Quick help if possible! - picking gear

[lefty96]

It looks like Northern brewing is having a deal today that you get a free 5 gal stainless kettle if you spend $100.

I was initially going to wait to get a kit, but I'm thinking this maybe a good reason to take the plunge now - my current options for a boiling kettle are both large (10 gallon min) aluminum pots for boiling crawfish and gumbo which force me to use propane outside. . .so that being said

1) Is it worth taking the plunge now for a free stainless kettle?

It is this one:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/...t/brew-kettles/5-gallon-stainless-kettle.html

2) I know this is of great debate but do you go glass carboys or the big mouth jobs?

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/...-starter-kits/deluxe-brewing-starter-kit.html

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/...mouth-bubbler-deluxe-brewing-starter-kit.html

As a general rule, I'm not to hard on my stuff so he glass doesn't worry me persay but the big mouths do look easier to maintain.

 

[mdindy]

If you are looking for a kit I would 100% say you should go for it and get the free kettle, I think it is worth it if you plan on brewing more than a few time a year.
I use only plastic fermenters, I brew a lot and beat up my stuff, so plasic is the way to go for me.

 

[KartRacer54]

Go for it, exactly how I started a year ago with NB kit and free kettle!

 

[unionrdr]

I'd go for buckets myself. but the plastic is lighter & safer. And kartracer, 54 was my old racing number in my GTP days. Funny how that one comes back around now & then.

 

[eadavis80]

The 5 gallon kettle is totally fine for an extract brewer doing partial boils. I have a very similar (if not the same) pot in the basement. I've since replaced it with a bigger one, but I still use it for one-gallon batches sometimes. As for plastic vs. glass, I honestly prefer plastic - easier to lift/deal with IMO. I will use my glass secondary some, but I have since bought 2 other plastic 5-gallon secondaries and always use those unless I'm aging a beer more than a month. As for primaries, I have 2 6.5 gallon buckets and recently picked up a 6 gallon Big Mouth Bubbler, which I really like because it's light, like a bucket, but you can SEE the fermentation going on, which can be reassuring.

 

[unionrdr]

I started off doing kit-n-kilo beers & moved up to pb/pm biab. All with the same 5 gallon (20qt) SS kettle I started with.

 

[bragona71]

I have glass and plastic. I only use plastic now, the class carboy will be my wives wine fermenter soon, as for the kettle my guess is if you continue to brew you will move to AG and the 5g kettle will be a good HLT., not big enough to brew 5 g batches. get the kit and still use the gumbo pot for brewing

 

[mmlipps]

I prefer the glass. It's really preference. Glass is heavy so be extra careful.

 

[Ski12568]

I recently received a plastic big mouth bubbler but have not used it. If it works out well, I'll be getting more of them to replace my glass. I love being able to see what is going on. If you do decide on BMB or glass carboy, I would suggest you get the carriers for them.

 

[IslandLizard]

Just a warning on glass "Bubblers" and other large glass vessels, such as carboys. They are not made that well anymore and some can and will spontaneously and unexpectyedly break. The large sharp shards can be life threatening, a very recent post testifies to that.

Stay away from large glass vessels. Plastic vessels ($$) or buckets ($) work just as well and are a lot, lot safer. Most buckets come with handles.

 

[lefty96]

I got the plastic big mouth bubblers. I figured it was the more practical route. So now I have the 5g stainless, a 10 g aluminum and an even larger aluminum one so that should be good enough on the pot front.

 

[TheHappyHopper]

Even though you have probably already made the purchase, I will throw in my 2 cents. I would go with the plastic, it is much safer and the large opening on those BMBs will make them easier to clean than the glass carboys.

For the kettle, it is a good size for brewing indoors on your stovetop, especially extract and partial mash batches. However, for all-grain, you will have to deal with not being able to do a full boil for a 5 gallon batch.

EDIT: I submitted my post just after yours . Sounds like you made a good choice!

 

[aprichman]

Personally I have had terrible luck with my plastic big mouth bubbler. It doesn't seal and tries to suck starsan from the airlock into the vessel.