Thinking about this for going AG

I'm slowly purchasing everything I need for AG, and next on the list is a Turkey Frier. Has anyone gotten something like this with a built in drain before? Anything I should look for when I head out there (they're a bit of a drive, about 1.5 hours each way).

Also, is that 30 qt pot going to be large enough, or should I look for something larger when planning on 5 gallon batchs?

Thanks!
Jason

Hate to burst your bubble, but that pot is barely going to be big enough to do a full boil. I'd recommend getting a sabco kettle and then you'll have the piece of mind knowing it is stainless steel, it is big enough for 10 gallon batches, and it will last forever. You can also invest in a hop stopper and you'll NEVER have to worry about hop trub getting into your fermenter.

The kettle and the hop stopper were the best things I ever did for my brewing.

Sabco kettle

Hopstopper

It is a pricey investment, but if you are serious about this hobby, a "do it right the first time" solution is downright mandatory, IMHO.

I've looked at the Sabco Kettle before, however the budget is tight and I was hoping to get away with something a little lower on the price tag. I see that some others are getting away with Turkey Friers and was hoping to be in a similar price range. It's possible to up the bill a bit if I need to get a propane cooker and the pot seperate, but not that much

So what do you think is a good safe minimum in a pot then? 8 Gallons, 10 gallons, or no freakin' way without a 15 gallon?

Jason

I just picked up this fryer from amazon.

I figured it would be a great interim step until I get a nice larger kettler for 10 gallon boils.

It was $89.00 with free shipping and the burner is rated to hold 120qts of liquid.

If you're comparing driving to Cabella's to shopping in line don't forget to factor in gas and taxes as well.

abarilla said:

I just picked up this fryer from amazon.

I figured it would be a great interim step until I get a nice larger kettler for 10 gallon boils.

It was $89.00 with free shipping and the burner is rated to hold 120qts of liquid.

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Is that 8.5 gallon pot large enough? Dude has me worried now about size, and I hear size really does matter

I will second Dude's comment that 30 qt. is not big enough for all grain. I have an 8 gallon pot which works but I do have to watch it carefully at the beginning of the boil. Your going to need a chiller too.

abarilla said:

If you're comparing driving to Cabella's to shopping in line don't forget to factor in gas and taxes as well.

Click to expand...

There will be a trip there sometime soon, certain family members tend to request Cabella's gifts around birthdays/christmas/etc and I'm a sucker for buying relatives what they really want. Which is why I was thinking about checking that out, with the drain built in an all, but I think Dude has successfully steered me away from the smallish pot.

Blender said:

Your going to need a chiller too.

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Yep! Purchasing in small batches as budget allows. First step was the cooler and parts for the mash/lauter tun, now I'm moving onto the cooking bits, and then the chiller next.

Hey,

You could always go with the Sabco $70.00 kettle...same thing minus the drilled
and welded fittings for a valve/thermometer...I couldn't justify the extra $50-$60 for the fancier kettle. It would be nice to have, but I too was on a budget.

I just got mine a couple weeks ago, it cost $100.00 ($70kettle, $30.00 for shipping.)...plus got dinged for the border/customs $40..ugh.
But if you are in the US, you cant beat that deal.

The service was great....I phoned and gave my credit card info..and had it in 72 hrs. The kettle is a thing of beauty...you won't be dissapointed....plus the cool factor of using a beer kettle to brew can't be beat.

One tip for ya...when making the wort chiller...measure the water when putting it in the kettle so you know how high to make the coil. I am planning on doing 10G batches and made the height of the coil in the 9 gallon water mark range. That was 35 feet of 5/8" coil. If you are planning 5 gallon batches, no point in making one that sticks half way outta the wort...or one that may be too small if you switch to 10G batches.

Cheers.

8.5 gallons is fine for any and all 5 gallon batches. I've been brewing for seven years and still only do 5 gallon batches. 10 gallons is too much of one flavor for me.

