert it to a MT or HLT if you ever want to step up in volume.

And yon't have to lift and pour 5 gallons or have a valve if you have a siphon.
 
jbb3 said:
I have been told a hard boil and a quick cool down help to drop particulates out of the wort which help to clarify the beer. Do you not believe that? Or are you just more concerned with conserving water?
Click to expand...

I've been told a lot of things about brewing that someone thinks is true but may not be. The hard boil and quick cool down may help but time does the same thing. I get clear beer but maybe not as quickly. That doesn't bother me because I have enough beer bottled to last me 6 months and another couple batches in the pipeline.

I'll bet you've been told that you need to mash for an hour too. I'm getting just as good results from a 20 minute mash.:p To do that, I need to mill my grains finer than most LHBS will.

I've been told that 10 days is plenty in the fermenter but my beer seems to taste much better with a month in the fermenter.
 
Beernik said:
I used to boil 4 gallons in a 5 gallon pot. It was a PITA. Sure, it can be done. I don't recommend it.

I always recommend getting a BK twice the size of what you want to brew because of upward compatibility. You can more easily convert it to a MT or HLT if you ever want to step up in volume.

And yon't have to lift and pour 5 gallons or have a valve if you have a siphon.
Click to expand...

I'll recommend that too, as soon as I get my consultation fee.:D
 
also note that a 10 gallon pot does not really give 10 gallons of "capacity"

If I fill mine right to the very rim - on a level surface ( not on a slightly tilted burner )
I can't get 10 gallons in...... 10 gallons runs over the sides
Most I can get in 9.75 gallons without a leak, mishap, on my burner.

Sometimes going bigger is better

I would have loved to have bought a 12 gallon pot

my 2 cents
 
If you search amazon for aluminum stock pots by the Thunder Group, you can often find good deals on a rather substantial aluminum pot. The one I got a while back (15 gal), although it came without a lid is almost 1/4 inch thick. The SS pot I bout recently is far thinner. Both work great, SS costs more.

I would agree with the buy a much bigger pot than you think you need. The 15 gallon pot for 5 gallon batches was overkill and just barely enough for a 10 gallon batch, but I have on one occastion had it boilover. It works great as a hot liquor tank now though for my 10 gallon batches.
 
Wow, never realized kettle size was such a hot topic. Here are my real life experiences. I use this aluminimum 40qt pot for my boils. It's about the cheapest 10 gal pot of decent quality your going to find. I've been using it for 2 years without a site glass, built-in thermometer, or ball valve just fine. I've made award winning beers with it.

In this pot I need to start my boil with 7 gal for a 5 gal batch. At a decent rolling boil I need to watch for boil-overs at the beginning of the boil and every time I add hops. I will inevitable have at least one boil-over. You can do a slow boil in a smaller pot, but that is a whole 'nother debate for a different thread. There are two serious disadvantages in addition to boil-overs to a 10 gal pot: 1. You can't do a 10 gal batch. 2. You can't do a 2+ hour boil (and end with a 5 gal batch).

Before you say I'll never do any of these, chances are if you stick to this great hobby you will eventually encounter a situation where you will want a bigger pot.

Now, if I were to do it today, I would absolutely, no questions asked, save for an extra month, and get a 15 gallon pot. Here is one I've had my eye on. The extra capacity will be very useful in catching boil overs before they go over the side and allow me to do the occasional 10gal batch or two hour boil. Hope this helps.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Beernik said:
I always recommend getting a BK twice the size of what you want to brew because of upward compatibility. You can more easily convert it to a MT or HLT if you ever want to step up in volume.
Click to expand...

I plan to covert my 10 gal BK to an HLT (add a sight glass) and purchase a 20 gal BK to step up to 10 gal batches. :ban:
 
JayDubWill said:
Wow, never realized kettle size was such a hot topic. Here are my real life experiences. I use this aluminimum 40qt pot for my boils. It's about the cheapest 10 gal pot of decent quality your going to find. I've been using it for 2 years without a site glass, built-in thermometer, or ball valve just fine. I've made award winning beers with it.

