Pot size and water amount

[knucklenitz]

I just upgraded my 5 gal pot to a stainless 15 gal, planning for future all grain. But, I'd like to use this for an extract kit with specialty grains.

My recipe is pretty standard with steeping the grains in 2.5 gallons of water and adding all the ingredients to this 2.5 gallons of water. Adding this wort to 2 gals of cooled water already in the fermenter.

Question is: with the pot so big, can I do the initial steeping and full boil in with the 4.5 gallons and then add the remainder to the fermenter? Or is there a good reason to only have 2.5 gals during the boil with extract and hops?

I want to use the big pot but don't want to have such a small amount in the pot that it could burn easy.

Or am I just overthinking too much (typical)?

Thanks.

 

[knucklenitz]

I think this post may have answered my question:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/how-add-liquid-extract-237089/

I think I will go ahead with the larger pot, larger water volume (~4.5 gals) and then add cool water to bring up to 5 gals in the fermenter. This should allow for full boil.

Let me know if this sounds wrong.

 

[rapike1028]

if u can boil all 5.5 gals then just do that. no need to do 2.5 gal boil

 

[theonetrueruss]

the only reason I would give in your situation is if you're going to have trouble cooling the full volume. Cutting it with 1/2 chilled water cools it a lot.