Max boil size in a 3-gal pot?

[MarcGuay]

Hi folks,

Never brewed actual beer before (did some experiments with water kefir grains and wort). I have a 3 gallon pot (that's measured up to the brim) that fits the large burners on my glass stove top (9.5" diameter). I can't find a larger pot that isn't too wide for it so I feel like this is my max pot size unless I want to go propane outdoors. If I do part-boils, what's the maximum amount of beer I can make with it?

I'm reading How to Brew and he says for a 5gal batch part-boiled you only need to start by boiling 2gal so it's not clear to me why a 5gal boiling pot is recommended unless there's a ton of foam.

Thanks
Marc

 

[mbobhat]

Full boils are recommended because it makes better beer. You get better hop utilization in a full boil. It also just tastes better. But you can make pretty decent beer with a partial boil. You just have to top off with water to get to your final volume in your fermenter. If you wanna do a full boil, I would say a little less than 2 gallons is your limit. If you wanna do a partial, maybe double that and you're still good since you'd add 2 gallons of water to top off.
You probably want to start with extract if you're doing a partial boil, just because it would be hard to get a lot of sugars out of the grains with the small amount of water. Or you can go with steeping grains which works great. This adds some complexity to your extract beer.

Sorry I forgot to add there is a ton of foam I'm sure everyone here has an amusing story of wort boiling over.

 

[MarcGuay]

Thanks! When you say "a little less than 2 gallons is your limit" for a full boil is that just the amount of water you start with or does that include the grain/extract and hops? I find it strange that your suggestion seems similar to Palmer's when he recommends a 5gal boiling pot and I've only got 3... In the equipment section he says "The pot must be able to comfortably hold a minimum of 3 gallons", which I take to mean that it's not 3gal at the brim like mine is... A bit confusing, I guess it's an art and not a science... I'm thinking I might follow his instructions for a 5gal extract brew and cut everything in half, which would mean starting with 1gal of water + extract + hops with enough water added after to bring it to 2.5gal in the fermenter.

Strange, I was looking at the "Crash course" section before where it says to start with 2gal of water, but in the more detailed section later it says 3gal... That seems to make more sense if you consider water boiling off... This book might need a 4th edition... (Seems to be fixed on the website version, the 2gal is meant to be boiled and then put in the fermenter as the top up water)

 

[ChelisHubby]

Marc If at all possible beg borrow or steal a 5 gallon or bigger pot. You can make 3 gallons of beer in a 2 gallon pot but the quality suffers some. A lot of latinos have tamale pots that are seldom used and these can make a great boil pot. they are normally 7 to 10 gallon. if I had a 3 gallon pot I would be limited to a 2 gallon batch or about 17 - 12ounce beers for 3 to 5 hrs work. you decide and happy brewing.

 

[mbobhat]

Thanks! When you say "a little less than 2 gallons is your limit" for a full boil is that just the amount of water you start with or does that include the grain/extract and hops? I find it strange that your suggestion seems similar to Palmer's when he recommends a 5gal boiling pot and I've only got 3... In the equipment section he says "The pot must be able to comfortably hold a minimum of 3 gallons", which I take to mean that it's not 3gal at the brim like mine is... A bit confusing, I guess it's an art and not a science... I'm thinking I might follow his instructions for a 5gal extract brew and cut everything in half, which would mean starting with 1gal of water + extract + hops with enough water added after to bring it to 2.5gal in the fermenter.

Strange, I was looking at the "Crash course" section before where it says to start with 2gal of water, but in the more detailed section later it says 3gal... That seems to make more sense if you consider water boiling off... This book might need a 4th edition... (Seems to be fixed on the website version, the 2gal is meant to be boiled and then put in the fermenter as the top up water)

Well, when you add the extract you will increase the volume a little, not a lot, but you will boil up very easily. Stir like hell and lower the heat and maybe you won't end up with burnt wort all over your kitchen! That is why we recommend a lot of space in the pot. During the hour boil, you will lose some volume as well, probably half a gallon or so in your case. It doesn't matter really because you will top it off to the same concentration anyways. Also when you add the hops it will try and boil over as well. Stir like hell when you add them. Good Luck!

P.S. You can always do two 1 hr boils to get to a full five gallon batch splitting your hops and extracts in case you already have a kit or something. Otherwise just tell your homebrew store to make a recipe for 3 gallons. Tell them what you have and they will help you.

 

[MarcGuay]

Thanks to you both. ChelisHubby, the problem isn't not having a larger pot, it's that the burner on my glass stove top has a small diameter and can't handle a larger pot (apparently using a too-wide pot on a burner will distribute the heat into unwanted places and possible cause problems/cracking of the glass, or the weight of the pot full-up can crack the glass... not sure how much of this is just internet noise and how much is legit)...

Just found some info from a GE manual which could apply to brewing? "Pots that extend beyond 1” of the cooktop element circle are not recommended for most surface cooking. However, when canning with water-bath or pressure canner, larger-diameter pots may be used. This is because boiling water temperatures (even under pressure) are not harmful to the cooktop surfaces surrounding the cooktop elements"

 

[SLFcentralOH]

You should check the owners manual for the stove and then go from there. Also, realize that stove may struggle to get larger volumes up to a rolling boil.

