Need help selecting a brew kettle

[nelsonbaggins]

I will be an apartment brewer in 2 months so I need to think small. I'll be buying my first brew kettle and need to select an appropriate size. I'm currently an extract brewer but may consider partial, all grain or even BIAB in the future. My decision will hinge chiefly upon whether I decide to go full or partial boil and I am as yet undecided. I know hop utilization is an issue with partial but that is correctable. But is there any other drawbacks to partial boil? Convenience would dictate I grab a 5 gallon pot and go partial. But should I just spring for a 7 gallon pot in case I change my mind someday? As an aside, what if I did say, a 3/4 boil, and split the difference? Would that improve my beer over a partial of 1/2? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Coldies]

Go for the 7.5 and a heat stick. Trust me once you get your 5 your gonna wish you went 7.5 The only down fall is that after 5 gallons SS pots go way up. Check out the Bayou (SP?) 30 qt for around $80 its what I have and love it.

 

[BendBrewer]

FYI - My 7 gallon pot goes unused these days. A year into doing this and it is too small. What you are using as a burner matters at this point. 7 gallon pot would be max I would use indoors. If planning on brewing outdoors with propane go even bigger. 8 to 10 gallons if limiting yourself to 5 gallon batches. 15 gallons if thinking of going to 10 gallon batches in the future.

 

[maida7]

get an 8-10 gallon pot and boil as much as you have power for.

7 is very very very tight for 5 gallon batches

The heat stick is a great idea.

PS: you will also want/need a chiller.

 

[ACbrewer]

When I was a kid (so many years ago) my parents used a double burner pot for making canned applesauce... Has anyone seen these used for brewing? I don't know it's capacity(1.5 + bushels of apple?) but it alowed for you to heat from 2 burners, not just one.
I'm thinking that for the home brewer this would increase the volume you could do - although cooling the sink would be a pain, as could pouring to a fermentor - one was a rectangle, the other had a funnel sort or end on one of the short sides - looked like a pigs nose. - although the double burner solution seems very indoor/stove oriented.

 

[BrewThruYou]

I'd go 7.5gal. I don't think it's tight for 5 gallon batches unless you're doing some crazy long boil and/or your boiloff rate is high.

 

[steinsato]

If you have intentions of going full boil I wouldn't go less than 10 gallons. These days I've even been tellling people to go straight to a keggle and save yourself the money. I'm about to make the jump to 10 gallon full boils after less than a year of 5 gallon brewing. I spent about $130 on my 10 gallon pot and it will probably go unused starting this summer.

 

[mrlisk]

I picked up a bayou classic 62qt for $120 on amazon. I'm sure the smaller volume pots are equally well priced for what they are.

 

[BrewThruYou]

If you have intentions of going full boil I wouldn't go less than 10 gallons. These days I've even been tellling people to go straight to a keggle and save yourself the money. I'm about to make the jump to 10 gallon full boils after less than a year of 5 gallon brewing. I spent about $130 on my 10 gallon pot and it will probably go unused starting this summer.

Keep in mind that the OP is an apartment brewer.

 

[maida7]

I'd go 7.5gal. I don't think it's tight for 5 gallon batches unless you're doing some crazy long boil and/or your boiloff rate is high.

I used a 7.5 gallon pot for several years. It will work but it is kinda tight. Fermcap is probably a good idea to limit the boil overs.

8 gallons is much more comfortable.

10 gallons is really quite nice.

 

[DrawTap88]

10 gallons is the way to go. You could still do partial mashes and extract batches without doing full boils (which you may not be able to do on a stove top in an apartment anyways). You'll also be ready to move it outside if/when you leave the apartment.

 

[stevehaun]

Buy a kettle at least 5 gallons bigger than anything you think you could possibly ever want to use.

 

[nelsonbaggins]

Well, it seems like most everyone who has posted has gone berserk over brewing like so many usually do. I'm really trying to keep it as simple as possible though. I believe I'll only be brewing every third Sunday, so I can bottle on the same day and keep a steady rotation. I've read the monster thread here that extolls the virtues of full boil, but I feel like there has to be a way to do partial boil well, even exceedingly well. Why else would so many "how to's" start noob brewers with partial boil instructions? I honestly believe the most I'm willing to go is 28 qt. I can throw in some drops to prevent boil over. I've done that before and it works well.