extract boil size

Is it ok to do a full boil using extracts.

absolutely.

Just be careful when adding your extract, I like to take my pot off the burner to avoid scorching.

Not only is it OK, but it is prefered. The one thing you will have to make sure is you adjust the hop amounts and schedule for the boil volume. Hop utilization is the thing that will be thrown off by volumes the most. Other than that no concerns.

Make sure you mix in the extract so it doesn't accumulate at the bottom, and temper the boil well just for safety.

Yes it is preferred.

I just went to full wort extract boils about 4-5 batches ago. I bought a 9 gallon kettle and a Bayou Classic SP50 propane burner. I love the beers that I'm making now. Much less affect on color in the boil and better hot/cold break and trub separation. Go for it! I wouldn't recommend doing full wort boils on your stovetop either (simply not enough power to get it up to a rolling boil this week). If you get (or have) a propane burner, have your hand on the flame throttle as the wort nears boiling. It will boil over in the blink of an eye!

As far as hops, some folks will argue that hop utilization is independent of boil gravity. I can't say for certain either way on that. However, I was doing 50/50 late extract additions in a 3 gallon boil and now I put all the extract in up front in a 7 gallon boil without changing the hop regimes. I haven't noticed any perceptible difference in bitterness.

Like was said, I have noticed much better beers with a full boil and you use less hops then with a par boil. Win Win. Just takes longer to get up to a boil. let us know how great the beer turns out.

I recently went to full wort boils and late extract additions. But recently learned that John Palmer and others are now saying that hop utilization rates are not dependent on wort gravity but on the amount of hot break material. Since extract brewing has little break material compared to AG brewing we don't really have to adjust our recipes when the gravity changes. The majority of the break materiel was already removed when the extract was made.

The next edition of "How to Brew" is supposed to be rewritten with a change in that section to cover this new info.

73Drvr said:

I recently went to full wort boils and late extract additions. But recently learned that John Palmer and others are now saying that hop utilization rates are not dependent on wort gravity but on the amount of hot break material.

The next edition of "How to Brew" is supposed to be rewritten with a change in that section to cover this new info.

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I've heard the same thing. John and Jamil make the argument all the time on Brew Strong. :rockin:

Just have another pot on hand if you're doing 5 - 6 ga. batches and only have a 5 ga. kettle

I had my own baptism-by-fire experience with my last batch which is promising to be something I am actually proud of (provided it clears someday)

I did a partial mash, with the idea being 5.5 gallons in the carboy. After a few panicked mathematical "holy crap" moments, I ended up splitting a 6.5 ga. boil between 2 5-gallon kettles, adding equal amounts of the LME and DME in my recipe to both, splitting the hops as well (although I could have been more diligent about the hop additions).

I ended up with about 5 ga. of wort that I topped off with 1/2 ga. of water. OG was 1.08 which was slighty higher than tastybrew said it would be - so I was pleased with the results.

Mermaid said:

Just have another pot on hand if you're doing 5 - 6 ga. batches and only have a 5 ga. kettle

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+1

I wouldn't recommend doing full wort boils for a 5 gallon batch with any less than an 8-9 gallon kettle. My usual regime is 7 gallons total wort in the kettle at the beginning of a 60 minute boil, by the end of 60 minutes I've boiled down to 6 gallons in the kettle, and transfer 5.5 gallons to the fermenter leaving approximately .5 gallons in the kettle with most of the trub/hop residue. :rockin:

I do full boils for a 5 gal brew in a 8 gal pot, bit u have to keep an eye one it or it will boil over on you. If you can use a bigger pot do it, I wish I would have.

I have to keep my hand on the throttle when the wort gets up past 205 or it will boil over in a flash, even with a 9 gallon kettle. I've had it happen twice, but I caught it before it was too bad.

okay let me get this straight. I just follow the recipe I have for a partial boil and just convert it to a full boil by just using more water. I have the equipment for a full boil but haven't stepped up to a all grain yet. I see that they are saying to use 7 gallons and then after 60 minutes I'll be down to 6 gallons and leave .5 gallons in the kettle to avoid all the trub and sediment. Do I have this idea right?

tprweller said:

I see that they are saying to use 7 gallons and then after 60 minutes I'll be down to 6 gallons and leave .5 gallons in the kettle to avoid all the trub and sediment. Do I have this idea right?

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You have the right idea. I wouldn't hold to those numbers exclusively. Every kettle boils off a different volume over an hour boil. You could start with 7 gallons for your first full wort batch. However, you might find that you need to dial your initial volume up or down. I dialed mine up to 7 from 6.25 after my first batch with the big kettle came up shy. Probably better to come up shy than end up with an extra gallon. A lot easier to add some water ro the fermentor than make it disappear from the kettle.

Okay I see where you coming with adding then trying to take away from the kettle. Rather come up a tad short than have too much left. Other than that just keep the recipe the same?

