Clueless grandma needs more help

[Grandmasue]

Hello all,
Thx so much for your help in buying SIL Christmas present to help him switch to all grain brewing. Bought igloo 10 Gallon 2 cooler stainless system.
Later I saw a really cool looking fermenter, called a speidel. Bought it also.

This brings me to my next 2 questions:

1). My DD wants to get him a new stainless brew kettle as the one I bought him years ago is only 10 gallon and isn't really conducive to BIAB in case he wants to try that. Plus, I think I read that a bigger kettle is easier to avoid boil overs. (see how much I am learning? Lol). She is on a strict budget. What are the features needed for a brew kettle that can later serve as a stainless mash tun? (lol I don't know what it does but I know it is needed)
I am thinking of a 16 gallon size. I know it should have a stainless valve. Should it also have a built in thermometer?
Does it matter how long the
thermometer probe is? I have seen some with a 2" probe and some with a 6" probe.
Should I buy a bazooka screen (hope that's correct term) for valve?
Would a keggle work better?

I have found a valve only bayou classic, a concord that has holes drilled, a valve and thermometer welded unbranded pot, a valve only welded unbranded pot, and a valve only keggle in her price range. He uses a bayou classic outdoor square burner.

Which pot is best?

Would the 6 piece bayou classic 16 gallon be best if I find a fantastic deal? It has everything. Thermometer, false bottom, bazooka screen, valve.

Her budget is no more than $135.

2). I have about $50 left to spend on him. Any suggestions? I could buy blichmann thermometer for 2 valve pot for that amount. It would save my daughter money since she could only afford 2" cheaper one. Another possibility is to add some $$ to that amount and get false bottom for keggle. I know ppl say get him a gift certificate but I don't know what beer websites he likes. So far the only one I have purchased from is adventures in homebrewing. I like it a lot but he may not.

Sorry for asking so many questions but I know I will get the most expert and experienced answers from you all.

Thx so much for all your help, you guys are great!!👍

 

[Kerrbrewer]

If I was going to buy a kettle to use for BIAB and use as a mash tun later, I would get the valve and 2" stem thermometer. When doing BIAB he will not need a SS braid but can use it when he starts using it as a mash tun. Personally I prefer using a false bottom in my mash tuns. To get the most efficient false bottom you need to know the diameter of the kettle. I know guys with all the kettles you mentioned and all say they are fine but a ????? would be nicer. I started out doing BIAB in a Ballington 13 gallon kettle that I put a valve on myself. That kettle and valve fit in the budget you describe but I had to do a little work. I am sure whatever you get will be put to good use and appreciated.

 

[mongoose33]

A 10-gallon kettle isn't conducive to BIAB? I bought my 10-gallon Spike kettle for exactly that use, and it has performed very well. I had an 8-gallon kettle and that was not large enough for BIAB, but the 10-gallon is perfect.

I typically start with 7.25 gallons of strike water. Add the grain and I'm good to go.

 

[Grandmasue]

Thanks for your advice. I am thinking about a larger kettle because the one he has now does not have a valve or thermometer and he has mentioned wanting to do 10 gallon batches. I just thought if he was going to transfer the liquid to the igloo coolers I bought him the valve would be necessary. Am I correct in all this?

 

[jrgtr42]

I wouldf look at Willams Brewing online. They have a line of kettles very reasonably priced, with spigots on the smaller - 8 + 10 gallon models, and another port for thermometer or whatever on the larger.
If he wants to do BIAB, I would caution about the thermometer - it'll catch and possibly tear the bag. There are many styles of thermometer with detatchable or wired probes available that would work perfectly for this style.
If he's planning on 5-gallon batches, (plus or minus a bit) a spigot is nice but not needed. Most people can pick up that size and pour it, or siphon. Any larger and a spigot is needed - I wouldn't want to pick up 8 or 10 gallons of liquid and try to manoever it.

