Question about Boiling

[larrysbooze]

I have an awesome pot that holds 11 gallons. I have still only been doing partial boils. Now that I have a wort chiller, I would like to begin doing a serious boil. Should I boil an entire 5 gallons for a 5 gal batch? Or should I do something more like 3 or 4 gallons with filling it up with fresh water to match the 5 gallons?

Thanks!

 

[ldgenius2000]

You need to figure out your boil off rate, then add over 5 gallons such that at the end of the boil you end up approximately your desired 5 gal.

 

[larrysbooze]

That makes sense how should I find the boil off rate? Is it worth trying to boil that much if I have an electrical stovetop? I live in an apartment and a gas grill would be tough.

 

[bonescole]

That makes sense how should I find the boil off rate? Is it worth trying to boil that much if I have an electrical stovetop? I live in an apartment and a gas grill would be tough.

Boiling that much water on an electric stove may be too much. Try starting with a 5 gallon pot of water and see how long it takes to get that to a rolling boil. If it is fairly fast then give it a try. In my opinion you may not get the rolling boil with that much water on an electric stove. The usual rate is one gallon an hour.

Quick search brought this up from this site: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/how-do-i-figure-out-my-boil-off-rate-81132/