Brewers made good ale before the advent to science. I just use an ounce or two of noble hops for, 60 min., bittering hop. I might replace that with a medium alpha duel purpose hops that has a noble hop character. It's like an old school chef that just seasons to taste.
Brewers made good ale...
On the subject of kettles: Bayou Classics has 9 gal. 10 gal. and 15.5 gal. http://www.bayouclassicoutlet.com/stainless-steel-stockpots.html
Adventures in Homebrewing has some good prices. http://www.homebrewing.org/BAYOU-CLASSIC-9-Gallon-Stainless-Steel-Brew-Pot-_p_274.html
We are talking...
8 gal. kettle will boil over just as fast as a 7 gal. kettle. 2 gal. of head space is enough. If boiling 6 to 6.5 gal. then get a 8 gal. kettle by all means.