I am looking to upgrade my equipment and I definitely want a kettle. I am thinking a 10 gallon, but beyond that, I am not sure what to get. I know that NB has the Megapot 1.2 on sale right now, but wanted to get some ideas before pulling the trigger. Is that a good pot and will it last a long time? Should I be looking at a bigger size? I am going to be mainly brewing 5 gallon batches. Any and all feedback is appreciated.
Cheers!
I have the Mega Pot and love it! I actually took the thermometer out and plugged the hole (they will give you the hardware for that) because it interferes with my immersion chiller. Other than that it is a rugged pot and a really good value. With $50 off $209 is a solid price for the 10 gallon pot. One down side is the ball valve sits a little high so I typically do not use it.
You can get a 10 gallon Mega Pot without the thermometer and ball valve for $109 with the promo code too.
I have the Megapot 1.0 so I can’t speak directly to the 1.2 version. That being said I really like my 15 gallon Megapot. I liked the clad bottom when I was brewing on propane, now that I brew electric that is less of a benefit and actually the added weight becomes a detriment. I also have a 10 gallon Bayou classic that I purchased when I made the switch to electric. I use the 10 gallon pot for 5 gallon batches and the 15 gallon pot for 10 gallon batches. I started out like you brewing mostly 5 gallon batches but lately I’ve been brewing more 10 gallon batches. Size wise the 10 and 15 gallon pots are very similar so if you think your going to brew some 10 gallon batches, I’d fork out the extra $50 for the 15 gallon pot.
I have an original Blichmann Boilermaker and a V2 Spike kettle (both 10g). Both are good kettles, but I really like the Spike. Welded fittings are awesome, and the placement of the ports (lower) are an improvement over the Blichmann. The V2 kettles are currently 25% off. If you can wait until Nov, they are releasing an upgraded version that looks awesome: http://spikebrewing.com/collections/v3-products.
Edit: whatever kettle you get, don’t worry about getting a sight glass if it’s an option. Etched volume markings, on the other hand, are great.
I have 15 and 10 gallon SS Brewtech kettles. They have a trub dam that helps keep the gunk out of the wort, especially if you whirlpool. It also drains clear to the bottom. They had the thickest gage stainless of all the kettles I considered.
I have bayou classic 1064 kettles. Free shipping with amazon prime. I mostly do 10 gallon batches of late but the size is nice for 5 gal BIAB batches too.
Edit: I put a pickup tube on the inside of my bulkhead and can drain all but a pint or two from the kettle.
