Brewpot size

I'm itching to make my first brew and I finally have the cash and the time to do it. I was planning on ordering the Starter kit from Midwest along with one of their Ale kits as my first go around. The only question I have is how big of a brewpot would I need. I currently have a 12 qt SS stock pot.

Reading the forums everyone says bigger is better. However for now I'm stuck to indoors and will being doing extracts for now. Most of the Midwest kits call for 1.5-2 gallons for their partial boil. Would the 3 gallon pot I have now be big enough to contain that or should I pick up a 4 or 5 gallon pot from the local restaurant supply store?

If the kit says it only needs 2 gallons then a 3 gallon pot will work, absolutely. You will want to watch closely when you add the extract however because you may get a boilover. Wort is REALLY annoying to clean up off the stove. The best defense is a spray bottle with water.

That said, bigger is better so if you want to spend the money go ahead and get a bigger pot.

Oh and welcome to HBT!

Welcome to brewing.

If you want to know what it feels like being shot in the nads with a bazooka, do a boilover on SWMBO's stove.

Have a pump bottle with water in it - if it starts, hit it with the bottle first, and then as soon as you can, shut off the fire.

How do I know ?
Not sure, hope it was a dream.
Still wondering about the scars, though.

Welcome to HBT!
I would recommend a minimum 16 quart pot and maybe even go 20 quart. You definitely want room in there to help prevent boil overs.

Pick up a cheap 20 qt enamelled pot. Don't spend for a small stainless pot, you'll outgrow it too quickly.

just bare in mind that some stoves, particularly ceramic top stoves, can have real problems heating large pots. with a ceramic cooktop you can't have more than about .5-.75 inches of pot bottom extending past the burner element.

if you have a ceramic top, I'd stick with 12qt size, maybe get a second pot too down the road and split your boil between them. that's what I do. not the most fun thing, but it does make better beer, and allows me to do a good sized Partial Mash (again, that's down the road for you).

Bigger is better as long as you have the stove power to boil the wort. I boiled 3.5 gal in a 5 gal pot on my gas stove without much difficulty. Your 3 gal pot should allow for a 1.5 to 3 gal boil. This is sufficient for most moderate gravity extract brews. However it will limit your ability to make a hoppy IPA or a balanced high gravity beer.
If you get much above a 3 gal boil you will want a wort chiller to allow you to bring your wort temps down in a reasonable time. So I think 3 gal boils in a 20 qt stock pot is a good size for stove top brewing.

Craig

you can find 20qt (5 gallon) Stainless pots anywhere for 20 to 40 bucks...Target, walmart, linens n things, etc.

I got mine at linens and things because they take all competitors coupons, I had a 30%off coupon and got my 5 gal SS pot for 20 bucks