NorCal Brewing Solutions specializes in home brew equipment. For years, they have been perfecting their products and sell just about everything you need for your home brew set up.
They have spent a lot of time designing intuitive products that will enhance your brewing experiences rather than hinder or provide mediocre support. Their BrewBuilt Brew Kettle is an excellent example of this.
BrewBuilt Brewing Kettle: General Features
BrewBuilt kettle is manufactured from 304 stainless steel and has a tri-clad bottom. This is a high grade of stainless steel that ensures long-lasting quality and durability. The tri-clad bottom is composed of a layer of aluminum that is pressed between two layers of stainless steel. This helps to disperse heat and reduce the chance of scorching.
Heat dispersion also assists with maintaining a vigorous boil. Keeping a good boil is very important and to aid with this, NarCal has implemented a 1.2:1 height to width ratio. This is the ideal ratio for proper heat dispersion, and it also helps to reduce levels of evaporation.
The BrewBuilt Brewing Kettle also features a stainless steel ball-valve with lever and silicone grip. This is a massive advantage if you plan on all-grain brewing. It is also beneficial for cleaning and transfers.
The handles and lid on the BrewBuilt are intuitively designed. The handles are larger than most brew kettles and are gently angled upward to support heavy weight and conveniently provide a place to hang the lid. The lid has a silicone plug on the outer rim. This allows you to attach a brew bag or take a surface temp without needing to remove the lid.
- Level gauge
- Silicone grips
- Tri-clad bottom
- Thermometer port
- Stainless lever and ball-valve
Any Shortfalls?
Although the BrewBuilt kettle includes a thermometer port and ball-valve, it does not include a thermometer. It also does not include a false bottom which is what you will need if you plan on multi-purposing this into an all-grain setup.
This isn’t a huge deal as you can quickly pick up a cheap false bottom and thermometer. However, it does add additional cost and hassle that could be avoided with other brew kettle packages. Check out this page for other product options.
The black printed BrewBuilt logo and level gauge look very nice against the stainless steel and match the silicone grips nicely. The only problem with this is overtime they can wear away unlike laser etching.
BrewBuilt Brew Kettle Review: The Bottom Line
Overall, the BrewBuilt BE35 is an excellent brew kettle. I very much like the black silicone grips and the lid plug. They are a nice finishing touch that adds to the aesthetics and practicality.
I also like the idea of the optional thermometer port. If at any point I want to add an onboard thermometer, all I will have to do is remove the bolt and install it. I am confident that the BrewBuilt will serve its purpose well for a long time.
