Kettle size...

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Pombe

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Hello,

So I've been able to secure most of my starting equipment but I've yet to select my kettle because I'm not sure what size I need. I'm going to start with extract brewing but want my first kettle to be versatile enough to handle partial mash brewing. What size do I/should I go with? I've searched the forums for an answer but wanted current opinions.

Thanks,
G
 
Austin Homebrew sells an economy SS 24 qt pot (6 gallon) for 35 bucks or so. Thats the best bang for the buck I have found looking around myself. You might be able to save a few bucks by buying smaller the first go round.... but a 24 qt will let you do a near full boil, which is better than a partial boil and topping off. My first pot was a 10 quart and a 2 gallon boil is a PITA with that.
 
I would have to say bigger is better, but make certain you can reach boiling with the big pot if your brewing on your stove. I use a an electric stove that is a real pain to get 6.5 gallons boiling. If your going with outside propane/natural gas, just make certain your burner can fit the pot.
Other than that, once again bigger is better.
 
Austin Homebrew sells an economy SS 24 qt pot (6 gallon) for 35 bucks or so. Thats the best bang for the buck I have found looking around myself. You might be able to save a few bucks by buying smaller the first go round.... but a 24 qt will let you do a near full boil, which is better than a partial boil and topping off. My first pot was a 10 quart and a 2 gallon boil is a PITA with that.

Is that economy SS 24 'really' stainless steal? If so then I assume it is really thin, right? I've heard thin pots can be a problem (though I don't know from experience).
 
If you looking for longevity out of the kettle and the ability to do full boils I suggest nothing smaller than a 10 gallon pot. It may seem like overkill for the partial boils, but you'll be happy you have it when you're boiling 6, 7, 8 gallons at a time.
 
I got a 32qt Aluminum Tamale steamer for around $20 at Walmart. The nice thing is it comes with a false bottom that I can mod for when I wanna go all grain. Conditioning the kettle was as easy as boiling water.
 
If you are looking for a starter kettle, just get the cheapest junkiest pot that is at least 3g from a used store or the supermarket. This will be just fine for starting out.

If you are looking to buy 1 kettle that will last for a while, don't get anything under 8g. I was talked into buying a 24qt pot when I was starting to get serious. It is very nice, clad bottom, thick stainless, and nearly useless for any serious brewing. I use it for cooking and for decoctions.... =waste of money

If you are going to spend the money, spend it once and have what you want. If you just want a basic pot, I have found the heavy duty line from B3 to be the best deal including shipping (which is free). If you want all the bells and whistles, the price goes up and the B3 and Blichmann Boilermakers are about a toss up in price.
 
I got a 32qt Aluminum Tamale steamer for around $20 at Walmart. The nice thing is it comes with a false bottom that I can mod for when I wanna go all grain. Conditioning the kettle was as easy as boiling water.

If I am correct those pots are steel with a porcelain finish that is prone to crackingand even scratching. Be careful with it. You can't use it on a glass cooktop either (which I have)
 
If you check out some of the other posts you will see that as a new brewer one of the easiest ways to improve the quality of your beers is to switch to a full boil. That being said it may be in your best interest to do as some of my fellow brewers have said and go a head and buy a larger pot, 30 qts or bigger. Now in order to make your full boils as easy as possible all you have to do is get a propane burner and a wort chiller. I personally started with a 32 qt (I think its 32, it may be bigger) Stainless Steel. It was a bit pricey (90 + tax I think) but it is an awesome pot.

People always seem to look at me strange when I ask them if they want to check out my pot. I dont get it.
 
Shop around and buy a 10 Gallon pot. You'll be glad you did in the long run.
 
Thank you for all the replies, it seems like the general concensus is go big or go home. That being said, I'm probably going to be limited to stove top brewing for the next little while. Will I be able to brew with a 10g kettle on the stove if I'm only going to be doing extract/partial grain brews?
 
Thank you for all the replies, it seems like the general concensus is go big or go home. That being said, I'm probably going to be limited to stove top brewing for the next little while. Will I be able to brew with a 10g kettle on the stove if I'm only going to be doing extract/partial grain brews?

I do extract/partial brews and my 20q is on just about right. I "think" I would feel cramped in a 10q. I do a 3.5 gal steep for partials, and then top up to 4 gal after grain removal. I do a late addition of the extract so I'm down to 3.5 when adding extract. With liquid LME 6-7 pounds is about 1/2 gallon volume and I haven't had a problem with boil overs. When I add 4-5 pounds of DME, the 3.5 gallons is just too much the foam causes a boil over.

If you try this with a 10q, you'll be working with about 6-8qt boil (leaving 2 qt for boil room) - not much to work with evaporation and stuff.
 
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