Momi 35L Urns anyone?

[mkstalen]

I was lucky enough to be given a sum of money for my birthday the other day and have received the ok from the finance controller to spend it on brew gear. So I'm looking into BIAB in an Urn.

Has anyone had any experience with these:
http://www.deluxeproducts.com.au/Momi-35L-Commercial-Hot-Water-or-Coffee-Making-Urn?utm_source=getprice&utm_medium=cpc

At $140 for a 35L urn this looks like great value. But would be good to get feedback if anyone else has already tried these.

cheers,
Mike

 

[wbosher]

Probably wouldn't have enough grunt to do the job, you need to be able to boil a lot of water/wort for 60 - 90 minutes continuously. Besides, you probably want something bigger.

I use a 50L stock pot and a three ring gas burner, I can do a full volume 25L brew with that set up.

 

[mkstalen]

Looks like lots of people use the 40L Crown, so I figured a 35L would probably be ok for a full volume 20L batch, which is about the limit I brew at.

Long term plan is to turn it into a recirculating BIAB rig, so the other nice thing about this is that it seems to have a thermostat built in (I know milage may vary...), but I won't need to go get myself another STC-1000 or bugger about with a PID controller.

More worried about it a) not having a powerful enough element to boil wort, b) being of really crappy build quality.

 

[wbosher]

I don't know too much about urns, but I would stick with the tried and true that others here use.

 

[seamad]

202 grade is not as corrosion resistant as 304, couldn't see what wattage the element is, and if you can get a spare in case of burnout.

 

[MastersBrewery]

I'm sure crusty and other Urn BIABers will have their say, from what I see 35l might be pushing for volume, certainly 202 stainless is not as corrosion resistant. I know it's like half the price of a Birko but a birko or even a crown will give you a life time of brewing at full volume. You don't want to have to replace it in a year or two, go with quality and proven product. Buy right, buy once, save in the long run.

 

[Bribie G]

I'd definitely go the extra hundred bucks for the Crown exposed element - you can get new elements if the worst happens, and if you buy from a trusted source such as CraftBrewer you'll be right for your first year.

 

[BeerNess]

yeah spend a bit more on a Crown or Birko - i'm pretty sure they're using better SS than 202, and they're both brands that get good reviews from home brewers. I was looking at getting a concealed element model but was convinced that exposed is better because you can replace the element easily if it actually does crap out.

Also 35l v 40l ... that 5L will be a massive difference doing 20l+ batches.

 

[Crusty]

I'd definitely go the extra hundred bucks for the Crown exposed element - you can get new elements if the worst happens, and if you buy from a trusted source such as CraftBrewer you'll be right for your first year.

I'd be going this way as well.
Too many unknowns with that Urn unfortunately. I fully understand trying to save some coin where you can but you'll be pretty pissed if it doesn't perform as it should.
My Crown exposed element Urn has a 2400 watt element I'm pretty sure & you wouldn't want any less power than that.
The 35lt capacity is a worry too especially if you like your beers pushing the high 5% + mark & want a full 23lt brew.

 

[lukiferj]

Agree with the above here stienberg. I have a 40 L exposed element Crown urn. I wouldn't want to go much smaller than this for brewing full size batches. I did a heap of research into this before going down this path. I managed to get a bargain on ebay but would have spent full price to get a quality product. I looked into a pot and burner but found the urn to be better suited to my brewing needs. Concerned that there doesn't seem to be any information on the element being used.

 

[wbosher]

I think if money is an issue, and your on a tight budget, the stockpot and gas burner (or even stovetop) is the way to go if you want to get started ASAP. However, if not, I'd definately go for the Crown or Birko urn.

I've been using the stockpot and gas burner for several brews now and it works great, got started for a little over $100. I do plan to upgrade one day, but for now it does me well.

 

[Natdene]

Save up the extra $130 and get a crown from craft brewer. I got a concealed element and it works great, so easy to clean, and so easy to do BIAB