Brew kettle help

[MayorAdamWest]

Hi everyone. I'm about to start my first batch of homebrew beer, but first I have some concerns about the brew kettle I'm thinking about using. I don't currently have the money to buy one for myself so I've been searching around for one to borrow. The thing is, the biggest one I can find is only 4 gallons. I know I want to have at least 2 gallons of wort brewing in my kettle for a 5 gallon recipe. What do you guys think? Should I give it a try with the 4 gallon kettle and hope things work out okay or should I just hold off until I have the equipment necessary? I'm just hesitant to accidentally mess up my first attempt at brewing! Any other suggestions for a first time brewer are more than welcome also.

 

[scinerd3000]

partial boils are fine....beer is pretty difficult to mess up. Boil around 2.5-3 at most so you dont boilover and go for it. If your worried, get some fermcap so you don't boil over or just be vigilent. Add spring water to top up the fermentor and to cool the wort. Good luck.

 

[Brewskiletta]

I'd think 4 gallons would be fine for a 2 gallon boil. I boil 5 gallons in a 7 gallon pot, so you should have plenty of room.

Good luck man! Welcome to the obsession!

 

[zachary80]

What's your budget?

I get a little over 4 gallons in my 5 gallon pot and it's fine as long as I use FermCap-S

 

[TopherM]

I bought my first pot at Big Lots - stainless steel, 4 gallons, and cost me $15.00 brand new.

Every extract recipe I've done from Brewer's Best, Austin Homebrew, and Northern Brewer call for partial boils between 2 and 3 gallons. Even the 3 gallon boil was fine in a 4 gallon pot.

Good luck!

 

[MayorAdamWest]

Alright, thanks everybody! I'll give it a try this weekend and let you know how it turns out!