Spend my money - burner & kettle

(okay so if you ask my wife it is "our" money)
I got the go ahead to buy a burner and kettle, but I have a budget of about 150 bucks. Can anyone point me in the right direction, I am pretty new to this outdoor brewing thing....

underwaterdan said:

(okay so if you ask my wife it is "our" money)
I got the go ahead to buy a burner and kettle, but I have a budget of about 150 bucks. Can anyone point me in the right direction, I am pretty new to this outdoor brewing thing....

Click to expand...

What size batch will you brew? We can't recommend a kettle without knowing what size you need.

Good point I would like to do a 5 gallon full boil batch, I currently do partials now on my stove top.

Bayou Classic makes a couple of great burners, the SQ10 and SQ14. The SQ10 has a higher BTU rating and is about $10 cheaper, but it's a three-legged model and looks a little unstable to be boiling 5+ gallons. The SQ14 is four-legged and has plenty of BTUs to get 8 gallons to a rolling boil in about 20 minutes. At Amazon, the SQ14 is $49, the SQ10 is $39.

With your budget, you can afford a steel kettle (and still have $ for a batch). Many say aluminum is fine, which it probably is, but if you can afford steel, why take any chances? For 5g boils, you'l want a kettle of about 8g to account for boil-off. I use a 9g and it works fine, especially with Fermcap. Watch the pot at initial boil and hop additions, though - the wort climbs to the top very quickly. Keep one hand on the gas regulator or you can boilover easily.

Happy shopping, and tell us what you decide to get.

Brew Pot:
http://www.williamsbrewing.com/BREW...serID=2988722&jsessionid=d830cc8224d61c5f1930

Burner:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009JXYQ4/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Chromados

Wow, great thanks for the info. I was just going to post that I was interested in the sq14 or the 1114 which is more than 2 times the cost. So I think I am going to go with the SQ14, Any specifics on a pot? I am so happy if I can pick out a pot I will order this today!

chromados said:

Brew Pot:
http://www.williamsbrewing.com/BREW...serID=2988722&jsessionid=d830cc8224d61c5f1930


Chromados

Click to expand...

Looks like a nice pot, I guess I need that size to do a full boil cause I need to add that much water to start?

You dont "have" to have that large of a pot, but trust me bigger is better. Then you dont have to worry about boil overs as much.

Fermcaps are on the market and a lot of people use those drops if they are using a smaller pot because it prevents boil-overs. I personally have never used it so i cannot vouch for it.

For the price its looks like a good pot and i have been looking into getting one to use as a HLT. Maybe someone can give their opinion on the pot.

I'll second that SQ-14...damn good burner and will be able to handle up to 20 gallons of liquid. That leaves about $100 for the kettle. If it were me, I'd grab a Sanke keg for $35 or so and add a ball valve to it for another $25. That's a 15.5 gallon "keggle" for under $100, and you'll be able to use it for years even if you go up to brewing 10 gallon batches.

On the other hand, if you want a more standard kettle Austin Homebrew has a pretty cheap 10 gallon for just $70.

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_33_463&products_id=2321

You'll probably want to add a ball valve to make racking to the carboy easier, and that is another $25 for a weldless setup from BargainFittings.com.
http://www.greatbargain.net/order/shop.html

I recommend a Keg and a Bayou Burner. This depends on DIY level/willingness.

underwaterdan said:

Looks like a nice pot, I guess I need that size to do a full boil cause I need to add that much water to start?

Click to expand...

That does look nice. I may have to upgrade my equipment now . . . .

My boiloff rate, at Colorado altitude, is more than 1.5g/hour. To get to 5.5g starting volume, I start with at least 7g for 60 minute boils, more for a longer boil. You'll be glad to have the extra space in the pot.

okay I ordered the burner from amazon, I am still not sure about the pot. I know I dont want to do a keggle just yet because of the weight of it and the difficulty to clean it. So it is either the austin home brew or the williams brewing pot. It looks from the pics the williams brewing is a better pot, but I deal with austin home brew all the time.

I can't comment on either pot from personal use, but I'd go with the Brew Kettle over Austin's economy model. It seems to be a better product overall, includes the ball valve, and has a variety of custom accessories (if you decide you "need" them).

Ordered the Brew Kettle as well, I agree it just appears to be a better product, I will let you guys know, thanks for the help.

A little late- but this is another good option for a pot:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009JXYUA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

$64 for a 36qt (8.5gal) stainless pot.

Dan,

Off topic, but I grew up in east setauket.... small world.

Williams is over priced. What you are looking at is this:
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=12186

and this:

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=2321

It would be $88.99 at Austin Homebrew and $7.99 shipping rates as well.

Forrest

keggle =$50-75
Outdoor Gourmet fryer $30

Austinhomebrew said:

Williams is over priced. What you are looking at is this:
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=12186

and this:

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=2321

It would be $88.99 at Austin Homebrew and $7.99 shipping rates as well.

Forrest

Click to expand...

I agree with forrest I just got my pot and it is a very light weight pot, most likely the same or cheaper than the one at Austin Homebrew. It is not a bad pot, just could have gotten it for 10 bucks cheaper.

Here is a link to my equipment, a 30 qt alum. pot (maybe a tad small, but it works) and a pretty decent burner. There is no shipping, easy assembly and it boiled 6.5 gal in less then 20 minutes. Best $64.00 ever!

http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/%282pol3245cut45c55nkr2qu55%29/productDetails.aspx?SKU=8109381&CommerceAuth=C6E5E12E943495CBF5781878628D35CE206D3F974E81F01D62A4BACC5E9F14BE95223ADB19E564DA3DB27D613D8BAD826BF25A9A7A22163B24CE7F8CC30FE9D07FC9DD11302261266C4E404AA4B85E531B02BCA159CE486B4BC2757FDEF6B221

For future reference, I have the Austin Pot. Love it. I plan to install a bulkhead fitting (or two) on it sometime this winter.

Get a pot that comes with a turkey fryer and get a wort chiller. It takes MUCH more time to cool down a full boil.

I second, my Brother-In-Law gave me one for Xmas and it is invaluable.

Thanks for all your help guys.