Moving to 10 gallons?

Well my stove melted and it looks like I need to go back to smaller boils for the time being. I figure snce I am going to have to upgrade I may as well go to 10 gallons. So I'd like reccomendatons please!

I need a kettle and burner and a chiller. I'll keep on using my many carboys and split the batch between 2.

Burner: is the Blichman burner really worth it at roughly 2 X the price of a standard patio burner? Do I need the leg extensions (for more $?) Any specific recommendations?

Kettle: would you go 15 or 20 gallons?

Chiller: I am cool with an immersion chiller, just need a bigger one. A plate chiller seems like too much more work in terms of sanitation and cleaning not to mention having to worry about pellet hops clogging and/or using hop sacs. Or am I just being ignorant?

Cheers! Advice would be really helpful!! I have no desire to buy anything again after this so I would hope this to be stuff I'll use for a long long time.

Steve da sleeve

For a kettle...just cut the top off a keg and add a spigot to it. You'll have a 15.5 gallon stainless kettle (great for 10 gallons) cheaper than you can buy a normal kettle for.

As for the Blickmann burner...I've never used it before and have no desire to. It's stainless, which is cool...but that's also why it costs so much. I used a normal turkey fryer burner for awhile, and it worked great.

As for chiller...plate chillers are nice, but you'll need a pump. I brew on a HERMS rig and I still use a immersion chiller...sort of. Mine is a 50' copper coil mounted in my heat exchanger. I just add ice to the H.E. when I'm done using it and run my wort through.

I don't have a Blichman burner so I can't help you there. There are alot of burners out there that don't have the Blichman price tag. A 15 gallon kettle is probably the minimum for 10 gallon boils. My homemade pot is 21+ gallons and I love it. I have a 50' immersion chiller that does just fine with 5 or 10 gallon batches. It may not work as fast as a plate chiller, but the ease of use and no chance of clogging is worth the trade off for me.

For kettle size I would recommend nothing less then 20 gallons. It's just nice to have the extra head space for insurance. If you end up doing 90 minute boils you will need the extra space for the extra gallon or so that will boil off.

As for a burner - it doesn't have to be flashy. I have a sq-14 that now has most of the paint baked off of it. Stainless is nice, but it will not change the performance of the burner. I went with the sq-14 for the sturdy base and flame control it offers.

For the chiller I just use an immersion style, takes a little while, but it gets the job done. I have no knowledge on the plate style or how it works.

I use a 15.5 gallon sanke for 10 gallon batches. Works fine IMO. No need for anything bigger, really. If you struggle with boil overs, it might be a bit tight, but I never do. I just aim a fan at the top of the pot and no boil overs (thanks for the tip Biermuncher!).

90 minute boils are no problem, either. I regularly have 12.5 gallons in there no problems. So if you have a sanke available, it should work great.

I'd also recommend a pump. Nothing else I have purchased has so drastically simplified my brewing than the flexibility and ease of a pump. Of course, if you're like me the pump will lead to a RIMS tube.

stevedasleeve said:

Burner: is the Blichman burner really worth it at roughly 2 X the price of a standard patio burner? Do I need the leg extensions (for more $?) Any specific recommendations?

Click to expand...

I have the Blichmann burner with the leg extensions and I love it. It's rock solid and it's very quiet, even when you have the heat cranked all the way up.

Highly recommended.