 

[GHBWNY]

I get your electric/glass stovetop concerns, but if it is here to stay, you'll need a bigger pot or invest in a propane burner. I would disregard the "noise" about cracking the glass top. My guess is that it is made to withstand whatever theoretical heat an oversize pot can trap/transfer.

While most 5-gal extract kit recommendations are ~2.5 gal boil (more is better), it is still best done in a larger-than-3 gal pot. If you start with a 2.5 gal boil in a 3-gal pot, you've got almost zero room for steeping grains and LME without a boil over liability, not to mention the hop addition which always causes a sudden re-foaming of the wort.

I have a 3-gal pot and I've used it for many 5-gal extract kit brews, but I also have a gas cooktop so I can immediately shut off the flame when it starts to boil up. With an electric cooktop, turning down the heat in time to prevent a boil-over is nearly impossible, so you're going to have to pull it off the burner, put it back on, pull it off, etc..

 

[MarcGuay]

Owner's manual says no more than +1" diameter from the burner for canning purposes, which gives me 10" diameter of pot, and it seems like most 5gals are 11"+. I suppose I could push it and take my chances. Thanks everyone for your thoughts.

 

[Biscuits]

I have been doing 1.5 gallon batches in a 3 gallon kettle on a glass stove top as well. You could eek out a starting boil size of 2.75 gallons if you are careful or use fermcap...but typically I just start with about 2.5 gallons to be safe..

 

[slym2none]

I make 2.5 gallon AG batches in a 4-gallon pot, and it gets close.

Good luck, OP!

 

[MarcGuay]

Thanks folks. Do you find it worth your while to brew small batches? How often do you brew?

 

[Biscuits]

Thanks folks. Do you find it worth your while to brew small batches? How often do you brew?

I like brewing small batches. It allows me to brew more and to experiment/play more. 1 gallon batches are a bit smaller than I would like to brew though...I used to do 5 gallon and 2.5 gallon batches when I wanted to try new stuff, but my current living situation forced me to send all of my brewing gear away and I have to make due with what I have available to me, which is a 3 gallon kettle. It's been a fun experience in that I have learned a lot about scaling recipes and the math that goes into brewing.

 

[MarcGuay]

I bought a 24L / 6.34gal aluminum pot today that is larger than the manufacturer suggest for the burner but not by much, I'll try to remember to post back here with info about whether or not it can get a rolling boil going, etc, in case it's useful to someone else in the future.

 

[MaxStout]

Thanks folks. Do you find it worth your while to brew small batches? How often do you brew?

I love doing 2.5 gal batches on hot summer and cold winter days when I don't want to brew outdoors over propane. Small batches also give me the opportunity to experiment without dedicating a large amount of ingredients. I sometimes do 2 batches back-to-back. Overall, I only brew once every month or so.

 

[MarcGuay]

How big of a pot do you use to produce a 2.5 gal batch? Part boil or full?

 

[mbobhat]

Keep in mind the weight on your glass cooktop as well. You probably don't wanna put 50 lbs on it without checking the user manual as well. If you are gonna upgrade to a larger pot, a turkey fryer is cheaper/same price as a cheap pot 5-7 gallons. If you're gonna go with 5 gallon batches, 7 gallons is recommended for the boil over if doing full boils.

 

[foam_top]

You're in the same situation I was when I first started. I did a "split boil" for my first few batches. It extends the brew day by a couple hours but it may be worth it. You simply divide your full batch size into two (or more) boils and then combine it all in the fermentor. Some people even split the boils into different days so it doesn't all have to be done at once. Just be careful, leaving sugary wort for too long and it might ferment with an unintentional/undesired microbe.

 

[MarcGuay]

I just took a look and those turkey fryers are a much better deal than I got on my big fancy pot from the resto supply store. Going to return it, do a few small batches with my 3gal pot and if I like it, upgrade to the turkey fryer...

 

[slym2none]

Thanks folks. Do you find it worth your while to brew small batches? How often do you brew?

I like smaller batches. I know it takes the same amount of time to ferment 5G as it does 2.5, but hey, it's also the system that fits in my current living situation. Bonus is, I am never bottling more than 25 beers.

I am on a hiatus due to an ant problem, but I brewed every 3 weeks or so when I was going well.

How big of a pot do you use to produce a 2.5 gal batch? Part boil or full?

4G pot, full boil, I make sure via sparge-water amount that I have 3.25G at the start as my boil-off rate is .75G/hour. Also, when it gets rolling, it's within an inch (sometimes less) of the top.

At the end, I cold-crash for 4-5 days to compact the trub, usually get 2.25G of product, right at a case of bottles, sometimes a little less though.

 

[dwhite60]

I just did 4.5 gallons in a 5.25 gallon pot. ALMOST foamed over but caught it in time. Pulled the pot off the burner, let the foam recede, put it back on the burner, no problem.

I too like smaller batches. This one was a stretch because I had the ingredients and didn't want small amounts of grain sitting around.

All the Best,
D. White