Rambling about kettles and electric brewing

Hey all looking for some perspective on boil kettles.

I’m in the process of stepping up to electric HERMS. Using keggles I already owned for HLT and MLT. I am going to buy a 20 gallon pot for the boil kettle.

So… I really can’t justify spending a lot of money on the new kettle. I understand a thicker kettle will retain heat better and a thicker bottom will distribute heat better if your heat source is a burner underneath. But since I am going electric, the element will be submerged inside the kettle… so I don’t care about heat distribution.

Can anyone make a case for investing serious $ into a nice kettle for electric brewers? Aesthetics do not concern me.

If not, I’m pulling the trigger on this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-80-QT-Quart … 2c6e489130

20 gallons, stainless, and it’s actually thicker than some kettles that are double the price (Bayou Classic, for example).

Cheers,
Drew

That’s a good price for a 20 gall SS pot. Here’s an aluminum one for about 30 bucks less:

[quote=“Glug Master”]That’s a good price for a 20 gall SS pot. Here’s an aluminum one for about 30 bucks less:

[/quote]

That is tempting. Although, think I am going stainless since the ball valve and thermometer hardware will also be stainless. I’ve read a bit about galvanic activity/corrosion between aluminum walls and stainless hex nuts.

Also, the stainless pot comes with a lid, which I should be able to use on my HLT and MLT.

Can you think of any good reason no to go cheap on a boil kettle for an electric brewer?

I just converted to electric myself. I needed to upgrade my HLT because I soon plan to go to 10 gal batches. Anyway I bought my new HLT pot from the same place on eBay. It’s really nice. Would be perfect for a boil kettle as well.