In this pot I need to start my boil with 7 gal for a 5 gal batch. At a decent rolling boil I need to watch for boil-overs at the beginning of the boil and every time I add hops. I will inevitable have at least one boil-over. You can do a slow boil in a smaller pot, but that is a whole 'nother debate for a different thread. There are two serious disadvantages in addition to boil-overs to a 10 gal pot: 1. You can't do a 10 gal batch. 2. You can't do a 2+ hour boil (and end with a 5 gal batch).

Before you say I'll never do any of these, chances are if you stick to this great hobby you will eventually encounter a situation where you will want a bigger pot.

Now, if I were to do it today, I would absolutely, no questions asked, save for an extra month, and get a 15 gallon pot. Here is one I've had my eye on. The extra capacity will be very useful in catching boil overs before they go over the side and allow me to do the occasional 10gal batch or two hour boil. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

I started with that same 10 gallon pot for my boil kettle and it worked fine...i've since upgraded to the same bayou classic kettle you linked and love it... my 10 gallon pot has been re-purposed as my HLT, so I still use it every brew day.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
RM-MN said:
One person says get a valve. Good idea if you can't manage lifting an pouring 5 1/2 gallons of wort. That would weight about 44 pounds plus the weight of the pot. If you can't handle that much weight, how are you going to carry your 50 pound sack of grain?
Click to expand...

A 50 lb sack of grain and a 50 lb pot full sloshing liquid that needs to be poured in a controlled manner are completely different animals.

The best purchase I made was valves. They made draining my pot easier, and if you add a dip tube, you can keep break material out of your fermenter.
 
+ 1 on the recommendations of Bayou Classic.

I bought the 16 gallon from my LHBS. I got the one with the ball valve and thermometer included, but I paid a bit more than they are on Amazon. The basic ones linked above without the accessories are the way to go IMO, it's easy to add those things later.
 
RM-MN said:
I've seen people post about boiling off 2 gallons on a 5 gallon batch while I only lose about half a gallon.
Click to expand...

You sure you're boiling and not simmering or less? Seems you're either changing physics itself or are using a 6" diameter kettle. I've never heard of a 60 minute rolling boil only losing 1/2 gallon. And in the grand scheme of things it's just water vapor, doesn't matter how much you save as long as you're hitting your expected volumes.

RM-MN said:
IOne person says get a valve. Good idea if you can't manage lifting an pouring 5 1/2 gallons of wort. That would weight about 44 pounds plus the weight of the pot. If you can't handle that much weight, how are you going to carry your 50 pound sack of grain?
Click to expand...

A pot of liquid and a sack of grains are two completely different things. Sacks of grain for one are far more stable than moving liquid. Secondly, you're not pouring 50 lbs of grain into a small diameter opening like most fermenters. Valves just make the most sense no matter which way you paint it.


Rev.
 
b-boy said:
A 50 lb sack of grain and a 50 lb pot full sloshing liquid that needs to be poured in a controlled manner are completely different animals.

The best purchase I made was valves. They made draining my pot easier, and if you add a dip tube, you can keep break material out of your fermenter.
Click to expand...

I agree valves, pumps, counterflow chillers, etc., are all great additions...if you have the money and know you'll be brewing for years to come. For someone starting out though I would say these are luxury items. I hardly lift my pot at all once it's on the burner and have never needed to pour from it. I drain my MLT directly into the pot and chill using an immersion chiller. I then transfer the wort to a carboy using an autosiphon. Easy day.
 
Just ordered these items to get back to basic all grain brewing after selling my "fancy" brew rig. Roughly $250 to do a pretty high gravity 5 gallon brew. if I have a desire for 10 gallon batches I have access to a cut up keggle.

10 gallon kettle
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FNLTCU/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Weldless ball valve
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JHMRH2Q/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Burner
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009JXYQ4/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

and I have $60 into a cooler like this for a mash tun
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000G64I1A/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
 
Last edited by a moderator:
For what its worth after all the suggestions, I do 5gal BIAB batches in an 8gal 2-weld pot I purchased from Adventures in Homebrewing. It has a temp gauge and ball valve which are ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY IMO. I can pick the thing up full, but bringing it to shoulder height and gently setting on the stove/counter is pretty much impossible alone.

I've used it over 70 times in the past year and its holding up great. I might advise springing for 10gal since my brews which clock in at 10% are pretty much at the top of the kettle at mashing.

