[michael@maninreallife.com]

New to home brewing. To brew my first batch, I'd like to begin with a 5-gallon kettle and companion fermenter. I am open to flame or electric and want all grain versions. May I have some best brand recommendations, please? Ideas. I want something I can keep and continue to use should I get hooked and seek to expand. Thoughts? Thanks. MW

[tommymorris]

New to home brewing. To brew my first batch, I'd like to begin with a 5-gallon kettle and companion fermenter. I am open to flame or electric and want all grain versions. May I have some best brand recommendations, please? Ideas. I want something I can keep and continue to use should I get hooked and seek to expand. Thoughts? Thanks. MW

My thoughts are to start with BIAB. That is an easy all grain method.

I recommend at least an 7.5-gallon (30 quart) kettle for a 5 gallon batch. You’re preboil gravity will be 1-2 gallons higher than the final batch size due to evaporation from boiling. You want to ferment 5.5 gallons to get 5 gallons into bottles or kegs.  The BIAB mash takes extra space because all the water and the grains are in the kettle together.

Regarding gas versus electric; I recommend electric. For electric you might be best off with an all-in-one system: Grainfather, Mash & Boil, Brewzilla, Anvil Foundry. The price adds up but in the end you may save money over buying all the pieces in a custom all grain system.

If going gas, Amazon has many kettle choices in 30-quart or 32-quart.

[smkranz]

I’ve been brewing for a long time, and know many other homebrewers.  The ONE thing I’ve never heard a single homebrewer say in 30 years of brewing is “Dang it, I wish I’d bought a smaller kettle.”

The saying “Buy once, cry once” applies here.  It’s always easy to spend someone else’s money, but better equipment makes a big difference in ease of use and good results.  For brewing on a propane burner or even on the kitchen stove, go for a purpose-built stainless kettle with a spigot, that’s at least a couple gallons larger than the boil volume needed.  For an electric system, the only direct experience I have is with the Anvil Foundry which I love.  It allows you to brew with either 110v household current or will convert to 220v with the flick of a switch and replacing the plug.

I agree with tommymorris that a Brew-in-a-Bag setup is easiest and most economical.

Fermenters … I have a big stainless conical fermenter which I hardly ever use.  Just use a plastic fermenting bucket and take good care of it, it’ll last for years.

If you live in proximity to a homebrew supply shop, visit them.  A good local shop is an invaluable resource.  Also check out the AHA’s club listing to see if there are any homebrew clubs nearby.


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[Fire Rooster]

Look before you leap, do your homework.
If you go electric, here are comparisons.

https://brewtogether.com/2021/09/02/the-best-electric-all-in-one-brewing-systems/

[Megary]

New to home brewing. To brew my first batch, I'd like to begin with a 5-gallon kettle and companion fermenter. I am open to flame or electric and want all grain versions. May I have some best brand recommendations, please? Ideas. I want something I can keep and continue to use should I get hooked and seek to expand. Thoughts? Thanks. MW

If you plan to use a 5-gallon kettle, then I will assume you want to brew 2.5-3-gallon batches.  A 5-gallon kettle will work fine for that batch volume as long as you don't brew any high ABV/high gravity beers, say >1.080 or so.  At that point you will be mashing right at the top of the kettle, which I don't recommend.  I make 2.5 gallon batches and started out brewing-in-a-bag (BIAB) in a plain ol' 5-gal pot that I had laying around and it worked great...but eventually I moved up to 8-gal and haven't looked back.

If your intention is to brew 5-gallon batches, then definitely get a bigger kettle.

I'm not one to suggest you go "All-In" with equipment right off the bat.  I understand the logic behind "buy once-cry once" but unless you are dead sure this hobby is for you and you plan on staying for the long haul, you might want to start small and see what all is involved first. 

Good luck with whatever you decide!

[Fire Rooster]

New to home brewing. To brew my first batch, I'd like to begin with a 5-gallon kettle and companion fermenter. I am open to flame or electric and want all grain versions. May I have some best brand recommendations, please? Ideas. I want something I can keep and continue to use should I get hooked and seek to expand. Thoughts? Thanks. MW

If you plan to use a 5-gallon kettle, then I will assume you want to brew 2.5-3-gallon batches.  A 5-gallon kettle will work fine for that batch volume as long as you don't brew any high ABV/high gravity beers, say >1.080 or so.  At that point you will be mashing right at the top of the kettle, which I don't recommend.  I make 2.5 gallon batches and started out brewing-in-a-bag (BIAB) in a plain ol' 5-gal pot that I had laying around and it worked great...but eventually I moved up to 8-gal and haven't looked back.

