First Brew This Weekend: Question About Full Boil

Hey all!

I'll be attempting to do my first batch this weekend with a Hop Head Double IPA Kit from Midwest.

Two questions I have. I have a pot that can handle 6 1/2 gallons. I would like to do a full boil. In y'all's collective opinion. Can that pot handle it? If not, my options may include getting a larger pot before hand.

The second question. What different will I have to do to the recipe to adjust for a full boil? Forgive me if I may not have asked this question the right way.

Here is the recipe:

9.3 lbs. Gold Malt extract
4 oz. Aromatic
12 oz. Caramel 60°L
8 oz. Victory specialty grains
1 oz. Chinook
1 oz. Cascade
1 oz. Centennial
1 oz. Crystal
2 oz. Leaf (dry hop)

SG 1.70-1.74
FG 1.16-1.18

I've used a 7.5 gallon pot (~30 quart) pot to do full boils and it boiled over nearly every time. If I was verrry careful I could pull it off w/out boil over. I filled to about 2 inches shy of the top. I think you could do it in your pot but you would have to scale down your recipe to maybe 4.5 gallons final beer. You will have to watch it like a friggin' hawk from about 190 F to boil and make sure you adjust the flame to allow a mellow boil - which isn't really what you want - you want a rolling boil but this won't be too big a deal. Once the initial expansion/hot break happens it will settle down but every time you add hops it might boil over again and you'll have to watch it. This would be much easier with a lightly hopped beer like a shilling, etc. It sounds like a new pot isn't out of your budget and I would suggest getting one. My 7.5 came in a turkey cooker kit.

Your recipe looks good for a full boil. If you were going to scale it back by, say, 20% (1 gallon) i'd just adjust all the ingredients by 20%. Now, given my initial experiences, I'd say you'd be fine using all the grain in your mash as your efficiency might be low anyway and just scaling back the hops. Even then, I'd just scale back the chinook which are quite bitter.

That's one man's opinion. In general, the beer will be much better, your learning process will be much more benefited, and your satisfaction much higher with a bigger pot for a full boil.

IMO get a bigger pot. To end with 5 gallons (full batch) you will need to start with 6-6.5 gallons to account for boil off. I started with a 7 or 7.5 gallon pot and it was tough to not have boil overs.

Your first brew is a double IPA? For one thing that does not look like a double IPA recipe to me. Just a normal IPA!

Yeast is not mentioned - you better have a lot of it. NOT trying to dampen spirits - just trying to make sure all goes well. Are you using a yeast starter or maybe a couple of yeast packets?

Also as for boil size - yo usay you have a pot that can handle 6.5 gallons but is that 6.5 standing still? Remember you need a rolling boil AND you will have a hot break which will add 3 or 4 inch's at the very least to the top of the pot.

I'm buying a 30 quart pot (7.9 gallons) for my full boils this week.

Joker said:

IMO get a bigger pot. To end with 5 gallons (full batch) you will need to start with 6-6.5 gallons to account for boil off. I started with a 7 or 7.5 gallon pot and it was tough to not have boil overs.

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True dat.....

New pot it is then.

Anything I have to adjust in the recipe technique or hops wise considering it is an extract kit?

If you can't afford a new pot, you could always use a second one. Split off a few gallons into a smaller pot. I've done this when brewing indoors to prevent boilovers.

I watch my pot like a hawk, but I've not had a boilover on my 7.5gal. I only use it full outside on the burner though.

In addition to my question to hops adjustment.

I've been getting advice that the 6 1/2 gal pot I have will work if I'm diligent and spray the foam down with a water bottle. Any veracity to that statement?

TampaTim said:

In addition to my question to hops adjustment.

I've been getting advice that the 6 1/2 gal pot I have will work if I'm diligent and spray the foam down with a water bottle. Any veracity to that statement?

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One thing I hadn't accounted for in my first reply was the amount of fluid needed for a full boil. You'd need to fill that pot up to the top to deal with fluid lost during the boil. That significantly increases your chance of a boilover.

Of course, you can try it and report back.

TampaTim said:

In addition to my question to hops adjustment.

