Brewing on the stove top

[JayP83]

I just ordered an 80qt stock pot, and by the dimensions of the pot it fits perfectly over all four burners of my kitchen stove. I was wondering (because I don't have the pot yet to test myself) if anyone had brewed on a kitchen stove with something around the 60-80qt range, covering all four burners did it take forever to get to a boil?
Thanks in advance.

I have natural gas burners.

 

[tally350z]

I use to use my stove top only two burners though. Never really got a good rolling boil. I only have a 10g pot. I have done mostly 60 min boils, but then I made a 90 min IPA. The stove got so hot from the boil that 2 of the ignitors didn't work after.

 

[HeavyHefe]

I've only done five batches and all were with a 32 qt pot over just one large ceramic stove top (radiant-ribbon style) burner. I did full 5 gal boils with all of them and all grain BIAB mashes with three of them. All were excellent finished products! To go from the mash to a rolling boil does take almost 30-45 minutes though which sucks, but works. I recently got a hold of a propane burner and fish fryer stand, so I'll be moving my brew days outside. Hopefully they'll go a little faster. And my wife won't complain about the house smelling like a grain mill after brew days...

 

[bigbeergeek]

No experience with it, but it's a fun thing to think about. I'd like to see other replies or your own eventual test run. My 25 gallon pot does its boiling outside

 

[Horseballs]

I brew on my stove top with a 10 gallon stockpot over two burners and get a good rolling boil pretty quickly. I just did a 90 minute boil the other day and even with 8 gallons preboil it handled it like a champ. HOWEVER - it is a major pain to haul the kettle onto the stove after collecting the wort from my mashtun, and a huge pain to haul it down to chill. I can't even imagine a 20 gallon pot's weight. Wort is heavy.

 

[ktblunden]

Depends entirely on the stove. My 10 gallon pot over two burners (one of them a high output burner) does not get a good hot break or reach a rolling boil. I went to a propane burner.

 

[Stauffbier]

HOWEVER - it is a major pain to haul the kettle onto the stove after collecting the wort from my mashtun, and a huge pain to haul it down to chill. I can't even imagine a 20 gallon pot's weight. Wort is heavy.

This would be my concern as well, unless you do BIAB and chill right on the stove. If you have a ball valve on the pot you could drain right into the FV from the stove too. If not you could siphon. If you're using a MLT I think you'll have a hell of a time getting the full kettle on the stove...

 

[JayP83]

I should have the pot and bulkhead applied to it, by this weekend. Going to do a "mock" 60 boil, for beersmith, so I will post some pics and tell you if I need to buy a propane burner or not.

I brew on my stove top with a 10 gallon stockpot over two burners and get a good rolling boil pretty quickly. I just did a 90 minute boil the other day and even with 8 gallons preboil it handled it like a champ. HOWEVER - it is a major pain to haul the kettle onto the stove after collecting the wort from my mashtun, and a huge pain to haul it down to chill. I can't even imagine a 20 gallon pot's weight. Wort is heavy.

I am ordering a march pump in a few weeks and hopefully I will not be moving anything but my 6.5g carboys. Until I get it then I am going to have my mash tun elevated on my refrigerator and let it gravity feed.also going to be using a 5 gallon bucket to transfer my water from my HLT to my MT, until I get the march pump.

 

[Stauffbier]

Until I get it then I am going to have my mash tun elevated on my refrigerator and let it gravity feed.

Now that's innovation!

 

[bcales]

I wanted to get the oxidization higher on my 25gal but didnt want to waste propane. Im too nervous to fill it more. 25ga would be over 200lbs of water. I got far enough to hang my candy thermometer. I figured out an approx 1.47 gal per vertical inch. So that makes me at 147lbs and 17.5ish gallons. Stove is fine so far...i think i can go all the way...but wont.

 

[daksin]

I've put my 8 gallon over two burners and been able to achieve a nice strong boil, and this is a cheap apartment stove. I bet you could do it, but try it out with water first.