If your intention is to brew 5-gallon batches, then definitely get a bigger kettle.

I'm not one to suggest you go "All-In" with equipment right off the bat.  I understand the logic behind "buy once-cry once" but unless you are dead sure this hobby is for you and you plan on staying for the long haul, you might want to start small and see what all is involved first. 

Good luck with whatever you decide!

+1

[pete b]

FYI a restaraunt supply store, either local or online, is usually the best place to get a good kettle at a reasonable price.

[ynotbrusum]

Good points, all.  My only additional comment is to consider the other uses that many of the brewing items can be put (cooking pots, for example) and that you can always sell things off (albeit at a loss), if you decide to upgrade.  One thing that a fellow club member enlightened me on was to use an electric all in one system for sous vide cooking of larger cuts and bulkier amounts of prepared dishes...the thought had never occurred to me.  An induction cookplate has obvious direct uses in cooking. 

Heating or boiling water for other purposes is also a plus - I use my Anvil Foundry to heat water by the gallon in the garage in the summer for making iced tea, rather than heating up the kitchen unnecessarily using the gas stove.

Cheers and welcome to the Forum and the hobby!

[BrewBama]

New to home brewing.

Welcome aboard!

I recommend reading Palmer’s How To Brew. http://www.howtobrew.com/

To brew my first batch, I'd like to begin with a 5-gallon kettle and companion fermenter.

I agree with comments above about goals. Entry cost should also be a factor. If you have disposable income you could go all in. But if on a budget, just trying to dip your toe in, smaller batches will do, you are the only beer drinker, etc… your 5 gal kettle works great.  You can even brew stove top with it.

I am open to flame or electric

I can’t recommend electric strong enough. It’s cheaper to operate, you won’t run out of propane mid boil, the precision is unmatched… I just can’t recommend electric strong enough.

A lot of electric cooktops are induction. Like some all-in-one units, some are 110v but some take 220v. Think about where you’ll get 220 if you get one. I use my dryer plug. I have a switch so I can select the dryer or cooktop.

This could be an add-on later.

May I have some best brand recommendations, please?

I recommend purpose built brewing equipment. Whether that’s an all-in-one system like Grainfather, Mash n Boil, Brewzilla, BrewEasy, Braumeister, etc…, or a kettle like Blichmann, BrewBuilt, BrewMaster, Spike, SS Brewtech, and fermenter like SS Brewtech, Spike, Spiedel, FermZilla, Fermonster, Big Mouth Bubbler, a plastic bucket, etc…  think about cleaning. If you like to clean, you might be a brewer.  You will have to clean anything you get. If you get something hard to disassemble and clean you will regret it IMO.  Most purpose built equipment has disassembly in mind.

I want something I can keep and continue to use should I get hooked and seek to expand.

If you are wanting to expand later, the kettle for brew in a bag  (BIAB) and fermenter will get you started. …but I recommend a 10 gal kettle and 7 gal fermenter which will probably take you off the stove. Then add a mash tun to the kettle and fermenter later.  Then add options like a pump, PID controller, RIMS or HERMS down the road.

….want all grain versions…

Are you open to extract to start?

Thoughts?

What’s your water source like? Will it be a water hose, a sink, will you buy water?

Where are you going to clean? A utility sink, in the back yard with a hose?  Where will you dispose of spent grain and hops?

Where are you going to mash and boil?  Are the neighbors close and do they get upset about odors easily?  Can you vent steam?

Where are you going to ferment?  Fermentation produces heat. You will have to control fermentation temp at some point. Think about how you are going to do that.

Are you going to bottle or keg the finished product?  Do you have a space for empty and full bottles?  I started with Party Pigs. Not sure they’re still around but it was a great entry point.

Regardless of your decision(s), I hope you enjoy the hobby as much as I have over the years.  Cheers!

[Big_Eight]

FYI a restaraunt supply store, either local or online, is usually the best place to get a good kettle at a reasonable price.

