Quick noob question about Brew Pot size.

Hey guys, 1st post.

I will be putting everything together tomorrow, no time today, but i figured i get this question out of the way and hopefully be ready to go by tomorrow.

My question is what is the smallest Pot size i can use for a 5G recipe? I have about a 3G, would that be enough to boil in or do i need to buy a bigger one?

Sorry if its a silly question.

You can brew in the 3G pot with about 2G of water+ingredients. It will be tight, and you'll just add water at the end of the process to top off at 5G.

After you have experience with that size pot, you may find yourself on the lookout for something larger. I bought an 8 gallon aluminum pot ($40 in Chinatown) for the purposes of doing full boils. Little did I know, however, that it takes a lot of time and gas to bring 6.5 gallons of water to a boil. I typically just do partial boils in about 3.5-4 gallons and am pleased with the results.

I thought this was a good read for first time brewers.

I am assuming you are going to be doing extract batches on the stovetop:

I would reccoment a 4 or 5 gallon so you can boil about 3 gallons of water + ingredients, then top it off in the end to help cool it down.

If you dont want to be looking for a larger pot in the future than I would recommend about an 8 gallon pot and turkey frier burner

Not a silly question at all. I think the most important question that really hasn't been asked yet is 'what are you planning on using to boil the beer ?' If you are using a stove, I'd recomend going the 3gal partial boil technique. If you are using a turkey fryer, then I'd go with an 8gal full boil technique. Neither is wrong. I think my beer started tasting a little better when I switched to full boils. Not a HUGE difference, but it seems pretty noiticeable to me. Also, it depends on your funds. A good 8gal pot isn't what I would call cheap, but you might save in the long run by getting good/big equipment now rather than double buying stuff.

Thanks for the help guys, you all have been very informative.

I will try the pot that i have since the recipe says its ok to boil as little as 1.5-2G. Will looking into buying a bigger pot in the future.

Kepp this in mind if you are using a 3 gal pot with a partial boil. When you add malt to a rolling boil there will be a tendancy for boil over. Just keep an eye on it for 5 minutes after any addition and remove from heat if it starts to rise in a hurry. After it gets mixed in (I'm sure there's a more technical term) you won't have to worry.

Regardless, good luck and welcome to a great hobby/way of life.

Well, turns out the pot wasn't even 3G. Still managed to boil slightly under 2G WERT in it, had to add 3G of water plus 2 small water bottles. Kept on eye on the pot the whole time, was exhausted at the end and almost messed up BIIIIGGGG time.

I chilled the pot in a tub with cold (not ice) water. For about 35 min. Completely forgot to check the temp when adding Yeast. Realized it a second later it was at 77, so i hope it will be ok. Recipe called for "under 80". Well, lets hope it starts fermenting in 10 hours, any advice on what to do if it doesn't?

demens said:

Well, lets hope it starts fermenting in 10 hours, any advice on what to do if it doesn't?

Click to expand...

Congrats on your first brew

Don't worry, it will ferment just fine. The hardest part is waiting. What helped me with the wait was checking out the homebrew store for my second batch ingredients.

should start just fine. I try to start it sub 70 now on my batches.

If you're buying a new pot, figure out what size of batch you REALLY want to brew.

I started with a 3 gallon enamel pot.
Bought a 5 gallon
Bought an 8 gallon.
Bought a 15 gallon for my burner.

Now I've sold my 15 and am turning my 8 gallon into my electric brew kettle. If I didn't have the 8 I'd be looking for a ~7 gal. (4.5 gallon batches)

Buy the biggest one you think you'll use first, and you wont end up with too much pot.

B