80 qt (20 gallon) vs 60 qt (15 gallon)

I'm purchasing my primary brew kettle and have settled on a Concord SS pot. Amazon has both 80 and 60 qt versions for around the same price.

I plan on 5 gallon batches with the possibility of moving on to 10 gallon batches in the future. 10 gallon batches would be way down the line I imagine.

I have a 15 in diameter propane burner that is quite sturdy.

Logic tells me to go bigger at the same price but would 80 qt be too big?

Should I go with the 80 or the 60?






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I have the Concord 80 QT SS.Awesome pot will last a lifetime.I HIGHLY recommend the bigger pot.For almost the same price its a no brainer.Why would 10 gallons be way down the road.Same exact process with twice the beer in the same time.Thats what I do and I just started.The prices are cheaper on EBAY (at least when I got mine).Also they come two ways,one with a flat lid the sits INSIDE the pot and one that has a bit of a dome with rings that sit OVER the pot,Get the one that sits over the pot,If the pot warps at all the lid wont fit IN the pot with the other one

Imo, if you're not going to do 10g batches for a long time, the 20g kettle would be rather cumbersome.

In your situation, I'd buy the 15g. You can do 10g batches in that too in the future without issue.

I own a 20g (and I make 10g batches often), and sometimes wish it was a 15g. It's a bit ginormous...





You can always resell the kettle later if you wanted to upgrade.

k1ngl1ves said:

Imo, if you're not going to do 10g batches for a long time, the 20g kettle would be rather cumbersome.

In your situation, I'd buy the 15g. You can do 10g batches in that too in the future without issue.

I own a 20g (and I make 10g batches often), and sometimes wish it was a 15g. It's a bit ginormous...





You can always resell the kettle later if you wanted to upgrade.

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Ginormous just increases the cool factor:rockin: Why buy a pot only to sell it at a loss and buy another one.Buy once and be done.The rule of thumb is twice the pot you need.10 gallon batch,20 gallon pot.Although you could getaway with 15(depending on your grain bill) Why chance a boil over? and for the same price??? I would go straight to 10 gallon,same equipment,same cleaning same time same everything,twice the beer.Again no brainer.Most wish they had more beer.Ive never heard once "Man,I wish I had less beer"

JONNYROTTEN said:

Ginormous just increases the cool factor:rockin: Why buy a pot only to sell it at a loss and buy another one.Buy once and be done.The rule of thumb is twice the pot you need.10 gallon batch,20 gallon pot.Although you could getaway with 15(depending on your grain bill) Why chance a boil over? and for the same price??? I would go straight to 10 gallon,same equipment,same cleaning same time same everything,twice the beer.Again no brainer.Most wish they had more beer.Ive never heard once "Man,I wish I had less beer"

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Ok. I'll say it.

Man, I wish I had less beer.

The winter time is slow. Less friends stop by, and there's not much going on. I've got two very small children, so I can't drink all the time... although sometimes I wish I could! Lol! I've got almost 40 gallons kegged, and try as I might, there's no way I'm drinking it all anytime soon. I've still got 2 kegs left I'm trying to finish off from the summer on top of the 40g's!!! I'm probably going to dump those two soon so I have room for my summer beers...

I should either brew less often, or only brew 5g batches in the fall/winter.

I have two kettles. 20g & 10g. I could have just bought a 15g and a nice spray bottle to keep boil over in check, and been done. I don't mind babysitting my boiling wort.



I guess what I'm saying is the size of the kettle varies for everyone. 20g works for some. 15g for others. Some are perfectly happy with 5g - 8g kettles! It all depends on what and how you brew!

Wait....your trying to finish off 2 kegs FROM LAST SUMMER. LOL. Im going to say with all respect,thats about 7 months slower than the average person here. Just because Im curius,If it takes over 7 months to kill 2 kegs,why did you brew 40 more gallons? That's like 10 years worth of dinking at your rate

A pint a day. Drink a pint a day. Please help control your beer population by drinking a pint a day.


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JONNYROTTEN said:

Wait....your trying to finish off 2 kegs FROM LAST SUMMER. LOL. Im going to say with all respect,thats about 7 months slower than the average person here. Just because Im curius,If it takes over 7 months to kill 2 kegs,why did you brew 40 more gallons? That's like 10 years worth of dinking at your rate

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Nonononono. You misunderstand. I brewed and drank (with a community of friends) about 130 gallons last year. The 2 kegs (10g) are what's left over. Now I've been drinking stouts and browns, and the leftover summer beer has been idle. Now spring is coming. Spring means starting up on summer beer brewing!

I'll probably put 4 or 5 stout kegs away for next winter and brew less in the summer. (I start winter beer brewing in July)



But yes, I probably brew too much. Or maybe I can convince the wife to let me get more kegs...

The only way I'd suggest going with the 20 gallon is if you think you might do BIAB 10 gallon batches. The 15 will easily accommodate 10 gallon boils. This isn't a game of how much stainless steel you can get for a the dollar so the price similarities are meaningless.

