Ok guys I sell cookware for a living, and occasionally I will get wholesale catalogues from other companies wanting me to add some of their stuff to the line I sell.I only sell products fron one company and my company does not carry anything huge as it is in home kitchen use stuff....anyway I was looking through a catalogue today and I can get pots from this company anywhere from 16 gallons ---10 gallons----8 gallons---5...on down to small pans. All are stainless steel and fairly heavy construction....OK what size should I be looking at?
perfect brew pot size?
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Orangevango
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id go for the 16.
it allows you to go up to 10 gallon batches if you want.
lets you do 5 gallon batches super comfortably.
it allows you to go up to 10 gallon batches if you want.
lets you do 5 gallon batches super comfortably.
ajwillys
Well-Known Member
Yep and yep. Go for 16.
Nokitchen
Well-Known Member
Extract or all-grain? I'm finding that my "five-gallon" batches, which are closer to three with all-grain, are evaporating too much in my 40-quart pot. The resulting wort is very heavy, hard to work with and sometimes even carmelizes slightly on the bottom. God forbid if I try to make a long-boil brew like a Dogfish 90 clone. I'm thinking of downsizing for standard-batch extract brews.
Maybe collecting a little more wort would help you. For a 5 gallon batch, I start with 8.5 gallons of wort and finish at about 5.5. That way I don't wind up with LME when I'm done.
Nokitchen
Well-Known Member
Oh heck. I typoed exactly the opposite of what I meant to say. Of course I meant that little liquid with extract, not all grain. Doh!Maybe collecting a little more wort would help you. For a 5 gallon batch, I start with 8.5 gallons of wort and finish at about 5.5. That way I don't wind up with LME when I'm done.
At any rate, I'm learning to ignore the extract recipies on the subject of water levels.
A 10-gallon kettle is plenty for my 5-gallon batches and does not carry extra cost (or weight or space or possible boil-off problems, depending on the width). However, the 16-gallon would be the one to have if you want to do 10-gallon batches.
TL
TL
I love my SS 60qt pot. It's a cheapie but it does everything I want it to.
ajwillys
Well-Known Member
With having a 15 gallon pot, I find that I end up doing alot of 10 gallon batches. I initially thought I never would... but have done 3 in about 6 months. Usually, when I do a 10 gallon batch, it is because me and a friend both want to do something a little crazy such as a big barleywine or Double IPA with 20 ounces of hops, etc... Then we split the 10 gallon batch between us and each take home 5.
We find that this is more fun/less stressful for both of us to work on one 10 gallon batch than each of us doing our own 5 gallon batch.
We find that this is more fun/less stressful for both of us to work on one 10 gallon batch than each of us doing our own 5 gallon batch.
shortyjacobs
Well-Known Member
The only water level that matters is the one at the END of boiling.
You can dump your extract into 100 gallons of water, and then boil it down to 5 and be fine. (OK, it will caramelize a bit more, darker in color, whatever, it's hyperbole).
If you are ending up with 3 gallons at the end, then start with more water! Learn how much your pot boils off, and make sure you start with enough water to finish your boil at 5 or 5.5 gallons.
Oh, and I vote for the 16 gallon pot too. I have just gotten a few batches under my belt with my 16 gal keggle, and LOVE IT. Double batches are a great way to get ahead with a pipeline too!
(This is, of course, if you have a pot that can handle a full boil, which typically means a 7.5 gallon or larger pot. If you have something smaller, then boil as much as possible, and top up with boiled water from another pot...edit, reread your post and see that you have a 10 gallon pot. USE IT! Start with 7 gallons or more of water, whatever you need to end at 5.5 or 5 gallons.).
