Kettle & Chiller

[Chris]

I'm on the lookout for a brew kettle and wort chiller and could use a bit of advice.

 

I brew from extract, and have never bothered boiling the wort with some good results and only ever one total write-off. However I have decided to start boiling up so will need a kettle and chiller.

 

Now I usually brew in batches of 20-25L. How big a kettle will I need? I've seen 35L ones available, would this be OK? 

 

I also plan to brew all-grain eventually (when the girlfriend thinks it's a good use of renovation funds) - would a 35L pot be OK for that too?

 

The ones I've seen do not have taps, I have thought about investing in a pump eventually so I would need to do that I guess.

 

The pots I've seen (35L stainless) are $150 from various homebrew shops. This seems like a fair bit, can anyone suggest a cheaper source or do I just have to suck it up and pay that?

 

Lastly, a wort chilller - I realise it's possible to make your own, but does anyone know where I can get a commercial one? Just want to compare prices.

 

[Andre Jaworski]

Hi Ralph,

 

The Copper is 5/16 OD which I bought from Blackwood Paykels. I think I used about 6m of it but bought a whole roll of about 12m hence why im selling the second. 6m is plenty as I brewed o n Friday and got a wort temp of 20°C in the fermenter. 

The pump is just a cheap galley pump for a boat or caravan that I found on Trade me. 

[Ralph]

Thanks, appreciate it!

[Druid]

Sorry -  I don't have a number and unfortunately I'm not actually sure how much English the guy speaks anyway.  I take it you're not in Auckland?

[Chris]

Nah, in Palmy North. That's a bugger.

[Pilgrim]

My first pot was 56 Ltr and I got that off TradeMe. I used that for a year or so doing BIAB. I'm glad I didn't go any smaller as that is now my Mash Tun and I've got an 82 Ltr for the brew kettle. Got that from the same source.

Mike Ellwood sells wort chillers at Brewers Coop but I think they are for the 30 Ltr pots he sells. I need to make a bigger one now as the one I made for the 56 Ltr pot isn't big enough for the larger pot and 45 Ltr brews.

Hope this helps.

[Chris]

Hi, Yep have looked at Brewers Coop but I think they're the 35L that most brew shops seem to have, probably a bit small. All my fermenters are 30L so that will limit the size of brews I do but yeah I don't think I'll be going for less than 50L after hearing the advice above.

[John H]

50L +1

 

Also - my cheap BIAB bag consists on 1.5m or swiss voile from spotlight. I just tie the corners and strap with a luggage strap - no sewing required.

[Ian]

I managed to procure a 50L beer keg (legitimately from the off license too) and had the engineer put the tap in for me. It makes a splendid kettle and is nice and thick.

[Chris]

Was it expensive getting the tap put in? Just seen some 70 & 100L ones on TM thought about going down that route. Too big to use on the stove so would need to invest in a burner. Cheers

[Druid]

A local stainless fabrication shop welded 3 threaded nipples on for me - 1 on my HLT and 2 on my boil pot.  Total of $70.

 

I supplied them with the nipples.

[Ian]

Hi Chris,

  I can't remember the cost, other than that it wasn't anything staggering, and they put in a thermometer with probe at the same time and lags for it to stand comfortably  over the gas ring. I retained the top they cut out and put a plastic surround on it to use as a lid to get the boil going. It was worth it because the capacity is such that boilovers are not a consideration for the batches I do and I have a virtually bullet proof kettle of nice heavy gauge stainless steel.

[Chris]

I've been looking at the weldless valves cause I can't weld stainless, has anyone had any experience of these?