Though those 8-10 gal Megapot on sale at NB look to be more robust. I'd recommend that since they are $50 off. Definitely worth it to go All-Grain
 
Big time thanks to all that have posted :rockin: Here are my take-aways:

  • Size matters.. I'm now leaning toward a 15 gal pot
  • I want a valve... now the big question is buying one that has it installed or do I go DIY? The notion of drilling a hole into something I just shelled out some decent coin to get makes me nervous, but I'm reasonably handy.
  • I also want a volume gauge. Since I don't plan on using this as a MLT or HLT, I'd take that over a thermometer. Again... how difficult/risky is the DIY route?
  • As with everything else in brewing... patience. As much as I'd love to crank out an all grain batch this weekend, I should think this through and make sure I get someting I'm going to be happy with over the long haul.
  • Barter anyone?? I have a TON of Southwest miles. If anyone would like to trade a good 15 gal brew kettle for a round trip flight... lemme know
 
If money is tight, get the pot without the thermometer or valve and add them when you have the funds. All you need is a drill and a step bit for drilling stainless.

And a valve may mean that you also need a dip tube. I'm in the process of installing one in my keggle. If I don't add a dip tube, I'll leave almost 2 gallons behind in the dome below the valve.
 
I used a 30qt aluminum stock pot for a while, which worked but i needed to have fermcaps on hand at all times. I upgraded to a heavy duty aluminum pot from Sams Club that cost about 65 bucks. Go with a 10 gal pot for sure.
 
StLouBrew said:
Big time thanks to all that have posted :rockin: Here are my take-aways:

  • Size matters.. I'm now leaning toward a 15 gal pot
  • I want a valve... now the big question is buying one that has it installed or do I go DIY? The notion of drilling a hole into something I just shelled out some decent coin to get makes me nervous, but I'm reasonably handy.
  • I also want a volume gauge. Since I don't plan on using this as a MLT or HLT, I'd take that over a thermometer. Again... how difficult/risky is the DIY route?
  • As with everything else in brewing... patience. As much as I'd love to crank out an all grain batch this weekend, I should think this through and make sure I get someting I'm going to be happy with over the long haul.
  • Barter anyone?? I have a TON of Southwest miles. If anyone would like to trade a good 15 gal brew kettle for a round trip flight... lemme know
Click to expand...

DIY is easy and cheap.

You can get a weldless kits for a valve and sightglass at bargainfittings.com or brewhardware.com. I have several. They were easy to install and I've never had a leak in 3 years. I have thermometers too. I barely use them.

All you need is a drill, a step bit, drilling oil, and the will to punch a big hole into something you just bought.
 
b-boy said:
DIY is easy and cheap.



You can get a weldless kits for a valve and sightglass at bargainfittings.com or brewhardware.com. I have several. They were easy to install and I've never had a leak in 3 years. I have thermometers too. I barely use them.



All you need is a drill, a step bit, drilling oil, and the will to punch a big hole into something you just bought.
Click to expand...


Agree with the above and second the brewhardware.com bump.
BobbyM is a member here and I have never had an issue with his stuff and his customer service is phenomenal.

I have a ball valve, bulkhead and 90 degree elbow installed in my kettle with no problems. He even has a series of YouTube videos that take you step by step to the correct drilling of a kettle.

As far sight glass are concerned, I chose not to because it is one extra item on the outside of the kettle and it just makes me nervous about snapping it off.

I prefer to use a plastic dowel that has graduated markings in half gallon increments that I custom made for my kettles.

YMMV


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
I had sight glasses in my HLT and BK on my B10 setup and liked them, no issues. This new "basic setup" will only have a ball valve, maybe a thermometer. I made a sight glass last night out of a spare piece of a dowel I use on my hop spider. Obviously I am in K.I.S.S. mode
 

Similar threads

ghettoworm
Leaky Mash Tun
Replies
20
Views
869
Bobby_M
Bobby_M
spacey
First Time All Grain Brewing Mistake
Replies
13
Views
729
Bobby_M
Bobby_M
S
Going from my old, simple set up to something more "modern", opinions?
Replies
16
Views
1K
JeffersonCoastal
JeffersonCoastal
A
New K-RIMS System question
Replies
10
Views
937
Genuine
Genuine
hilljack13
Equipment profile..G40
Replies
0
Views
545
hilljack13
hilljack13
InkBird 300

Latest posts

Back
Top