The Best brew kettle for Homebrewing
As you know brewing at home is a fascinating experience and we can taste quality homemade beer. It is very important to buy reliable brew kettles, as it decides quality of beer you get after brewing. Do not go for cheap brewing kettles as you may miss some important features that come in really hand when you are making beer by yourself. As it is one time investment, consider buying top quality brewing kettles. After researching and testing for 28 hours, we have shortlisted below 5 best brew kettles in the market. Check Top selling brew kettles in Amazon.
Comparison chart
Brewing Kettle Reviews
Read reviews of bayou classic brewing kettle, megapot 1.2, tallboy and many other brands below. Check ultimate guide to buy the best beer making kit.
Tall Boy Home brewing pot 10 Gallon / 40 Quart
This is top rated product in Amazon and best brewing kettle with 10 gallon capacity.
Tall Boy Home Brewing Kettle perfectly suitable for 5 or 6 gallon batches.
If you want to go for Brew-In-A-Bag methods it has plenty of space and you can easily use even with All-Grain system.
Its key feature includes 4mm thick tri-clad bottom which helps to stop bullets and prevent scorching.
It is specially designed with Height to diameter ratio of 1.2:1 as per Brew scientists standards.
This brewing pot optimizes boil performance and reduces evaporation losses.
It is manufactured by Northern Brewer with dimensions of 13.3″ Wide by 16″ Tall and weighs 17.35 pounds.
Pros:
Good for 5-6 gallon batches.
Easy to clean.
Because of heavy bottom no scorching.
Walls are 1mm thick.
Cons:
As of now no cons complained by customers.
Bayou Classic – Best 10 gallon brew kettle
Bayou Classic 10-gallon brew kettle is perfectly suitable for all-Grain Home Brewer’s. Its key feature includes tri-ply bottom with domed lid which helps even heating and fights against scorching, stainless Spigot with Ball Valve, side-mount 3-inch in-built Thermometer can measure from 60 to 220 degrees. It is manufactured with stainless False Bottom that keeps 3.25 Inch above from the bottom of the pot and a tube shaped Filter Screen. Bulkhead fittings give advantage of easy attachment of thermometer and spigot for a water-tight seal. Accurate water level setting can be easily achieved with side calibration measuring in gallon. It is designed with narrow diameter and high side walls, so that there will be less chance of boil overs.
Bayou Classic also available in other sizes like 15, 16 and 20 gallons. This is the best brew kettle for the money.
Its dimensions are 15.6 x 15.6 x 19.5 inches and weighs only 15.7 pounds.
Pros:
Well built with quality Ball valve and fitting.
Made from good quality stainless steel never had a scorch or burn.
Can be used as a mash tun.
Cons:
The ball valve will be little stiff.
Little bit of assembly required, you can do with instruction manual.
CONCORD – The Best 20 gallon brew kettle
Concord manufactures all sizes of 10, 15, 20, 25, 40 and 45 gallon brew kettles.
All accessories of this brew pot are made of high quality 304 Stainless Steel and Fully Polished. You can carry with help of lid which is hanging on the side of kettle.
It is easy to clean all parts since those are not welded.
It featured with Ball Valve and built-in Thermometer for easy measurement of temperature while heating. The Size of 40 Quart Brew Kettle is14″ Width x 15.5″ Height.
Pros:
It will be great for bigger batches.
Made of quality stainless steel.
Great value for the money.
Cons:
Some customers complained the thermometer was fitted without the calibration. Now concord taken care of issue by placing calibrated one in new models.
If not assembled properly, the brew kettle may leak. Proper care should be taken while installing, otherwise it may leak.
8 Gallon brew kettle (32 Quart Capacity)
This 8 gallon (32 Quart Capacity) brew pot is manufactured by Learn To Brew LLC. It was made with strong 304 Stainless Steel with good thickness and perfectly suitable for to boil 5 gallon batches of wort. It has two handles, a lid, and a re-enforced triple layer bottom. All accessories are made from quality steel including thermometer and 1/2 inch SS valve.
It uses only food-grade 304 stainless steel for boiling wort. Thermometer and valve are welded to prevent leaking and lid. Dimensions are 15 x 15 x 12 inches and weighs 3.8 pounds. You can check nice guide on choosing top wort chillers brands.
Pros:
Very thick bottom with even cooling.
Weld quality is very good and lasts for many years.
Perfect for five gallon all grain batches and no chance of boil overs.
Cons:
It may leak if not installed properly (if ball valve and thermometer not attached correctly). You may have to buy washers to stop leaking.
Megapot 1.2 review-Best 15 gallon brew kettle
This is manufactured by NorthernBrewer and available in 8, 10, 15, 20 and gallon capacities. Here we are reviewing megapot 1.2 of 15 gallons (60 quarts / 56.7 liters) capacity. All parts are designed using stainless Steel and have 4mm Tri-Clad Bottom. The dimensions are 15.7 x 15.7 x 18.3 inches and weigh around 29.65 pounds. Another good feature is markings are given inside kit indicating volume of wort.
Pros:
This is professional quality brew pot with great finishing.
Thick clad bottom which distributes the heat evenly.
Very strong built (good sturdy) with quality stainless steel.
Cons:
It may leak due to gasket mechanisms used for the spout and the thermometer. Buy washers and sealant to stop leakage.
Things to consider while buying best homebrew kettle
In order to get benefited from investment on homebrew kettle, you should consider your present and future needs of brewing. Check the guide on how to brew beer without kit?
1.Budget
You have to balance budget with features you need. If you did not have enough budgets do not go for cheaper or smaller kettle better wait till you save money to get bigger brew pot. It is painful to buy another one if it did not suits your need in terms of size and features.
2.What size brew kettle should I buy?
You have to choose volume of brewing pot based on how much gallon batch of beer you are brewing and also on future brewing needs. You have to choose to bigger volume for the full amount of the boil plus some head space to prevent overflows.
Don’t compromise on investing when it comes to in volume. As it may seems 8 gallon kettle is cheaper than the 15 gallon one. But after some time you may decide to brew for ten gallon batches and finally you have to buy second kettle which is waste of money for your 1st kettle.
What size brew pot for 5 gallon batch?
If you are mash brewer making 5 gallon batches then you need to boil 3-5 gallons of wort. You need 8 gallon brew kettle.
Brew kettle size for 10 gallon batch:
If you brew ten gallon batches, we recommend buying a 15 gallon kettle. So, with a 15-gallon kettle, you can comfortably boil 12 gallons of wort and still have head space to help prevent boil overflows.
3. Aluminum or Stainless Steel?
Brew pots are made from Aluminum and Stainless Steel. Stainless steel is the best material for a kettle, it is expensive and aluminum is less expensive and it is lighter.
We recommend you to buy Stainless steel brew kettle as it is durable. Aluminum brew pots forms oxide layer after some usage, where frequent cleaning is required and also you no need to buy special cleaners for it.
4. Features
We always suggest going for 15 gallon size or more so that you can make 12 gallons of beer. Also keep in mind to purchase kettle constructed from thick high quality stainless steel with with ball valve, in-built thermometer and option to convert to a mash tun. Although these features are not must for making beer but gives extreme convenience.
Conclusion:
Selecting the right brewing kettle in the end is to check whether it is meeting your own needs or not.
Always think about the features that are most important to you and also what you want to brew. Do you have plan to go for all-grain or Brew-in-a-bag or a three-tier system or electric?
Don’t buy your kettle based on only on how you are brewing now. Buy your kettle based on how you are brewing in the future (like how much quantity of beer you want to brew at a time) , because kettle will have long life. Read reviews and Top selling brew kettles in Amazon.