Too big a kettle?

Hello guys, new to the forum Sorry if this has been answered before, but like many of us I'm about to start my first batch and I just realized I have too big a kettle. I believe I have like a 12 gallon kettle, and my recipe (AHS Double Chocolate Stout) like many other recipes is telling me I should heat 2 gallons of water, however.. since my kettle is too big I'm not going to be able to steep my grains and I believe the lme would be too close to the bottom. I really have no other option other than 2 3 gallon kettles, and I think I'm going to end up with an overboil.

Is it possible for me to just put all of the 5 gallons in it and do the recipe this way? I realize it's going to take forever to boil and to cool, but I really see no other way.. Any changes to the recipe if I were to do this?

Also, is it possible for me to transfer all the 5 gallons on to my primary bucket and cool it there? Or would something happen to the beer?

I would greatly appreciate any feedback.

12 gal kettle is perfect. Do a full volume boil, but start with 6 to 6.5 gal of water as some will boil off bringing you to 5 gal when the boil is finished..

Don't pour the wort in your bucket while it's super hot. It's better to chill in the kettle if you can.

Stauffbier said:

12 gal kettle is perfect. Do a full volume boil, but start with 6 to 6.5 gal of water as some will boil off bringing you to 5 gal when the boil is finished..

Don't pour the wort in your bucket while it's super hot. It's better to chill in the kettle if you can.

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Yeah I was thinking of doing the cooling on the bucket because the kettle is too big for any sink or containers that it can sink in.. to cool it. (next buy is a chiller)


Not recommended? If I read correctly it's because of the oxygen.. or plastic?

steep your grains in about 6.5 gallons of water. Add your extract as the directions say. Doing a full boil will yield great results. Actually you're lucky to start with a kettle that big!

Squirrels said:

steep your grains in about 6.5 gallons of water. Add your extract as the directions say. Doing a full boil will yield great results. Actually you're lucky to start with a kettle that big!

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Awesome! Now I hope the stove can keep up!

If you see you stove struggling to get the water up to temp and you are a DIY'er, search the forums for "heat stick". A 1500 or 2000 watt heat stick is a great supplement to stove top brewing.

Best of luck!

deluna said:

Awesome! Now I hope the stove can keep up!

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OK, I didn't realize you were heating on a stove. It might not be able to crank out the BTU's you need to boil that much liquid.

Dumping hot wort into plastic can cause melting or warping depending on the temp rating for your bucket. Plus at very high temps even food grade plastic can leech out unwanted flavors and such..

In my opinion you could probably still do a partial boil in a kettle that big. Just up the water to about 3 gal and tie a string to the grain bag to drop it lower. Remove from heat to add extract and bring up to boil very slowly...

Stauffbier said:

OK, I didn't realize you were heating on a stove. It might not be able to crank out the BTU's you need to boil that much liquid.

Dumping hot wort into plastic can cause melting or warping depending on the temp rating for your bucket. Plus at very high temps even food grade plastic can leech out unwanted flavors and such..

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hmm... what about getting 2 flames on the stove going? I'm sure it's big enough for it.. I really want to give this a try since I don't have the money for another kettle, what if I use less water? 4 gallons?

No, your stove is not going to keep up with a 6.5 gallon boil and you'll never be able to cool it in a reasonable amount of time without a chiller (unless doing "no chill" in a proper container). You can build a heatstick though and a DIY chiller is pretty easy too. Do a search and you'll find everything you ever wanted to know. I know lots of people say go big but I think 12 gallons is overkill for 5 gallon batches, especially with extract. Lastly, you can steep your grains in the smaller pot with less than a gallon while your big pot with the rest of the water is coming to a boil.

Is your stove electric or gas? I imagine that the pot has been used before so it is already conditioned but just in case it is brand new and made out of aluminum you may want to to a full boil of just 5-6 gallons of water in order to build up the oxide layer on the inner aluminum surface prior to using this to make beer. This will also let you know if your stove top is able to do that full boil size of 5-6 gallons.

deluna said:

hmm... what about getting 2 flames on the stove going? I'm sure it's big enough for it.. I really want to give this a try since I don't have the money for another kettle, what if I use less water? 4 gallons?

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Getting it on two burners would likely work. Maybe try boiling 6.5 gal of water first by itself. If it works, you can always let the water cool too 155F to steep in and then start the boil.. (just make sure you have 6.5 gal of water when you start the boil)..

msa8967 said:

Is your stove electric or gas? I imagine that the pot has been used before so it is already conditioned but just in case it is brand new and made out of aluminum you may want to to a full boil of just 5-6 gallons of water in order to build up the oxide layer on the inner aluminum surface prior to using this to make beer. This will also let you know if your stove top is able to do that full boil size of 5-6 gallons.