I've been getting advice that the 6 1/2 gal pot I have will work if I'm diligent and spray the foam down with a water bottle. Any veracity to that statement?

Click to expand...

You won't be able to do a full boil in a 6.5 gal pot. I would start with 5.5 or 6 gals (maximum, aim for less) and then top off.

There's no harm in topping off a gallon or two, better than losing a gallon of wort to massive boilover.

If someone can boil 6 gallons of liquid in a 6.5 gallon pot my hat is off to them. I was barely able to pull it off in a 7.5 gallon pot.

It is a fact you must start with 6+ gallons of water to end with 5+ gallons of brew.

I'm pretty sure I could get a near full boil in a 6.5 kettle with about 6 gallons in it. It would boil over, I'd spray the heck out of it, use a fan, and watch it like a hawk. Some wort will be lost and it will not be 5 gallons into bottles or keg. But I could make a good beer with that pot. I've made a lot of beer. As my first try I would've f'ed something up and likely had a big-a## boilover. All this is only true with a normal beer. An IPA has too many hops to expand in the wort = more loss. It would be a great challenge and a great learning experience IMO. Could also be a big mess. Good luck and have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mandoman said:

I'm pretty sure I could get a near full boil in a 6.5 kettle with about 6 gallons in it. It would boil over, I'd spray the heck out of it, use a fan, and watch it like a hawk. Some wort will be lost and it will not be 5 gallons into bottles or keg. But I could make a good beer with that pot. I've made a lot of beer. As my first try I would've f'ed something up and likely had a big-a## boilover. All this is only true with a normal beer. An IPA has too many hops to expand in the wort = more loss. It would be a great challenge and a great learning experience IMO. Could also be a big mess. Good luck and have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Thanks man!

I'm on the hunt this evening for a larger kettle.

Unfortunately, I have a small window of time to find in my schedule for this boil.

So I may have to use my current kettle. From what y'all have told me, I should be in good shape filling it with 5 gallons, and topping it off after the boil? (With five gallons in the pot, there's a good 7-8 inches to the top of the pot.)

Sure, that would work. Just keep in mind that when you add the extract, it'll fill the pot quite a bit more. You may want to start with 4- 4.5 gallons because of the water displacement when you add your extract.

Also, you should adjust your bittering hops by approximately 25%. You didn't have the AAUs or the times, so I didn't do the math, but a guess of lowering them 20-25% would work.

YooperBrew said:

Sure, that would work. Just keep in mind that when you add the extract, it'll fill the pot quite a bit more. You may want to start with 4- 4.5 gallons because of the water displacement when you add your extract.

Also, you should adjust your bittering hops by approximately 25%. You didn't have the AAUs or the times, so I didn't do the math, but a guess of lowering them 20-25% would work.

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The times are as follows:

1 oz Chinook (60 minutes) AAU's 11-13%(?)

1/2 oz Cascade (45 minutes) AAU's 4-7%(?)

1/2 oz Centennial (30 minutes) AAU's 8-11%

1/2 oz Cascade (20 minutes)

1/2 oz Centennial (10 minutes)

1 oz Crystal Hops (5 minutes) AAU's 3-5%






Also...Would it be more advantageous to wait for the first hot break to occur before the first hop addition and starting the timer?

Well...I've started...past the point of no return now.

Specialty grains are steeping.

I built a half-a$$ed Keggle this morning.

So far, I'm diggin' the process. No sweat.

how'd it go??

mandoman said:

how'd it go??

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It went well...

I scaled back the hops per yours, and Yooper's advice. I wasn't clear on if that should be all hops additions or not. So I scaled back the Chinook, and let the others go full strength. I don't see a down side of it, since I like hoppy beers.

I took a ton of notes. Identified the weaknesses in my process. And also identified a few mistakes I made, that I can correct next time.

So I'm already looking for the next recipe/pre-made kit. I'm looking into starting to amass the equipment for All Grain. It doesn't seem like that big of a jump to me.

I appreciate your help and answers though.:rockin:

Here's the link to the thread I started that details the cook:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/first-brew-bucket-92511/

If you're still looking for a new brew pot on the cheap, they had a 30qt aluminum pot with lid at Walmart for $20 the last time I was there. Just an FYI.