Could anyone reccomend a good stock pot and propane burner for all grain. Me and my friend are looking to start all grain and I am looking for a good stock pot and burner to use. It can be used or new. Would like a decent price as well. I see quality pots running between 85-100 dollars and burners 50-70 dollars. Anyone know of any quality products for a bit cheaper. Thanks in advance.
Check out a restaurant supply store for the pot, they normally have good deals, but if you are doing 5 gallon batches, don't skimp with a small pot, go for a ten gallon one, you won't regret it
Are you a member of Sam's Club? They usually always have burner/pot combos that are reasonable. http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=prod2111751&navAction=push
I bought one of the Bayou Classic burners that came with the 7.5 gal pot. I wasn't expensive (about $50. I think). Then I bought a 10 gal pot from Academy Sports for $40 or $50. I still use the 7.5 gal pot when I brew to heat up sparge water or collect runnings. I think the burner and pot kit was cheaper than a burner by itself. Usually the lone burners are a higher BTU so they charge more. But you don't need a huge burner to boil for a 5 gal batch. I say smaller burner and extra pot is a better deal.
I second the 10 gallon pot. I have a 7.5 gallon (30 qt) pot and when you start with 6.5 gallons there is very little free board so I have to watch my boil very closely at the beginning until I lose some to evaporation. I would gladly pay the extra money now for the peace of mind of no boil overs.
That was the exact situation I was in and it was endlessly frustrating. A larger pot also allows for longer boils (because you need to start with more volume for say a 2 to 3 hour boil) for beers like imperial stouts, barleywines, certain belgian styles, which are all some beers I would like to brew again soon.
I recommend estimating your usage, capacity and batch sizes in the future, if possible, and then getting the biggest pot you can afford. I've got 3 kettles, 2 that I should have not bought. I should have just went with my 15 gallon kettle with weldless valve and thermo. Yes it was like $250 but if I was using my grey matter I would have bought it the first time and saved the other $250 I spent on the other pots!! If you truly believe you will stick to this madness, you should go bigger, IMO. You can get a burner that does well for $50. I use an Bayou Classic SP-10. It sounds like a jet but works great for 10 gallon batches.
