Larger boil than 2.5 gal?

Would it make sense to boil as much as I can fit in my pot for the boil? I think I've seen somewhere on here that was the case. I'm getting ready for my second batch and want to know thoughts.

I have a 5 gal pot than I think I could easily boil 3-4 gallons in and then top off with water in the fermenter to 5 gal.

Make sure you can actually boil that much before you try it.

I use a 5 gal pot and usually boil 3-3.5 gallons. i am very carefull to watch it to avoid boilovers. I would think the bigger the boil the better, as you are not diluting it down when you add the wort to the primary. not to mention the fact that you get better hop utilization with a full boil, just what i have read on this forum.

As long as your stove has enough oomph to get the volume up to boil and keep it there, Fermcap is a big help keeping it from boiling over.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/fermcaps-rock-pic-108854/

+ 1 on doing the biggest boil you can, I'm boiling ~ 4.5 and ending up with ~ 3.9 gallons and have found my beers to be better, lighter color and hoppier too!

popester said:

Make sure you can actually boil that much before you try it.

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Good point. With my stove I can only boil about 3-3 1/2 gallons, and it takes a good 25-30 minutes to get it rolling. I definitely plan on getting a good propane (turkey fryer) type cooker. and a larger pot.

masher2882 said:

Good point. With my stove I can only boil about 3-3 1/2 gallons, and it takes a good 25-30 minutes to get it rolling. I definitely plan on getting a good propane (turkey fryer) type cooker. and a larger pot.

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i'm interested in this.... what type of stove do you have, gas or electric? if it's gas, do you know how many btu's it puts out?

I've got a gas stove so I think I should be fine. I'll double check with water I guess before I go with my next batch. Thanks for all the info. As for the Simethicone, I used to work for a major baby wipe manufacturer and we used this in every formulation we had. The enormous mixing tanks needed it so they wouldn't make the factory into a foam party!

deepsouth said:

i'm interested in this.... what type of stove do you have, gas or electric? if it's gas, do you know how many btu's it puts out?

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i know its been awhile but to answer your question, its an electric stove. 25-30 m is a guess, i havnt actually timed it.

+2 for do the biggest boil you can. It will make a huge differance in an extract brew.

One of the best moves I've made equipment-wise for extract brewing is the turkey fryer and a 30qt. pot. Plus, even in the dead of MI winter, it's so much nicer on the deck!

I recently upgraded to a Bayou Classic patio stove and a 36-quart stock pot (total under $150 on Amazon). Big difference in my extract brews. Plus, it's one less piece of equipment to get before going AG. My advice is move your operation outside or to the garage with a propane burner and get the biggest steel pot you can. After only a few batches, I already wish I'd gone with a bigger pot.

About 3-1/2 gallons is all I can do in my 5 gallon brewpot. I got away with doing 4 on my last batch but almost had boilovers twice.

I usually have a (sanitized) spray bottle with cold water handy in case things start to "get out of hand"...the cold water mist breaks the surface tension on all the foam and stops it running away. Usually I don't need the bottle but it's handy to have.

I have an 8 gallon heavy duty kettle and can boil almost 7 gallons of water in about an hour. Keep in mind this is with the kettle straddleing two burners with both blasting away on full.

When I add stuff and the temp drops, it takes a little while for it to build back up to a full boil.