You can keep it the same, but if your recipe is for 5 gallons and you are going to end your boil at 6 gallons, it won't be the same. You may find you want to up the malt and hops by 20% to compensate for the extra volume.

No what I'm doing is taking a 2.5 gallon boil and coverting it to a full boil. So what I'm saying is start at 6 gallons and after boil off I'll be down to five. Do i need to adjust the recipe or just leave it as is. Or do I just stick with a 2.5 gallon boil?

You won't have to change the recipe if 5 gallons was the final volume in the fermenter when you boil 2.5 gallons. Boil it all. You don't need to adjust your hopping regime or do late extract additions.

What kind of adjustment is needed for grain steeping? I have a kit that suggests they be steeped in 2 gallons and then 1 gallon added for the rest of the boil (adding water in the fermenter to total 5 gallons).

I would prefer to start with 5 gallons, as my brew kettle's thermometer is mounted at about the 4 gallon mark and I'm not fond of the floating type.

Check out this thread. I had many of the same questions as you guys did.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f37/full-boil-217818/

Good info.

So do you think the kit instructions recommend the smaller water volume for speed or something else?

As far as steeping grains, the water amount can be anything you want that submerges the grain in the water. I would assume that kits give a smaller amount so it takes less time to bring up to temp. I began steeping mine in a 1.5-2 qt of water per pound of grain consistency so that when I moved up to partial mash (which I have) I would be used to doing the math; more honestly I now have it set up in a spreadsheet so I don't have to carry any ones or anything too complicated.

I don't do full boils yet but I would steep the grains in a separate smaller pot at a rate of 2 quarts per pound of grains while the bulk of the water heats up in your boil kettle.

I have boiled 4 gallons in a 5 gallon pot with no issues. I have also boiled a gallon in a 5 gallon pot and boiled over. As long as your pot is at least a gallon or more bigger than your boil volume you should be ok. Just watch your pot.

I think the larger quantity you boil the more closely you need to monitor it as it nears a boil, regardless of kettle size.

I use my 4 gallon kettle (from my concentrated-wort-boil/extract/stovetop days) on the stove top as a mini-mash tun with a huge nylon grain bag. The most I've mashed in it is 6.5 pounds of grain in 3 gallons of water and that is about 1" - 1-1/2" from the top. That grain bill goes with 6lb DME for an approx 7% ABV finished beer.

So I mini-mash in that on the stove while I bring another 4-5 gallons, depending on my mini-mash volume, to a boil in my 9 gallon kettle outside on a LP burner stand (Bayou Classic SP50; highly recommended). Once the water boils, I add the bittering hops, turn off the burner, add the DME (4-6lb per recipe), fire the burner back up, and watch that thing like a hawk with my hand on the throttle. Even with 5-7 inches of headspace, it will go Vesuvius all over my back deck. (My power washer got a workout the first few months I had this setup.)

So, when the mash is done, I pull the bag of grains above the wort in the kettle and slowly rinse with 1/2-1 gallon of hot tap water, dispose of the grains, and put the lautered wort back on the stovetop over high heat and bring to a boil as a mashout. Then I dump that wort into the wort that is boiling out in the big kettle. I actually have it timed pretty well where I can start the mash, set up the big outdoor kettle and get it started, lauter/mashout, and get the mini-mash wort into the big kettle as it comes to a boil.

I do keep a stock pot filled with water simmering on the stove to add to the big kettle if I need more volume at the beginning of the boil. I've found that if I start with a 7 gallon overall volume in the 9 gallon kettle (which conveniently enough happens to be at the handle rivets), after a 60 minute boil I end up with right around 6 gallons, which leads to 5.5 gallons in the fermentor, and 5 gallons in the keg. Your system's boiloff rate will differ, of course. I do have the quantities in my recipes compensated up for the 6 gallon finishing volume.

Man, War and Peace over here... I think I got it all.

I know this is an old thread but relevant to my scenario. I bought the 15g Penrose Kettle last winter but still do a 3 gallon boil for extract. I've thought about doing a 5g boil but am concerned about the amount of LP I am going to use. Right now I've made it through 5 brew days on the same 20# tank. I have a feeling if I increase my boils that will change, along with increased time. I actually wouldn't mind going all-grain but the time is my biggest hold back.

As a noob, I went ahead and bought a 7.5 gallon kettle, thinking a 5 gallon boil was required. So, quite by accident I've been doing full boil since the beginning. I boil 5 gallons in my kettle and kill the 1.25 hours waiting for the boil by steeping my specialty grains in an additional gallon, which I add to the kettle once steeping is done. No changes to the recipe. From what I've gathered from the forum, full boil and late extract additions accomplish, for the most part, the same goal of reducing the risk of carmel flavors and overly dark color.

Yeah I usually add 3.3# of LME pre-boil and the other 3.3# at the 50 minute mark.