Are Keggles the Best Option for Homebrewing?

Keggles are not an ideal option for homebrewing and moving to a more appropriate kettle configuration is a good idea. The tall, skinny configuration of a keggle presents a number of problems. First, the small bottom area exposed to the heat source reduces the amount of heat transferred to the wort. Secondly, the stainless steel material is also a poor heat conductor. Thirdly, the narrow interior diameter means that the trub is more likely to cover more of the bottom of the keggle and make it more difficult to get all the wort out of the vessel without sucking up trub.

Large aluminum pots can be more suited for use as a kettle. Aluminum has a much better heat transfer coefficient, so more of that heat energy is absorbed from the flame and transferred to the wort. If you get a BIG pot, then the diameter is more likely to enable more of the trub to stay in the middle of the kettle after whirlpooling and that can allow the brewer to get more of their valuable wort out cleanly.

Let's look at kettle configurations in most pro-breweries. They almost always have a MUCH larger diameter in comparison to the depth of wort they contain. For instance, 6- to 12-foot diameters and only 2 or 3 feet of wort depth. Compare that to a keggle with a 1- to 1.5-foot diameter and a 1.5- to 2-foot wort depth.

Homebrewers should consider the pro's guidance when selecting kettles. Opening up kettle material's list to include aluminum can produce real cost savings that can then be converted to purchasing a larger diameter kettle that moves their brewing configuration closer to what the big boys already know. Employing a 15- to 20-gallon, large diameter kettle is a good idea...even for 5 gallon batches.

Enjoy!