Shooter

Recipes 

As already state, chilling the wort is the main concern with a full boil. I've done many a partial boil on the stove top and they work fine. I usually try to start with about three gallons of water and end up with about 2 1/2 gallons of wort at the end of the boil. Hop utilization is an issue, but not really a deal breaker. I tend to add half my extract early and the other half in the last ten mintues. In essence, that's giving me a wort gravity during the bulk of the boil that would be consistent with a full five gallon boil. So, I don't worry about it.

__________________
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. - C. S. Lewis, English essayist & juvenile novelist (1898 - 1963)

NordeastBrewer77

Recipes 

+1 on that. That's how I avoid hop utilization issues when doing a partial boil (start w/4 1/2 gal, usually end up just under 4). Adding the bulk of the extract late really helps the hops do their job.

__________________
The Polk Street Brewery

Brewin' 'n' Que'n - YouTube Shenanigans

Quote:

Originally Posted by yeoitsmatt can i drink this? I mean. Im gunna. But is it fine?

Quote:

Originally Posted by yeoitsmatt it's not a barley wine. it's an ale.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bottlebomber Have you seen the price of ketchup lately? And I'm not talking Heinz.

hyperslug

Recipes 

My stove won't boil 5 gallons in a reasonable amount of time, so I stick to 3 or so gallons.

kcweazle

Recipes 

I live in the Dallas area and I ended up getting a small cheap chest freezer and putting a temp controller on it and love it. Another good thing about it is if you get a yeast strain that really gives off a bad smell while fermenting it stays trapped inside the freezer and doesn't stink up your house. That makes the wife really happy.

jrg42

Recipes 

+1 to the swamp cooler. Although i am dying to make a ferm chamber, right now I am using a big igloo cube ice cooler. You can put a 6.5 gallon carboy in there and then fill near the top with water. I use a combo of those ice packs used in shipping cold stuff and frozen 1L soda bottles filled with water to maintain my ferm temps.

There is no problem at all to maintain ale ferm temps and with some diligence (changing the ice packs before and after work) I can even keep it low enough for lagers.

jbsg02

Recipes 

I used the swamp cooler here in texas with good results. House temp is about 75. I just put my bucket in a bathtub we rarely use, put a shirt and point a fan at it as well as keep putting ice in it and I can ferment around 63-65

TXCrash

Recipes 

Another vote for a fermentation fridge. If you have the space, old piece of crap fridges pop up on cragslist from time to time. $0-$30 fridge + $16-$50 temp controller = temp control at all times.

You can pick up a line voltage thermostat (used for baseboard heaters and air conditioners) for pretty cheap at a hardware store in some areas - not sure if we can here.

@Jww - right across the toll bridge from ya.

__________________
Damn, Crash is one hard-headed mofo. - Shecky
The one that road tests motorcycle safety gear. - Ace_Club
no, Oregon boys are genetically predisposed to annoy people for extended periods of time - thataintchicken