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+1 on this idea..

HomebrewMTB said:

No, your stove is not going to keep up with a 6.5 gallon boil and you'll never be able to cool it in a reasonable amount of time without a chiller (unless doing "no chill" in a proper container). You can build a heatstick though and a DIY chiller is pretty easy too. Do a search and you'll find everything you ever wanted to know. I know lots of people say go big but I think 12 gallons is overkill for 5 gallon batches, especially with extract. Lastly, you can steep your grains in the smaller pot with less than a gallon while your big pot with the rest of the water is coming to a boil.

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I was thinking of that, unfortunately I don't have the budget at this moment for a chiller, but steeping the grains in another kettle is a great idea, and it will definitely keep the process going without having to use more water..

Should I do the steeping and the extract on a different kettle and then add it to the bigger kettle?

deluna said:

I was thinking of that, unfortunately I don't have the budget at this moment for a chiller, but steeping the grains in another kettle is a great idea, and it will definitely keep the process going without having to use more water..

Should I do the steeping and the extract on a different kettle and then add it to the bigger kettle?

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HomebrewMTB is right.. You'll never be able to chill a full boil quick enough without a chiller. Just try the partial boil in your big kettle.. Or like earlier stated you can steep in a smaller pot and then boil in the bigger kettle. Meanwhile save a few bucks and buy a turkey frying burner..

p.s. if you go with a heatstick, 1500w is plenty and much easier to deal with since it's less than 15A (regular plug). That's enough to boil 6 gallons by itself but it takes a while. With the stove, it's perfect. I built a 2000W @ 20A and a 1500W @ 15A and the 1500W is all I use. I used the cord off an old power strip for the 1500W and a surplus 20A server cable for the 2000W. And make sure you use the 90 degree pipe since it takes about 4 gallons to cover the element with the straight pipe (at least on my kettle). The heatstick really is a great solution.

Thanks a lot I will look into it^

Thanks guys, I should've thought about using another kettle for the grains, I'm going to start, I just had to check I was doing it right lol.. thanks for explaining I really appreciate it, I got a lot more info than I was hoping for..

I'm going to steep the grains in a different kettle with 1 gallon of water and proceed to move it to the bigger kettle once thats done where 2 gallons will be waiting, thanks again!

deluna said:

Thanks a lot I will look into it^

Thanks guys, I should've thought about using another kettle for the grains, I'm going to start, I just had to check I was doing it right lol.. thanks for explaining I really appreciate it, I got a lot more info than I was hoping for..

I'm going to steep the grains in a different kettle with 1 gallon of water and proceed to move it to the bigger kettle once thats done where 2 gallons will be waiting, thanks again!

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One gallon might not be enough to steep in depending on how much grain you have.. Try to steep in as much of the total 3 gal amount as you can..

Good luck, let us know how it goes..

Stauffbier said:

One gallon might not be enough to steep in depending on how much grain you have.. Try to steep in as much of the total 3 gal amount as you can..

Good luck, let us know how it goes..

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Woops! I put them in the one gallon :/..

The water seems to be enough for the grains... will it affect the beer?

deluna said:

Woops! I put them in the one gallon :/..

The water seems to be enough for the grains... will it affect the beer?

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As long as there is enough water for the grain to move around loosly It should be fine. It might be lacking in potential flavor and color, but doing partial boils will give you that problem anyway. I'm sure it will work out fine either way. The most important things to me would be, have fun, learn as you go, and last but not least.... RDWHAHB! You're going to end up with beer when all is said and done, and it might just be the best beer you've ever had! My first batch was awesome, and I had no clue what the hell I was doing..

Stauffbier said:

As long as there is enough water for the grain to move around loosly It should be fine. It might be lacking in potential flavor and color, but doing partial boils will give you that problem anyway. I'm sure it will work out fine either way. The most important things to me would be, have fun, learn as you go, and last but not least.... RDWHAHB! You're going to end up with beer when all is said and done, and it might just be the best beer you've ever had! My first batch was awesome, and I had no clue what the hell I was doing..

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definitely puts less stress on it and makes me look forward to this even more, thanks for all the help!

1 gallon is enough for steeping specialty grains. When doing all grain mash, it's typically around 1.25 quarts per pound of grain. So you're fine.