NOOB brew pot question

**raptorkeeper89** · 10-28-2011, 06:05 AM

OK guys I absolutely love this site. I am on it everyday and have been for months. My wife has finally given me the green light on my starter kit!!! Any ways thats besides the point. Here is my question.

I am buy a kit from NorthernBrewer that comes with everything save for a brew pot and bottles. Now i have a turkey fryer set up from last year (burner and pot). I want to say the pot is 5-6 Gal (held 3 gal of oil and a big ole turkey), Aluminum but im not positive, but it is light and sure feels aluminum. The burner is pretty straight forward, four legs, four inch burner, hooks up to a propane bottle via a regulator. I was just using the famous search function and found so many brew pot threads my head spun. Can i use this brew pot/burner set up to do a full boil right off the bat? Or am i better dropping $50-60-70 on another pot and brewing on the kitchen stove? Or could I do a partial boil at least in this pot? Thanks in advance for your help!!!

FatherJack · 10-28-2011, 06:23 AM

I would assume you will eventually make it to all grain brewing? If so, you will need 2 pots to manage your water for mashing/sparging and boiling.

I would say you can use that pot, but if it's aluminum, which it sounds it is, you'll want to make sure it's super clean and run it through one full boil before using it.

**jkaylor** · 10-28-2011, 09:49 AM

When I first started, what's now turned into an obsession, I used my old turkey frier. Scrubbed the hell out of it and boiled a full pot of water for an hour. Worked fine. I still use it to heat up my sparge water. Have fun and good luck.

**jetmac** · 10-28-2011, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raptorkeeper89

Can i use this brew pot/burner set up to do a full boil right off the bat? Or am i better dropping $50-60-70 on another pot and brewing on the kitchen stove? Or could I do a partial boil at least in this pot? Thanks in advance for your help!!!

I am not sure about the partial boil but you will need at minimum a 9 or 10gal pot to make 5 gallon all grain batches.

**jetmac** · 10-28-2011, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FatherJack

I would assume you will eventually make it to all grain brewing? If so, you will need 2 pots to manage your water for mashing/sparging and boiling.

I use 1 pot.

I heat all my water at the same time. I drain off what I need for strike water at the temperature I need for mashing then continue heating the rest(sparge water) to about 195-200F. I then drain off that sparge water into a 5 gallon round cooler. When the mash is done, I drain the wort into the kettle and drain the sparge water from the cooler into the mash tun.

**crazyseany** · 10-28-2011, 10:25 AM

if it's a 5 gallon pot you will need something a little larger... For a full boil you want to boil for 60 minutes and end up with 5 gallons at the end...

if doing extract you could always start with a partial boil and add 2 gallons of jugged cold water at the end... This will also help drop your temps quicker

I got lucky and happened to have a 8 gallon stainless steel turkey fryer we bought to use at our wedding reception... (7 years prior to ever brewing!)

do a partial to start off... Make sure you go out and buy a 6 of something in crown top bottles so you can reuse them when yours is ready. The batches I've done my wife has been hanging out with me and helped and we both really enjoy it (not to mention she drinks all the rewards while I'm at work!...j/k)

sean

**rico567** · 10-28-2011, 10:42 AM

I have brewed AG for 2.5 years, using the same pot I used for extract. I do full 6.5 gallon boils in a cheap 7.5 gallon SS Proctor-Silex pot I got on sale from Cooking.com. I don't worry about boilovers, because 6 drops of Fermcap-S at the start of the boil takes care of that. I have a smaller (I think around 4-5 gallon) SS pot that was around earlier to heat water for preheating, sparging, etc.

Brewskii · 10-28-2011, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jetmac

I am not sure about the partial boil but you will need at minimum a 9 or 10gal pot to make 5 gallon all grain batches.

I use a 8 gal for all grain full boil brews. it takes a little vigilance to avoid boil overs but it'll work just fine. Less than 8 gals youu need to do partial boils for sure.

.... My $.02

**Begin2Brew** · 10-28-2011, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brewskii

I use a 8 gal for all grain full boil brews. it takes a little vigilance to avoid boil overs but it'll work just fine. Less than 8 gals youu need to do partial boils for sure.

.... My $.02

I agree with this one. I do all grain and push the batch size to 6gal. I have an 8 gal pot and I still have to be diligent at the start of the boil. Once it gets going then I can relax. I also use my old aluminum "turkey" fryer pot to heat my sparge water while I mash and if I do a decoction mash I'll use the aluminum as well.

**Revvy** · 10-28-2011, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FatherJack

I would assume you will eventually make it to all grain brewing? If so, you will need 2 pots to manage your water for mashing/sparging and boiling.

No you don't. I've used one pot for years.

Been doing it this way for 5 years.

I just mash out into a bucket to get my pre-boil volume, then transfer it to my kettle after I've collected all my runnings. I heat my sparge water while I'm mashing my grains.

Up until recently I just had a 7.5 gallon turky fryer pot. Worked fine, but did require vigilance and fermcap-s.