First full boil with turkey fryer, suggestions?

I just bought a 30qt fryer from home depot for 38 bucks on clearance (last years model) I am currently boiling water in it to oxidize it, it is turning gray like its supposed to. I am making a step up from half boils to full, but still using extract for another year or so. I have all the basics for regular brewing so any tips on what else I may need before i brew my first outside 5 gallon boil like all you pros? Just a wort chiller I believe and i'm ready to go. Also a spray bottle to watch boil overs... And I dont believe I have to drill any holes in my kettle like you do for AG sparging. am i correct? Even tho it would be easier than siphoning, i can live with it for now as money is tight.

You sound like you are set to have some fun. The only thing you might need is some oxygenation equipment, like a stone or an o2 pump. But that is optional. Me, I am still just splashing it around.
No, you won't need to drill until you go all grain or partial mashing. It is for sparging.
Have fun,
D

Spray bottle and a fan to help with the boilovers. Turn the fan on high, and point it towards the surface of your boil.

One more tip: drink a homebrew while you're brewing. It motivates the wort into turning into something delicious.

haha thanks guys, will do. I may have to splash around for a while to get oxygen in until i have extra $

have a way to cool your wort nearby! don't try lugging that thing around or you'll end up with a burn like me. good luck with the boil overs, i had one on my first round with a turkey fryer setup and no amount of spraying was going to stop it. i'd just plan on it happening if i were you. have fun!

Advice? When you see the white globules start rising up from the deep and poking through the creamy froth that has developed on your nearly boiling wort, a boilover is imminent! Happened last night, which was also my first time using my turkey fryer. Although, I did not oxidize my pot with a water boil... should I have done that? My pot looked the same after I brewed as it did before.

Sounds like a good plan. Just get prepared to turn off the gas at the bottle rather than trying to get your hand down to the valve below the boiling over kettle!!!

I did a minor boil over the first time as I turned my back just for a second. Be warned, and have a plan to deal with it when it happens. Don't burn yourself for silyness sake.

Sounds like you prepped the kettle nicely, I've had no problems as I did the same and the beer is fantastic!!!

Cheers!

+1 on the cool someplace close... damn keggles get hot.... My leg still has a scab from 2 weeks ago.

good advice on the burns, ill turn off at the bottle. and Rediroc... Mine turned like REALLY dark gray when i boiled water in it, actually something weird that happened i took out about a gallon from 6 to 5, and was like, nah ill cap it and let it sit, well the inch of dark gray that was showing above the water disappeared... so i think the steam washed it off. So i may have to boil water again idk. at least 5 gallons of it are still deep gray, almost black

Here's a simple way to aerate:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/cheap-easy-aeration-gadget-68218/index4.html#post974317

The biggest "deal" for me when I started using the turkey fryer was to get used to the propane open/closed regulator. It's the opposite from a hose. Normally, I'm used to turning right to close a valve, but propane is turn left to turn off.

Don't be afraid to turn down the heat when the bubbles start coming up.
Even off. It won't take long to get the boil back and it won't take long for the bubbles to out-pace your spritzing.

Brew on! (outdoors even)

has anyone had there wort get to hot and burn?. What is the max temp the wort should reach?

houndhome1 said:

has anyone had there wort get to hot and burn?. What is the max temp the wort should reach?

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It won't get hotter than boiling, so temperature isn't really an issue. You want a rolling boil- hard enough to get a good "hot break" and good hops utilization, but not so hard that you have a ton of evaporation and boil it down too much. Just a nice boil is fine.

YooperBrew said:

It won't get hotter than boiling, so temperature isn't really an issue. You want a rolling boil- hard enough to get a good "hot break" and good hops utilization, but not so hard that you have a ton of evaporation and boil it down too much. Just a nice boil is fine.

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+1.

Blast the sucker until you get it boiling. Then reduce the heat to right about the point where it is just boiling. I find that my batches boil off less that way.

6.5 to 5 or 5.25 usually. Gravity difference is minimal.

Perfect, all great info, thank you. Ill proly wait a year or so before I go AG but I heard that full boils even with extract is better than partial boils, so im excited to see how it turns out.

