We’re going to look at the best brew kettles for the money to make your brew day much easier.
A good brew kettle is more than just a pot to boil wort in. There’s actually a lot of features you can have on a brew kettle which will help you control your temperature, know your volume, and help you when it comes time to chill your wort.
When most people start to homebrew beer, they usually start with a large pot that’s already around or cheap to buy. But there are a number of reasons why upgrading to a brew kettle specifically for homebrewing is worth it. A number of added features in the best brew kettles will make brewing easier, the beer better tasting, and the brew day safer.
Top Picks If You’re In A Hurry
Best Brew Kettles For Easier Homebrewing
1. Bayou Classic 800 Series Brew Kettles
Product Features From Amazon
- Brew kettle accommodates the avid home brewer using malt extracts or all-grain brewing
- Low side indentation permits use of false bottom for all-grain brewing.
- Tri-ply bottom (stainless-aluminum-stainless) prevents sugar scorching on bottom of pot.
- Bulkhead fittings enable easy Attachment of thermometer and spigot for a water-tight seal
- Side calibrations read from the inside of the kettle enabling more accurate water level setting.
- Ball Valve Spigot.
- Side-mount 3-inch Brew Thermometer ranging from 60-220 degrees.
- Can be used with an induction burner.
- Kettles heat evenly and quickly.
- Ball valve does not have flow control. It’s either on full blast or off.
- Fitting of the ball valve and thermometer take a little bit of tinkering during installation.
- Drain valve has a small lock for safety which takes some getting used to.
More Information On The Bayou Classic 800 Series Brew Kettles
The Bayou Classic 800 series are probably the best brew kettles for the money. Whether you homebrew your beer with malt extract or you go all-grain you won’t be limited to just one option with these brew kettles. The unique Tri-poly design in this kettle does a good job to prevent scorching which is a fairly common problem in brew pots. Also, with a stainless steel and aluminum bottom the kettle is ready for an induction burner if you ever make the jump to an induction stove.
These kettles are available in 8, 10, and 16 gallons. You’ll find that with the right pot based on the amount of beer that you’re brewing that you’ll have plenty of room in the kettle. The kettle heats evenly and quickly, but another great part is that it’s easy to clean when you’re all done.
2. Northern Brewer Megapot Brew Kettles
Product Features From Amazon
- Crafted of stainless steel for ease of cleaning
- Handles are riveted in place to aid in lifting a hot liquid-filled pot
- Weld-less Ball Valve Assembly and Weld-less Thermometer. Now features our IsoFlow Single Piece Bulkhead fittings!
- Stay cool silicone handles on the kettle and lid serve to limit scorching
- Graduated gallon-markers inside the kettle
- Silicon handles for easier comfort and safety.
- Weld-less ball valves to prevent leaks.
- Works with induction brewing.
- Construction is rock solid!
- The kettle has measurements inside, but they could be etched in a little better. They’re harder to read than other kettles.
- There are complaints of leaks, but you’ll need to tighten the fittings and gaskets properly which can get rather finicky.
- The spigot is kind of low. If it’s kept close to the heat source you could potentially melt the gaskets.
More Information On The Northern Brewer Megapot Brew Kettles
The Megapot series of brew kettles comes in 8, 10, 15, 20, and 30 gallons. Northern Brewer is a reputable company in the beer industry, and with them you know you’re going to get a high quality product. The construction is rock-solid and the components that come with it are also very high quality.
Along with the Bayou kettles, Norther Brewer is up there when it comes to the best brew kettles for the money. A nice feature is the addition of the silicon handles to make handling the pot a little more comfortable and protect against burning your hands. However, they need to improve the etching of the volume markings inside the brew pot. They’re a little too hard to read.
3. CONCORD Stainless Steel Home Brew Kettle Stock Pots
Product Features From Amazon
- Brew Kettle is made from Commercial Quality Stainless Steel, Fully Polished.
- All Accessories included in this set are made from high quality 304 Stainless Steel.
- Lid is hangable on the side of kettle.
- Full weld less construction, so you can remove and clean as needed.
- Kettle (pre drilled) will come unassembled for safe shipping. Assembly takes less than 10 mins, only tool required is a wrench or strong hands :).
- Accurate and large temperature gauge.
- Ball Valve Spigot.
- Good height to width ratio for less evaporation.
- Not induction ready.
- No measurements inside the pot.
- Poor installation instructions and gaskets/O-rings. Test assembled product for leaks with water before use.
