I Bought A Turkey Fryer Brew Kettle!

The poor man's (lady's) all-grain system is about to get its first infusion of material. Today I bought a turkey frying kit with a propane burner and a 30 or 32 quart (7.5-8 gallon) capacity, coated aluminum kettle for $45 on Craigslist. This also includes the turkey stand and fry basket, in case I get the urge to try something like deep-frying snickers bars and selling them and hand-rolled cigarettes outside bars at 2 am. Or, you know, frying turkeys.

I did days worth on research on the best investment choices in starting an all-grain homebrewing system, and came to the conclusion that I don't have enough money to do anything less than the absolute minimum. I would rather make beer now with a turkey fryer than wait a month to have enough money to make it in a stainless steel pot. With the addition of a ball valve and thermometer (which I will install thanks to the fact that I live in Golden and have a bunch of friends who will frankenstein anything just for a few beers, if not just for the hell of it), this setup can eventually transform into another element of a larger system.

I found a few articles and fora especially helpful in doing the research on brew kettles and in deciding that the turkey fryer route is an acceptable way to go at this point.

1. Paul's Brewing Page: This is a page set up by a guy who just loves to homebrew, and is learning along with the rest of us. I found his explanations of extract, partial mash, and all-grain brewing to be really easy to follow and complete with pictures, which is a must for me. With sites that just offer explanations, I found myself having to draw pictures just to really internalize what was being said.
2. "Greenethumb" Johnathan Greene has a number of articles describing his homebrewing adventures, and also has lots of often-beautiful pictures.
3. The Northern Brewer Forum and HomeBrew Talk Forum are both excellent resources with a number of knowledgable and respectful people.