6 to 6.5 gallons in a 30qt pot is very close to the top. I did my first full boil this weekend and I would have been very scared of a boil over.... had I not used Fermcap-S. This stuff rocked! I added it with my extract and not once did I think it was going to boil over. Highly recommend that stuff. Props go to Revvy for showing me the light.

im guessing my lhbs has that, you cant get it in a regular store can you? Also how about Starsan? Regular store? Ive been using one step that came with my kit.

Beau815 said:

im guessing my lhbs has that, you cant get it in a regular store can you? Also how about Starsan? Regular store? Ive been using one step that came with my kit.

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Your LHBS should have both. Never seen either in a regular store

Or you could use Iodophor as a sanitizer and buy it bulk at a Tractor Supply store...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/safe-use-sanitizer-87360/

Beau815 said:

im guessing my lhbs has that

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Where have you been buying your stuff from? Syracuse, Oneida, Utica? I have been to every HBS in the area and ejwren in Liverpool is pretty much the only place to get homebrew stuff like starsan/fermcaps ect...

Also, if you are worried about boil overs, just drop two glass marbles into your brew kettle during the boil and that will stop boil overs.

I go to bottom of the barrel in Oneida
Home Page
Mark is an awesome guy and its a small place, his 2 stall garage turned into a legit store with all beer and wine making supplies. I'm SO happy I found his place. So much cheaper than online. I'm assuming your familiar?

Yea, I have been going to Marks place for about a year now. When I did extract I would always go there, as his prices are about as low as you can get for DME. Though since going AG I have been mostly getting my stuff from Liverpool as it has a superb selection of grains and yeast. Though this fall I am going to see if I can get mark to help me brew some red wine as he apparently imports grapes.

Yeah, i'm about to switch to AG as well. I have a turkey fryer now but need to make or buy a mash tun. I'm new to making one so maybe ill have to save up and buy one. I dont know a thing about what grain to buy. Its easy to say hey this extract is an IPA or a stout. I get that but how grains make a difference confuses me. I buy extract from mark, i dont even know what he has for AG... anything that you buy there still for AG thats better than liverpool? Is liverpool the store that you go upstairs for the homebrew stuff?

Beau815 said:

I buy extract from mark, i dont even know what he has for AG... anything that you buy there still for AG thats better than liverpool? Is liverpool the store that you go upstairs for the homebrew stuff?

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I bought all the stuff needed to make a MLT for about 45 bucks at Jkay and installed the stuff in a day. Works great! Though if you don't want to make the investment and/or aren't ready for AG, I would say do some partial mashes as they make great beer, are less expensive than all extract, and give you a good sense of what AG is all about. Mark has all the stuff necessary for extract/steep and partial mashes, though not enough grains for AG. Check this out. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/easy-partial-mash-brewing-pics-75231/

I think you are referring to smith restaurant supply in downtown syracuse. EJwren's is in Liverpool and specializes in homebrewing exclusively. If you intend on doing extract for a while longer, then Mark's has everything you would need (with the exception of liquid yeast).

I will be back in Clinton in a few weeks and can help you get set up for AG or whatever, if you want.

Cheers

That would be great. I think all I need is a mash tun and $45 sounds reasonable. Is that with the cooler? You got that at JKay too? Maybe ill just wait for you because i have no idea exactly what to get. Id go pick them up but id probably get the wrong sizes and parts. I have a cooler but it has no hole in it so Ill need another one. I wasnt sure how much cheaper AG was, but if its cheaper than extract and its "actually" making beer, I gotta do it! I want to brew for my friends and family over the summer up at Sylvan Beach and would be nice not to use extract.

I consider foam controller (Fermcap) almost a necessity with a turkey fryer. Even thoug, why it will avoid a boilover, I still used to have some spilling depending on how vigorous the boil was.

Also, I am not sure how beneficial a spigot would be on a turkey fryer, unless you have the burner on an elevated surface. If it is on the ground you would have to move the kettle to a place higher than your fermenter anyway. In which case you might as well just pour from the kettle to the fermenter.