More Information On The CONCORD Stainless Steel Home Brew Kettle Stock Pots
If you homebrew in either very small or large batches than the Concord stainless steel brew pot may be for you. Out of all the brew kettles we’ve seen Concord probably has the biggest selection.
Concord’s available brew kettles are in 5, 7.5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, and 45 gallons. Of course, you can always round up to the next size in case you go to a bigger batch but if you live in a small apartment than why bother? You can always scale your batches. So we love the options here!
The temperature gauge is accurate on these models compared to some other brands which is important when it comes to evaporation. Evaporation can ultimately affect the taste of your beer. The biggest drawbacks are these brew pots don’t have volume markings inside the kettle and it’s not an induction ready kettle. The lack of volume markings makes the homebrew process a little more difficult. Not having an induction ready pot may not be a big deal to you unless you plan to grow your homebrewing system.
4. GasOne Stainless Steel Brew Kettles
Product Features From Amazon
- HIGH QUALITY STAINLESS STEEL- Very easy to clean, Long lasting, Safe and durable, Good heat conduction, Sleek look
- POLISHED FINISH STAINLESS STEEL- Classic, sleek look; Visually appealing and fitting of any setting, Does not show scuffing or marks, There is no staining and no rusting
- TRI-PLY – Extremely strong, Fast and even heat distribution, dependable and well-constructed Will last for a very long time
- COMES WITH LID – Makes the heat stay in pot, Ensures even levels of heat while cooking, Keeps moisture in pot, Fast cooking and boiling speed, Perfect for cooking Crawfish, Crabs, Home Brewing, Peanut Boiling, and all other cooking activities
- Includes – 1 x Stock Pot 1 x Lid x 1 Brew Thermometer x 1 False Bottom x 1 Bazooka Screen x 1 Set of Mini Wrench x 1 O rings x 1 Sealing Tape x 1 Spigot x 1 Ball Valve 1/2 FNPT
- Can be used with an induction burner.
- Comes with a false bottom and bazzoka screen for efficient filtration.
- Has measurements inside the pot for easy volume readings.
- The ball valve turns into the pot which creates a burn risk if you’re not careful. This can be fixed on your own if you choose to do so.
- More complaints of leaks than other brew pots have.
- You’ll want to verify that the temperature reads correctly since this model can tend to have a variance in temperature readings that’ll effect the beer.
More Information On The GasOne Stainless Steel Brew Kettles
The brew kettle from GasOne is just a solid and steady brew kettle. The bazooka screen is included so you don’t need to worry about having to purchase one later. The volume units are easy to read, and it can be used with an induction burner. A lot of customers love this brew pot in the larger 16 gallon sizes.
The GasOne brew kettle is available in 8, 10, and 16 gallons. The shape of the pot is a good shape to prevent evaporation, and this brew kettle also does a good job at maintaining temperature of the wort.
5. Kegco BF Series Brew Kettles
Product Features From Amazon
- Durable Kegco Brew Kettles are specially designed for brewing applications
- Constructed of heavy-duty 304 grade stainless steel, Kegco brew pots feature a tri-clad bottom that ensures even heat distribution and makes them compatible with induction cook-tops
- Boil pot comes complete with a lid that has been conveniently designed to hang on the kettle’s riveted silicone handles
- Includes internal volume markers in liters and gallons, standard 7/8″ accessory holes, weldless bulkheads, a 1/2″ MPT hex head plug, and a 2-piece ball valve
- Can be used with an induction burner.
- Heavy-duty 304 stainless steel for a more rugged brew kettle.
- Lid can hang from the handles which are made from silicone.
- More expensive than other brew pots.
- Difficult to install the O-rings correctly which prevents leaks.
More Information On The Kegco BF Series Brew Kettles
Kegco brew kettles are a beast, but they are a little more expensive than other brew pots. But they’re still among the best brew kettles for the money. There’s many different versions of the same model in this kettle so make sure you purchase the one you intended. There are different configurations of valves and fittings which can make the purchase confusing.
The brew kettles are available in 6, 8, 10, 15, and 20 gallons. The added silicon on the handles and lid make the pots a little more comfortable. The lid can also hang from the handles which helps keep it clear of the valuable counter space that you’ll need for other stuff during the brew process.
Great Things To Look For In The Best Brew Kettles
Volume Markings Or Sight Gauges/Sight Glass
Homebrewing beer is definitely part science and volumes matter. If you want your beer to taste good your measurements matter. Of course, you can manually measure what’s in your pot and do some math. But if you’re like me and weren’t the best math student than having volume markings is a great idea.
