What Size Brew pot?

I am currently only doing extract partial boils for 5 gallon batches. I want to move to full boils as my next step in brewing, ultimately heading to AG.

I would like the ability to do 10 gallon batches occasionally for some of my beer that seems to evaporate

A couple of questions.

1. Do I need a 20 gal pot to handle up to 10 gal batches?
2. Can I use a 20 gal pot to do 5 gal batches or is it too big?

I don't want to buy a pot that's too small and not be able to use down the road, so any suggestions or if you have had the dilemma, what did you do?

I'll take a shot at this although I don't brew 10gal batches at this point....


Most AG folks collect about 7 gallons of runnings for a 5 gallon batch of beer (post-boil)...

So for 10 gallons of wort post-boil that would be 14 gallons of runnings.


A 15gallon pot would be OK for a 10 gallon batch, but a 20 gallon pot wouldn't hurt either!

I know lots of folks brewing 10 gallon batches use converted Sankey kegs which run 15.5 gallons...

Hope this helps!

I would do some evaporation calculations and figure out what volume of water you will need to brew your standard batches. The volume of water you start with will have to be the 10G you want to end with plus the water you plan to boil off. I would be surprised if you needed more than a keggle for any batch.

EDIT: Also, a 20 gallon pot is too large for 5 gallon batches

I use a keggle (15.5 gal) for my 10 gal brews not because it's the best or the ideal but because it was reasonably priced. I have to watch it closely during boils to prevent boilovers but it certainly works fine. If you can afford a 20 gal pot I'd say go for it you be able to relax a lot more during your boils and I can't see where it would present any problems doing 5 gal boils. You would probably have to tip the pot toward the spigot to get the last gal or so out of a pot that large but I don't see that as a problem.

IMHO I would recommend the largest and highest quality pot that you can afford. I have a 25 gallon megapot from Northernbrewer.com and for 15 gallon batches of big beers I have appreciated the extra space for these large boils. As a general rule, as you think about equipment purchases try to buy the best that you can and something that you will not find yourself growing out of and wishing you hadn't wasted your money on. Just my 2 cents.