+1 to this also look on craigslist there are a lot of aspiring Homebrewers that are either upgrading or have fizzled out and you can get some great deals. I landed a 10 gallon stainless triclad bottom kettle with spigot, thermometer, and sight glass for $40 not long ago.

Recently, I've started using my 5 gallon kettle for stovetop biab and have a 1.059 OG 2.5 gallon Irish red fermenting as we speak. There is a place in this world for small batch brewing as well and it's pretty easy.

Edit: Literally a bag, pot, fermenter, thermometer, and either wort chiller or cool the 5 gallon kettle with some ice.

[chinaski]

It looks like a lot of folks are assuming that you will do all-grain brewing either from the start or in short order.  I recommend just buying a cheap bucket fermenter and using the biggest pot you already have (or can borrow or buy cheaply) and start with a simple extract batch.  Get cleaning, sanitizing, siphoning, fermenting, packaging, and all of the rest of it down in a low expense way.  Then see if you get the bug and then start some bigger purchases.

[HopDen]

I think electric is the way to go. I never did BIAB so I can't give an opinion on those systems. What I can say is that it is imperative to do your homework on the pro/cons of all options. I would consider going a bit larger than you think you need at the starting point. If you stay with the hobby you will be glad you went bigger. Electric systems allow you to brew indoors as long as you vent and have a source of makeup air which can be as little as 2 open, opposing windows.  They are efficient and quiet. Check out Blichmann, Spike and SS Brewtech for options. They also have some great SS conical fermenters with great accessories. The last bit of advice I can give is to buy once, cry once. No reason to waste money on items that you will outgrow.
Cheers!!

[Ron756]

I would classify myself as still new to brewing. Only started on 2019 and brewed maybe 3 dozen batches of beer. Maybe 1/3 of which was worth drinking.  As a new guy my recommendation to a new guy is:
Start with small batches 1 to 3 gallons.
If that is the size you work at the ingredients are pretty cheap and it hurts less when a batch is bad and you dump it.

Bamabrew said read Palmer’s book. Great place to start.

Small batches worked fine on the stovetop, until my wife got her new kitchen I am not allowed to use. So I use my crawfish boiler so already sunk cost - but I don’t use my crawfish pot. No matter how much I clean it, I still got crawfish beer. I like them both and together is good, but not in the same glass.

I used a 1 gallon boxed set to start and some kits. All worked out well. Moving to all grain is an investment and increase in complexity. I recommend some extract kits to get some early success before trying to go whole grain.  Early success makes it easy to get into the hobby. Jumping into the deep end can result in frustration early and can be discouraging.

Early equipment. 5 gal kettle. Valve optional. Plastic fermenter. I use a $50 “FastFermentor” conical fermenter. Easy to take apart and clean and good for 1 to 3 gallons.
For all grain mash in I use a 5 gallon Lowe’s cooler with a $ 20 bottom screen and about another $15 of piping.
Just a few thoughts.
Ron


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[reverseapachemaster]

I’ve been brewing for a long time, and know many other homebrewers.  The ONE thing I’ve never heard a single homebrewer say in 30 years of brewing is “Dang it, I wish I’d bought a smaller kettle.”

The exception there is for people who only have access to a coil-type electric stove. You can only get those to boil so much liquid and you can put too much weight on and damage the coils and wiring. (I've done it twice.) Once you hit a 6-7 gallon kettle you're pretty well maxing out what that kind of stove can handle unless you have a canning element on it. If you want to go larger you need to find a different heat source.

[erockrph]

I’ve been brewing for a long time, and know many other homebrewers.  The ONE thing I’ve never heard a single homebrewer say in 30 years of brewing is “Dang it, I wish I’d bought a smaller kettle.”

The exception there is for people who only have access to a coil-type electric stove. You can only get those to boil so much liquid and you can put too much weight on and damage the coils and wiring. (I've done it twice.) Once you hit a 6-7 gallon kettle you're pretty well maxing out what that kind of stove can handle unless you have a canning element on it. If you want to go larger you need to find a different heat source.

Yeah, a 5-gallon pot is a good size for ceramic/glass cooktops as well. Anything much over 4 gallons would be a long struggle to reach and maintain a boil for me. That said, there's nothing keeping you from boiling 5 gallons in a 10 or 15 gallon pot if you have room for it on your burners.