Propane burner and Kettle purchase

[TastyAdventure]

I have been doing Stove top All Grain for a while, 5 gallon batches split between two 5 gal brew kettles... My stove hates me!!
Anyways, I just got the ok to buy a propane burner and bigger brew bucket from SWMBO.
Cost is very important.
I've seen several great deals for turkey fryer and 7.5 gal kettle sets with everything you need, minus the actual propane tank, for $50. I think I saw a propane tank for $30 at WalMart.
So that's $80. I'm ok with sending that, however I want to make sure I get the best bang for my buck, AND now that I'm already upgrading, a 10 gal brew kettle sounds awesome! I'd love to be able to do 8 gallon batches... Same work load, more beer.
BUT the difference between 7.5 gal and 10 gal kettles is waaay higher. I found a 10 gal aluminum kettle for $55... just the kttle... Not a cost jump I can justify.
Also, what's the diff between Aluminum and Stainless Steel in regards to brewing? Will aluminum work just fine?

Any advise welcome. Cheers!

P.S. Of course I'm constantly on Craiglist...



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[kh54s10]

You will be pressed to do much more than a 5 gallon batch in a 10 gallon pot. Plus you will need odd sized fermenters to do 8 gallons. A 6 gallon carboy is good for 5 gallon batches, a 3 gallon one will hole a 2.5 gallon batch etc.

For a 5 gallon brew you will start off with about 7 gallons. I did a couple in a 7 gallon turkey fryer kettle. You can do it but you have to really control the boil at the start or you will have a massive boil over.

Aluminum is fine but you need to boil a batch of water to obtain an oxide layer in the kettle, otherwise your beer will have a metallic taste. Once you have an oxide layer in the pot, do not scrub it off.

For about the same as a Turkey fryer you can get a Bayou Classic SP10. Much hotter.

Get a 10 gallon pot if possible and the SP10 or similar. It will save you from replacing the equipment in short order. ~5 gallon batches.

 

[TastyAdventure]

Thanks. I'm thinking about getting a 15 gal keg and cut off the top for a brew kettle, and just do a 5 gallon batch in it. Would that use to much more propane? Or does it mainly have to do with the volume of liquid?
I'm also wondering what the average amount of propane is per brew day...


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[Rivenin]

i can usually squeeze 4 brew days out of a tank... (and i have the big KAB4 burner with a 30 psi regulator and little turkey fryer burner as well) so all in all, not terrible. i have keggles and pots, and FYI, love my pots WAY more than the keggles.

and here is a 10 gallon concord pot next to a keggle (with the top completely cut off) just for comparison!

 

[Jim_Holmes]

how about trying ebay i found this one http://www.ebay.com/itm/11117353959...49&var=410215342670&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT that one is like 12 gallon and there are others, just do a search then get a turkey fryer burner, or something like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-1-BURNE...346?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35d4fca72a

 

[Puddlethumper]

Ever buy a cheap set of sawhorses? You find that you use them forever but because they are cheap and flimsy you cuss them every time you try to use them.

I tried the turkey fryer idea. The burner was hard to modulate and crapped out after about 4 batches. I do still use the 7 gal. aluminum kettle as a hot liquor tank, but I could have gotten a 7 gal. aluminum kettle for less than the $60 I spent on the turkey fryer setup.

I'd suggest that you get a good burner and a decent kettle. Probably cost a little more on the front end but you'll have decent equipment you can use for a long time.

The Bayou Classic SQ14 is a burner for less than $50 that is tough, easy to modulate, and will boil a 10 gal. batch without too much trouble:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009JXYQ4/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

For a kettle, check out the one Jim Holmes recommended above. 8 gal. + gives enough room to head off most boil-overs and, being stainless, should serve you for years to come.

Hope this is of some help. Cheers!

 

[Jim_Holmes]

on those kettles you will have to drill them and put a weldless bulkhead fitting in for the valve and thermometer if you want them

 

[TastyAdventure]

Damn, I remember reading on a previous thread a while back that people were dying they only used about $2 worth of propane per batch. Now it's looking more like $5


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[TastyAdventure]

What is the significance of the amount of The amount of PSI regulator? I've seen 5 - 30 psi...


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[Puddlethumper]

I usually get at least a half dozen batches out of one tank of propane. I am running a single burner to heat strike water for mash and sparge + boil. I also use the burner between batches for heating water for yeast washing, cleaning kegs and fermenters, etc.

The pressure for the regulator has to do with the source of your propane. The small tanks you'd use with a BBQ grill or typical small burner are high pressure. The big propane tank that serves your whole house is a low pressure system.

 

[Rivenin]

well the significance would be like, how big is your whole system? i have a 30 psi regulator on two burners, 'cuz i love overkill... However, the blichmann burners use a 10psi regulator on their big burners...
However, if you have 2-3 burners, i dont think a 10psi regulator would cut it.