[violaleebrews]

i'm looking into growing my home-brewery capacity and want to get into brewing 10-gallon batches.  from what i gather, a 10-gallon cooler or larger will suffice for a mash/lauter tun.  what i really would like are suggestions for the boil kettle.  i want to be able to do a 90 minute boil, comfortably.  what'dy'all think?

[oscarvan]

Keggle.

15 gallon Sanke keg with the top removed.

[bluesman]

How much do you want to spend or can you afford to spend?

[hopfenundmalz]

Go big or go home!

10 gallons for the mash/lauter tun will not get you 10 gallons of 1.100 Beer.  You need at least 15 gallons.  The 70 qt. Coleman Extreme is popular with batch spargers for a reason.

A converted keg works fine for a 10 gallon batch.  Some say you need a bigger kettle, but 15 gallons has worked for me for a long time.  I either skim the hot break, or put some Fermcap-S in the boil.  Keeping an eye on it and knowing when to throttle back the burner helps too.

[euge]

I went with a 20 gallon aluminum kettle. The extra 5 gallons really makes a difference. Though I have to say people seem to love their 15 gallon keggles. However, you must consider how you will heat the thing. Kitchen stove most likely won't cut it.

Go with the Coleman if batch-sparging.

How much do you want to spend or can you afford to spend?

If I were to do it again I would go all out and buy the works- brewstand, automatic controllers etc... Still might.

[dshepard]

I have been doing 10 gallon batches for about 10 years. I have a 15 gallon HLT and MT, and for most of the years a 15 gallon kettle. Last year I finally bought a 20 gallon kettle and love it. The extra head space gives me peace of mind at the beginning of the boil and helps to prevent boil overs. I would heartily recommend a 20 gallon kettle since you want to do 90 minute boils which is what I also do. I usually start with 14 gallons into the kettle. 15 gallon kettles barely hold 14 gallons. Many years ago I used to use a Sanke keg and yes you do get an extra half gallon, but if you can afford the initial expense, go with the 20 gallon kettle now, you will be glad you did. 

[dcbc]

Based on my experience, ideally go with the 70 qt or larger cooler, a 20 gallon kettle for your boiler, and a 15 gallon kettle/keggle for your HLT.  You can do it with a 15 gallon boiler and a 10 gallon HLT, but you're pushing the limits, particularly on the 15 gallon boiler doing 90 minute boils and trying to get 11 gallons into the fermetner.  If you, for one reason or another, wanted to do some longer boils, say for a Bopils, a 15 gallon boiler won't cut it. But even for 90 minute boils, the extra room in a 20 gallon kettle is a wonderful luxury.

I have done it both ways and if I had it to do over again, I would have only upgraded equipment for 10 gallon batches once.   

[violaleebrews]

thanks for the advice everyone!  i have a small kettle for my 5-gallon batches and definitely am looking forward to forking over the extra cash for at least a 20 gallon kettle.  whatever the cost is will be worth it.  if i do anything high-gravity i don't mind doing smaller batches.

[Kit B]

http://www.waresdirect.com/products/Restaurant-Supply/Update-International-/60-Qt168824




I added weldless fittings, valves & will be adding weldless thermometers, soon.