8 gallon kettle, worth it?

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eh1bbq

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Hey guys,

Great deal I found on an 8 gallon kettle. Only question is whether it is worth going 8 gallon at all if my plan is go to AG very quickly? My understanding is that I couldn't even fit boil volume for a 5 gallon AG batch in it, correct?
 
I brewed for a year and a half with only an 8 1/2 gallon pot. You just have to watch it very carefully the first 1/2 hour. I did just buy a 15 gallon pot to make it easier, and I can do 10 gallon batches.
 
eh1bbq said:
Hey guys,

Great deal I found on an 8 gallon kettle. Only question is whether it is worth going 8 gallon at all if my plan is go to AG very quickly? My understanding is that I couldn't even fit boil volume for a 5 gallon AG batch in it, correct?
Click to expand...


No, but it is on the small side. I used a 30 qt turkey fryer pot for a while, ~7.5 gallons. I needed about 7 gallons for boil off. It is do-able but you really have to control the temperature for quite a while at the start of the boil.

I now use a 10 gallon pot that gives about 4 inches above the wort for the foam. I have still had boil overs when my attention was distracted by Homebrew Talk......

I suggest 10 gallons for a 5 gallon batch.
 
I used an 8 gallon pot for a long time, like already mentioned you just have to watch it. Besides if the deal s good enough it can become an hlt or you can sell it and get back your investment.
 
Ive brewed probably 20, full volume boils in my 8gallon kettle, once you get past the sugar break its fine. You just need to be there at that very moment to stir down the foam and expansion. Works fine for me.
 
If it's in your budget and something larger isn't, go for it. I brewed a couple of all grain batches, full damn near to the top, in a 7.5 gallon kettle.
When the opportunity to get a larger kettle presented itself I took advantage of it.
Now I have a 12.5, a 7.5, a 5 and 2 burners. Sparge water and heating wort just becomes simpler as your available equipment increases.
 
It's not the budget necessarily that's the problem, but the fact that the 8 gallon is only $90 and the 10 gallon is $200. They are both Tall Kettles. Was really hoping to be AG brewing by New Years... doubt the 10 gallon goes on sale by then....
 
No, kettles last a long time. 8 gal can work, but then you will always be looking to upgrade. I have an 8 gal kettle that is now used as a HLT. I heat it twice -- once to strike and once to sparge. It's barely big enough for that, but my batch size is 7.25 gal of finished beer. My BK is 16 gal. No worries of a boil-over.
 
I wish I has an 8 gallon pot when I started all grain. I used 2 five gallon pots, well one a as cream can that holds a little more than 5 gallons.
My process was to mash in bag in the cream can, heat sparge water in the other pot.
When done mashing I would remove the bag and place in the pot with sparge water stir mad. Remove bag and let drain into pot.

I did have to boil in both pots until some boil loss took over then added from the sparge pot to main kettle.

Long story short an 8 gallon pot combined with a 5 gal pot may have helped out.


Oh yeah I now have a 3 keggle system and will not look back.
 
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For the record I am in Canada and so with exchange, shipping and customs duty it would be significantly more expensive to purchase pretty much anything from the US. Also, the Tall Boy kettles seem to be really high quality and have a ball valve and thermo built in so I can convert to mash tun once I am ready to move to AG. Was looking for a pot I could use for a while. I don't really plan on doing 10 gal batches for quite some time if at all. 48 beer to drink in a 1-2 month span is a lot for just me.
 
I suggest getting a 10 gal tallboy without the valve and doing BIAB. Works great for me.
 
I use an 8 gallon pot for my stove top all grain...I need 6.2 gallons to get down to 5.5 in the fermentor...I admit i have to watch it like a hawk for the hot break and first hop addition but after that no problems
 
I'm in the camp of 8g is fine for 5g batches. I aim for 5.5g in my fermenter (esp for IPAs) and have no problem. I start with 6.5-7 in the pot and will add a qt or 1.5qts during the boil (15-30 min in) based on time of boil, boil off rate etc. Not an issue for me. I get it though why a 10g would be very nice too!
 
Another person here that uses an 8 gallon pot for 5 gallon batches. Been doing it for a while now but I will say this, I wish I went with a 10 or 11 gallon. The extra room is nice and I would like to be able to do bigger boils
 
I use a 9 gallon Bayou that looks the same as the 10 gallon posted earlier on Amazon.

I wish I had one more gallon or two....I do BIAB and I had to do a sparge on my last brew with 11lbs of grain otherwise it would have been half an inch from the top. Couldn't imagine doing it with an 8 gallon even.

