Need advice!! Brew kettle and burner

I am going to move up from partial boils to full, i dont want to do it on my stove top anymore and since summer is near i want a burner so i can do it in my back yard. I need advice on what kind of brew kettle and burner i should get. Im going to stick to 5 gal batches so im assuming i need a 7.5 or 8 gal kettle. Any one in or near portland know of anyone selling or where i should buy one? As well as a propane burner, i have no idea what size is a good idea for this many gallons, dont want to buy a cheap one and have my kettle tip off. Any and all advice welcomed, i really need some!!!

Cheers.

Sq14 burner. Great price for the build of the stand and quality of burner.

Kettles are hard, depends how much you want to spend. Get a big as you can though. Preferably 10-15g. A converted keg can actually be a pretty cost effective way to get a big rig. They are big and heavy though. Otherwise I think Sams has some good prices on aluminum pots, if you dont kind using it rather than stainless.

Ive got a banjo burner, it kicks ass. Whatever pot you get make sure it has a valve, or put one in yourself. You will also need a wort chiller.

Hmm the banjo thats only about 14 inch diameter? i was reading about it and it said over 30 qt is risky because it doesnt fit so well, i have a wort chiller, only 20ft though so it would be a little slow in a full boil.

camp chef also makes an excellent boil worthy burner

chapa said:

Sq14 burner. Great price for the build of the stand and quality of burner.

Kettles are hard, depends how much you want to spend. Get a big as you can though. Preferably 10-15g. A converted keg can actually be a pretty cost effective way to get a big rig. They are big and heavy though. Otherwise I think Sams has some good prices on aluminum pots, if you dont kind using it rather than stainless.

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I would agree with the SQ 14 I have two of them and some keggles. They are big enough for any pot you might get and are a great price. They are powerful enough to get water boiling quickly and can also be adjusted enough to prevent boilovers. If you can find a keggle they are great but if you can't find one get a pot that is thick stainless. I got a cheap SS pot and it lasted about 10 batches before it started getting cracks around the handle and started leaking.

I have the SQ14 and it rocks. I got it on amazon for about 60 bucks delivered. It's awesome. I have done a 13 gallon brew and it had it boiling in about 15 to 20 minutes. As far as pots go, check this out.

http://www.beer-brewing-wine-making.com/store/product.php?productid=18397

I agree with everyone up top and you should get AT LEAST a 10 gallon if not 15 gallon pot. I intend to stick to 5 gallon batches minus the occasional double batch with a friend. I got a 15 gallon pot to avoid boil overs.

So I purchased a kettle that has a false bottom in it and a valve. Can I use it for both mash tun and a kettle? Or did I basically just buy an expensive mash tun? I didn't research enough and assumed that the false bottom made it so I didn't need a mash tun. Since this is my first transition into all grain I think I may have made a costly mistake. I never thought about how I have to mash at like 150 degrees and then transfer into a kettle. Am I screwed? Or what can you guys give for advice on the subject?? I feel like a complete idiot and as though I made a very expensive mistake!

It would make a great boil kettle with the FB in it. I would get a cooler for a MLT then use the Kettle for your HLT also.

What about a turkey fryer?

I did my last batch outside with a 7.5 gallon bayou classic. It is a pretty simple, easy, and inexpensive kit, and in theory you could actually use it for something else (though personally, if I ever wanted to put oil in it, I'd spend the money to buy another pot for it, but I COULD use this for some sort of out-door massive boil, like cook some lobsters or shrimp or some such).

Heck, I saw one at the store the other day with a spigot on it, the whole kit was $60.

So this is the first time I am doing all grain, do I only need to get a large cooler and use my kettle with fb? And I'm a noob what is hlt? And the other? I guess I am trying to figure out what else I have to buy so that I can go all grain

little OT but I see everybody reccomends SQ14, I ordered one last week because my existing Walmart burner leaves to much black carbon resedue on brew pot. Its messy, and I was wonering if SQ14 does same thing?

Lind13 said:

So this is the first time I am doing all grain, do I only need to get a large cooler and use my kettle with fb? And I'm a noob what is hlt? And the other? I guess I am trying to figure out what else I have to buy so that I can go all grain

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HLT is a hot liquor tank- basically the same thing as the brew kettle.
All you would need to go all grain would be a cooler with a braid or manifold of some fashion.

You do not need a lot of expensive specialized equipment to go all grain. I mash in my kitchen in my old 5 gallon SS pot, lauder in a makeshift lauder tun made from 2 5 gallon buckets (Charlie Papazian's zip zap set up from his the new complete joy of home brewing book), use my bottling bucket as a hot liquor tank, and I use a turkey fryer I picked up on sale at Bass Pro for $40 with an 8 gallon aluminum pot to boil in. Works like a champ. My whole setup minus the cost of the stock pot I mash in was less than $60 including tax.