Going to a full boil.....

I've made and bottled my first batch of beer using extract and I want to start the second, which will be a True Brew "California Common" kit. Couldn't resist an 8 gallon pot at the local shop, even bought a thermometer for no good reason, so now it's time to move up to a full boil.

The partial boil instructions say to put in the 2 ounces of Pilgrim hop pellets at the start of the boil, then 1 ounce of First Gold hop pellets 1 minute before the end of the boil. It also says to cool by pouring the entire mixture into the fermenter (which already has 3 gallons of cold water). That's changing - so do I need to keep all the hot break (etc.) in when I start my ferment? I really wanted to cool in the brew pot using the new immersion chiller - then whirlpool and use the spigot to drain the cooled wort into the fermenter, hopefully leaving most of the hot and cold breaks (and hops material) behind in the pot.

Also, do I have to leave out some of the (pellet) hops because of the increased utilization?

Sounds like you have it down. Try to leave the spent hops and hot break in the pot but don't sweat it if some gets in the fermenter.

I wouldn't adjust the hops because you're using pellets. That's a pretty fine distinction and a lot of recipes are written assuming their use anyway.

Well if you have a chiller use it. You dont have to keep all the hot break. I usually end up getting some just by accident when I syphon to my fermenter.

Yeah draining from the pot to fermenter is a good idea just make sure that it gets aerated enough in the transfer.

The increased utilization is minimal but you could account for it and add a slight amount less.

Pellets vs. Whole. Yes you get lower utilization from pellet but the recipe does account for that. what the recipe does not account for is your increase in boil volume and the increase in utilization from a full boil.

OOPS! wrong thread...

Yeah you got the right idea. use the immersion chiller to cool it all the way down to pitching temp. Drain with the spigot into your fermenter. Don't worry so much about the trub and hops getting mixed in they really won't hurt anything.

Hop utilization may be higher but maybe you will like the extra hop punch.

to do full boil, you have to have a wort chiller... dont let that intimidate you though...I made mine with $10 coil of copper tube, $2 in plastic tube, and a $20 fountain pump. I put 20lb of ice in a bucket with the pump and a little water and circulate the ice water through my coil. I bring down 5 gallons to pitching temp in about 10-15min depending on the temp in my brew room (greenhouse).