Recommendations for a kettle/burner combo

[lcbjr77]

Going to take my brewing out into the garage. I did a lot of research about brewing in the garage safely so I will probably crack a window open and leave one the garage doors open as well.

Looking for a propane burner and a 8 gallon pot, I'm going to still do extract brewing but full 5 gallon batches. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[govner1]

Get a Blichmann burner w/ leg extensions & an Update International SS BK. I'd go w/ at least a 10 gal over the 8 gal. More room for bigger beers.

 

[Jeffinn]

Get a Blichmann burner w/ leg extensions & an Update International SS BK. I'd go w/ at least a 10 gal over the 8 gal. More room for bigger beers.

+1 on the 10 gallon kettle. I started with an 8 gallon and when doing 5 gallon batches it didnt have as much room as I would have liked. You'll be putting about 6.5 gallons in the kettle so that only leaves you 1.5 gallon of space.

 

[BowAholic]

check out Academy Sports...they sell a high BTU stainless burner and 42 qt kettle for well under $100 total. My son has 2 sets and I have 1 and they work great.

 

[aprichman]

I'd go with a 10 gallon Spike kettle and a Dark Star burner

http://spikebrewing.com/collections...tles/products/10-gallon-brew-kettle-1-coupler

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/brewing-equipment/burners-1/the-dark-star-burner.html

 

[Nagorg]

Spike Kettles do rock! I have two of them myself. And you cant go wrong with Blichmann burners though they are probably overkill for 10G kettles.. I also have two Blichmann burners but I'm firing by 20G and 30G Spike kettles!

For 5 Gallon batches, a good bargain kettle is the Bayou Classic 44Qt SS. Works great for 5G batches with plenty of head-space to keep boil-overs at bay.

A good bargain burner for that batch size is the Bayou Classic SQ-14. You can add a windscreen to it very easy.

 

[FoCobrewguy]

I had a cheap burner to start with and upgraded to the blichmann burner and it is a huge difference. You don't have to yell over the roar of the burner. one propane tank last me forever and I reach boiling temperatures in half the time. If you have to cash it is worth going all out on the burner it does make a difference.

 

[Cyclman]

Blich burner with a 10G thick aluminum pot. The burner will pay for itself in gas and time savings. The aluminum pot- you can add a spigot, sight glass, etc. over time, and start out about $50.

 

[2ellas]

Northern brewer has a promo going now. Spend $150 and get a free dark star burner. I did that last time they ran it and bought the economy 10.5 gallon SS kettle, added a ball valve and I'm very happy with that set up so far.

 

[msa8967]

Going to take my brewing out into the garage. I did a lot of research about brewing in the garage safely so I will probably crack a window open and leave one the garage doors open as well.

Looking for a propane burner and a 8 gallon pot, I'm going to still do extract brewing but full 5 gallon batches. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks

If you are on a budget I recommend buying the Bayou Classic SQ14 burner stand from amazon (45-50) and this 10 gallon kettle from Staples. ($45). I own three of these kettles with 3 sq14 burners because I often brew three batches at the same time. If you do buy this from staples then get a 14 3/4 inch diameter lid and not just 14 inch.

http://www.staples.com/Supera-AP-40H-40-qt-Heavy-Aluminum-Stock-Pot/product_1115497

http://www.staples.com/Update-International-14-3-4-Aluminum-Stock-Pot-Cover/product_441891

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

The burner has plenty of heat for doing 5-6 gallon batches. I have even used it to do 10 gallon brews with a keggle.

 

[lcbjr77]

If you are on a budget I recommend buying the Bayou Classic SQ14 burner stand from amazon (45-50) and this 10 gallon kettle from Staples. ($45). I own three of these kettles with 3 sq14 burners because I often brew three batches at the same time. If you do buy this from staples then get a 14 3/4 inch diameter lid and not just 14 inch.

http://www.staples.com/Supera-AP-40H-40-qt-Heavy-Aluminum-Stock-Pot/product_1115497

http://www.staples.com/Update-International-14-3-4-Aluminum-Stock-Pot-Cover/product_441891

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

The burner has plenty of heat for doing 5-6 gallon batches. I have even used it to do 10 gallon brews with a keggle.

Thanks alot for the info.. I will definitely look into this setup

 

[msa8967]

There is also a $30 10 gallon Supra kettle option from staples but it does not have as thick of sides and does not heat up quite as fast as the link I sent you. Still a good deal. You will want to condition the inside of the kettle with a 30 minute boil prior to using it for brewing. This will build up a gray aluminum oxide layer. Some brewers make a small wind screen from $5 of sheet metal from a box store for the burner. Depends on where you use it and how much wind. I have used the SQ14 as well as the Darkstar burner and really prefer to the heat output and stability of the sq14. The only thing that keeps it from a perfect 5 stars is needing a wind screen.

 

[JimRausch]

And now a vote from the cheap contingent.
Two years ago I picked up a aluminum turkey fryer kettle/propane burner special from Cabelas for $75. Over 30 AG and maybe 5 PM batches later and it's still works for me. Granted, I would rather have a 10G kettle instead of the 7.5G one, but I'm careful, use Fermcap, and don't get boilovers.
So, moral= cheap can work.

 

[TennBrewer]

I bought this setup for my initial venture into home brewing. I've done about 5 batches so far, all 5 gallon batches including one BIAB most recently. I added a ball valve and thermometer to the 40 qt kettle and so far it's worked out pretty well. It certainly wasn't a lot of money to get started but I eventually want to get 10 Gal. batches and kegs, from what I've read in this thread, Blichman seems the way to go.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O2T73F0/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20