Whatever fryer or cooker you buy, please make sure it has 4 legs. Mine is stainless from Costco several years ago with an 8 gallon pot. It works great and a 15.5 gallon keggle fits on it with the square edge outside the lip of the keggle.

Tripod burners can tip easy when bumped and lucky for you you probably won't burn the house down because wort is not flammable like hot grease is, but you may get burned badly by 212 degree hot wort.

4 legs are better then 3.

Just a safety tip from an old volunteer fireman.

Good point, Ed.

As an example:

http://homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=11638

I have mentioned before you all can probably go to your local brewery and get out of service kegs for around 20 bucks for another 20-30 you can have a local welding shop plasma cut the top and weld in the fittings. Just supply the fitting you want.
Just a thought
JJ

david_42 said:

8.5 gallons is fine for any and all 5 gallon batches. I've been brewing for seven years and still only do 5 gallon batches. 10 gallons is too much of one flavor for me.

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You only drink one flavor at a time? I like having a variety and larger batches allows you to have multiple beers on tap. Some people like hoppy beers some like dark beers and some only like light lagers. With multiple beers on tap you have something for everybody. It's tough to do with 5 gallon batches unless you brew every weekend.

I just picked up an all but brand new 15.5 g keg from my local beer distributor for the $10.00 deposit charge. It's in my sons friends fathers metal shop right now,being converted to a brew kettle. I did spring for a stainless steel 1/2" ball valve for $25.00, tho. Altogether, it's costing me $46.00

Lets see if we can get a summary of recommendations together for future readers too:

1. Pot should be at least 8.5 gallon or larger. If money allows (or you have easy access to someone with the tools to do the work) go for a 15.5 keg.
2. Pot should also be able to handle high heat without warping (I remember reading this from a previous thread).
3. Cooker/Frier should have four legs and be stable enough to handle the weight of whatever batch sizes you may be looking forward to in the future.

Am I missing anything?

Thanks everyone!

Evets said:

I just picked up an all but brand new 15.5 g keg from my local beer distributor for the $10.00 deposit charge. It's in my sons friends fathers metal shop right now,being converted to a brew kettle. I did spring for a stainless steel 1/2" ball valve for $25.00, tho. Altogether, it's costing me $46.00

Click to expand...

I wouldn't advertise that too much. Jus' sayin'.

iloman said:

Lets see if we can get a summary of recommendations together for future readers too:

1. Pot should be at least 8.5 gallon or larger. If money allows (or you have easy access to someone with the tools to do the work) go for a 15.5 keg.
2. Pot should also be able to handle high heat without warping (I remember reading this from a previous thread).
3. Cooker/Frier should have four legs and be stable enough to handle the weight of whatever batch sizes you may be looking forward to in the future.

Am I missing anything?

Thanks everyone!

Click to expand...

I cannot stress this enough. If you are serious about this hobby, wait until you can afford it and get a Sabco.

I think everyone prolly started out with a turkey fryer kit, and there is nothing wrong with that. You get the burner and a pot and it is a good starter kit. However, with all grain you'll need to collect about 8 gallons of wort for a 5 gallon batch. Either scale your recipes down to 4 gallons, or get the bigger pot.

I'm just trying to save you some hassle. If I had a dollar for everytime in my life I've not "DONE IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME", I'd be filthy rich.

Dude has talked me into a Sabco. I'll probably buy the King Kooker when I buy my mash/lauter tuns. Quite an investment for those four items.

An alternative to the HopStopper that Dude mentioned is a piece of stainless braid; I found a stainless braided hose for a faucet at Lowes and it was fairly cheap. I carefully cut the fittings and slid the SS braid off and use that in my keggle. Dude has it totally correct in my opinion that the SABCO keggle is worth waiting for and you can save about $45 on the HopStopper and use braided stainless with a SS clamp. Just an alternative suggestion for dealing with hops.
Jeffrey

Thanks to everyone so far on this, I really appreciate it. Ya'll are going to make me spend more money then I'd planned!!

My LHBS has something similar to the SABCO, shown here. Since I prefer to give the local guys business first how do you guys think that compares?

Jason