If i need something else im gonna b POed! but i will buy it neway

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grrtt78

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well i hav a pot that holds around 7 or 8 gallons and i have done full boils in it. it works fine and i have never had a boil over but its always close. can i use this for all grain or not? i thought i could but if i hav to boil down like 8 gallons i dont think i can. can i got the right volume consistantly w/ this pot?
 
I would say that you are cutting it close, but not too close. I think that you can do it. I think that Yooperchick uses or used some strange system using two five gallon pots or something and had it work out fine.
 
i hav heard something about adding as much as you can fit but then adding the rest when some has boiled off. does this affect flavor or hop utilization or nething like that?
 
grrtt78 said:
i hav heard something about adding as much as you can fit but then adding the rest when some has boiled off. does this affect flavor or hop utilization or nething like that?

I'm not really sure how that would affect flavor, but if your pot is 8 gallons I don't think you have a problem. If it is seven, then you maybe have a problem, but a pretty small one.
 
Buy it neway.
Give your pot away to an aspiring brewer.
Better to be pissed off now than with a boilover later.

Unless that's your thing... to be pissed off later.
 
You can get away with it without a problem if you are brewing "average" beers say around 1.045. You can adjust your mash and sparge in such a way you collect about 6-6.5g of wort. You may get less efficiency but not by much. If you want to brew really big beers as AG your going to have to be creative...
 
I use a 30 qt. pot with no boil overs to this point, just got to watch it for a while.
DSCF0304.jpg
 
I have a 32 qt pot and I run it right to the bleeding edge. Start with it an inch from the top and just keep a steady hand on the valve. I'm doing all grain so yeah, you can use it for all grain. Would I like a 40 qt? Sure. And it's on my short list, but no reason you can't do it with a 32 qt at all.
 
i cant decide whether to buy a larger cooler (mine can do regular 5 gallon batches now) or a keggle first. either way i can use the cooler as a HLT or just use the pot i hav now and boil in the keggle. wat do u all think? keggle or 10+ gallon cooler first? i would like to be able to do ten gallon batches as well as big 5s
 
Meanwhile, get a spray bottle and fill it with water. There's a little video someone posted awhile back showing how to do it, but basically as your wort gets close to boiling you just spray the surface of it with water. This gets rid of surface tension. You only need to do this for a little while until it comes to a rolling boil and then you are okay until it's time to add hops. Each hops addition can cause a boilover, so you need to get your water bottle out then. Of course, you also need to keep a watch on the gas valve, but the spray bottle eliminates a lot of adjusting.
 
Ryanh1801 said:
I use a 30 qt. pot with no boil overs to this point, just got to watch it for a while.


I just checked and found I have the exact same size. I was afraid of doing a full 5 gallon All-Grain recipe so my first try at AG brewing was a 3 gallon. I'm guessing its safe to try a full batch considering you are using a 30 qt too. I'll keep a spray bottle with water just in case.
 
I use 30 qt also. Did my first all grain last week, filled it with 26 quarts. I was nervous at the start, after about 15 minutes everything was fine.

The only reason I can see at this point in getting a bigger pot is if I need to collect more than 26 quarts to get best efficiency. I am willing to cut my efficiency and add a couple bucks worth of extra grain to not have to buy a bigger pot...at this point.
 
So, I've been wondering about this for some time...I got a ~36qt pot and I still have problems with boil over. I'm very hands-on with the boil so I end up pulling the pot off the burner maybe 8-10 times to keep from boiling over during initial hot break, of course during hop additions gotta pull it again. So even though I"'m still young(32) that my back can handle but it definately hurts afterward.

Sounds like most people back off on the gas regulator to prevent boil overs. But doesn't that preclude a vigorous boil?...I know, RDWHAHB.
p.s: I think the belgian trippel is hitting me hard now so if I'm not making much sense, carry-on!
 
I would think your pot adequate for 5-6 gallon AG batches. I use my 38 1/2 quart pot for 7.25 gallons to ferment and 6.75 gallon bottled. I fill it up to within an inch or two, and even have added a little extra wort in the early boiling stages. But, I do keep my mop bucket handy! BTW, having a mop bucket on brew day is a good idea even if you do not have a boil over, as sparging and kitchen cleanup usually require a little extra oomph.

It is also a good idea to brew in an area where you can make a mess #:^),

Good luck!

TCW
 

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