So I'd really like to install a spigot/false bottom or braided hose to my kettle as pouring my wort into the fermenter by hand is getting to be quite a pain in the back not to mention my wife is sick of cleaning up sticky wort and hop guts off our kitchen floor. I see Midwest sells a kit for like 40 bucks and all you need is a 7/8 drill bit for installation. Is this a good deal or should I just buy all the parts from lowes like I did for my cooler mash tun setup ? Any advice is appreciated! Cheers
I have the equivalent kit from more beer from 9 years ago, never a leak. If u can put together an equilalent setup for cheaper, go for it.
I bought my kit for $33 from rebelbrewer.com. $40 is around the cost of all the parts purchased seperately (in New England, anyway).
I just added a bulk head/spigot to my 15 gallon sanke keg kettle last week. I order the kit from bargainfittings.com. It was $35 with shipping included. I haven't used it on a brew day yet, but it hasn't leaked any water during trial runs. You can get the step drill bit from Harbor Freight tools for $17 or at Lowes/HD for more $$. I build my own dip tube out of copper tubing and a compression fitting (no welding). I also used the top that i cut off of my keg as the false bottom. Again, I havent used this setup to brew yet, but I have done research and it has worked for others. It looks good also! Probably saved $100+. Hope this helps.
Any tips on whether I should do a false bottom/ boil screen in the kettle for filtering out hops and cold break as for when I'm done with the boil and chilling and am transferring to my fermentor? I use mostly pellet hops for my beers and am not gonna be mashing in this kettle because I already have a cooler for mash and lautering. I know pellet hops are known for clogging up those boil screens relatively easily so I imagine a braided hose setup like I use in my mash tun would also probably clog with really hoppy beers. Will I need to stir my wort into a whirlpool if I go with the boil screen or braided hose?? Any more ideas ?
