Upgrading equipment

[Lipi128]

Hey everyone! I recently started homebrewing with a few extract kits from my LHBS. I'm interested in upgrading my kettle and in getting a propane burner. My question is: how big of a kettle should I get? The most id ever brew at a time is a 5 gallon batch as that's what fits in my kegerator. I'd be interested in doing all grain of BIAB down the road as I get more comfortable. With this on mind, how big of a kettle is a good size to work with considering my future plans? Also, any suggestions on brands/ options for the kettle and burner??
Thanks!!

 

[Kent88]

I brew between 1-3 gallon batches, and I often find that my 5-gallon kettle is too small for 3-gallon batches. I've heard people say that an 8-gallon kettle is about what you'd want for a 3-gallon BIAB batch.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

I brew 5.5 gal batches AG BIAB in a 9 gal BK and it can get tight with high gravity brews. I would go for a 10 gal if I were you.

 

[Lipi128]

Awesome thanks for the info!

 

[PADave]

If you are going BIAB in the future, 10 gallon. Even if you were not planning on doing BIAB I'd still go with the 10 gallon. Spike brewing makes a very nice kettle, love mine.

 

[Griffin495]

I'd go with a 10 gallon. The 10 gallon Tall Boy from Northern Brewer is a great pot if you are on a budget, especially if you can wait for one of their sales. Only downside is that it isn't marked on the inside with gallon increments, but its easy enough to fill it up one gallon at a time and mark the increments on your spoon or paddle.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/tall-boy-kettle-10-gallon

 

[InTheBasement]

I am going to throw out a suggestion here that may seem like overkill to some, but this is what I did. I got a 60 quart, stainless pot
http://www.quill.com/stock-pots-ste...ULL_51497083&gclid=CL7oh4fNodICFYsCaQodEnkPsQ

It may seem like overkill, but there are specific reasons why I did this.

1) I will never have a boil over with my 5 gallon batches.
2) I can do extract, BIAB, and all grain standard no sparge methods with this.
3) Stainless steel is VERY easy to clean, whether using a srcubby pad sponge, or oxyclean.
4) This is not a heavy gauge steel pot so it heats quickly, and it holds less heat after the boil so my chilling is much easier.

I have done many beers with this pot. I used to use an 8 gallon Mega Pot, and I am way happier with this. As for the burner, you can go with any you choose. Theya re all good. I have a first generation Darkstar burner. It was cheap, and it gets the job done every time. Perhaps it is not as efficient as the newer and more expensive burners, and if I had to do it all over again I would go for a better burner, but I would get the same pot.

 

[Lipi128]

Thanks for this guys!! Very helpful! Thoughts on upgrading from the plastic buckets as fermenters? I've read about using the glass carboys but people mentioned that they can always break... thoughts??

 

[InTheBasement]

I moved from glass carboys to plastic buckets and have not looked back. They're cheap, and work just fine. THey are easy to clean, and I have never had a problem with any type of infection. I guess the only thing you don't get is the ability to see your beer fermenting. If that is something you really need, then go with one of the plastic fermenters that you can see through like the plastic big mouth. Personally, I don't really see the benefit of being able to see the action. It's not like I sit there and watch it for any long period of time.

 

[Murphys_Law]

I started with an 8G kettle for partial mash, moved to BIAB and into a 15G Bayou thinking I'd mostly do 5.5G into the fermenter but have the room for 10G batches.

A year later I brewed exactly 1 10G batch and really don't have any plans to do another so I "downsized" to a Spike 10G kettle for my 5.5G batches. One of the best decisions I have made!

 

[PADave]

If you plan on doing BIAB and mashing in your kettle, the less head space you have, the longer your temps will stay up. Just something to keep in mind. Using a 10 gallon kettle will leave just an a few inches of head space, and using an old winter jacket will keep my mash within a couple degrees over an hour.

 

[C38368]

I have the same eight gallon kettle that I've had since I started, about five years ago.


I brew five-gallon, all-grain batches now, using a three vessel setup, but started out with extract, and went through a BIAB phase, as well, but now I can't remember if it was a true BIAB process, or if I used a ten gallon Igloo. Anyway. Have always done five gallon batches.


My kettle is a little different than what I think a lot of people would recommend, in that it's actually wider in diameter than it is deep. Not great, but functional. I'll draw off just over seven gallons of wort (just enough to cover the handle rivets), and I usually wind up with a little over five gallons in the fermenter, once I pitch my starter.


This setup will boil over if you don't pay attention, but isn't that hard to monitor. I've only had three or four boil overs in total.


Soooooo... I would say that eight gallons is your minimum! I would definitely look for a ten gallon that fits in your budget, whatever that may be. And try to find a pot that's deeper than it is wide. Big fan of Spike Brewing here; I plan to replace my kettle with one of theirs sometime in the next year or so. If you think that splitting batches, or really huge beers might be in your future... I'd consider 15 gallons.