TampaTim

Recipes 

Hey all!

I'll be attempting to do my first batch this weekend with a Hop Head Double IPA Kit from Midwest.

Two questions I have. I have a pot that can handle 6 1/2 gallons. I would like to do a full boil. In y'all's collective opinion. Can that pot handle it? If not, my options may include getting a larger pot before hand.

The second question. What different will I have to do to the recipe to adjust for a full boil? Forgive me if I may not have asked this question the right way.

Here is the recipe:

9.3 lbs. Gold Malt extract
4 oz. Aromatic
12 oz. Caramel 60°L
8 oz. Victory specialty grains
1 oz. Chinook
1 oz. Cascade
1 oz. Centennial
1 oz. Crystal
2 oz. Leaf (dry hop)

SG 1.70-1.74
FG 1.16-1.18

mandoman

Recipes 

I've used a 7.5 gallon pot (~30 quart) pot to do full boils and it boiled over nearly every time. If I was verrry careful I could pull it off w/out boil over. I filled to about 2 inches shy of the top. I think you could do it in your pot but you would have to scale down your recipe to maybe 4.5 gallons final beer. You will have to watch it like a friggin' hawk from about 190 F to boil and make sure you adjust the flame to allow a mellow boil - which isn't really what you want - you want a rolling boil but this won't be too big a deal. Once the initial expansion/hot break happens it will settle down but every time you add hops it might boil over again and you'll have to watch it. This would be much easier with a lightly hopped beer like a shilling, etc. It sounds like a new pot isn't out of your budget and I would suggest getting one. My 7.5 came in a turkey cooker kit.

Your recipe looks good for a full boil. If you were going to scale it back by, say, 20% (1 gallon) i'd just adjust all the ingredients by 20%. Now, given my initial experiences, I'd say you'd be fine using all the grain in your mash as your efficiency might be low anyway and just scaling back the hops. Even then, I'd just scale back the chinook which are quite bitter.

That's one man's opinion. In general, the beer will be much better, your learning process will be much more benefited, and your satisfaction much higher with a bigger pot for a full boil.

__________________
www.wolfhillsbrewing.com

Joker

Recipes 

IMO get a bigger pot. To end with 5 gallons (full batch) you will need to start with 6-6.5 gallons to account for boil off. I started with a 7 or 7.5 gallon pot and it was tough to not have boil overs.

Grinder12000

Recipes 

Your first brew is a double IPA? For one thing that does not look like a double IPA recipe to me. Just a normal IPA!

Yeast is not mentioned - you better have a lot of it. NOT trying to dampen spirits - just trying to make sure all goes well. Are you using a yeast starter or maybe a couple of yeast packets?

Also as for boil size - yo usay you have a pot that can handle 6.5 gallons but is that 6.5 standing still? Remember you need a rolling boil AND you will have a hot break which will add 3 or 4 inch's at the very least to the top of the pot.

I'm buying a 30 quart pot (7.9 gallons) for my full boils this week.

__________________
Grinders Island Brewery - Pipeline (Batch #)

Secondary Kentucky Common(83)
Primary #1 Scottish Ale 70(84)
Primary #2 The Black Pearl Porter(85)

BierMuncher

Recipes 

True dat.....

__________________
*******
Check Out My Rolling Kegerator

BierMuncher Tried & Trues:
Tits-Up IIPA (3-Time Medalist), Black Pearl Porter, Kona Pale Ale, Outer Limits IPA, Centennial Blonde (4.0%), Nierra Sevada (SNPA), SWMBO Slayer Belgian Blonde,

TampaTim

Recipes 

New pot it is then.

Anything I have to adjust in the recipe technique or hops wise considering it is an extract kit?

Kilgore_Trout

Recipes 

If you can't afford a new pot, you could always use a second one. Split off a few gallons into a smaller pot. I've done this when brewing indoors to prevent boilovers.

I watch my pot like a hawk, but I've not had a boilover on my 7.5gal. I only use it full outside on the burner though.

TampaTim

Recipes 

In addition to my question to hops adjustment.

I've been getting advice that the 6 1/2 gal pot I have will work if I'm diligent and spray the foam down with a water bottle. Any veracity to that statement?

schneemann

Recipes 

One thing I hadn't accounted for in my first reply was the amount of fluid needed for a full boil. You'd need to fill that pot up to the top to deal with fluid lost during the boil. That significantly increases your chance of a boilover.

Of course, you can try it and report back.

__________________
Primary - Bombsight Ale-toberfest, Bombsight California Common
Secondary - Bombsight Ale-toberfest
Conditioning - n/a
Drinkin - Bombsight Oatmeal Stout, 57 Minute IPA

Zazzle Crap | BombSight Brewery at CafePress | Brewstand Build | Schmidling MaltMill Review

Kilgore_Trout

Recipes 

You won't be able to do a full boil in a 6.5 gal pot. I would start with 5.5 or 6 gals (maximum, aim for less) and then top off.

There's no harm in topping off a gallon or two, better than losing a gallon of wort to massive boilover.