I assume you'll BIAB, since 20 gallons is overkill for just boiling 10 gallons. I would recommend a 15 gallon kettle since it'll be easier to hold temp over time with less headspace, and you can more easily insulate the kettle with blankets etc.

At the price of those pots I'd bet you could recoup most of the original purchase price selling used. A 15 gallon kettle will sell quick. I sold mine within a day at 50% price, could have gotten more...

Im wondering how its so easy to do 10 gallon batches in a 15 gal pot.Im brewing as I write this.My strike water is 13 gallons.This brings me to 11 gallon post boil.That would leave only 2 gallons,Ill say around 2 inches to top of the pot.Then add 22 pounds of grain.Water expands for lack of a better term aprox 3/4 of an inch when hot.Then the hot break.Im sure the guys who posted its doable are doing it.It just seems either not doable or to the limit of the pot.Which is nerve racking. I don't insulate with my electric setup but I would think with enough blackets you could keep nearly anything at temp.

My 15.5 keggle is nice. When I am doing 10 gallon batches I frequently wish it was 20 gal. But it works great. I just don't brew often enough so doing 10 gal. helps keep me in beer without going to the store.

JONNYROTTEN said:

Im wondering how its so easy to do 10 gallon batches in a 15 gal pot.Im brewing as I write this.My strike water is 13 gallons.This brings me to 11 gallon post boil.That would leave only 2 gallons,Ill say around 2 inches to top of the pot.Then add 22 pounds of grain.Water expands for lack of a better term aprox 3/4 of an inch when hot.Then the hot break.Im sure the guys who posted its doable are doing it.It just seems either not doable or to the limit of the pot.Which is nerve racking. I don't insulate with my electric setup but I would think with enough blackets you could keep nearly anything at temp.

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Now I'm confused? Do you mean BIAB in a 15g kettle for a full boil 10g batch? I'm not sure that's possible... it'd be pretty damn full! Lol!

I think the 15g commenters are referring to having a mash tun, and using the 15g as a bk.

AHHH,yes I was thinking BIAB.Looking back the OP mentioned primary BK.My bad.

Another question. If I'm going to start doing ten gallon batches, which I think I'm being swayed that way, how effective is a 10 gallon igloo mash tun? I plan on brewing primarily IPAs because that's what I like to drink.


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xurgee said:

Another question. If I'm going to start doing ten gallon batches, which I think I'm being swayed that way, how effective is a 10 gallon igloo mash tun? I plan on brewing primarily IPAs because that's what I like to drink.


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It works very well, although I'd recommend a larger rectangular cooler if you make some higher gravity brews.

Bobby_M said:

The only way I'd suggest going with the 20 gallon is if you think you might do BIAB 10 gallon batches. The 15 will easily accommodate 10 gallon boils. This isn't a game of how much stainless steel you can get for a the dollar so the price similarities are meaningless.

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See this confuses me, i see you say this but i also read tons of posts from people with 15 gallon kettles that wish they had 20G.

If im building a 3 Vessel BCS EHERMS, i can possibly see that a 15G HLT wont actually be able to hold all the water without adding top up water after the mashing starts?

People just say you get a boilover all the time, but then I see you post this and i know that you know your ****, so im confused as hell.

I BIAB, so in my opinion I would go with the 80 qt. I recently purchased a 100 qt Concord for 11 gallon batches. My last setup with an 11 gal kettle was completely maxed out for a 5.5 gallon IIPA recipe. The extra 5 gallons of space should help accommodate bigger beers

JONNYROTTEN said:

Im wondering how its so easy to do 10 gallon batches in a 15 gal pot.Im brewing as I write this.My strike water is 13 gallons.This brings me to 11 gallon post boil.That would leave only 2 gallons,Ill say around 2 inches to top of the pot.Then add 22 pounds of grain.Water expands for lack of a better term aprox 3/4 of an inch when hot.Then the hot break.Im sure the guys who posted its doable are doing it.It just seems either not doable or to the limit of the pot.Which is nerve racking. I don't insulate with my electric setup but I would think with enough blackets you could keep nearly anything at temp.

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I brew 10 gallons in a 13 gallon pot.... Its tight and I have to really watch for boilover in the beginning but it works...(an upgrade to a 16 gallon BC pot to match my other kettles is on the horizon. IMHO 15 gallon pots would be perfect for a mix of 5 and 10 gallon brews..you have to cover all the sensors and elements and if the pot is too big this becomes difficult unless they are narrow and tall pots. 20 gallon pots usually dont work very well for 5 gallon brews... I like to do 5 gallon brews when experimenting so I dont have 10 gallons of "Meh" beer I have to drink...

FuzzeWuzze said:

See this confuses me, i see you say this but i also read tons of posts from people with 15 gallon kettles that wish they had 20G.

