How much water should i use to start a boil

[NWAleDad]

Getting ready to start my first batch, really excited to start making beer. I have read allot of different instructions regarding how to brew with extracts. I'm making a 5gal batch of red ale with an amber extract. One questions I have is, what size of pot do i need to start my boil? Can i use a 20qt Stainless Steel stock pock with two gallons of water and add water in when i transfer to the fermenter?

or is it best to use a 30-60qt size stock pot for boiling your wort?

Newbie looking for guidance.

 

[RMitch]

I used a 9qt pot for my first extract batch...it doesn't really matter as you add water later on, when transferring to your primary.

I think I used 1.5 gallons.

With extract brewing, your boil kettle is like "concentrate".

With a 30-60qt pot you could do full AG boils.

 

[NWAleDad]

Thanks! Now i can use my wife's old stainless steel stockpot

 

[SaltyPirate]

I just purchased a 16 quart stainless pot and used about 2 gallons to steep and boil. I then added the remaining 3gal to my primary.

 

[stormdrain]

Perhaps I am forgetting something, but doesn't the amount of water in the wort during boiling effect the amount of bitterness extracted from the hops?

I have only done 5 batches, so I am very new to this myself. Maybe someone can correct me if I am wrong. I use 2.5 gallons in my boil.

 

[liebertron]

Getting ready to start my first batch, really excited to start making beer. I have read allot of different instructions regarding how to brew with extracts. I'm making a 5gal batch of red ale with an amber extract. One questions I have is, what size of pot do i need to start my boil? Can i use a 20qt Stainless Steel stock pock with two gallons of water and add water in when i transfer to the fermenter?

or is it best to use a 30-60qt size stock pot for boiling your wort?

Newbie looking for guidance.

If you are adding more water in later make sure you boil that water first. It doesnt need to be boiled due to sanitation reasons but because it tastes funky unless you boil it. I lived in GA and the water there tasted GREAT out of the tap, but now I live in DC and that water tastes terrible! Boiling it takes that nasty chlorine taste out.

 

[cyclonite]

Perhaps I am forgetting something, but doesn't the amount of water in the wort during boiling effect the amount of bitterness extracted from the hops?

I have only done 5 batches, so I am very new to this myself. Maybe someone can correct me if I am wrong. I use 2.5 gallons in my boil.

The gravity of the boil makes a difference on hop utilization - lower gravity will give you more bitterness due to better hops utilization. This can be accomplished by not putting all of the extract in until near the end of the boil (15 minutes from the end works well to sanitize the rest of the extract and also achieve hot break). Start with part of the extract in the beginning and then add the rest near the end. You could even just boil the hops in water also and add all of the extract near the end if you wanted to ( long enough to sanitize the extract and achieve hot break of the proteins).

 

[Calder]

A full boil vs. half boil will yield about 10% more IBUs. There are lots of other factors that affect the IBUs, that this is really not too much of an issue. For example; use pellets instead of leaf and you get +10% IBUs, the age of the hops makes a difference, the PH of the wort makes a difference, using a hop bag reduces utilization, etc.

Use as big a pot as is practical. If using a stove, you will have problems boiling more than 3 gallons. ...... I do 4 on my stove in a SS pot with a thin bottom; if I use a pot with a thick bottom (tri-ply), I cannot get the same volume to a boil.

Remember you have to cool the wort too, so bigger takes longer to cool. Keep it simple for the first batch.

If you have a carbon filter and your water tastes fine, use it straight from the tap.

 

[NWAleDad]

Thanks for all the information i love this forum! First batch is complete and i used "spring water" from Safeway and used my water to supplement (boiled both). Used a 20qt SS stock pot and boiled 2.5 gallons of water and all the extract on my stove top. Don't think i can do much more with out using a gas heater. The beer is in the fermenter and i hope it turns out good...