Yo, just getting into all grain brewing and am getting conflicting info about equipment... Plan to occasionally brew 10 gallon batches and am reading that a 20 gallon kettle is needed while others (including the guys at my brew shop) are saying to go with a 15? What you guys think? Thanks
Size brew kettle for 10 gallon all grain batches,,,
- Thread starter Beardown
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15 gallon will work.
20 is just overkill
20 is just overkill
20 gallons wouldn't be overkill. If you can afford the 20 I would get that. Having a 20 gallons would leave no question whether you have the room for larger boils. Maybe you want to brew 11 gallons to account for trub loss in the fermenter and have two perfectly filled 5 gallon kegs. Or maybe you brew a very hoppy IPA with a lot of kettle trub you want to leave behind. Maybe you have a 90 minute boil and need extra room for the increased volume due to boil off. There are so many reasons 20 gallons would do you better. You'll never regret getting a 20 gallon, but you may one day regret NOT getting the bigger one if you have the money.
Now if you are primarily doing 5 gallon batches with not so often 10 gallon batches, I would stick with 15 gallon.
Now if you are primarily doing 5 gallon batches with not so often 10 gallon batches, I would stick with 15 gallon.
Go 20. Usually do 11-12 gallon end-boil so I can get 10 gallons of finished beer in the kegs. That means boiling 13-14+ gallons for 60-90 minutes. 20 gallon pot is best to avoid boil-overs and not to have to put foam reducer in the kettle. 15 is doable, but you have to watch it constantly until the boil is under control and the boil cannot always be vigorous enough for my liking.
WI_Wino
Well-Known Member
Will you be running a traditional 3 vessel setup? BIAB?
I have a 15 gallon pot and 10 gallon normal gravity BIAB batches are a little bit of a pain. Can't imagine doing a high gravity 10 gallon batch unless I added some extract.
10 gallon batch boils (so 11-11.5 gallons) in a 15 gallon kettle is fine. I use fermcap to keep boil overs at bay.
I have a 15 gallon pot and 10 gallon normal gravity BIAB batches are a little bit of a pain. Can't imagine doing a high gravity 10 gallon batch unless I added some extract.
10 gallon batch boils (so 11-11.5 gallons) in a 15 gallon kettle is fine. I use fermcap to keep boil overs at bay.
20 is a huge pot that I would find inconveniently large if you are brewing primarily 5 gal batches.
If you believe you will brew primarily 10 gal batches in the future, get the 20.
If you believe you will brew primarily 10 gal batches in the future, get the 20.
kombat
Well-Known Member
15 gallons is just the right size for someone who does 5 and 10 gallon batches. The problem with a 20 gallon kettle is that if you're doing 5 gallon batches, I would be concerned that the wort wouldn't even reach up to the temperature probe, and you wouldn't be able to tell as your wort approaches boiling. It may also result in the wort being too shallow to effectively chill with an immersion chiller.
I'd go with the 15 gallon kettle.
I'd go with the 15 gallon kettle.
I have a 15.5 gallon Bayou Classic boil kettle on a traditional 3 vessel system. Originally justified based on need to do both 5 and 10 gallon batches. I've done exactly 1 five gallon batch in the last 70 since I got the kettle.
But if you do go with 15 gallon make sure you get fermcap S it is a life saver.
But if you do go with 15 gallon make sure you get fermcap S it is a life saver.
I would go with 15 gallons. A 20 gallon kettle is just too damned big for me.
I currently do 10-12 gallon batches using a 10 gallon boilermaker by using some DME and diluting with distilled water at pitching time. It is a PITA.
With 15 gallons I think you could get by just fine with minimal DME/dilution if any at all. Just keep some fermcap on hand as stated above. . . .
I currently do 10-12 gallon batches using a 10 gallon boilermaker by using some DME and diluting with distilled water at pitching time. It is a PITA.
With 15 gallons I think you could get by just fine with minimal DME/dilution if any at all. Just keep some fermcap on hand as stated above. . . .
I do 10gal (end product volume) AG batches. Which means my post-boil volume is normally 11-12gal. I'm normally starting with ~14gal.
I'm using a 20gal kettle. It's fantastic and stress-free, since boil-overs are a non-issue. I also expect to do some 15gal batches in the future (ex: making multiple kegs of CO3C for events, etc) and it'll handle those like a champ also.
I'm using a 20gal kettle. It's fantastic and stress-free, since boil-overs are a non-issue. I also expect to do some 15gal batches in the future (ex: making multiple kegs of CO3C for events, etc) and it'll handle those like a champ also.
not dme....fermcap. it's a small bottle and 20 or so drops will work wonders. also keeps fermentation under control. i have a 15.5 gallon kettle and do 11 gallon batches almost exclusively. boil over has never been an issue for me.
ChelisHubby
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I would think that at the 5 gallon batch your boil would be quite vigorous if not watched, and the evaporation could be greater than normal. But I think it would be easily managed. I am also thinking of buying a 20 gallon pot so I brew less and enjoy fishing more.
kombat
Well-Known Member
Like I said - the risk that the wort wouldn't come up to the level of the temperature probe (so you couldn't measure the temperature of the wort with the thermometer integrated into the kettle), and the risk that the wort would be so shallow that your immersion chiller would only be partially submerged, lengthening chill times.
bandt9299
Well-Known Member
20 and don't look back, before I did 10 gallon batches I always used my 10 gallon kettle and it was never too big for 5 gallons. Too big is way better than too small, if money isn't too big of an issue.