If im building a 3 Vessel BCS EHERMS, i can possibly see that a 15G HLT wont actually be able to hold all the water without adding top up water after the mashing starts?

People just say you get a boilover all the time, but then I see you post this and i know that you know your ****, so im confused as hell.

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with electric its extremely easy to avoid boilovers... this is how I brew 10 gallon batches in a 13 gallon kettle. (Not ideal but very possible)

I have the 80qt Concord and do BIAB 5 & 10-gallon batches. 10-gal batches fill the thing nearly without room to spare. For 5-gal batches, I have to remember to take out the 'false-bottom' (they called it a steamer for some reason). It works well either way. Also did a 5-gal batch of 1.118 imperial stout recently. It would not have fit in a 15-gal kettle.

augiedoggy said:

with electric its extremely easy to avoid boilovers... this is how I brew 10 gallon batches in a 13 gallon kettle. (Not ideal but very possible)

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Doesnt this limit me to 60 minute boils though? So basically nothing with Pils in it kind of bothers me...

If you want/need 10.5-11g at the end of the boil your going to need like 14G preboil for a 90 minute...hmmm i think you convinced me to go 20

Also do you have a 15 gallon HLT? A 10 gallon batch with any decent amount of grain is going to need more than 15 gallons of water for mash/sparging, and if your doing HERMS its not like you can just dump in cold water during the mash. Or else you'd be draining heat from your MT during recirc through your HERMS coil?

I'd prefer to stay away from 20G pots, as they look quite a bit more unwieldy and generally are wider by quite a bit than their 15G counterparts(Concord Kettles), but i also dont want to rebuild down the line

15.5 Keggle for HLT, 10 Gallon Igloo Cooler for MLT, 20 Gallon Brew Kettle.

10 Gallon Batches.

For high gravity/Grain Bills, I also have a 70 quart Coleman Extreme cooler (17.5 gallons). I primarily use the igloo to maintain a good temp/headspace ratio.

I am now brewing 10 gallons of all grain for the cost (actually less) of a 5 gallon extract kit.

I got the Bayou Classic pot from Amazon, but have heard good things about the Concord.

Here is a post detailing my BK build:

http://imperialhops.blogspot.mx/

Whatever you decide, HAVE FUN!

I am having the same dilemma choosing between the 16G Bayou Classic and one of the Concord 20 options for my e-brew system.

I'll probably be brewing 10G batches at least as often as 5G. I don't envision larger batches, but I do want to be able to brew some high gravity recipes.

I'll be buying 3 vessels so it would be nice if all were the same, but if there was a good reason mix, might be persuaded. The BC looks nicer IMO and has a h/w ratio of ~1.25:1 where the Concord is about 1:1. I understand maybe the smaller diameter results in less boil-off and might work better for 5G batches. Any pros or cons to consider in the MLT? Deeper grain bed better or worse (efficiency, stuck mashes)? The resulting product and ease of use trumps looks.

Also leaning towards soldered fittings, but I don't think that has much bearing on the kettle selection.

swander said:

I am having the same dilemma choosing between the 16G Bayou Classic and one of the Concord 20 options for my e-brew system.

I'll probably be brewing 10G batches at least as often as 5G. I don't envision larger batches, but I do want to be able to brew some high gravity recipes.

I'll be buying 3 vessels so it would be nice if all were the same, but if there was a good reason mix, might be persuaded. The BC looks nicer IMO and has a h/w ratio of ~1.25:1 where the Concord is about 1:1. I understand maybe the smaller diameter results in less boil-off and might work better for 5G batches. Any pros or cons to consider in the MLT? Deeper grain bed better or worse (efficiency, stuck mashes)? The resulting product and ease of use trumps looks.

Also leaning towards soldered fittings, but I don't think that has much bearing on the kettle selection.

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Did you ever make your kettle decision? I'm leaning towards the 20G Concords myself.

Yes, I ended up choosing the 80Qt Concords.

There's no way I could have brewed my last 10G batch with smaller without a boilover as with losses from boil, hop, equipment, shrinkage etc., I needed the full volume, nearly 14G pre-boil.

I thought I would want to brew nearly as many 5G batches as 10G, but after a few, I can only see brewing 5G as an exception since the work is the same for either. If you're sure you will favor the smaller batch size the I would choose differently.

As with all SS kettles, they're no fun to drill, but can be done. Just plan on throwing all your bits away afterwards.

My only complaint with the Concords is that I ordered three, and one was a different style. You'll see one with a flat lid that sort of fits inside of the top, and another with a lid that more sits on top. I received one of the former and two of the latter on the same order. Functionally, there is no difference and I might have just been the lucky one to get both. The engraved kettle logo's are slightly different as well, but dimensionally they are the same and any lid fits any pot, so not a bit deal. If someone in KC wanted to trade me lids, I'd probably trade the flat one for the other for no good reason.

If I were ordering again, I would do the same.