Brew Pot Size

[golfguy819]

I'm going AG now, and am upgrading my brew pot. I was looking at either an 8 or 10 gal pot and wanted to get some opinions on which size would be better. I'm going to be collecting 6-6.5 gal of wort to account for loss during the boil. So I guess my question is, which would be better, 8 or 10? With a 10 gal pot, I pretty much wouldn't have to worry about boil over, but what about w/ an 8 gal? Any info or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ajwillys]

Definitely go with the 10. You could do it in an 8 but it would still be tight. Remember that they usually measure the pot to the absolute brim whereas you will want to boil with a good 6 inches remaining at least. And don't think you won't have a problem with boilover, I have a 15 gallon pot and its still a concern for 6.5 gallons of wort.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Agreed. Get the biggest pot that you can afford.

 

[danielinva]

You would have to keep a good eye on the 8 gallon pot. That's actually the size I use and I have only had a couple small boil overs, but that's because I'm always anticipating them early on, especially with the first hops addition. I've collected as much as 7 gallons of wort for a successful boil, but it can be a bit of a hairy situation.

Get the 10 gallon if you can. It will make brew day a bit easier.

 

[jcarson83]

The amount of wort you collect is really going to be dependent on how big of a beer your making. Its not uncommon for me to start off with 8 gallons for an IPA that ends up being 5 1/2 to 6 in the carboy.

+1 to 10 gallon pot.

 

[MMW]

I'm going to go against the grain a little bit here: I'd buy a 15 if you can find a decent price on one. The first 5 minutes or so of the boil are *very* tense for me in my 7.5 gallon pot-- you have to be Johnny on the spot with the burner control in one hand and a spray bottle in the other.

I'm buying some Fermcap for my next batch and a bigger pot as soon as SWMBO wants another handbag.

 

[TXCrash]

8 gallons will WORK.
10 gallons is good.
15 gallons is better...

The bigger your pot (within reason) the easier it is to catch boil overs...

Here's a boilover wanting to happen from last night in a 7.5 gallon pot - this is TWO gallons here...

Now mind you - this was a batch with a lot of trub and I was boiling hot, but I've had a couple boilovers or almost boil overs with 5 gallon batches (starting 6ish gal of wort) in my 15 gallon keggle...

I should add - don't let this discourage you from using a smaller pot if you really need to - I did my first couple all grains with my 7.5 gallon pot. It kinda sucked at the beginning of the boil and a boilover was immenent, but it was doable and I turned out some good beers..

 

[bashe]

+1 on the 10 gallon pot. I have a 7 gallon and just had a boil over yesterday. I plan on going to Sports Authority in the near future and picking up a 15 gallon pot. I know eventually I will be doing 10 gallon batches so I'm going to plan ahead.

 

[golfguy819]

Thanks for the advice guys.....I might as well pony up the extra dough (no pun intended!) and go w/ the 15 gal. I was leaning towards the 10, but I can see myself eventually going to 10 gal batches, so might as well do it right the first time

 

[Cape Brewing]

Sorry for slightly off topic but... if you guys watch your boil pots... and as soon as really hit a hard boil you'll get your hot-break foaming at the top...

Just take a clean coffee mug or something and scoop that foam out. You can then go the rest of your boil with no chance of boil over.

 

[wilserbrewer]

A simple rule of thumb that I have found, is that the optimum kettle size is just about double the finished batch size. So a 10 gal. is perfect for 5 gallon batches. A 15 gal. is a bit large and cumbersome for 5 gallon batches, but is perfect for 1/4 barrel, 7.75 gal. batches.

 

[sean102385]

for my first all grain i just did on saturday, i have a 30 qt pot which is what 7.5 gallons. i collected 6 gallons of wort and did not have a boilover at all. spraying the foam with a water bottle works wonders and you really only have to worry about it for like the first maybe 5-10 minutes

 

[samc]

Never really had a boil over other than a few splashes on the kitchen stove - that of course sent me outside for all future brews. Stir the wort for the first few minutes of the boil and also after each hop addition. I have an 8 gallon pot I no longer use because I did a very careful 7.5 gallons in it to start and that was difficult to manage, I kept adding a bit of wort to the pot as it boiled down.

15 gallon pot or Keggle is the way to go for 5 - 10+ gallon batches.

 

[weirdboy]

I use a 7.5 gallon pot for my AG brews. I had one boil over the first or second time I brewed, but anti-foam and/or scooping off the foam works fine and I never have any issues whatsoever since then. In fact, I don't even watch the pot any more once I eliminate that first hot break.

 

[golfguy819]

Well, after much thought (and checking the bank account) I decided to go w/ a 12 gallon pot instead of 10 or 15. I figured it's middle of the road and will allow me to do most brews without too much worry.