40qt Overkill for 5 Gallons?

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Schmidty

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Is this pot overkill:
http://www.restaurantsupplyhouse.com/servlet/the-55/40-qt.-Medium-Weight/Detail

I want to start some AG brews but will only be doing 5 gallons, so essentially 6 gallons of pre-boil wort. The price is right and I don't really care that it's aluminum, but will this size pot have any adverse effects, other than storage :).

Also if anyone has dealt with RestrauntSupplyHouse.com I'd like to hear how they were.
 
Is this pot overkill:
http://www.restaurantsupplyhouse.com/servlet/the-55/40-qt.-Medium-Weight/Detail

I want to start some AG brews but will only be doing 5 gallons, so essentially 6 gallons of pre-boil wort. The price is right and I don't really care that it's aluminum, but will this size pot have any adverse effects, other than storage :).

Also if anyone has dealt with RestrauntSupplyHouse.com I'd like to hear how they were.

I think that 40 quart is actually a minimum size for full boils. You'll probably have 6.5-7 gallons preboil, more or less. I am stuck with a 32 quart, and it's not really big enough. I have to really watch for boil overs, and can't put all of the wort I'd like to have into it.
 
I don't think it's overkill at all, and it should be plenty for a 5 gallon boil. That 40qts is equal to 10 gallons, so you should be able to boil down quite a bit of wort. I currently use a 30 qt./7.5gal turkey fryer kettle and THAT is a bit small...I really have to watch closely for boilovers. 10 gallons would be a dream...and 15.5 gallon keggle even better :).
 
Dude, I ended up with about a 72 quart stainless steel drum for my kettle and I'm still doing 5 gallon batches so if that's not overkill, then 40 quart will be fine. :rockin:

Seriously though, 40 quart would be about the minimum I'd consider for a pot.
 
Another vote for the 40qt being the MINIMUM you'll want for full boils. I often start with between 7 - 8 gallons and have to watch that thing like a hawk for boilovers.
 
Well thanks for the quick replies. I like the idea of the 60qt sauce pan but I only have a 12" burner so I'm not sure how the 4" of overhang on each side would affect stability and heating. I found dimensions listed as 20.1"w X 11"h, that would definitely speed up evaporation though, or one would think.
 
Extra overhang isn't a problem from a stability standpoint and the larger bottom area will improve heat-transfer by giving the hot gases more contact time.

Evaporation is mainly a function of heat input, so you can turn down the flame a bit if needed.
 
60 qt is good for 10 gallon batches, about 12 gallon of wort to boil down. 60 quarts is 15 gallons, same as a Sanke keg, which many people use for 10 gallon batches.
 
Hell yes it would.. if i didn't already have a keg I would be all over that 60qt pot.
 
I have a 32 qt and it feels almost too small. Boiling 7 gallons in an 8 gallon pot is possible, but it's really easy for it to boil over when you least expect it.
 
I use a 30 qt put for 5 gallon boils. I start out with 5 gallons and add another gallon with about 10 minutes to go. I could definitely use a bigger pot, but I have not had a bad boil over yet.
 
Ordered the pot on the 15th and got it today on the 17th. That this is huge. I ended up going with the saucepot so it's wide and short. Here's some pics http://picasaweb.google.com/bjschmid/NewBrewpot . It looks like a well built pot, and it is pretty heavy duty. Now hopefully my burner will work out OK, can't wait to try it out. Oh and that's a 26qt turkey fryer pot inside it in the pictures
 
I'm jealous. :) I've been meaning to pick up a massive kettle, the one that came with my burner is the same as the one in that picture and just too small.
 
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