Water amount?

If a recipe is for 5 gallons. Is their a particular reason why the instructions may only say to boil example 2-3 gal vs the whole 5?

Is that because most people wouldn't be able to cook 5 gallons on a stove top?

I ask because i saw a comment saying if you can boil more do so.

Thanks

-Noob

yup thats why. new brewers using extract are usually on the stove with small pots. Boiling a larger volume vs smaller will change your IBU's, other than that, not too much of a difference in final product...

Awesome thanks! I figured. I have a propane burner for outdoors that will solve that. LOL


Thanks Again!

I'm very new to all this but this is what I do. I use 2.5-3 gallons of water due to it comes to a boil faster on my propane burner, is easier and safer to move that amount of boiling hot liquid rather than 5 gallons to the cooling area and takes less time to cool than 5 gallons of boiling liquid. But like I said I have only just started this hobby and only did two batches so far so take my opinion as just that. Cheers

Just realized this post was 3 years old lol, I'm sure you are now leaps and bounds ahead of me in knowledge of this and could give me some advice. I forgot I was browsing old post and working my way backwards through them to the newer ones. It will be a long time for me to get to the beginning. Hey maybe somebody will see this and can take from it.

I brew AG, but I did an extract I was given about 2yrs ago (with steeping grains). I boiled full volume, because I could and its better besides. I am not certain that a 2, 3 or 6g boil for a 5g batch with the same bittering hop additions will impact profile much, but I haven't tested nor have desire to figure out isomerization and boil volume. But, two main issues with larger boil, better for your beer for full boil instead of topping off, and on the downside it will be harder to chill without some method (IC, plate chiller, counterflow) other than an ice bath. Having said that, there are those that go the no chill method. I haven't. Next best thing to improve your beer will be to control fermentation temps.