Brew Pot Diameter

[jaybrez6]

I'm comparing stockpots to use on my electric stove and I was wondering how much, if at all, a brew pot can extend beyond the stovetop burner??

I'd like to do both 1 and 2 gallon all grain batches, and Im stuck with the choice of either an 8 qt that is exactly the same diameter as my burner, or a 12 qt that would hang about an inch over each side. I'd really rather go with the bigger pot, but I just want to make sure that any overhang will be okay. Any one have any experience with this??

 

[marubozo]

Some overhang is just fine and an inch or so isn't a big deal. I brewed nearly full boil extract batches on my electric stove when I got started and my pot was a good 2 inches or so larger than the burner on all sides and I didn't have any issues. It's obviously more efficient if the burner covers every inch of the bottom, but otherwise you'll be fine.

 

[MichaelSterling]

I have brew several beers with a Pot that had like 3 or 4 inches of overhang and did fine. It just took awhile to heat to the boil. No big deal. You should be fine. I use a propane stove now and it works 100 times better.

 

[jaybrez6]

Okay cool, im gonna go with the bigger pot.

 

[Grumpybumpy]

Thought I'd revive/update this thread with my findings between my two pots. I'm working on doing a full boil on my stove.

I have one 5g SS pot that overhangs 4.75 cm on all sides and one aluminum pot that overhangs 7cm.

The boil off rates were as follows:
SS: .87g/hr
Al: 0.7g/hr

Now, I've heard that Al pots boil more quickly and vigorously than SS. Assuming this, the overhang made a big difference in the vigor of the boil. The difference was visible.

Disclaimers: I used two different burners for each pot, so there could be a slight difference in heat output between the two. The Al pot started with 3.7g and boiled down to 3g. The SS pot started at 3.25g and boiled down to 2.38g

Use this info as you will!