What size brewpot to prevent boil over?

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I have started to brew some bigger beers of late, and I am having trouble managing boil over in my 5 gallon brew pot (3 gallon brew for 5 gallons of beer). I have to really babysit the thing and manage temperature to prevent boil over with these higher gravity beers. Is there a particular brewpot size that allows you to "set it and forget it" until you get to your timed adds? I was thinking a 10 gallon might do the trick, but I don't want to chunk down the cash for that only to find that a 15 gallon would have been better. Thoughts? Experience? Thanks.
 
I have a 15 gallon, and I have still come somewhat close to boiling over on a 5 gallon batch. It's amazing how quick it will foam up. Buy as big as you can afford. I found a 60qt aluminum pot at Home Depot and it has been perfect for me so far.
 
as long as my burner is set right, I have one setting for aggressive boil, one for steeping and one for rolling boil. I boil 5 gallons at a time in a 7.5 gallon kettle. the only reason I know the right knob setting is because i boil over often if i dont use my pre-set knob control.
 
I would go for a 15 gallon for future-proofing. If you ever want to start doing 10gal batches, you'd need a 15 gallon pot to keep the boil over risk low. But if you never plan on going over 5 gallons, an 8-10 gallon pot would suffice. Also a spray bottle of water helps to knock down that foam.
 
i also keep a spray bottle with clean water available for when it does try to boil over. it works wonders by the way
 
Are you planning to do full wort boils or only partial boils?

If you are making 5-gal batches (full wort boil) then a 10-gal pot should be sufficient. If you think you may brew larger batches then you'll probably need an even bigger pot.

Identifying your most common batch size should make the decision easier.
 
I have an 8 gallon that works great MOST of the time, but I have boiled over once or twice. +1 to the get as big as you can afford posts. [ame="http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=ie7&q=8+gallon+stainless+steel+pot&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7TSHB#q=8+gallon+stainless+steel+pot&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7TSHB&prmd=ivns&source=univ&tbs=shop:1&tbo=u&ei=RYI4TdbJKMOBgAfG4O23CA&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CDYQrQQwAA&biw=1259&bih=606&fp=2d73bcec2e6e3c54"]The googles are your friend[/ame] Mine is VERY heavy duty and ran about $100 INCLUDING shipping.
 
I like the 15 Gallon size if you think you will want to do 10 gallon batches. 10 Gallon is fine if you want to do 5 gallon batches.

You *could* get away with a 7.5 gallon kettle if you are only doing mid-gravity beers, but you will need to control the foam with one of the various methods, including Fermcap, which is amazing. Baby gas drops are a similar product, and also work very well. I've used it on award winning beers before. About 12 drops in 5 gallons.

I love my 15 gallon kettle now, though. No fermcap, and no boilover worries.
 
i get get 6.5 boiling fine in 8gallon pot but I make sure to use fermcap and have never boiled over. I have a 15gallon also that I have barely used since the 8gallon has worked out fine.
 
How about a thermocoupler and using an audible alarm 3 degrees prior to boil? Watch it closely for 3 degrees and fine-tune the heat for a steady rolling boil.
 

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