Most kettles with volume markings have them both in gallons and liters. Some brew kettles have quarts marked also.
A sight gauge or sight glass will also help you measure what’s in your pot and gives external readings from the kettle. As you add things like a mesh bag, hop debris, and other ingredients a site glass makes it easy to get an accurate reading on how much is actually in the pot. So it’s a little more precise than the volume markings in the pot, especially, when you’re at a rolling boil.
The downside is it’s just another thing to clean after a long brew day. But if you want more accurate measurements it might be worth it for you. Also, the larger the batch the more useful a sight glass becomes.
An Induction-Ready Kettle
If you’re still using your stovetop than an induction-ready kettle is probably an investment for the longer term. Because you’ll need an induction burner to use with your induction-ready brew kettle. If you’re brewing small batches than induction heating might not be a big deal to you. But if you brew larger batches it might be well worth the investment.
Induction cooktops will heat your wort much faster than your stovetop. Induction heat generates eddy currents to create the heat. But because of this method induction heating won’t work with just any old pot. The currents react with ferromagnetic (iron) to generate heat so the brew kettle needs to be made of iron. It’ll also need to have a flat bottom. This reaction directly heats up the brew kettle, and is more efficient compared to a typical heating coil in a stove or hotplate.
A Thermometer
Temperature control is really important for your wort and ultimately impacts the taste of your beer. And a lot of times keeping that temperature consistent is tough to manage, especially, if you have to stand over a hot pot of wort to perform temperature readings.
Some of the best brew kettles have a thermometer in the bottom third of the brew kettles to help make measuring temperature easier. The location keeps you safe, and the thermometer is far enough away from any heat source to get an accurate reading.
There is one thing you should be aware of when you get a brew kettle with a built in thermometer. The probe for the thermometer sticks into the pot so if you use an immersion wort chiller you’ll want to make sure that you don’t get it tangled up in the thermometers probe during use.
Ball Valve Fittings To Transfer Wort
If you’ve ever brewed anything, or even boiled a pot of water, you know that the liquid can get really damn hot. Who wants to mess around with that? So when it comes time to transfer your wort why would you want to risk leaking a hot liquid?
Ball valves are the safest way you can transfer wort because these valves are not as prone to leaks. You have two different options when it comes to ball valves. There’s welded ball valves and weldless ball valves.
Weldless ball valves use gaskets to create a seal. I’m not as much of a fan of this because gaskets can wear out over time and would need maintenance and replacement over time.
They said the Titanic was “practically unsinkable”. Well a welded ball valve is “practically unleakable”. Of course, I referenced the Titanic because it ended up sinking even though it was thought to be an unsinkable ship. So I’ll just say the welded valve should not leak on you, but there could always be a manufacturers defect or some other anomaly which causes it to leak. But a welded valve is your best bet to prevent leaks.
What Brew Kettle Size Do You Need?
Just because you’re making a 5 gallon batch doesn’t mean you only need a 5 gallon pot. You’ll definitely need a larger pot than that. But you need to think about whether you’re extract brewing or all-grain brewing.
If you think about it in terms of gallons you’ll want to increase the pot size by about 1.5 times your batch size for extract brewing. If you’re going all-grain than you’ll basically want to double the pot size to batch size to account for all of the grain. Remember, you’ll have a lot of ingredients in the pot that will all be in a boil which increases volume.
| Batch Size | Minimum Brew Kettle Size For Extract Brewing | Minimum Brew Kettle Size For All-Grain Brewing |
| 1 Gallon | 3 Gallon | 3 Gallon |
| 3 Gallon | 5 Gallon | 6 Gallon |
| 5 Gallon | 8 Gallon | 10 Gallon |
| 10 Gallon | 15 Gallon | 20 Gallon |
| 15 Gallon | 20 Gallon | 25 or 30 Gallon |
When looking for the best brew kettle you want to find one that has tall sides. So you want tall and skinny instead of small and wide. The tall skinny brew kettles reduce evaporation loss and help to prevent boil overs. Generally, a good height to diameter ratio is 1.2:1.
Final Thoughts On The Best Brew Kettles
Whether you’re a beginner at homebrewing beer or someone who’s been doing it for years using a good homebrew kettle will make a world of difference for you. In these brew kettles you’ll get more accurate volume readings, better temperature control, and a better way to flow wort from the pot to begin fermentation.
To put it simply, you’re brew day becomes much easier and with the added benefits in the best brew kettles your beer will be tasting better. If you’re starting out or looking to upgrade your gear than the brew kettle should be one of the key pieces of equipment you have. Happy brewing!