I’m kinda wary of buying some stuff online but this looks like a decent seller. Just wondering if anyone had any experience with them and if this is indeed a decent price for a 30 qt polarware brew kettle that includes valves and thermometer. Based on what I’ve found online and in person, this is way cheaper and still decent quality.
[quote]All fittings are SS weldless with 1/2" threads and high temp silicone gaskets.
30 Quart Capacity
20 gauge Stainless Steel
1/2" NPT Weldless Compact valve with 3/8" flow port
Weldless thermometer
[/quote]
I’d go with aluminum 40qt at a minimum and drill out the holes with a step bit. Then install the weld-less fittings. It’s what I did for my 80qt. The valve and thermometer are probably worth $40 alone.
Yep, full boil for 5 gallons. Used my buddy’s 7.5 gal pot for a few batches and had no problems but of course I’d have problem as soon as I got my own I’m sure. I’d love to get a bigger one, but price is a factor which is why I won’t be drilling out my own hole for the valves. $30-$40 for one bit for one hole doesn’t make much sense to me. I"m thinking about the 8 gal Heavy Duty w/ball valve and thermometer coupler welded (32 qt) on MoreBeer.com. For $159 shipped that’s not a bad deal.
+1 It’s a pricy purchase, get what you’ll need in a year or two. Full boil,trub loss, hop loss, future hopback hop loss. You could be looking at 8 gallon boils in no time- to end up with 5 gallons to drink, depending on your system. Harbor Freight has step bits for 12ish $ and lots of places less than 20$ for a kettle valve and your in business. Why waste a thermometer on your brew kettle? Great for mash tun or hlt but brew kettle-not necessary(and you’ll want a bigger mash tun for sure). Check out bayou classic for stock pots. Farmhouse brew supply also has decent $ kettles
Whelp, I finally made a decision after driving my wife crazy all week while I was searching for a kettle. Found this puppy on Amazon, there were only two left in stock. I decided to save myself some cash right now and skipped the valve. I’ll probably add a weldless one later on. Thanks for the info everyone.
Yeah, I think you’ll be happy with that one. Looks very similar to my 40-qt MegaPot that I’ve been using happily for years (and I’ve still not bothered with a valve nor a thermo).
I bought the 32-quart version (because I do 3-gallon batches) and this is a great pot. You will like it. I may add a valve to mine later on. My only problem is that it’s so well-clad that when I brew indoors, it can take a while for the boil to kick up, even on our power burner. But it cooks very evenly and is a nice-looking piece of equipment.
My wife bought me a 10 gallon SS Vollrath stockpot and cover as a BD present around 15 years ago. It was great. However, I converted a 1/2 barrel (15.5 gal) sankey keg for my brew kettle (and another for my HLT). I use a cooler for a mash tun, a la Denny Conn.
The stockpot and cover are now used as an “open” fermenter for fruit beers and meads. It is perfect for 7 gallon primary fruit fermentations. Just boil a covered inch or two of water in it for 15 minutes and it is sanitized and ready to ferment. By open fermenter I mean the cover is placed on the stockpot and the carbon dioxide blows out from under the cover - no airlock needed.
I wish I would have seen this earlier.
I could have pointed you to this:
I bought 2 of them & added weldless valves, myself.
They’re great.
If anyone else is looking for a kettle, I recommend them.
And…If you live in the Minneapolis area & need any help with your kettle drilling, pm me.
I’d be glad to help you with it.
I was terrified, on my first one.
I appreciate it though. But I don’t think I would want to be lugging around a 60 qt. pot when I only plan on doing 5 gallon batches. I really don’t see myself upgrading to 10 gallon batches anytime in the near future. But definitely great for anyone else looking. And if you ever find yourself in the Philly area, feel free to drop by and help me drill out my kettle!
I boil in a 50 liter (~54 qts) kettle and I can just barely do 10 gallon batches if I am very watchful. but something to keep in mind. yesterday I was boiling a little under 8 gallons in my kettle and I got a nice boil over even though there was still like 5+ gallons of headspace in the kettle.
I have a 40qt as well as my 80qt. One thing I found was that to do a 5 gallon AG batch you are going to boil down from at least 8 gallons. Well one may think “oh I got’s me another two gallons headspace” in my 40qt. Yeah, well the wort is almost to the top. Maybe 2" from the top. At a full boil it will leap out of the kettle and be further compounded by that there is no wiggle-room for a boil-over. Yes you can hover and add anti-foam at the critical moment but the wort will still be slopping over the edges.
If it doubles as your hot-liquor tank then you will need to fill it to the top to heat the water for the total mash, and still may be short of enough water.
yup. here I am draining my second runnings into a bucket. got the burner cranking to get up to boil on the first runnings. ‘what’s that strange sound… and that lovely caramel smell?’ look over shoulder, ‘ahh crap’ run to burner, cut gas. cleaned up okay though.
