I know yesterday’s post discussed a starter brewing kit and did imply that I would write about the different items in the kit, but I think I want to stop myself before I get waaaaaaaaay ahead. There is a very important piece of equipment all beginning homebrewers need to have: A brew pot.
Every brewer, not matter the experience level, needs a brew pot. You need a pot to boil your malts and hops to make your beer.
You could buy a brew pot from a homebrewing supply store right off the bat, but it’s not a requirement…like the kit is. Most people have a large stock pot in their kitchens that can be used for homebrewing. If you are just starting out, my opinion is that you shouldn’t have to invest any more than is absolutely necessary. Believe me, it can get expensive.
Most beginner homebrew recipes only require you to boil an amount of 1 to 2 gallons at the most. When I started, I was only brewing a gallon and a half of wort so I only needed an 8 quart pot. If you have a larger one, that’s fine. The picture below depicts a 22 quart pot.
I don’t think you need one this big to start, but do whatever you want. It’s your money.
I would stick with stainless steel and one with handles that makes it easy to move.
Tomorrow, we’ll talk fermenting buckets!
Here are some other articles for homebrewing beginners:
Jim
Can I use the pot I go with my turkey deep fryer? How clean does it need to be?
Thanks
John
I researched a little bit before I created this post and I read on another blog that the brew pot shouldn’t be used for anything else except for brewing because it could affect the flavor of the beer…which I think is a bit extreme.
That said, I would make sure you washed, rinsed, and sanitized your deep fryer pot real well before using it. I will post something about sanitizing soon.
One thing I did leave out of my post was the reason I feel an 8 to 10 quart pot is adequate for the novice brewer. If you do not have a propane burner, you will be doing your brewing on your kitchen stove top. 8 to 10 quarts of liquid comes to a vigorous boil pretty easily on the stove. When you start trying to boil 5-6 gallon batches, your kitchen stove can’t handle it.
Starting simply and inexpensively is the best way to start.
Let’s see what Mike has to say on the subject as well.
Mike
Hey… I love turkey, maybe I’ll stop brewing and just fry turkeys every weekend instead!
I think that not using the pot for brewing because you’ve fried a turkey in it is a bit extreme, and sad. I know I have chatted with other brewers that do both in one pot. Another factor that hasn’t been mentioned, most of the turkey friers that people purchase have aluminum pots, this keeps the cost down significantly! Now aluminum is slightly mopre porous than stainless steel so it would require more cleaning (see below). I am not going to debate Aluminum vs. Stainless Steel here.
Does the pot carry oily flavors into beer after cleaning?
As I tell other brewers… there’s only one way to find out and that’s to experiment and try it. I fear that alot of new brewers (hell even veteran brewers) read something or hear something and then take it as gospel.
Well if you want gospel then listen to what I preach… don’t assume anything until you’ve tried it yourself!!!
Cleaning a pot that had been used as turkey frier pot:
Get in there with regular soap, hot water and a mild sponge scrubbie or brush. Clean it out good. Then rinse really well. Fill the pot with as much water as it can handle assuming a strong rolling boil. Mix in an appropriate amount of PBW (Powdered Brewery Wash) and boil it for a good 20 minutes or so. Then I’d drain it hot. Rinse and refill with plain water. Boil again for a little while (5 minutes), let it cool with the water in it. If there is any grease in there, you should be able to see it as a shiny film on the surface.
Repeat if desired.
For the record, I am not going to be frying any turkeys in my equipment anytime soon though. Too much hassle to clean out I think, but I am sure it can be done.
Brew on!