Favorite Kettle Features

[John Sand]

I'm suggesting a bigger kettle for Christmas. My sweet wife will buy what I want. I'm looking at a few, all 15 or 16 gallons, all with a ball valve, some with a thermometer. I want a notched lid and a thick bottom. I already have a ten gallon mash tun, this will be a boil kettle. What do you have and what do you like or dislike?

[Beer-lord]

I have a sight glass that I do use but find it totally unnecessary if you have a kettle with markings on the inside. If I did it again, I'd likely save the money and forego the sightglass. Not a dislike, just not needed IMO.
Definitely would want the notched lid and that's on many of the brands that are out there.
A few now have rubberized handles that are a nice touch if you have to move the kettle while it's warm (not recommended).
SS Brewtech has something that sounds and looks good though I know no one using it to verify.....a trub dam! You can see what it looks like on their site.
Finally, I like a false bottom since I BIAB and it helps keep the bag from touching the bottom and does keep some particulate matter out when I transfer to the fermenter.

I hope you get what you what you lucky guy!

[BlackDuck]

I have a fairly basic 10 gallon kettle with ball valve and a threaded opening for a thermometer.

Things I wish I had:
Volume etchings on the inside of the kettle.
Rubberized handles (I do move the kettle while hot, and I have to use leather gloves to handle)
I've seen the trub damn Beer-lord mentioned and it is interesting. I may add that to mine.

I do not use the thermometer port. I use an immersion coil chiller. If I used the thermometer, I would not be able to put the chiller in the pot as it would be blocked by the thermometer probe.

[Kealia]

I started a similar thread not too long ago that has some good comments in it as well.

At this point, I'm just waiting for a sale to buy the BrewBuilt kettle from MoreBeer.
For me, a notched lid, rubber handles and the internal volume etchings are the key features. I thought about the Thermometer but as BlackDuck mentioned, I think it might get in the way of my IC (I'll check before making a final decision).


The trub dam on the SS Brewtech is nice and I know there is a pick-up tube I can put into the BrewBuilt, too.

Oh, I almost forgot - the BrewBuilt has a welded fitting which is a BIG feature for me. What I don't like about my SS BrewBucket/fermentor is the screw together with gaskets connection. At some point, I know it's going to leak and I'd like to remove that concern from the list of things I have to think about.

[John Sand]

Thanks Kealia. I read that thread while researching, I just re-read it. The BrewBuilt is on the list. This discussion is helping me decide which features are most important to me.

[Inkleg]

A ball valve/pick-up tube, internal marked volumes, handles you can touch with bare hands and a port for a whirlpool/arm of some kind, along with the notched lid for a boil kettle.

[RayF]

I use 15 gallon tall boy kettles. They are pretty nice. They have a nice thick bottom and decent gauge walls. I had to install the ball valves, whirlpool arm, site glasses, etc. The only problem I have had was the second one I purchased arrived with a small dent that was easily poppaded out.

If you are a do it yourself kind of guy, these kettles and some Brewers Hardware products make a very nice piece of brewing equipment.