Go for the 10 you will never regret going bigger but you will regret not going bigger for a few more bucks later...just wait a little longer and save whatever extra money it is you need.
 
arnobg said:
I use a 9 gallon Bayou that looks the same as the 10 gallon posted earlier on Amazon.

I wish I had one more gallon or two....I do BIAB and I had to do a sparge on my last brew with 11lbs of grain otherwise it would have been half an inch from the top. Couldn't imagine doing it with an 8 gallon even.

Go for the 10 you will never regret going bigger but you will regret not going bigger for a few more bucks later...just wait a little longer and save whatever extra money it is you need.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the advice. Really appreciate it. Honestly, not a matter of money really but the fact that the 10 gallon was $110 more expensive. It's okay now though, since a 15 just came on sale for $199...

Also if I absolutely wanted to in the future, that would give me the flex to move to 10G so... I'm not sure
 
eh1bbq said:
Thanks for the advice. Really appreciate it. Honestly, not a matter of money really but the fact that the 10 gallon was $110 more expensive. It's okay now though, since a 15 just came on sale for $199...

Also if I absolutely wanted to in the future, that would give me the flex to move to 10G so... I'm not sure
Click to expand...

This is a great kettle for the price and it is 11 gallons...so not sure what you mean by $110 more for a 10 gallon. Anyways just trying to help, I've been very happy with my Bayou and I added a thermometer in the side of it for $20 was easy to add. A valve can be added for another $20.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VXHKMC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Here's a 15 gallon for $139 comes with a valve....

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007V493PG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
 
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arnobg said:
This is a great kettle for the price and it is 11 gallons...so not sure what you mean by $110 more for a 10 gallon. Anyways just trying to help, I've been very happy with my Bayou and I added a thermometer in the side of it for $20 was easy to add. A valve can be added for another $20.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VXHKMC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Here's a 15 gallon for $139 comes with a valve....

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007V493PG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
Click to expand...

OP already said he's in Canada, so shipping and taxes and whatnot make US options way more expensive for him.

One thing people always assume is that you HAVE to do full volume boils for AG. You can brew a slightly stronger beer and dilute it. I often do this with refrigerated distilled water to cool those last few points. If it's a real issue, you can always go a half-gallon shy and then top up later in the boil or post-boil, or even post-fermentation (I think Revvy had a thread about that).
 
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Get measurements. My "8 gallon" is closer to 9. But because its under 8 I guess they called it an 8.

Anyway, I use it for all grain BIAB full volume boils. I have had 2 minor boil overs. Minor because sometimes the boil "burps" up one side. Was maybe an ounce or 2 on the floor and burner. I figure I will upgrade one day to a 15 or 20 gallon. I will sell this one, or keep for HLT
 
tennesseean_87 said:
OP already said he's in Canada, so shipping and taxes and whatnot make US options way more expensive for him.

One thing people always assume is that you HAVE to do full volume boils for AG. You can brew a slightly stronger beer and dilute it. I often do this with refrigerated distilled water to cool those last few points. If it's a real issue, you can always go a half-gallon shy and then top up later in the boil or post-boil, or even post-fermentation (I think Revvy had a thread about that).
Click to expand...

Sorry, missed that. Is it really going to be another $100 in shipping though....
 
I'm really surprised at the folks badmouthing smaller pots. An 8 gallon pot is just fine for 5 gallon batches. I use a 7.5 gallon pot for five gallon all-grain batches - I've never boiled over - it's fine.

I also use two kitchen pots around 3 gallons for mash and sparge water - they fit on the kitchen stove allowing me to use propane for nothing but the boil.
 
I don't think anyone is bad mouthing 8 gallon pots. The OP asked for opinions on if it is worth it to go to an 8 gallon if transitioning to all grain or not. If you are going to upgrade already anyways to a larger pot, there isn't a single reason not to go bigger than 8 gallon besides price. Why use multiple kettles when you are going to buy a new one anyways.....just get one large enough to start.
 
arnobg said:
Sorry, missed that. Is it really going to be another $100 in shipping though....
Click to expand...

Thanks.

Actually, between dollar conversion (0.70 per 1.00), shipping (usually $50+), and taxes and duty (another $20 at least), it actually very feasibly could become $100 more.
 
I'm another with a 7.5G turkey fryer setup, doing fullboils for 5.5G batches. I actually start with about 7G in the BK, boiling down to 6G, and manage to do it without a boilover. Repeat after me- Fermcap is my friend! Remember, after you get the hotbreak, you can cut the gas way back to maintain a slow steady rolling boil.
Would I take a 10G BK? You bet- will someone donate one? ;)
 

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