I was wondering if anyone had any ideas they could share for marking the inside (gallon, half gallon marks) of a stainless steel brew kettle? I was thinking maybe just marking my stirring spoon to dip down to the bottom of the pot, but don't really like the idea of using a sharpie. Any ideas?
Similar, but maybe easier to keep clean, I used a scrap piece of copper tubing from a chiller project and filed markings into it.
I used to use a wooden dowel with sharpie marks, but moved to installing sight glasses on my newer kettles.
Im looking forward to putting a sight glass in, I had my spoon marked but with the cup down it wasnt repeatable to see what what straight up and sticking the handle in is pretty sticky... If I dont get a sight glass soon Ill make a mash paddle with marks.
I use an aluminum dowel market at every gallon then I curved at the top so it can hook on the side of the kettle and leave it.
When I used a 15g aluminum kettle, I just used a sharpie on the inside. Don't have alzheimer's - I think! - and never tasted sharpie in the beer, although I would have to re-mark every dozen batches or so because it would get faded. Really, any method is fine so long as it's reasonably accurate. I used a 3L flask to put 1/2g measurements on all my carboys and it took forever, what with accurately filling the flask, then pouring, then waiting to settle, then marking,etc, but it was largely a one-time task. At this point I know my system well-enough that I don't particularly care to be dead-on precise. 5.5g is roughly there in the carboy, and it looks like once the oxygenation foam settles I'll be there and that's pretty close. Knowing volumes is critical for hitting your numbers and repeatability. For making tasty beer, well, not so much. If I get 4.5g of 1.063 beer instead of 5g of 1.060 beer I'm upset at the lost pints and my failure as a brewer, but I chalk it up to working on my back patio and console myself with a pint... EDIT: Just to point out that I do think getting your equipment calibrated is important, especially for new brewers. Even experienced brewers get thrown by new equipment, and knowing how much you've got in the kettle/fermentor etc is important. As long as you're close, the beer will be fine; knowing that you're close - or not - is important, the more so the less experience on the system you have.
Kettle markings not required. Rulers rule! Volume (kettle) / 231 = Pi * r^2 * h r = radius of kettle Pi ~= 3.14 231 cubic inches / G Solve for h (wort height in the kettle) Plus-up calculated 'h' by 4% to account for 'hot' wort volume. DONE!
You could also use a 3/8 or 1/4" copper tube and do the same thing I think lowes carries those sizes in pre cut 2 and 3' sections.
I use a metal yardstick that I bought at Home Depot. In a 14 inch diameter kettle, 1.5 inches = 1 gallon. In a 12.25 inch diameter kettle, 2 inches = 1 gallon. Thanks for the tip on the hot wort adjustment.
