by Scott Wallace

Many of our customers have asked us who makes our brew kettles for us. Well, we make them ourselves, by hand. We have decided, due to the availability of half-barrel kegs, that it is not feasible to carry these on a regular basis any more. We don’t want to carry an item we can’t commit to keeping in stock all of the time. So, many of our customers have asked how they can make them for themselves. We decided we would show you how. This article will guide you through the process I go through when I build a brew kettle.

Preparations

The first and most important thing to think about when doing this kind of work is SAFETY. Eye protection and ear protection are required. The metal will be flying and it will be extremely loud.

The power tools you will need are a Reciprocating saw, a heavy duty hand grinder with a hard rock disc and a 3/8 Variable Speed drill.

The drills shown here will be needed to drill the holes that will allow you to get the saw blade through the keg top so can start cutting. You will also drill a hole for the fitting and ball valve. Mark where to drill first with a Sharpie marker and drill a pilot hole with the center drill. Follow that with the 7/8" step drill. Push hard when you drill, the unibit has to cut continuously or it can burn up. Cool the bit intermittently with cold water.