 

[oujens]

If you have amazon prime, the bayou classic 16 gallon with a ball valve can be had at $132:

https://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-1064-Stainless-16-Gallon/dp/B007V493PG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505833713&sr=8-1&keywords=bayou+classic+kettle

An idea for the extra money you have would be to buy a bag from wilserbrewer, and there will be some money left over. However, not sure why you would purchase a cooler setup for all-grain and then want to buy equipment for BIAB. You could, however, add a bag to the cooler mash tun for easy cleaning.

http://biabbags.webs.com/

 

[brew703]

I think you will be hard pressed to find a 16+ gallon kettle for $135. I did see a bayou classic 16 gallon kettle with a cheap ball valve for $185 but I would save my money and get a Spike.
Keep an eye on Spike Brewing's site. They usually have bargain cave sales on kettles that may have a scratch or dent.
And I'm not sure a 16 gal kettle would be big enough for 10 gallon full volume batches.
I would also shy away from a thermometer. Just get a good hand held one for checking temps.
Spike has some nice kettles and when the time comes for me to upgrade my kettle that's the route I would go. A 3 pc stainless ball valve is nice for transferring wort. it's what I have on my kettle and cleans easily by unscrewing 4 bolts.

If he doesn't have a BIAB bag, get him one from Wilser. He's a member here on this site. Great bags, well made. he can custom make one for any size kettle or mash tun.

 

[mongoose33]

Thanks for your advice. I am thinking about a larger kettle because the one he has now does not have a valve or thermometer and he has mentioned wanting to do 10 gallon batches. I just thought if he was going to transfer the liquid to the igloo coolers I bought him the valve would be necessary. Am I correct in all this?

OK, if he wants to do 10-gallon batches, you do need the larger kettle.

You don't need either a ball valve or thermometer--they're just very nice additions. I have them on mine. You can siphon (a lot of homebrewers do), or dip w/ a pitcher or some such.

You don't necessarily need a valve to transfer liquid to the coolers (mash tuns). I used to use a plastic pitcher to do that--it was faster! I just dipped it in the water in the kettle.

Due to that, if you're going to transfer water from kettle to mash tun, the mash tun needs to be higher than the mash tun--or you have to use a pump, or drain water out of the kettle into a pitcher or some such.

 

[soccerdad]

Mongoose is right - 10 G is plenty for BIAB and can generally go back and forth from indoor to outdoor if need be (will fit under range hood). BUT ... it limits the brewer to 5 gallon batches. So if that's ok then you need not go to 16. However, if 10 G batches are in the future, then a 16G kettle is good. By the way .. I have never torn the bag on a 2 inch therm probe. Just need to be gentle. Hope I did not just jinx myself

 

[Grandmasue]

Thx again, have learned a lot just by lurking and reading. DD just informed me they have lowered Christmas budget for themselves to the point where a pot is not possible. So I just added another $50 to the amount I had left to spend and got the two valve welded pot from AIH. They have a 13% off sale today and I had a $10 gift certificate from the igloo coolers I bought, bringing the price for 15 gallon pot with 2" thermometer and stainless valve to $106.55 plus $5 shipping. I figure for that price he can at least boil this year and if he wants better equipment I can buy spike kettle next year. I don't mind doing that. Plus, if he doesn't think he is going to use the 10 gallon restaurant Winco pot I bought him I'm sure I can convince him to give it to me.

So, 15 gallon stainless 2 welded valve pot w/ stainless valve and thermometer + 2 -10 gallon igloo coolers w/ all stainless hardware, + 30L speidel fermenter = $355 inc all shipping. Very happy with purchase and prices for all, couldn't have done it w/o all your help!!


Thx again all!!

 

[Miraculix]

You learned so much during the research process,now you will have to brew the first beer with the new equipment!

 

[soccerdad]

well done Grandma

 

[Lefou]

Speidel fermentors are great substitutes for glass carboys. I have glass and wish I'd found Speidel products sooner - then again, I wouldn't mind trading up and getting a couple other items, but the budget is important.

Would my beer improve? Probably by very little.
Some people can make some great beer with modest and cheap equipment, but with the right items, great beer with less effort is nice. If the hobby is enjoyable, sometimes the work is fun. It's a trade-off, definitely.

 

[Grandmasue]

I got very lucky and found a new 30L speidel for $40 shipped. Otherwise I may not have done it. I am a fierce bargain hunter.