Yet another poster child...

[Dave the brew guy]

what do you use to generate steam?
BUB

Remember that comment about the lightning?

[Brewpastor]

what do you use to generate steam?
BUB

The kettles are jacketed with a 3 threaded inlets/outlets in the jacket and a pressure relief valve. I have capped 2 outlets, put a valve on the 3rd and left the relief valve in place.

I fill the jacket about 1/2 way with water and close the valve. I have a very high BTU double jet burner that I built,



which blasts the exterior, causing the water in the jacket to boil under pressure and produce stream. As it is heating up I open the pressure relief to purge the oxygen from the jacket and then let it run until the pressure builds to heat the interior up. I then add my water or start my wort run-off and I am cooking with steam.

I was shown how to do this by an old restaurant equipment guy. Basically I have created a self-contained steam jacket unit.

[DannyW]

So it is sort of like a double boiler with the water section contained?

How is the advantageous over direct firing the kettle? I imagine you have no concern with scorching - is it faster to reach boil because you have heat up the sides too rather than just on the bottom?

[Brewpastor]

The advantages are a quick rolling boil and no scorching, but the real reason I do this is I got these kettles for a song. At 60 and 40 gallons the volumes are great for the 20+ gallon set-up I have and the shape of the kettles is wonderful for a rolling boil and all that comes from it.

So really this is a case of necessity being the mother of invention. That being said, I have a 3rd steam kettle that is 20 gallons that I used for years. It is where I learned to set these kettles up in this manner and where I learned to love brewing with steam. So when I was looking to increase my capacity I went looking for steam kettles. I just got lucky and found a deal on Ebay because of the "pick-up only" nature of the sale.