Hi all,
I am moving from extract/partial mash to all grain, but I am doing it on a budget. With that in mind I have to be careful what I am spending, as SWMBO is keeping an eye on me
A friend of mine who has been doing all grain for a few years warned me that 40 quart is the size he uses, but he recommends a bigger pot as he still has the occasional boilover.
With that in mind I set out on the interwebs to see what I could find in my price range. After a day or so, I came across the King Kooker 5012 on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/King-Kooker-5012-Portable-Steaming/dp/B004070QDA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433106041&sr=8-1&keywords=king+kooker+5012
A 50 quart aluminum pot and 54k burner package typically used for seafood boils. In reading the reviews, it looks like some other home brewers have used it as well, with positive results. Also, Amazon has some listed as "Used" for an even better discount!
Bear in mind, Amazon has a policy that anything in a broken box is considered "Used" for purposes of sales, it doesn't necessarily mean someone used and returned it. Additionally, they have a return policy that allows you to send it right back if it is all banged up or in a condition worse than they describe. With that in mind I felt pretty confident in not getting hosed and I ordered one.
This is what I received, it was packed inside another larger box:
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Granted, the box looks pretty bad. I took everything out, and all the pieces were there, in good shape. The pot has the smallest scuff on the outside but I am completely satisfied that it meets their description.
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Today I didn't have much going on so I took it outside to test it with a boil - I read online that if you have aluminum pots, you need to boil water in them for an hour before the first use to oxidize them.
Filled it up with 10 gallons of 68 degree water from the sink.
In 28 minues I had 10 gallons of water at 165 degrees
In 48 minutes from the original start time I had 10 gallons of a rolling boil the likes of which I had never seen on my stove in the kitchen.
This burner does have an adjustable regulator, and I was able to reduce the boil to a gentle roll. (Don't mind my dogs in the background, they hang out with me whenever I am working in the back yard.)
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Overall, I think this is going to be a good way to get into all grain, and at $83.00 it didn't break the bank either.
I am moving from extract/partial mash to all grain, but I am doing it on a budget. With that in mind I have to be careful what I am spending, as SWMBO is keeping an eye on me
A friend of mine who has been doing all grain for a few years warned me that 40 quart is the size he uses, but he recommends a bigger pot as he still has the occasional boilover.
With that in mind I set out on the interwebs to see what I could find in my price range. After a day or so, I came across the King Kooker 5012 on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/King-Kooker-5012-Portable-Steaming/dp/B004070QDA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433106041&sr=8-1&keywords=king+kooker+5012
A 50 quart aluminum pot and 54k burner package typically used for seafood boils. In reading the reviews, it looks like some other home brewers have used it as well, with positive results. Also, Amazon has some listed as "Used" for an even better discount!
Bear in mind, Amazon has a policy that anything in a broken box is considered "Used" for purposes of sales, it doesn't necessarily mean someone used and returned it. Additionally, they have a return policy that allows you to send it right back if it is all banged up or in a condition worse than they describe. With that in mind I felt pretty confident in not getting hosed and I ordered one.
This is what I received, it was packed inside another larger box:
Granted, the box looks pretty bad. I took everything out, and all the pieces were there, in good shape. The pot has the smallest scuff on the outside but I am completely satisfied that it meets their description.
Today I didn't have much going on so I took it outside to test it with a boil - I read online that if you have aluminum pots, you need to boil water in them for an hour before the first use to oxidize them.
Filled it up with 10 gallons of 68 degree water from the sink.
In 28 minues I had 10 gallons of water at 165 degrees
In 48 minutes from the original start time I had 10 gallons of a rolling boil the likes of which I had never seen on my stove in the kitchen.
This burner does have an adjustable regulator, and I was able to reduce the boil to a gentle roll. (Don't mind my dogs in the background, they hang out with me whenever I am working in the back yard.)
Overall, I think this is going to be a good way to get into all grain, and at $83.00 it didn't break the bank either.
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