Thoughts on BoilerMaker purchase

I just bought the 20 gallon Boilermaker. I have gone through 2 brew kettles already and decided it's time to stop wasting money on cheap things and buy something of quality. I obviously very much enjoy this hobby (though, everyone that knows me considers this an obsession for me). My problem is this:

Currently, I've only done 5 gallon batches. I know that in the future, I'll build my own brew rig, but right now, that's impractical. I brew with propane in very limited space on my patio, but I can't build it yet. I am planning to step up to 10 gallon all grain, but from the reviews I read, a 20 gallon boilermaker is impractical for this, mostly because of the thermometer. I don't really want to buy their 10 gallon just to step up to the 20 in a few years. Is it too impractical to use this for 5 gallons? Should I just get a longer thermometer, etc?

Any and all thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

i will buy your ten gallon boilermaker when you are ready to step up to the twenty, i always need more pots

So did you buy it or are you planning on buying it?

I have a pending order, but time to change it

We just released a hole plug kit so you can relocate the thermo to a lower position for smaller batches. But 5 gal is going to sit awfully low in a 20gal pot. One thought would be to get a 15gal pot and then when you're ready to move to a 3 pot 10gal system you can use it for a mashtun or HLT.

You can also check my BoilerMaker web page selection guide tab where I discuss pot selection for multiple batch sizes....

I think I'll move up to 10 gallons now. I have 3 recipes I put together (5 gallons) to finish and then I can move up to 10 gallons.

Where is that page by the way?

Would there be any problem other than the thermometer with 5 gallons in a 20 gallon pot?

The other issue is you'll get a pretty significant boil off % which you'll need to compensate for...15-20%??? But honestly, if you're doing all the work for an all-grain batch I'd never do just 5 gal. Even if you don't drink that much you can split it with a fellow brewer. I have a friend that I brew with and we always do 20 gal batches and split it. If I only want to brew 5gal I usually just do an extract recipe.

I did 10g batches for a while because they were just as easy as a 5g. But now I find I would rather brew 5g batches so I can brew more often and more variations of the same beer.

So, my suggestion is make sure whatever you end up with you always have the option of brewing either size.

My progression of boil kettles: 5, 7.5, 15, 25 and 55 gallons. More beer is better...

I do 5 and 10 gallon batches in my 15 gallon kettle and it works extremely well for both sizes. You just have to dial your burner intensity down if you're doing a smaller batch. I could probably do a 2 gallon batch in my kettle without a problem.

Pash91 said:

I am planning to step up to 10 gallon all grain, but from the reviews I read, a 20 gallon boilermaker is impractical for this, mostly because of the thermometer.

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I still do not understand why the boilermaker will not work for a 10 gallon batch?

I have a keggle that is 15.5 gallons, and I constantly worry about boilover when I do a 10 gallon batch. I use fermcap, and I dial down the heat, but 13.5 gallons of original volume I'd just a lot... I'd look for and 18 or a twenty that Has a smaller diameter with a tall side wall. This way you can accomodate either 5 or ten gallons.

Sawdustguy said:

I still do not understand why the boilermaker will not work for a 10 gallon batch?

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The thermometer is apparently situated too high to get an accurate reading.

From what it seems like, getting a 15 gallon pot is best?

I really don't see myself doing more than 10 gallon batches in the short term. I really do like being able to brew often and brew variety

I do 10 gal batches, start with 13.5 gal to boil. I have the MoreBeer 15 gal kettle which is shorter with a larger diameter than most other 15 gal pots. I have to watch for boil overs but after hot break has happened, I can crank the heat up a bit and maintain a nice rolling boil without worry about making a mess.

A good investment I made was adding a kettle thermometer so I have a good idea of when hot break will start (~205F) and I know to stay close, remove the lid and watch the pot. On my kettle, 4.75 gal is needed to submerse the thermometer probe

What kind of thermometer do you have, do you have a link?

Pash91 said:

What kind of thermometer do you have, do you have a link?

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I got my kettle thermometer (part # MT502) from MoreBeer. While it would appear I do all my shopping at MoreBeer, both my brew kettle and thermometer were bought when they were "Deal of the Day" items so I got each for a good price.

I changed my order to the 15 gallon. I guess when I finally take the plunge, that'll be the HLT