[klickitat jim]

10 gallon, ball valve. The thermo and sight glass are pointless (even though my kettle has this)!

I like my thermometers but ya, I always thought a site glass would be just something to clean and break.

[mikemartin53]

Thanks everyone.  I'm going with a 10 gallon with ball valve, no thermometer, no false bottom for now.  I see a lot of good and bad written about the Bayou Classic 1040 stock pot but the price is right.  But I need to do more research.  Once I get a few brews under my belt and decide I'm enjoying it, I won't be so afraid to spend $200+ on a better brewpot and I'll still be able to use original pot as a boil pot.

[Joe Sr.]

I would go with 13 gallons in case you ever want to boil a 10 gallon batch.

Or, start how you like and upgrade later.

[tommymorris]

I have 2 aluminum kettles. Neither have any ports (thermometer, ball valve, etc).  I just pour everything into the fermenter.

My first AL kettle is 30 qts. It came in a turkey fryer kit (with propane burner).

My second kettle is a 42 qt Bayou Classic. It was $63.55 shipped.

I mainly use the smaller kettle now since moving down to 3G batches.

Aluminum kettles aren't as pretty as stainless but they sure get the job done.

[Weavz]

I just started using a kettle with a ball valve, and have found it convenient. In fact, I liked it so much I replaced the push-button valve on my mash tun with a ball valve -- and found I like that application even more. Something to remember if you get into all-grain brewing. ...

[lindak]

Did you opt for a propane burner?   Sometimes a 10 gallon stock pot is too tall for a stove-- or need lots of btus to get to a boil.   

[Lazy Ant Brewing]

One reason to brew is the feeling of pride you get when you hand your buddies a brew you crafted and get "wow, that's good" as a response."

Stainless steel is more durable than aluminum.

My advice is to save your money and buy quality items to begin with.  It's no bargain to buy something and then replace it with a more expensive and better quality item because the original just didn't get the job done very well. .

Another difference between stainless steel and aluminum pots is their thermal conductivity.   Compared to aluminum,  S/S takes more heat  to get to a given temperature, but the flip side of that is that S/S pots hold that heat longer. Less btus required to keep it at a boil.

I do BIAB (brew in a bag) and mash my wort in the pot.   With the flame out, I cover the pot with a pair of old insulated coverall for the hour it takes to mash to help keep the mash temp as close to specs as possible.

[mikemartin53]

Did you opt for a propane burner?   Sometimes a 10 gallon stock pot is too tall for a stove-- or need lots of btus to get to a boil.

A propane burner is definitely on my equipment list.  Most of the pots I'm looking at are 14 to 16 inches tall.  16 inches would give me only 3 inches of clearance between the pot and my exhaust hood.  My largest burner is rated at 20,000 BTU.