82Qt Kettle Question

[marc06]

Any problems with doing a 5 gallon batch in a 82qt brew kettle? I've found a cheap ($156 shipped) stainless steel kettle to upgrade to 10 gallon batches, but I still want to be able to brew 5 gallon batches (my current kettle is too small)

Cheers,
Marc

 

[Evan!]

not that I can think of, assuming the base isn't too terribly wide. You might get a little increase in carmelization, but not enough to really mess anything up. Also, you will probably have to fidget with your evap rates over the course of a few batches to dial it in again.

 

[sirsloop]

if it super wide it'll probably use less gas and boil faster... other than that I don't see any problems. Its like 2-2.5x as big as you need for a 5gal batch.

 

[radtek]

How do you plan to cool the wort? That is one problem I can see if you are using an immersion chiller. It might be too shallow. You might need to get a 40qt for the 5 gallon batches.

The other is that you might get an increase in evaporation due to an enlarged surface area to volume ratio.

When shopping for kettles I find it wise to check the dimensions- I favor taller vs wider pots simply for the IC aspect.

rad