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swh127

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Ok my last question for now. I just purchased a 6 gallon aluminum kettle. Is there anything wrong with aluminum or should I return it for a stainless steel?
 
There is nothing wrong with aluminum....its just a matter of personal preference. One thing I would question is your choice of the 6 gallon size. If you are making 5 gallon batches and you want to do full wort boils, you will need at least a 7.5 gallon pot. If you are doing partial wort boils then 6 gallons almost seems too big. Its like, if you want to upgrade to full wort from partial wort, then you're only buying a slightly larger kettle. Return it and spring for a larger pot....just my opinion.
 
I used one of those for years. Worked pretty good, but boiled over pretty easy. Just have to watch it. I recently upgraded to a 50Q aluminum pot I got at a restaurant supply store for about $50
 
Kephren said:
I used one of those for years. Worked pretty good, but boiled over pretty easy. Just have to watch it. I recently upgraded to a 50Q aluminum pot I got at a restaurant supply store for about $50

Which restaurant supply store did you buy that at? Is it online?
 
swh127 said:
Which restaurant supply store did you buy that at? Is it online?

It's called Resco in Reno. I don't know if they have an online store. It is a pretty big company with stores in California also.
 
Is there a benifit of doing full wort boils? Or does it just depend on the recipie. Ive only made one batch so far but the book of recipies that ive got shows all worts at like 2 gals.
 
OtherWhiteMeat said:
Is there a benifit of doing full wort boils? Or does it just depend on the recipie. Ive only made one batch so far but the book of recipies that ive got shows all worts at like 2 gals.

Yes.. the hop utilization is different. I went from extract to extract full boil (noticeable difference) to all grain full boil (huge difference).
 
Kephren said:
Yes.. the hop utilization is different. I went from extract to extract full boil (noticeable difference) to all grain full boil (huge difference).


Is it worth it for a beginner to start with extract full boils from the start or would you reccomend sticking to the 2gal boils till you get a few brews under your belt?
 
swh127 said:
Is it worth it for a beginner to start with extract full boils from the start or would you reccomend sticking to the 2gal boils till you get a few brews under your belt?
Whether it's worth it or not probably depends on if you're ready to spring for the added expense of a wort chiller, because you won't be able to cool 5 gallons fast enough without one. You can always adjust the hops to account for the lower utilization at higher gravity, IMHO.
 
El Pistolero said:
Whether it's worth it or not probably depends on if you're ready to spring for the added expense of a wort chiller, because you won't be able to cool 5 gallons fast enough without one. You can always adjust the hops to account for the lower utilization at higher gravity, IMHO.

I agree. I made my own wort chiller for about $20 with some copper tubing and hose connections from Lowe's. But the kettle is another added expense. Try a few brews with a smaller kettle that you already have, then if/when you feel you are addicted to the hobby, go for a large kettle. Once you know that you will be brewing often, you'll want the best of everything ;)
 
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