After some more looking and talking it over with my better half, I think I'm going to go with the 5 gal. kettle. Even if (more likely "when") I decide to later upgrade to a larger one, we don't have a pot that size (5 gal),and there are several other useful things it could do for us. It's a nice size for boiling crabs, or steaming clams, or making chicken or turkey broth.
Damn, now I'm hungry, lol.
Hey Juthro, what ever happened?
I wish I had been around when this post came out. There are a few good sailor tricks for home brew production I cam up with.
I'm sure if you started you are still with this hobby, it's almost as bad as any worthwhile endeavor.
I took a solid core door, and marked it in a grid and put a couple hundred 20d spikes in an array so when I dipped the many MANY bar bottles I had saved, *(all the same height for the capper), I just stuck them on a nail.
They have an attachment that fits on your laundry sink or hose bib that jets water to clean out the bottles, they will have crud in the bottoms.
Make it from scratch, maybe the first from a kit, then you will know how.
Hops flowers and Hop flavored Malt Extract will do just fine. It has all the sugar and flavorings you need.
Big funnels, lots of 5 gal containers, brushes to clean them, and the 12 oz. ones.
Air locks, all these things have been said, probably.
How did it go?