Depends on if BIAB or separate mash tun.
I've been doing 10-11 gallon batches in my 15 gallon keggle. Works just fine even for big beers (recently a 32 lb grain bill), if mashing separately. Boil off rate is ~1gal/hr so 12-13 gallons is about all the pre-boil volume I need to start with.
For BIAB brews, a 15 gal kettle will run out of room for larger grain bills. Between wort volume, grain absorption water volume, and grain volume displacement, I found that a 12-16 lb grain bill was about the max.
Not to mention the logistics of getting a 20+ pound grain bill (which weighs double that wet), that's swollen out of the kettle. For a keggle like mine, the opening is a bit narrow. It's also heavy.
I recently did a 5.5 gallon batch in my keggle... it worked fine, but was about as small as I would want to go for that vessel's size. I think it would be a bit small to do a single batch like that in a 20 gal kettle.
-sc
I've been doing 10-11 gallon batches in my 15 gallon keggle. Works just fine even for big beers (recently a 32 lb grain bill), if mashing separately. Boil off rate is ~1gal/hr so 12-13 gallons is about all the pre-boil volume I need to start with.
For BIAB brews, a 15 gal kettle will run out of room for larger grain bills. Between wort volume, grain absorption water volume, and grain volume displacement, I found that a 12-16 lb grain bill was about the max.
Not to mention the logistics of getting a 20+ pound grain bill (which weighs double that wet), that's swollen out of the kettle. For a keggle like mine, the opening is a bit narrow. It's also heavy.
I recently did a 5.5 gallon batch in my keggle... it worked fine, but was about as small as I would want to go for that vessel's size. I think it would be a bit small to do a single batch like that in a 20 gal kettle.
-sc
For the first 90 or so 10 gallon batches I used a 15 gallon brew kettle (or 15.5 gallon keggle) and managed. A few years ago I bought a 20 gallon kettle and now life is good, plenty of room for good vigorous boils without fear of boil over. Recently I did a one 5 gallon batch in the last 100 batches and was able to do it but I have to admit it barely made it to the bottom of my site glass and it did not reach my thermometer.
I would recommend a 20 gallon kettle if you even remotely think you will do more 10 gallon batches than 5 gallon batches in the future. It won't wear out and it will last forever. FWIW I have a 5 gallon S/S pot, a 7.5 gallon enamel canning pot, my 15.5 gallon keggle, and my 15 gallon S/S kettle sitting on shelves. But I have been brewing for years.
I would recommend a 20 gallon kettle if you even remotely think you will do more 10 gallon batches than 5 gallon batches in the future. It won't wear out and it will last forever. FWIW I have a 5 gallon S/S pot, a 7.5 gallon enamel canning pot, my 15.5 gallon keggle, and my 15 gallon S/S kettle sitting on shelves. But I have been brewing for years.
Agreed on the chiller but why do you even need a thermometer in a boil kettle. It is going to be 212 degrees or so depending on altitude.......
You only need to concern yourself about approaching boiling if your kettle is too small....
Just watch the foam, not the thermometer....
MonkeyBot
Well-Known Member
For cooling. If you're going to use an immersion chiller and want to do a hopstand or even just know when you're fully chilled that thermometer is useful on a boil kettle.
I use a 15 gallon ekettle and routinely get 2 full cornies post ferment. Meaning that there is some extra wort post boil to account for hop debris and fermenter trub. Things do get very close to boil over with the hot break, but my pid has never failed to prevent disaster. After the hot break it's never been an issue.
Though I have no experience with either, I think you may want to go with the 20 if you have a slow to react heat source or BIAB.
Though I have no experience with either, I think you may want to go with the 20 if you have a slow to react heat source or BIAB.
bucketnative
Well-Known Member
Whatever you go with, make sure your burner setup can handle the size pot. Look at the diameter and height of the pot.
kombat
Well-Known Member
To know when you've chilled enough, of course.
m1k3
Well-Known Member
I just did a 10 gallon batch in my 100 quart (25 gallon) pot this week. It's not too big, in my opinion. I started with 15 gallons preboil. (So, I'd be terrified doing it in a 15 gallon pot.)
But I do mostly 15 gallon batches. Never 5. And a 20 gallon batch one time.
Yeh, 100 quarts looked insanely big when I first got it... seems normal now.
But I do mostly 15 gallon batches. Never 5. And a 20 gallon batch one time.
Yeh, 100 quarts looked insanely big when I first got it... seems normal now.
Natdavis777
Well-Known Member
15 gal is just fine. I only brew 10 gal batches. My profile for a 60 min boil is 13 gal pre boil and 13.85 for a 90 min boil. Never boiled over. I recirc my cooling but use a hop spider, so I still get cold break in my trub cone. I boil down to 11 gal and transfer 5.5 to each fermentor . A 20gal pot will def work, but isnt required.
