brewpot -- Noob needs help

I'm very very new (1st batch fermenting) but have a qustion on brew pots. I brewed with my friend who has a good set up but just a regular 6 gallon bot to brew in. Is it worth getting the brewpots with valves and thermometers? They are pricey but if it works better, i'd love invest in one....any recomendations?

Also, are the immersion coolers worth it? We just did an ice bath and that seemed to work very good.....just curious.

Thanks!

 

6 gallons for what size batch? 6 gal for 2.5/3 gal batch is great. Any bigger than that ... probably not a good idea. Your kettle size is going to vary based on other components of your setup.

As for thermometers and valves : having a valve is invaluable. No one wants to mess with transferring hot liquids by lifting pots. Having a thermometer in a BK is useless. It makes a little bit more sense if you're doing BIAB, but I eventually just took mine out and prefer to use a thermopen.

 

Yes it is worth it. And yes, immersion chillers are good too, although not as good as a counterflow chiller.

 

We did a 5 gallon batch but we didn't do a mash, did the extract. I'm guessing that's where the difference is? I'm so new i just followed along since he use to brew but has been awhile.

 

any recomendations on brands of pots?

 

Williams brewing has the best deal on a brwepot out there imho. 100 bucks for a ten gallon kettle with a valve. I have it and have used it for quite a few batches, handles could be sturdier but arent bad. I have to brew indoors in the winter which means im hauling 5+ gallons of near boiling wort from my stove down my stairs to my laundry room where i cool. Full volume (5 gallons or bigger) all grain you need a chiller, ice bath will take far too long. Immersion works great for me here in nd especially in the winter, our ground water is COLD.

 

Did you add water after you put the wort in the fermentor? Yes? then you were doing a partial boil (because only part of the wort is boild) and topping off. With a 6 gallon pot, it is very hard to do a 5 gallon boil

It seems like it should fit 5<6, but A, boil off of water causes usaully at least .5 gallon to go away while boiling - often much more (typical is 1 gallon). And B, like boiling pasta with a nice foam up and boil over, wort also foams and boils over, so most people like a lot of extra space in the kettle (pot) to give space and time for that foaming.

BTW, I do extract and find nothing wrong with that. Since I boil on my stove, and only 3 gallons max (4 gallon pot) I can easily move it to the sink for a cool down.

 

hard to beat this:

http://www.homebrewing.org/One-Weld-9-Gallon-Stainless-Steel-Pot_p_1683.html

 

Even for extract, that's kinda pushing it. I would think you'd want at least a 7.5 gal pot (like a 30QT turkey fryer) so you're well clear of boil overs.

A lot of the vendors here offer a quality product. I can't think of one I wouldn't recommend. I have a Spike kettle and I like it.

 

We did add the water after we placed in the fermentor so i guess it was a partial (like i said, super noob )

 

don't worry you'll catch on to all the terms that get tossed around. One of the things I really had to get my head wrapped around is how much water you start with compared with how much goes into the fermenter. There are loses at each step. Right now your adding water to bring up the volume to get the fermenter where you want. As you progress you'll go the other way. Grains absorb water, both for partial mash and all grain, boiling evaporates it. Some gets left behind in the trub. Your next step will probably be to full boils. On a 60Min boil you'll lose about a gallon. so if you want to do a full boil and not have a boil over you'll want to be at around 7 Gallon. The next step after that will probably be full boil with steeping grains, so you need the 7 gallons, plus enough space to dunk the bag and account for absorption. That would put you around 10 Gallons.

Me personally I'm pretty happy with my 12Gal setup. I can do a 10Gal batch if I'm careful.

 

Thanks eveyrone...such a huge help everyone. I think i'll go with the williams 12 gallon. Gunfighter, what's your opinion on immersion cooler as opposed to ice bath?

 

Go immersion - I just got one. First I don't need to buy ice to use it, so there is one less thing to get keep on hand and remember. Second it is faster, especially if you have a sanatized spoon you are stiring with.

 

In my opinion a 12gal size is awkward. Too small to do a 10gal batch and too big for a 5gal batch

 

My thoughts to. I have the pot I linked earlier, and it's perfect for 5G (6 gallon actual in fermenter) batches. Then, I have a keggle (15.5G) for 10 G which is perfect. I've also got a 22 gallon but that's top secret. LOL

 

Doornumber3 Where are you brewing? on an electric kitchen stove or on gas? or on a propane burner outside?

Electric stove max out at about 3 gallons of liquid in a reasonable amount of time. Anything more than that and they have a real challange to get a good boil.

 

Never had a problem with my setup. 12G HLT, 10G igloo, and 12G BK. It's really close on a 10G batch but I only do that once or twice a year, but we've just really confused this guy with a bunch of info that's a while down the road for him.

to the OP, unless you're slightly OCD like some of us, and feel like brewing big batches of high gravity beers is in your immediate future, a 10G pot will do you fine.

Immersion chiller is the best first step you can make for your process. Tons of info on making your own if your into DIY. Also lots of great vendors that you can buy one. Your Tap water temp will play a great part on how effective it is.

 

Buy once, cry once...

 

brewing in my kitchen with gas stove.....I'm guessing i would never go over 5 gallon batch....

 

You have to ask your self, where is my brewing going? How much time and money am I going to give this? If you like kits all you need is a 4gallon pot and the kit will tell you to top off the carboy with boiled water. You don't even need a chiller, you can just let it cool on it's own over night. Take your time buying gear and don't do what I did and buy everything twice.

 

Thanks, I think what i'm going to do is buy a pot and a cooler. I really plan on doing more than what a starter can do and don't want to spend money to just outgrow the equipment. Love the advise from everyone....thanks!

 

well i did it....ordered the williams 10 gallon pot and the immersion cooler. I think the 10 gallon will be good since i'm brewing in a kitchen right now.

 

If you stick with 5 gallons, the 10 gallon pot should do well for a kettle for that. If you go larger in the future, you will probably go all grain then, and need to change up some equipment.

 

gives me a reason to do the burner outside and the bigger pot

 

I us immersion chiller and find the bk thermometer quite useful.