Got my Polarware brew put with stainless ball valve today from Northern Brewer. must say impressed with their fast delivery and website. 10 gal brew pot and ball valve went together on 10 minutes for a somewhat mechanically disinclined brewer. Looks beautiful. Sadly family time will keep from brewing this weekend but subsequent weekend will see an attempt at a Nugget/Citra/Amarillo dry-hopped double IPA. Kind of like x-mas day for me with my new brewpot a new 10-galloon mash tun I built this winter from a Gott cylindirical cooler.
I ordered this at Christmas and have 3 brews with it so far. The only complaint I have is that's its seems a little flimsy. I am always afraid I am going to dent the pot when turning the valve. Other than that its been a great pot so far and worth every penny of its low price!!
One thing I do not regret is buying my big stainless steel pot. I have a ball valve on order, and expect I will not regret getting that, either.
agree on the "give" when you work the valve but think it will hold up. did a water test and not a drop of leak, pretty well designed and a they did a great job drilling the hole.
Having first class gear makes brewing even more fun. I offer one bit of unsolicited advice . . . treat yourself to "quick disconnects" for your ball-valve. They are not terribly expensive and you can honestly claim they make the job safer (okay, that's a tiny stretch ). Hey . . . xmas only comes a couple of times a year.
I got the 10 gallon pot going on 12 years or so ago. Love it!!!! Wish the valve was 1/2" but this thing has been to hell and back and still looks brand new. I can only imagine what it costst now I got mine the first year Williams Brewing offered them. Brew on!!!!
Why didn't you just by an aluminum pot? So what if stainless steel is much better than alluminum. Are you too good to use inferior equipment?
not sure if you're trolling here or just forgot an emoticon, but I can give you several reasons not to go AL, first and foremost being if you ever invest in a plate chiller or pump, you can't re-circ PBW with an aluminum pot. If you're looking to stay on a tight budget and keep brewing as an inexpensive hobby, then AL is fine, but if you want to expand your brewing hobby, I wouldn't advise AL.
It's just been too long since I have seen a good argument between the Stainless folks and the Aluminum faction, but I'm thinking the alluminum guys have no steam left in their kettles.
Haha...yeah sounded like it had a facetious edge to it. There is something to be said for AL and can serve a purpose, but to me it's a matter of what you want out of your brewing experience. I'm a geek at heart and AL can serve as my HLT, but I need my SS to truly geek it out. OT, but are Polarware pots still made in the USA?
Professional chefs yes... I don't ever plan on having a CIP system, so Al is just fine... That's about the only point that SS wins on.
