Extract Brewer heading towards All Grain - What Brew Pot?

I started brewing in November and have 7 extract kits under my belt with great results. I'd like to move towards all grain brewing, and am about to invest in a good brew pot. I am going to stick to 5 gallon batches, but will probably try some full-boil extracts in the meantime. What sized brew pot should I get?

From everything I've read, I thought I'd go with this 10 gallon pot:

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_33_463&products_id=12892

Am I on the right track? Any other suggestions? I'd like this to be the last brew pot I buy, so I'm open to suggestions on something better, like maybe the Blichmann?

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_33_463&products_id=11290

I plan on starting here, then getting the mash tun and HLT as soon as I can afford it, with the idea of working towards a gravity stand system. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

It seems one can never have a big enough brew kettle.

I get by with a 6.5 gal pot (all-grain), but it's not fun. I've since ordered an 8-gal aluminum and will use it as soon as it arrives.

I'd say go as big as you can, in case you want to start making 10-gal batches in the future. It seems many folks start doing that once they've been brewing for a while, for whatever reason.

When I started all-grain, I bought a 36Qt Bayou Classic kettle. That lasted me about three brews before I decided I wanted to go bigger and go 8 gallon batches. Sold the kettle and then took time off while I saved up the money to buy a 15.5 gallon keggle.

Go big or go home.

I think if your long term plan is to stick with 5 gal batches either is fine.
Then add a Weldless Site Glass from Brewhardware.com

Get a 15 gallon aluminum pot. This will allow you to do a full 10 gallon boil without the worry of a boil over.

I have a 15 gallon Blichmann (for 10 gal batches) and I love it!

For five gallon batches I'd get a kettle that holds at least 8 gallons--preferably 10.

Brian

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00062VZMY/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

that just arrived this morning, and I am getting the oxide layer on it right now. Should be big enough for full boil 5 gallon batches, and its so much cheaper than the one from AHS.

Those pots have valves which would be nice, but if I were you I would get something cheaper, try out AG much sooner, and then get a nice pot later if you want to upgrade. Then you can always use the other pot for heating sparge water.

I would go with no less than a 10 gallon boil kettle. A typical 5 gallon batch for me is really a 6 gallon batch which allows for the inevitable losses on the way to the fermenter. So, lets assume that one will boil off about 1 to 1-1/2 gallons per hour. Some recipes may call for a 90 minute boil. So, the boil off volume might be as low as one gallon or as high as 2.25 gallons. The six you want to end up with plus the minimum of one more for boil off puts you at 7 gallons pre-boil. OTOH, you could do a concentrated boil in a smaller kettle and top it up with water near the end. I would highly recommend planning for 10 gallon batches even though you say you want to stick with 5 gallons right now. It's a drag to have to replace a kettle or anything else because the first one is too small or whatever. I've done this more than a few times myself, so I speak from experience. The smaller kettles are still useful when doing a decoction or when you want to heat additional water etc.

I would also suggest focusing most of your planning on your mash tun. Pretty much anything will work for a boil kettle or an HLT, but the mash tun is the heart of an AG home brewery and where the action is.

another vote for the ten gallon kettle. you don't need to worry about boilover too much and you're ready for that 8 gallon batch (when you want to keg 5 gallons and bottle the rest). plus you can get by with it when you convert it to your HLT and sparge your first 10g batch.